Geisinger (GCSOM) vs New York Medical College (NYMC)

[perfectlyfine]

Just got off a waitlist and apparently have 24 hours to decide between these schools....Tuition is pretty much the same so that's out of the picture as a factor. If anyone has any personal insights for either school (research, clerkships, etc), please share! Any help would be appreciated.

Geisinger

Pros

• smaller class size (~105)
• true pass fail
• closer to home (1.5-2 hour drive)
• seems to have a very supportive and close knit environment

Cons

• seem to be highly primary care focused (>50% matched primary care this past year)
• kinda in the middle of nowhere
• most matches within PA

NYMC

Pros

• close to NYC (40 min train)
• this past year's match list seemed to be pretty diverse in location and specialties
• more research opportunities (??)

Cons

• large class size (~210)
• pass fail but internal rankings
• farther from home (2.5-3 hour drive)

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[mrsbehindthemd]

I would go with NYMC. Geisinger is a lot newer of a school (only about a decade) and NYMC has been established for much longer. Additionally, I recently read that Geisinger is being bought out by a different hospital system so who knows what that will do to the school.
I also think it also depends on what specialities you are interested in. It sounds like NYMC has more opportunities for diverse specialities and probably more opportunities for networking- especially with more research being available. A 2-3 hour drive is not bad at all. I personally wouldn’t let that deter me. However, I am from the west so everything is a 2-3 hour drive 😂. From what I have heard about Geisinger, you may end up doing your whole education in an even smaller town than Scranton if you get assigned to one of the further campuses, and then you would really be in the middle of nowhere. Correct me if I am wrong, but they spread students out between five different campuses and you stay there the whole time I think.

Go with your gut! But based on what you said, it sounds to me like you are leaning towards NYMC.
Congratulations on your acceptances!