Einstein vs Downstate

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Hello,

I've gotten into both Einstein and Downstate, and I'm trying to decide which one to attend.

To me, it seems like both are pretty similar in terms of its strengths and benefits, other than the fact that Einstein is ranked and has more research money than Downstate.

My ultimate personal goal is to actually get matched into a hospital in Manhattan for residencies. I've been living in Manhattan all my life and I really want to stay here.

So I've taken a look at the matchlists for this year for each school and found that Downstate may have slightly more students getting matched into hospitals in Manhattan.

In terms of living and lifestyle, I can see myself living in both Brooklyn and Bronx, so that won't matter much. So my only deciding factor would be how much of a chance the school would give me in gettin matched into hospitals in Manhattan. I know that chances and matchlists aren't everything and won't gurantee me getting matched into the hospitals I want to in the future, but I gave this a lot of thought and came down to this as the deciding factor.

I'd really appreciate it if anyone could share their thoughts or advice!

thanks

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[La Presse]

Are you trying to match at Langone or Columbia-Presbyterian?

I would prefer AE over Downstate. Very strong research presence. And let's not forget the faculty at Montefiore.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to SSD. From either program your likelihood for matching will be based on your abilities. Go to the one that is closer to where you want to be in new york/will make you happier

 

[cyberchicken001]

I was in the same exact predicament and am choosing Einstein. Both of these schools match a ton of people into the NYC area, with a great deal of them being in Manhattan. I think the differences which made me choose Einstein are:

1) Cost: Downstate tuition+fees is ~$15k less per year, but since I wouldn't live on campus if I went to Downstate and would have to commute (most likely by car), and
Einstein has really cheap housing, for me the total COA difference is only about $6k per year. That's close enough for me to justify going to the school I like better.

2) Research: Einstein has the edge here, but I don't think it's impossible to get research at Downstate either. If you're not interested in going to a competitive specialty which requires you to do research, this likely won't have as much an impact on you.

3) Location: Einstein is in a relatively quiet neighborhood of the Bronx. I did not like Downstate's location, but that's just me. I'll leave it at that.

4) Intangibles: To me, Einstein's administration seemed way more organized than Downstate's. I was also a little off put by Downstate's financial crisis (although Einstein is not in the best of shapes either). The campus of Einstein I think is much nicer than Downstate, with more quiet areas. Downstate just looked dilapidated to me. Also, I liked how Einstein seemed very technologically current (in terms of educational materials, eMed, etc), whereas to me Downstate just didn't seem as "with it".

Don't think you'd be disadvantaging yourself by going to either one though, good luck on your decision!

 

[DermViser]

I was in the same exact predicament and am choosing Einstein. Both of these schools match a ton of people into the NYC area, with a great deal of them being in Manhattan. I think the differences which made me choose Einstein are:

1) Cost: Downstate tuition+fees is ~$15k less per year, but since I wouldn't live on campus if I went to Downstate and would have to commute (most likely by car), and
Einstein has really cheap housing, for me the total COA difference is only about $6k per year. That's close enough for me to justify going to the school I like better.

2) Research: Einstein has the edge here, but I don't think it's impossible to get research at Downstate either. If you're not interested in going to a competitive specialty which requires you to do research, this likely won't have as much an impact on you.

3) Location: Einstein is in a relatively quiet neighborhood of the Bronx. I did not like Downstate's location, but that's just me. I'll leave it at that.

4) Intangibles: To me, Einstein's administration seemed way more organized than Downstate's. I was also a little off put by Downstate's financial crisis (although Einstein is not in the best of shapes either). The campus of Einstein I think is much nicer than Downstate, with more quiet areas. Downstate just looked dilapidated to me. Also, I liked how Einstein seemed very technologically current (in terms of educational materials, eMed, etc), whereas to me Downstate just seemed as "with it".

Don't think you'd be disadvantaging yourself by going to either one though, good luck on your decision!

I swear certain med schools in NY should be put out of their misery like Upstate and Downstate.

 

[sfwtboy]

I was in the exact same position as you this year, but ultimately chose Einstein. Granted, I was out of state so Downstate was a lot more expensive for me. I really liked both school and despite what people say about Downstate I really like it, and I'm sure that the clinical experiences students get there would be amazing. Honestly for me it was that Einstein clicked a lot more. I agree with the poster above that they're a lot more "with it" than Downstate and overall the presence at Einstein seemed more conducive to students.

Both are great options though, I'm certain you'll end up in Manhattan if that's what you really want (it's what I want too!)

 

[hplssrmantcxox]

I do recall at Downstates interview day they mentioned 40-50% of physicians practicing in Manhattan are Downstate grads... That's also something to consider.

Would you focus on clinical training or research? That's the question. If I wanted to be solely a clinician I would choose Downstate. If I wanted to do a specialty that requires more research then I would choose AE.