Trying to decide which would be better...(need to improve my academic record and MCAT)
1) NYMC MS - Basic Medical Sciences (Traditional) - 2 years
2) BU MAMS - 2 years
3) Drexel - IMS and then probably MMS
BU MAMS is certainly more reputable than the program at NYMC, but the two programs offer the students different things in different environments, for sure - so it depends what you want or what you feel is an ideal situation. I know more about NYMC than BU MAMS, so be aware of this.
Location: BU is urban, NYMC is suburban, but only 35 minutes by train to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
For starters, BU and NYMC both require biochemistry and physiology. At BU, cell bio is required, with histology as an available elective. At NYMC, you are required to take either cell biology or histology; if you take histology, cell bio is not required, BUT may also be taken as an elective (I think), and vice versa. The cool thing is, NYMC also offers an elective in cellular physiology, so you could theoretically take histology to satisfy your core requirements, and then take cellular physiology as the elective instead of cell biology...cell bio has a lower course number than cell biology, so even though the two are really the same discipline, cell physiology would make you appear to be challenging yourself through more advanced coursework.
At BU, you will take courses with medical students. At NYMC, you do not take medical school courses, but the courses are taught by medical school faculty, and the course content is about the same but obviously less emphasis is given to the clinical elements in the non-medical school courses. Faculty at NYMC have said that the content between their medical student lectures vs. graduate student lectures differs by only 10-15%.
Both programs allow you to take courses in pharmacology, neuroscience, pathology, histology. I think you can also take immunology in the BMS at NYMC, but do not quote me on that.
BU will also require you to take biostatistics and Biomedical Informatics (computational systems in biology and medicine) - NYMC does not require, but does offer biostatistics to those who are interested. Biomedical informatics is not as useful in preparing you for medical school - it's an interesting discipline, but having some background in it certainly wouldn't separate the men from the boys in medical school, nor would it give you an edge when applying, unless you plan on doing research in this field while in medical school or if you are planning on doing MD-PhD.
BU, however, does offer more clinical/translational opportunities through its curriculum than does NYMC (i.e., courses in clinical trial management, clinical applications of human genetics, clinical research seminars, etc. This is not to say that you couldn't find similar opportunities to learn these things while at NYMC, it just isn't built into NYMC curriculum is all.
Another interesting point that is not so obvious: BU MAMS is a flock of pre-meds, basically. Not everyone at NYMC is doing the MS for purposes of going to medical school. Some people are doing it to improve their job credentials, some are doing it to demand higher pay at work, some are doing it to be more competitive in the job market (lab management, research associate, teaching, medical admin/clerical, etc) and some are doing it because they have tuition remission through their employer. That being said, a substantive (at least 50%,) number of students are doing this for the sole purpose of applying to medical school, so these people will be aiming high, and this means competition. The point I am driving at, is that although you will be competing for good grades wherever you go, you will not be competing against everyone at NYMC. You will be at BU, however. NYMC is less competitive, on average, but the course work is still challenging - here, competitive is meant to describe your peers, as opposed to your classwork. Courses are challenging at both, competition is less at NYMC than at BU.
I have been told, that of the MS students at NYMC that intend to continue their studies in medical school, about 1/3 do well enough in their studies to be considered competitive. The community at NYMC is small, which is good for building relationships with professors. I am sure if you do well in the program at NYMC, have an MCAT 32+ and good letters from faculty in the program, you could very well land an interview at NYMC.
Both schools have strong research opportunities, so this should not be a distinguishing factor. I think both schools require some research or review article as part of their respective programs.
I am not sure what the community at BU is like, but student activities/organizations of the medical school at NYMC do not preclude graduate students from participation; I am involved with a medical school organization at NYMC, and obviously there are graduate school student organizations as well, which masters students can become involved in.
Obviously, you can do shadowing if you are in either program - the great thing about the two year MS's vs. the 1 year SMP's is you have the flexibility in your schedule to get involved in volunteering, student clubs, research and shadowing, which is valuable if these areas of your application need strengthening.
Having a car is helpful if you are at NYMC; probably not as much of a necessity in boston.
There are no linkages for students in the MS programs at NYMC. I cannot comment about the other programs though.
