Einstein vs. Rutgers NJMS

[wooooop]

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Einstein
Pros

• Ranked higher
• Emphasizes clinical experiences
• Higher Step 1 scores (can't find Step 2)

Cons

• Higher COL
• Higher Tuition (55k/year)
• In the Bronx, would have to probably commute from NYC (would not be living in student housing)

Rutgers NJMS
Pros

• In-state tuition (40k/year)
• Would have the opportunity to possibly live at home and commute (short train ride to the medical school)
• Lower COL

Cons

• Lower ranking
• Lower Step 1 scores

Summary: As of now I don't have any strong opinions about either medical school and I am hoping posting this can start to differentiate between the medical schools and what my decision should shape up to be. I currently do not know of any scholarships to either school and I believe I have an interest in pursuing a surgical subspecialty but not totally set on that.

Thanks for any help you guys can provide!

 

[lalalallala]

You are going to commute to Einstein from Manhattan every day? Sounds terrible. What is the total cost of attendance difference? It seems kinda high. I would probably pick Rutgers because I don't think Einstein is worth the money (I got in I just didn't like it that much) and I don't like the Bronx. But that's just me

 

[wooooop]

You are going to commute to Einstein from Manhattan every day? Sounds terrible. What is the total cost of attendance difference? It seems kinda high. I would probably pick Rutgers because I don't think Einstein is worth the money (I got in I just didn't like it that much) and I don't like the Bronx. But that's just me

Trying to figure out the total cost of attendance difference now over 4 years. I would estimate it to be about an 80k difference over the 4 years so not terrible considering other differences in attendance between Private and IS tuitions. The max commute one way for me would probably be 30 mins one way so not out of control.

 

[lalalallala]

Trying to figure out the total cost of attendance difference now over 4 years. I would estimate it to be about an 80k difference over the 4 years so not terrible considering other differences in attendance between Private and IS tuitions. The max commute one way for me would probably be 30 mins one way so not out of control.

I would recommend going to second look days. I think your decision should come down to where you will be happier and the 80k. Which is something we can't answer for you. I dont think the step 1 score average differences or reputation differences are really the deciding factors here. 80k will grow with interest and even though you'll be able to pay it back that is still 100k+ that you could be spending on something else or growing via investments.

 

[DrFortiusNatando]

Almost definitely Rutgers - UMDNJ
The students who have come from there to our residency over the past 20-15 years have been amazing. Literally every one of them.
No one will ever wonder why you chose the school. IS tuition and being able to live at home with a short commute just makes so much sense. Commuting from Manhattan to the Bronx is doable, but depends where you would be living in Manhattan. Anything longer than 30-45 minutes will be draining.
If you do well in medical school at UMDNJ, you will do well in matching for residency.
I have been a Residency Program Director - I would never rank a student from Einstein over one from UMDNJ just based on the school. It is all about the applicant at this level.

The only way that Einstein makes more sense is if there is a particular research interest that you must follow that would not be available at UMDNJ, but would be available at Einstein.

 

[wooooop]

Almost definitely Rutgers - UMDNJ
The students who have come from there to our residency over the past 20-15 years have been amazing. Literally every one of them.
No one will ever wonder why you chose the school. IS tuition and being able to live at home with a short commute just makes so much sense. Commuting from Manhattan to the Bronx is doable, but depends where you would be living in Manhattan. Anything longer than 30-45 minutes will be draining.
If you do well in medical school at UMDNJ, you will do well in matching for residency.
I have been a Residency Program Director - I would never rank a student from Einstein over one from UMDNJ just based on the school. It is all about the applicant at this level.

The only way that Einstein makes more sense is if there is a particular research interest that you must follow that would not be available at UMDNJ, but would be available at Einstein.

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I spoke to another RD about making this choice and he was an Einstein graduate himself. He mirrored what you said about it all being about the applicant to residency more than the school between Einstein and NJMS. Are there any other factors that you think I should be weighing in my decision besides ranking, COL, price, and commute?

 

[1996-]

Are there any other factors that you think I should be weighing in my decision besides ranking, COL, price, and commute?

Have you looked at either of the curricula? NJMS looks like it does foundations, then systems in one block at a time, while Einstein looks like it does ~2 blocks of various topics (e.g. hematology block and musculo-skeletal at the same time)—i like NJMS’s curriculum a little better for this reason, but you might like the “2 topics at a time” approach more

 

[DrFortiusNatando]

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I spoke to another RD about making this choice and he was an Einstein graduate himself. He mirrored what you said about it all being about the applicant to residency more than the school between Einstein and NJMS. Are there any other factors that you think I should be weighing in my decision besides ranking, COL, price, and commute?

I think it does make sense to look at the curriculum in more detail - may only be information you can get by talking to students and/or going to second look. Is the curriculum primarily lecture-based or other format, and is there required attendance, etc?. You also want to get a sense of whether the grading system impedes cooperation and collaboration within a class. As far as curriculum style, and grading system, you have to know yourself, so may know what motivates you to study and keep up with the material, etc. When I went to medical school with a 1 yr old and a 3yr old, after being out of school for 5 years, I knew I did not want to have to take a test each week in every subject and compete with premeds who had no responsibilities and just knew how to study. Although not the only factor in my decision, I ended up choosing a school whose preclinical was P/F and unranked and without AOA, and was very happy with my decision. In the end, I learned what I needed to learn, but on my schedule and not someone else's.

 

[wooooop]

I think it does make sense to look at the curriculum in more detail - may only be information you can get by talking to students and/or going to second look. Is the curriculum is primarily lecture-based or other format, and is there required attendance, etc?. You also want to get a sense of whether the grading system impedes cooperation and collaboration within a class. As far as curriculum style, and grading system, you have to know yourself, so may know what motivates you to study and keep up with the material, etc. When I went to medical school with a 1 yr old and a 3yr old, after being out of school for 5 years, I knew I did not want to have to take a test each week in every subject and compete with premeds who had no responsibilities and just knew how to study. Although not the only factor in my decision, I ended up choosing a school whose preclinical was P/F and unranked and without AOA, and was very happy with my decision. In the end, I learned what I needed to learn, but on my schedule and not someone else's.

Great thanks again!

 

[wooooop]

Have you looked at either of the curricula? NJMS looks like it does foundations, then systems in one block at a time, while Einstein looks like it does ~2 blocks of various topics (e.g. hematology block and musculo-skeletal at the same time)—i like NJMS’s curriculum a little better for this reason, but you might like the “2 topics at a time” approach more

I have started to look at their curriculums in more detail, thanks for your advice. For me, I like a systems-based curriculum more with an emphasis on cooperation (P/F). Other than that, most of the details of the curriculum won't be a huge deciding factor for me over more important aspects like tuition.

 

[deleted903608]

Current Einstein student here if you have any specific questions about the school. I personally love it for so many reasons, but realize it may not be the right choice for everyone. Why wouldn't you be living on campus? The vast majority of students do and it makes cost of living astronomically lower. I do know students who commute from Manhattan, etc. and it is doable, but not ideal.

 

[wooooop]

Current Einstein student here if you have any specific questions about the school. I personally love it for so many reasons, but realize it may not be the right choice for everyone. Why wouldn't you be living on campus? The vast majority of students do and it makes cost of living astronomically lower. I do know students who commute from Manhattan, etc. and it is doable, but not ideal.

I have the option of living with my friends that would make Manhattan as financially feasible as living on campus. During my interview, I took a tour of the on-campus housing and while convenient I really think I would benefit more from living off campus. Did you have a similar decision before deciding on Einstein?

 

[deleted903608]

I have the option of living with my friends that would make Manhattan as financially feasible as living on campus. During my interview, I took a tour of the on-campus housing and while convenient I really think I would benefit more from living off campus. Did you have a similar decision before deciding on Einstein?

I would really suggest considering on-campus housing more strongly if you're thinking about attending. I guess I kinda had a decision cause my significant other lives about a 30-40 min drive from Einstein, so I could have decided to live with him (I would have basically 0 cost of living in that case) but the commute is not worth it. Maybe for clinical years, but right now I need to optimize my time and traveling back and forth is not worth it in my opinion. Plus commuting costs money (gas or bus/subway fares). Also ultimately one of the things I love most about Einstein is the sense of community and I think I would have missed out on that if I was far from campus.

 

[wooooop]

I would really suggest considering on-campus housing more strongly if you're thinking about attending. I guess I kinda had a decision cause my significant other lives about a 30-40 min drive from Einstein, so I could have decided to live with him (I would have basically 0 cost of living in that case) but the commute is not worth it. Maybe for clinical years, but right now I need to optimize my time and traveling back and forth is not worth it in my opinion. Plus commuting costs money (gas or bus/subway fares). Also ultimately one of the things I love most about Einstein is the sense of community and I think I would have missed out on that if I was far from campus.

That's a really good thing to know and consider. What is your living arrangement at Einstein? Do you have a roommate? What is your cost of living there?

Thanks!

 

[deleted903608]

That's a really good thing to know and consider. What is your living arrangement at Einstein? Do you have a roommate? What is your cost of living there?

Thanks!

I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 roommates. We share a full kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Rent is $430 a month including all utilities. Plus I probably spend about $200 a month on groceries/food.

 

[wooooop]

I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 roommates. We share a full kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Rent is $430 a month including all utilities. Plus I probably spend about $200 a month on groceries/food.

Do you happen to know the rate for two people or one person apartment?

 

[deleted903608]

Do you happen to know the rate for two people or one person apartment?

Don't know specifics but I think studio is like $700 and having one roommate in a two bedroom is maybe like $500. You should know that studios are reserved for married couples/domestic partnerships and MD/PhDs first and unless you have kids/are married/in a partnership you will pretty much have to live with one or two roommates for at least the first 2 years (there is a waiting list for individual studios that's currently like 2 years long).

 

[deleted962973]

There have been a few disgruntled SDN threads about the administration at Rutgers. I understand that people are more likely to speak about negative experiences than positive ones, so take with a grain of salt, however a difficult and unsupportive administration is the one thing that would kill a school for me, regardless of anything else. They can really mess with your ability to do well on rotations. In addition, ngl but Newark <<<< the Bronx, though neither are particularly swanky locations. Everytime I’ve been to Newark I’ve felt kind of unsafe, and I’m a pretty big dude. If you are planning on living at home, you may avoid some of this, but you’ll also be spending plenty of late nights at the hospital and on campus.

A cost difference of 80K is significant but doable if one school will be much better for you than another. Since you don’t seem too biased either way, second look should hopefully help you pick a favorite. I personally think Einstein is a stronger school and NYC is a much better place to spend 4 years, but this decision is of course no one’s but your own.

 

[puahate]

I prefer Einstein over Rutgers

 

[wooooop]

There have been a few disgruntled SDN threads about the administration at Rutgers. I understand that people are more likely to speak about negative experiences than positive ones, so take with a grain of salt, however a difficult and unsupportive administration is the one thing that would kill a school for me, regardless of anything else. They can really mess with your ability to do well on rotations. In addition, ngl but Newark <<<< the Bronx, though neither are particularly swanky locations. Everytime I’ve been to Newark I’ve felt kind of unsafe, and I’m a pretty big dude. If you are planning on living at home, you may avoid some of this, but you’ll also be spending plenty of late nights at the hospital and on campus.

A cost difference of 80K is significant but doable if one school will be much better for you than another. Since you don’t seem too biased either way, second look should hopefully help you pick a favorite. I personally think Einstein is a stronger school and NYC is a much better place to spend 4 years, but this decision is of course no one’s but your own.

I appreciate your advice. Any chance you can link to those threads about the Rutgers administration? I agree about your point of the Bronx and Newark.

 

[wooooop]

Don't know specifics but I think studio is like $700 and having one roommate in a two bedroom is maybe like $500. You should know that studios are reserved for married couples/domestic partnerships and MD/PhDs first and unless you have kids/are married/in a partnership you will pretty much have to live with one or two roommates for at least the first 2 years (there is a waiting list for individual studios that's currently like 2 years long).

Are the roommate picks random?

 

[wooooop]

I prefer Einstein over Rutgers

Why is that?

 

[puahate]

Why is that?

Research-wise I am more familiar with Einstein and they have great research productivity. NY is more exciting and better compared to where Rutgers is.

 

[1996-]

NY is more exciting and better compared to where Rutgers is.

Not sure why people always cite "nyc(?)" as a pro for einstein. Einstein is a little under an hour from port authority/downtown NYC via MTA, which isn't bad, but few people seem to be aware that the PATH from newark penn station to nyc penn station is solidly under 20 minutes and runs every 5 minutes.

 

[ThatSerb]

OP, I'm stuck in the same situation. Which school did you end up choosing?

rip, they were last seen online almost 2 years ago

 

[unimpressedpenguin]

rip, they were last seen online almost 2 years ago

same! idk what to choose.

 

[ThatSerb]

same! idk what to choose.

im still waiting to hear back post-ii from einstein. this isn't very well substantiated but I swear every AE student I see online just seems completely in love with the school. the housing seems awesome and convenient, they provide you with transportation. their ranking just went up too (ik it doesn't really matter but feels nice). then you got the whole nyc / proximity to Manhatten factor. coursework is P/F. you will have all the resources you need to match into any specialty your heart desires. I don't know, it does just seem like an awesome school