Einstein vs. BU

[hurricane123]

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I am currently trying to decide between Einstein and BU and would appreciate some outside feedback.

These are some of my thoughts:

Einstein: strong clinical exposure, lots of research/global health opportunities, cheap housing, daily life seems like it would be very easy (housing right next to school/gym/hospitals), slightly cheaper tuition

BU: also has strong clinical exposure, cost of living would be more expensive, more to do in Boston than the Bronx

I am currently leaning towards Einstein but I ultimately would like to return to MA after med school. Would going to Einstein decrease the chances of a MA residency?

 

[EK601]

There are some matches in MA this year though not too many.

http://www.einstein.yu.edu/admissions/page.aspx?id=29555

I don't know whether this is because it was hard for students to get MA residencies or because there weren't that many students that wanted to go to/ return to MA. My guess is the latter - so I think you should be fine.

 

[zebalong]

As an Einstein student I'm totally biased - but the one thing to consider is if you HAVE to return to Boston (spouse, family or something) specifically and you are thinking of something really competitive like derm/ent, you will have some home field advantage at matching at your home institution which can increase your odds at match time.

But obviously if you do really well at Einstein there is nothing to hold you back from matching anywhere you like. The schools are quite comparable in terms of reputation for residency directors. And out of all the private schools Einstein has one of the lowest CoAs with our housing and "relatively" low tuition plus fees (total 44kish) if you don't include health insurance - get your own its way cheaper..

 

[mipp0]

As an Einstein student I'm totally biased - but the one thing to consider is if you HAVE to return to Boston (spouse, family or something) specifically and you are thinking of something really competitive like derm/ent, you will have some home field advantage at matching at your home institution which can increase your odds at match time.

But obviously if you do really well at Einstein there is nothing to hold you back from matching anywhere you like. The schools are quite comparable in terms of reputation for residency directors. And out of all the private schools Einstein has one of the lowest CoAs with our housing and "relatively" low tuition plus fees (total 44kish) if you don't include health insurance - get your own its way cheaper..

Go where you will be happiest man. Home field advantage in MA for BU and NY for Einstein from what I've heard from attendings, but east coast is east coast and I doubt it's significant. Buddy was in the same position last year and chose BU. My girlfriend is "meh" about Boston and loves NY plus I have family in NY, so that complicates my position as well.

Happiness = better grades, and it looks like your heart's in NY (or Einstein at least), but hey, that's what second look is for.

 

[hurricane123]

Thank you for all the feedback! I'm not thinking I'll be going into anything super competitive (leaning towards internal med). I don't absolutely need to be back in MA for residency but would like to be closer to family eventually. It sounds like for less competitive specialties, home field advantage isn't quite as important?

 

[zebalong]

Thank you for all the feedback! I'm not thinking I'll be going into anything super competitive (leaning towards internal med). I don't absolutely need to be back in MA for residency but would like to be closer to family eventually. It sounds like for less competitive specialties, home field advantage isn't quite as important?

Definitely not important then... things could always change, but like other posters have said just do your best where ever you end up and you'll set yourself up to land the resideny of your choice.

 

[nyc1718]

.

 

[ialwayslose]

I would say BU.

I interviewed at both schools and ultimately withdrew from Einstein before getting my decision. Although I thought it was a great school there were a few things about it that I disliked. Namely, I wasn't a huge fan of its location in the Bronx (its not close enough to realistically be in NYC / take advantage of NYC on a nightly basis, nor is it particularly great IMO). I also didn't get a great vibe from the students at Einstein. They were all very friendly, but something about the atmosphere didn't seem quite right (a strong emphasis on P=MD, a lot of the Jewish students seemed to hang out in cliques together (or at least I saw this happen at lunch), and the classmates didn't seem to know each other/interact as well as at other schools. Of course, these impressions are based on ONE subjective interview day, and of all of my reasons them, I would only strongly consider Einstein's location, since your opinion of the environment is probably going to be entirely different.

Some positives about BU:
-Diversity of patient population- as cliche as this may sound - is really greater here than at most other schools.
-Location in Boston: sure the South End isn't AMAZING by itself, but at BU you are so incredibly close (read: walking distance) to Downtown Crossing / the center of Boston or anywhere else. The only downside is that there is no subway stop near BUMC.
-I heard that they have a good STEP I average (personally this would have little influence on my decision, although I guess it goes to show that their curriculum isn't terrible.
-Students seemed very relaxed/friendly (as they did in most other schools)
-P/F preclinical grading (might be the case at Einstein as well, can't remember).

Some negatives of BU:
-Cost, Cost of Living

 

[Se7eN]

einstein

 

[western1]

einstein

^^ this is the second thread you have offered no input except simply saying "einstein".

Quit being so helpful!

 

[tantacles]

^^ this is the second thread you have offered no input except simply saying "einstein".

Quit being so helpful!

Einstein.

 

[penguinism]

I would love input on this as well...but include Temple for me!

Temple
pros: very close to my friends/family/bf, ability to live in CC Philadelphia, IS tuition, good reputation in Philly/SE PA, very friendly students
cons: iffy location in N. Philly, H/P/F, want to branch out and explore a new city other than Philly

Einstein
pros: not too far from friends/family, near Manhattan, small scholarship (applied for service and research scholarship too), cheap on-campus housing, P/F, get off for Jewish holidays, good research opportunities
cons: not block scheduling (multiple exams in one week), Bronx is mehh, weird vibe on my interview day

BU
pros: great location, brand new subsidized housing for the first year, P/F, great vibe during my interview day, very friendly students, block M2 curriculum
cons: furthest from my friends/family/bf (with the exception of my sister who lives in Boston), most expensive

All of the above have great community hospitals and will provide good clinical exposure. I'm interested in academic medicine in the future. Money is of course a concern, but I have no undergraduate debt and will have a little help from my parents for the first year. After that I'm on my own.

 

[YPDCC]

Definitely BU if you are interested in returning to MA. If you look at BU's match list, you can see that many matched in the greater Boston area. I think BU has better opportunities anyway.

 

[YPDCC]

I would say BU. I read an interesting article about the school about two weeks ago, I'll try to pull it up right now. Great school, especially if you have family in Boston.

oh and discount anything that nyc1718 says because he's gunning for Einstein. Just look at his previous posts.

 

[Doc Einstein]

Einstein!

 

[RedSox10]

On other polls I've definitely suggested Einstein (for some reason Einstein seems to be a choice for a TON of people) becasue Einstein tended to be the better option in my opinion. But, I would defintely pick BU in this case. I just think Boston is a better place to spend the next four years than the Bronx, and if ranking is of any interest to you, BU is slightly higher.

 

[bigloley]

If you want to return to MA in the future, definitely choose BU