I'd love some help -- Rochester v. Brown v. Sinai

[longleat11]

Hi SDN,

I'm fortunate to have to make this decision, but I'm having a tough time doing so. These are the three schools I'm most seriously considering, and I'd love some input. They're all about the same price. I am originally from Western New York and have lived there nearly my entire life. Part of me wants to be near family in a familiar environment (Rochester), but another part thinks that it would be a good time to experience a new setting especially since I think I would like to live in WNY once I settle down. Admittedly, none of these schools are that far away from my family (Rochester is 1hr driving, Brown and Sinai are both about 7 hrs). Before this process, I was totally set on going to school in NYC since I find its diversity and energy appealing. I'm somewhat more lukewarm on the city as April 30 rolls closer just due to its sheer magnitude and the difficulties of simple things (driving, buying groceries, etc.). I loved that each of these schools seems to have a real focus on liberal arts and medical humanities. I'm sure I'll be happy at any of them. But if anyone has any thoughts about the importance of being closer to home vs trying out a new place or is also comparing these three schools, I'd be happy to hear about your thoughts. Thanks!

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[Cyberdyne 101]

You'll encounter no difficulty accomplishing the simple things if you choose Sinai. You'll have a plethora of grocery shopping options in the area as well as ease of access to other parts of the city. Granted, it's not a car friendly area, but a car won't be necessary. In fact, it'd be a burden-lol.

 

[Mansamusa]

I'm not a huge fan of NYC personally, but I actually think Sinai has one of the most convenient living situations of any med school. They have heavily subsidized student housing. You will never need to drive because you could walk or take a subway anywhere you want to go. You'll be right by central park, so you can pretend you have nature. You are a good distance away from Midtown which is the worst place to live. You can access anything you want with minimal effort. You could even have people deliver groceries to your apt if you don't want to go get them.


How important being close to home is a personal choice.

Edit: And the biggest reason I'm not in love with NYC is that I don't think the cost of living is worth it when you can live in other big cities for a lot less. The subsidized housing mitigates that, so I do think it's a pretty good deal

 

[USvWindsor]

Also at Sinai you have access to the local Y. I don't know why, but that really appealed to me on interview day haha.
I'd say Sinai or Brown? It does seem like if you want the experience of living in a big city, might as well do it when you have access to cheap housing.. and have no kids and no spouse (presumably).
Since the cost is the same, consider which one you'd be happiest at?

 

[longleat11]

Thanks for your views, everyone. I recognize this decision ultimately comes down to personal preference, but I really appreciate your input!

 

[wavvvvvves123]

you won't need to drive in NYC at all and i'm sure there are places to get groceries around mount sinai that are convenient. the fact that mount sinai offers such affordable housing for you to live in manhattan seems wonderful to me. in terms of whether or not to be close to home, it depends on your relationship with your family i'd say. like for me, living far from my family is no issue because while i do love them, seeing them for extended periods of time can be too stressful and emotionally draining. so it depends on what you hope to gain from being close from your family. if they are your main support system and they are your absolute best friends and you can't go extended periods of time without them, then think about if you could handle the train/plane costs to see them if you pick one of the further schools. maybe one of the further schools ends up being cheaper and whatever couple of thousands you save could be put towards travel costs.

hopefully some of what i said made sense!

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I don't know much about Rochester or Sinai but feel free to PM me, if you have questions about life in Providence!