Mount Sinai vs Beth Israel Deaconess

[Rank2Match]

So I'm finally done with my interviews and am now trying to sort everything out in my mind.

While I really liked Sinai, Columbia, Cornell, MGH, BID, and Penn (and honestly think I could be happy/successful at any of them), my two favorites were Sinai and BID and I am having some trouble deciding which to rank #1.

First of all, am I crazy for wanting to rank either of those as my #1 in the face of the reputations/prestige of the other programs?

Back to my real question - Is there anything substantially special/unique about either of these programs that I need to take into account, or do I merely have to figure out whether I'd rather be in Boston or NYC? How do you think they compare to each other?

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[ashkenazi1234]

you are not crazy for ranking those programs higher, everybody has their own happiness factor... know yours and apply it... would also like to hear from others on how these two compare... pretty similar?

I also heard something like Sinai only went down their rank list last year to 37? That's ridiculously amazing considering that they matched 24 candidates

 

[beardpapa]

So I'm finally done with my interviews and am now trying to sort everything out in my mind.

While I really liked Sinai, Columbia, Cornell, MGH, BID, and Penn (and honestly think I could be happy/successful at any of them), my two favorites were Sinai and BID and I am having some trouble deciding which to rank #1.

First of all, am I crazy for wanting to rank either of those as my #1 in the face of the reputations/prestige of the other programs?

Back to my real question - Is there anything substantially special/unique about either of these programs that I need to take into account, or do I merely have to figure out whether I'd rather be in Boston or NYC? How do you think they compare to each other?

It seems we may be similar caliber applicants as I interviewed at all the same places. And I can honestly say I have not seen a group of residents happier than those at Sinai. And I can also honestly say I have not seen a PD as dedicated/involved/enthusiastic/honest as Adam Levine at Sinai. When I interviewed with him, we literally just chilled for 45 mins in his office talking about all types of random things. But by the end, we had touched upon all my questions and concerns and I knew that when it came down to it, he would back his residents 100% in whatever endeavor they pursued. I would say Sinai > BI > the rest.

And if you read many of the forums and spoke honestly to residents at other NYC programs, you will see that many of them also ranked Sinai #1. If you can match there, consider yourself very fortunate. Good luck.

Reputation will mean nothing if you are unhappy.

 

[Coastmd]

I also heard something like Sinai only went down their rank list last year to 37? That's ridiculously amazing considering that they matched 24 candidates

I find this really implausible. Certainly Mount Sinai is a top program and it is definitely highly desired by a specific group of people but it's not exactly at the top of everyone's rank list.

 

[DrN2O]

First of all, am I crazy for wanting to rank either of those as my #1 in the face of the reputations/prestige of the other programs?

Yes, then again, I think Andrew Luck was crazy to want to stay at Stanford after last year. You sound like a great candidate, so it is wise that you choose your #1 carefully. Been happy is priceless, especially consider the rent in NYC.

 

[Rank2Match]

Thank you for all the responses so far. Anyone else have any input?

 

[voxie]

I personally think that it comes down to NYC vs. Boston. Sinai is probably the happiest program I've ever seen anywhere - but rent will be a little higher. Also, as someone who goes to a Manhattan Med school (and therefore gets all the gossip), I can assure you that Sinai does match under 37. They matched one year by 27, and then the next year by 90. They understand that it can be totally random.