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- Apr 21, 2007
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Hello to all. I am currently a MS1 student at MSSM nearing the end of my first year. I remember the anguish and (pleasant) frustration behind choosing a school by the May 15th deadline. In the spirit of free speech and open information, I thought I would share some of the honest negatives about attending MSSM before the May 15th deadline.
Price: as a private school in New York City attending Sinai is obviously and expensive commitment. The student budget this academic year is $53,500. Next year it increases to $55,340. The cost of living in New York is expensive, with no large discount supermarkets and all prices juiced somewhat.
Location: Being in New York is great. Theres nothing quite like it, but its not for everyone, be honest with your self on that one. The neighborhood around Sinai is very bland. The area lacks character and shuts down at around 11 each night. This has been frustrating when trying to find any sort of reasonable food delivery late night when studying for exams. In addition, there arent any decent bars near the school.
Another issue concerning the location is safety. To the south is a very affluent area that is considered quite safe, but to the north is a different story. Two blocks away from Aron Hall (student hosing), and across the street from the Hospital there are blocks and blocks of projects (low income housing.) This is not an area you want to be wandering around in after dark.
Grading: completely pass/fail. This can be great, and it can be detracting. Without a high pass or honors option, it can be hard to find motivation to push yourself when your 96 will be regarded as no better than your classmates 73. Apathy sets in real quick.
No University association: Sinai is its own institution, with no real tangible ties to NYU except in name only. As a result, some resources are somewhat limited. One example of this is libraries, there is only one library and it closes at midnight. For day to day stuff this is obviously fine, but it would be convenient to have a 24 hour library, especially the week of big exams.
I attended a mid size public school, and I find myself missing attending campus Football and basketball events.
Name Recognition: Another consequence of not being linked to a University comes in with name recognition. Although Sinai is rated quite high in the US News rankings (take that for what its worth), I have found that most lay people have not heard of the school, or rarely appreciate how hard it is to gain admission. This is obviously not true for residency directors, people in the medical community and those in the New York/tri-state area. In other areas of the country, your patients, friends, and / or the chicks at bars probably wont know what medical school you are talking about. I realize that this sounds quite superficial, but it is a reality, and just remember that your patients will probably be checking out the diploma hanging on your wall no matter where you practice.
There are many aspects of Sinai that are great, and I feel like those have been beaten to death on these boards, but if anyone has any other questions feel free to PM me.
Price: as a private school in New York City attending Sinai is obviously and expensive commitment. The student budget this academic year is $53,500. Next year it increases to $55,340. The cost of living in New York is expensive, with no large discount supermarkets and all prices juiced somewhat.
Location: Being in New York is great. Theres nothing quite like it, but its not for everyone, be honest with your self on that one. The neighborhood around Sinai is very bland. The area lacks character and shuts down at around 11 each night. This has been frustrating when trying to find any sort of reasonable food delivery late night when studying for exams. In addition, there arent any decent bars near the school.
Another issue concerning the location is safety. To the south is a very affluent area that is considered quite safe, but to the north is a different story. Two blocks away from Aron Hall (student hosing), and across the street from the Hospital there are blocks and blocks of projects (low income housing.) This is not an area you want to be wandering around in after dark.
Grading: completely pass/fail. This can be great, and it can be detracting. Without a high pass or honors option, it can be hard to find motivation to push yourself when your 96 will be regarded as no better than your classmates 73. Apathy sets in real quick.
No University association: Sinai is its own institution, with no real tangible ties to NYU except in name only. As a result, some resources are somewhat limited. One example of this is libraries, there is only one library and it closes at midnight. For day to day stuff this is obviously fine, but it would be convenient to have a 24 hour library, especially the week of big exams.
I attended a mid size public school, and I find myself missing attending campus Football and basketball events.
Name Recognition: Another consequence of not being linked to a University comes in with name recognition. Although Sinai is rated quite high in the US News rankings (take that for what its worth), I have found that most lay people have not heard of the school, or rarely appreciate how hard it is to gain admission. This is obviously not true for residency directors, people in the medical community and those in the New York/tri-state area. In other areas of the country, your patients, friends, and / or the chicks at bars probably wont know what medical school you are talking about. I realize that this sounds quite superficial, but it is a reality, and just remember that your patients will probably be checking out the diploma hanging on your wall no matter where you practice.
There are many aspects of Sinai that are great, and I feel like those have been beaten to death on these boards, but if anyone has any other questions feel free to PM me.
Do you really need a library open 24 hours? If you want to study late at night, I'm sure there are always places you can study...how about your room? Which medical school has competitive sports teams? Columbia has a decent rugby team I heard, but that's it. Go to the Recreational Office and get some student discounted Mets/Yankees tickets! 
