Mayo vs. Cornell

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Mayo.
 
Mayo, hands down.
 
So it looks like Mayo wins by a huge margin...wow, what would the OP and others like him do without SDN?

Do you need us to tell you when to wipe your a$$ too, OP?
 
you can't possibly expect to base your decision on the opinion of strangers...do your research, visit the schools, meet with students, etc.
 
Are you guys so vicious because e is asking for help deciding between two great schools (i.e. you're jealous) or because you are just mean people?

The OP was just asking for opinions on the two schools. Many people discuss difficult decisions with others before making them, and my guess is that (as scary as it sounds), the posters on SDN may be the most informed group of people he can talk with. I know my family wasn't particularly helpful during this process.

If you know Cornell and Mayo's curriculum, or have opinions on location, etc...by all means- offer your advice. If not, just leave the guy alone.

Shadowboricua- from your prior postings I think you would fit in well at either place, but in my opinion Mayo is the better school.
 
melissainsd said:
Shadowboricua- from your prior postings I think you would fit in well at either place, but in my opinion Mayo is the better school.
Click to expand...

My, how extremely helpful for the OP!

And you base your opinion that Mayo is the "better" school on what? That you got waitlisted there? What do you know about Cornell? - it is not listed on your mdapps, so I assume you did not apply there, so what the hell do you know about Cornell to make such a ridiculous statement - have you ever even visited the school, do you know the first damn thing about it?

Maybe I am just "mean," but these kinds of threads are uber stupid.
 
postbacker said:
Maybe I am just "mean," but these kinds of threads are uber stupid.
Click to expand...

Agreed... the OP really shouldn't be putting any emphasis on the "off the cuff" responses that these threads attract. Just do some research. And really you can't go wrong either way. 👍
 
postbacker said:
Maybe I am just "mean," but these kinds of threads are uber stupid.
Click to expand...
I don't think all these kinds of threads are stupid, just go to the ucsf vs ucla one. It has some great info in it. Some sf and la students have come to that thread and put the pros and cons so the OP can make an informed decision. Hopefully some current mayo and cornell student might tune in on this thread as well to give the inside prospective.
 
melissainsd said:
Are you guys so vicious because e is asking for help deciding between two great schools (i.e. you're jealous) or because you are just mean people?

The OP was just asking for opinions on the two schools. Many people discuss difficult decisions with others before making them, and my guess is that (as scary as it sounds), the posters on SDN may be the most informed group of people he can talk with. I know my family wasn't particularly helpful during this process.

If you know Cornell and Mayo's curriculum, or have opinions on location, etc...by all means- offer your advice. If not, just leave the guy alone.

Shadowboricua- from your prior postings I think you would fit in well at either place, but in my opinion Mayo is the better school.
Click to expand...


I'm with you Melissa! Seems pretty ridiculous that people pounce on other that are posting QUESTIONS! Which is what I thought these forums are for??? If you don't like the question, ignore the thread.

I can only speak for Mayo so here goes:

Pros
The new curriculum. Six week blocks followed by two week breaks where you can either vacation or pursue volunteer opportunities, international opportunities, or work in the clinic. The med school is GREAT about finding any opportunity you want. Whether it be trauma surgery, working in a rural clinic, going abroad.

International opportunities. All students get a "Travel budget." This can be used over summers or 2 week selective breaks. They fully funded a group of four students in my class earlier this year to go to Guatemala, they are funding a group to go to bolivia over the summer, group to haiti, another to Ghana etc... It is CRAZY how mcuh money they have to make sure you have a diverse array of experiences. Getting funding is really easy too🙂

Clinic time. We are in the clinic A TON. It really is amazing. First years have had the chance to suture up in surgeries, do physicals, be on call and wake up in the wee hours of the morning to scrub into surgeries, do procedural stuff (nasal endoscopy), take histories......at this point those we expect these sort of opportunities when we get into the clinic as first years. Our entire last block was called "surgical specialities" and involved alot of hands on clinical experience! i think this is Mayo's biggest selling point (the insane amount of clinic time your first year).

We're spoiled. We have so much small group stuff that we take for granted that alot of our classes are 5-8 students and a professor.]

The curriculum is an awesome mix of PBL, lecture, small group and hands on clinical experience. I can honestly say that I am having a completely different medical school experience than all of my peers at other medical schools.

MD/JD program. Automatic admission, don't need to take the LSAT, complete the degree in two years instead of three at Arizona State University (tier 1)... oh and they give you a full ride with a 10,000 dollar a year stipend. A RIDICULOUS deal.

MD/MPH program. Automatic admission at U of Minnesota (great public health school) and a FULL RIDE. If you want to go elsewhere (JHU, Harvard etc...) Mayo will give you 10,000 to help defer costs.

Oh, and getting into clinical research here is so easy. Physicians doing research here are so well established that they love giving med students the opportunity to structure and write up publications (as first author). Literally, we get tons of emails from physicians who really want medical students (because there are so few of us) to become involved in their clinical research. Oh and alot of departments will fund (pay) you! 80 something percent of the students graduate with a first author publication.

It is REALLY stress free. True Pass, fail..... Plus the admissions process is so rigorous here, they make sure your classmates are awesome!!

I agree that you should base your decision on information you have gathered, your perceptions. SOmetimes some insight from individuals that currently attend the schools you are deciding between is really helpful. Hopefully someone from Cornell will post.

Really, there is NOTHING wrong with the medical school. It is trully an amazing place to be, really responsive in terms of changing things so we have the best curricular experience possible.

CONS
HOWEVER, Rochester is no big city, and not a college campus. Location is the one thing that hurts Mayo. Again, its really not that bad... its a normal city with a fair amount of stuff to do and alot of bars to go out too, but its not like a big city or college campus!

Class size might be to small for some. I'm a big city person though, and I still love it.

OP - know that you cannot go wrong with either school! I interviewed and was accepted at both. They are both GREAT, but Mayo definately "wowed" me when I visited, which no other school did. Your learning from leaders of their fields, amazing clincial experiences and facilities, and amazing financial aid!! It truly has surpassed my expectations!
 
postbacker said:
My, how extremely helpful for the OP!

And you base your opinion that Mayo is the "better" school on what? That you got waitlisted there? What do you know about Cornell? - it is not listed on your mdapps, so I assume you did not apply there, so what the hell do you know about Cornell to make such a ridiculous statement - have you ever even visited the school, do you know the first damn thing about it?

Maybe I am just "mean," but these kinds of threads are uber stupid.
Click to expand...


Wow, settle down. Getting a little too worked up for an SDN post aren't you??? She gave her a opinion. This is a forum of OPINIONS. The OP got into two amazing schools, I think he has enough insight to recognize that this is Melissa's OPINION, not known fact. Again, if you don't like the thread, ignore it... i'm sure you have better things to do than be an a$$hole.
 
I don't know much about mayo, but if location is important to you, I would probably suggest coming to cornell.

Other things to think hard about:
-PBL. 4.5 hours of it each week. Did you enjoy the mock session at revisit? Do you like to learn in groups? Also, just a little side note--keep in mind that PBL runs from 8-9:30 MWF, and we have MPSI (at which attendance is also required) starting at 8 on Thursdays. If you're not a morning person, you may suffer a little bit.
-Research. If you're highly interested in doing research as a med student, I suspect there may be more opportunities (broader variety, possibly bigger names) available to you here in the Tri-I community and potentially at other NYC institutions.

Feel free to send any questions my way.
 
owenmichael said:
I'm with you Melissa! Seems pretty ridiculous that people pounce on other that are posting QUESTIONS! Which is what I thought these forums are for??? If you don't like the question, ignore the thread.

I can only speak for Mayo so here goes:

Pros
The new curriculum. Six week blocks followed by two week breaks where you can either vacation or pursue volunteer opportunities, international opportunities, or work in the clinic. The med school is GREAT about finding any opportunity you want. Whether it be trauma surgery, working in a rural clinic, going abroad.

International opportunities. All students get a "Travel budget." This can be used over summers or 2 week selective breaks. They fully funded a group of four students in my class earlier this year to go to Guatemala, they are funding a group to go to bolivia over the summer, group to haiti, another to Ghana etc... It is CRAZY how mcuh money they have to make sure you have a diverse array of experiences. Getting funding is really easy too🙂

Clinic time. We are in the clinic A TON. It really is amazing. First years have had the chance to suture up in surgeries, do physicals, be on call and wake up in the wee hours of the morning to scrub into surgeries, do procedural stuff (nasal endoscopy), take histories......at this point those we expect these sort of opportunities when we get into the clinic as first years. Our entire last block was called "surgical specialities" and involved alot of hands on clinical experience! i think this is Mayo's biggest selling point (the insane amount of clinic time your first year).

We're spoiled. We have so much small group stuff that we take for granted that alot of our classes are 5-8 students and a professor.]

The curriculum is an awesome mix of PBL, lecture, small group and hands on clinical experience. I can honestly say that I am having a completely different medical school experience than all of my peers at other medical schools.

MD/JD program. Automatic admission, don't need to take the LSAT, complete the degree in two years instead of three at Arizona State University (tier 1)... oh and they give you a full ride with a 10,000 dollar a year stipend. A RIDICULOUS deal.

MD/MPH program. Automatic admission at U of Minnesota (great public health school) and a FULL RIDE. If you want to go elsewhere (JHU, Harvard etc...) Mayo will give you 10,000 to help defer costs.


It is REALLY stress free. True Pass, fail..... Plus the admissions process is so rigorous here, they make sure your classmates are awesome!!

I agree that you should base your decision on information you have gathered, your perceptions. SOmetimes some insight from individuals that currently attend the schools you are deciding between is really helpful. Hopefully someone from Cornell will post.

Really, there is NOTHING wrong with the medical school. It is trully an amazing place to be, really responsive in terms of changing things so we have the best curricular experience possible.

CONS
HOWEVER, Rochester is no big city, and not a college campus. Its not manhattan! Location is the one thing that hurts Mayo. Again, its really not that bad... its a normal city with a fair amount of stuff to do and alot of bars to go out too, but its not like a big city or college campus!

Class size might be to small for some. I'm a big city person though, and I love it.
Click to expand...

I'm effing jealous...
 
owenmichael said:
International opportunities. All students get a "Travel budget." This can be used over summers or 2 week selective breaks. They fully funded a group of four students in my class earlier this year to go to Guatemala, they are funding a group to go to bolivia over the summer, group to haiti, another to Ghana etc... It is CRAZY how mcuh money they have to make sure you have a diverse array of experiences. Getting funding is really easy too🙂
Click to expand...

Oh, I forgot to mention that we have a very similar program here at Cornell! I'm leaving out most of these points because I'm assuming you already know about them from revisit, your interview, independent research on the schools, etc. But this point is a big seller for many students.

We also have awesome classmates. It's one of my favorite things about Cornell. 😍

I wasn't aware that Mayo was strictly Pass/Fail. We do have a 3-tier grading system (H/P/F), so that may be another issue to carefully consider. Many argue that getting the H doesn't matter, but obviously it still exists and places a bit more pressure on students. That being said, I've found all my classmates here to be incredibly cooperative.

Think about the fact that anatomy starts in January here. That meant a lot to me, as I didn't feel ready to start anatomy right at the start of med school. We're allowed ample time to adjust to our new homes, explore NYC, etc. before delving into HSF.

Although Cornell's class size is larger than Mayo's, we also spend a great deal of our time in small groups (you work with the same 10 students in PBL and small groups all semester; anatomy groups are made of 3-4 students...). Since most of us also live in Olin our first year, we all get to know each other REALLY WELL. Before arriving here, I was nervous about the clique-ishness I had heard some complain about with respect to med school, but I haven't encountered much of it at all in our class. Thanks in part to the structure of our curriculum and our living environment, we all get along well and are a really bonded class.

The Weill/Cornell 2011 thread in Allo has a good bit of info on the different opps--of which there are many--that are available to us here. If you haven't checked that out yet, I'd recommend doing so.
 
melissainsd said:
Are you guys so vicious because e is asking for help deciding between two great schools (i.e. you're jealous) or because you are just mean people?

The OP was just asking for opinions on the two schools. Many people discuss difficult decisions with others before making them, and my guess is that (as scary as it sounds), the posters on SDN may be the most informed group of people he can talk with. I know my family wasn't particularly helpful during this process.

If you know Cornell and Mayo's curriculum, or have opinions on location, etc...by all means- offer your advice. If not, just leave the guy alone.

Shadowboricua- from your prior postings I think you would fit in well at either place, but in my opinion Mayo is the better school.
Click to expand...

i just think that it's crazy to throw up a pick between two schools onto an online forum, and expect to get advice from random strangers. it really comes down to personal preference...do you want to live on the upper east side of NYC, or do you want to be in minnesota? the locations are radically different. so having all of these random people post about the "better" pick is senseless, especially because the posters could have agendas. OP needs to buckle down, research the schools, and decide what he/she likes. anything we can say is pointless for another individual.

hence, you can't go wrong with harvard.

thanks must go to dr. detroit for the genius inspiration and commentary on these threads.
 
Pagz09 said:
i just think that it's crazy to throw up a pick between two schools onto an online forum, and expect to get advice from random strangers. it really comes down to personal preference...do you want to live on the upper east side of NYC, or do you want to be in minnesota? the locations are radically different. so having all of these random people post about the "better" pick is senseless, especially because the posters could have agendas. OP needs to buckle down, research the schools, and decide what he/she likes. anything we can say is pointless for another individual.

hence, you can't go wrong with harvard.

thanks must go to dr. detroit for the genius inspiration and commentary on these threads.
Click to expand...

Posting on this forum is one way that the OP can "buckle down [and] research the schools." The OP is using this forum as a tool.
 
postbacker said:
My, how extremely helpful for the OP!

And you base your opinion that Mayo is the "better" school on what? That you got waitlisted there? What do you know about Cornell? - it is not listed on your mdapps, so I assume you did not apply there, so what the hell do you know about Cornell to make such a ridiculous statement - have you ever even visited the school, do you know the first damn thing about it?

Maybe I am just "mean," but these kinds of threads are uber stupid.
Click to expand...

I make a point to try and avoid personal attacks in these forums, but you seriously have issues. Just because you read my mdapp doesn't mean you know me. Yes, as a matter of fact I have visited both schools...HAVE YOU? I saw from your previous posts that you are going into a postbac program, so you either did not get into school this year or haven't even applied. Why are you even posting? I have no idea why you would read these threads if not to gain some insight from helpful students like argonana and owenmichael. Calm down.
 
Won't this come down to NY vs. Rochester?


As much as I love the Mayo hospital and curriculum, I don't see how anyone could ever choose the latter without a full ride.
 
Unless you really hate Rochester and you absolutely love NY, you should go to Mayo. Last time I checked, the school is both amazingly cheap and extremely prestigious. Going to Mayo will probably save you at least 100 K, I doubt Cornell can have anything to trump that.
 
EndSong said:
Unless you really hate Rochester and you absolutely love NY, you should go to Mayo. Last time I checked, the school is both amazingly cheap and extremely prestigious. Going to Mayo will probably save you at least 100 K, I doubt Cornell can have anything to trump that.
Click to expand...

If the price difference is this big, I would agree.

If it is within 40-50K, go to Cornell.
 
OP- I know you have a full ride to Mayo, what kind of aid are you geting from Cornell?
 
Does anyone know if Cornell offers full rides? Thanks for the comments and info. Keep them coming. I really think these posts do help people with their decisions. Good luck to you all![/QUOTE]

i don't know about full rides; they only offer need-based aid, though.
 
Shadowboricua said:
Does anyone know if Cornell offers full rides?
Click to expand...

man. why does this cornell reject seem to know more about the damned school than the sdn-ers they accept? there's just no justice in the world.

according to the website and the admissions dean at the interview day, their aid is strictly need- and formula-based. the website has two sample financial aid offers.
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
man. why does this cornell reject seem to know more about the damned school than the sdn-ers they accept? there's just no justice in the world.

according to the website and the admissions dean at the interview day, their aid is strictly need- and formula-based. the website has two sample financial aid offers.
Click to expand...

Ok, so let's say a person has the most extreme need - beyond what is shown as an example (i.e. very very poor). What is the limit of aid one could expect? Could a FULL need-based scholarship be possible?
 
Xibye said:
Ok, so let's say a person has the most extreme need - beyond what is shown as an example (i.e. very very poor). What is the limit of aid one could expect? Could a FULL need-based scholarship be possible?
Click to expand...

fair enough, and i don't know the answer.

edit: but i think you can contact the financial aid office for an estimate or to answer this hypothetical question. i've heard of another person doing this before being accepted.
 
pyrois said:
... you know, I'm still debating between Mayo and another school, but let's get real. I withdrew from Cornell the moment I heard from Mayo😛
Click to expand...


That may be how it went down for you, but I'm sure many others would have done the opposite. I have many classmates who turned down hopkins, penn, harvard...not to mention columbia and yale...to come to cornell. some of that decision was based on reputation and the outstanding resources available here, while some of it was based on location and the vibe people got from our (awesome!) student body.

I personally didn't apply to any of the above institutions except Harvard (and Penn, from which I withdrew) because I knew I wanted to be stimulated by my surroundings during medical school, and I craved a diverse environment and wanted to join an incredibly diverse class. I wanted to be able to enjoy myself and learn about life, the arts, and all different kinds of people when I wasn't studying. And to some extent, yes, I wanted my environment to be aesthetically pleasing. It is so nice to step outside and be able to admire the amazing architecture of NY Hospital, and to be a hop, skip, and a jump away from Central Park. Truly, in these respects, you can't go wrong with NYC and Cornell.

I haven't heard of full rides being offered, but guys, just call and ask. The office here is so helpful. I do know that the need-based aid is quite good.
 
Shadowboricua said:
Ok.. Doctor Detroit know it all... I tried contacting Cornell a few weeks before getting they verdict on my acceptance, and they were not really helpful about what they would offer to someone in my situation... They said I have to wait and see... Now... I am still waiting. I have called again, and they still have not figure out if they would give me something close to a full ride, like the one I have from Mayo. Did you get accepted at Cornell??? You are a good reason to choose not to go there.
Click to expand...

yes, i've been accepted and i requested you as a suitemate.
 
Shadowboricua said:
I tried contacting Cornell a few weeks before getting they verdict on my acceptance, and they were not really helpful about what they would offer to someone in my situation... They said I have to wait and see... Now... I am still waiting. I have called again, and they still have not figure out if they would give me something close to a full ride, like the one I have from Mayo. Did you get accepted at Cornell?
Click to expand...

Try calling again today. We're on spring break, and it's really quiet here. If they can't give you an answer, ask them for a date you could call back by to get one.
 
Cornell is entirely need-based and therefore unlikely to offer much to match the merit-based offer from Mayo.
 
Shadowboricua said:
Sorry... I misread your post calling yourself a reject... I accept your offer as a suitmate.
Click to expand...

sorry for my lil' rant. it was half jest and half jealousy.

even if cornell doesn't give you the full ride but something close to it (say, under 50k debt, most of which will be subsidized loans), i don't think money should factor in your decision at that point.
 
Mayo, dude! I've spoken with a residency director at UT southwestern (apparently they've taken a few applicants from cornell over the past few years), and he says that they'll never take cornell applicants again because they're incompetent. also, at my interview day there it seemed like it was a very anti-intellectual environment. i.e., the only thing the students seemed to be passionate about was the amount of free time they got, as opposed to any sort of career ambition. mayo hands down.
 
inyoface said:
Mayo, dude! I've spoken with a residency director at UT southwestern (apparently they've taken a few applicants from cornell over the past few years), and he says that they'll never take cornell applicants again because they're incompetent. also, at my interview day there it seemed like it was a very anti-intellectual environment. i.e., the only thing the students seemed to be passionate about was the amount of free time they got, as opposed to any sort of career ambition. mayo hands down.
Click to expand...

we just had someone match at ut-southwestern in plastic surgery this year. whom were you talking to?

also...our class just set the highest average for our anatomy course that our professor has ever laid his eyes on. he's been here for 8 years. the last thing i would say about our class is that it's lacking in ambition.
 
inyoface said:
Mayo, dude! I've spoken with a residency director at UT southwestern (apparently they've taken a few applicants from cornell over the past few years), and he says that they'll never take cornell applicants again because they're incompetent. also, at my interview day there it seemed like it was a very anti-intellectual environment. i.e., the only thing the students seemed to be passionate about was the amount of free time they got, as opposed to any sort of career ambition. mayo hands down.
Click to expand...

your cornell application didn't happen to end up with a "waitlist" decision, did it?
 
Those who chose Mayo (aside from OwenMicheal who gives a lot of good reasons) why would you choose Mayo?

I guess no one from Cornell has any idea about the maximum need-based aid?
 
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