Mount Sinai vs. Duke

[directv2020]

I was wondering if people with direct experience with these schools could chime in on whether it would be worth it to attend Duke over Mount Sinai, despite Duke being ~130k dollars higher in cost for me.

I have reasons as to why I am pretty set on Mount Sinai such as:
-its significantly cheaper
-its in NYC, a city i really like and have a lot of good friends in. also, the opportunity to afford to live in NYC given the amount of money Sinai is giving me seems incredible
-my boyfriend has family in NYC and has been hoping to relocate to the area for grad school too so, i'd have him with me. we'd probably be long distance if I went to Duke.
***speaking of family, NYC and Durham are practically equal in distance from my own family so regardless, i'll be relatively far from them. so im not using that as a deciding factor
-the school seems to really support advocacy/activism for the underserved which i really appreciate
-the faculty i spoke with were all really easy going and sweet. it seems like they are really invested in their students in a way that most medical schools I visited were not.
-it's a great school with great access to both research and clinical exposure

But, i can't deny that my second look experience at Duke was also great. I could see myself in Durham as well, despite it being vastly different from the beast that is NYC. Also, the Duke student body was really vibrant, spirited, and inviting. So I could be happy there, no doubt.

My main question is: is Duke really worth going into ~130k in debt for? I see people speak about Duke along with schools like Yale, Harvard, UCSF, Hopkins, Penn...the cream of the crop as far as medical schools go. Are the faculty, opportunity to dedicate a year to research, clinical exposure, and the name alone worth the 100k debt relative to Mount Sinai?

I spoke to a friend recently who acted as though I was a fool for picking Sinai over Duke so I'm slightly second guessing myself. I have no close pre-med friends, really so i have no one to discuss this with in person. Also, as someone who hasn't experienced the burden of a 6 figure loan (or any loans, honestly), i do not think i have the best perspective of how it is to have loans. am i being t0o cautious in not wanting to take out such a loan or is that the more financially sound decision?

I'll delete this thread if it looks like i'm just humble bragging, btw. I'm truly not...just want to make sure i'm not being too rash in deciding the next four years of my life.

Thank you

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[Ck212]

The choice is clear. You love NYC, won't have to do long distance, same proximity to family, the list goes on. You won't be closing any doors going to Sinai which is an incredible institution and with the scholarship it doesn't make sense to go into debt to attend Duke. Go to Sinai and live it up in NYC with your boyfriend

 

[Psai]

sinai easily

 

[trynahelp]

First of all congrats! Having to make a decision like this is a wonderfully hard dilemma. Duke is no doubt an amazing place, and probably has a few more prestige points. But I think that given how much Sinai has going for it, including a not-insignificant financial difference, you should go there. You were happy, you love NYC, and you like the school's mission, not to mention the nearby support. Congrats on your success!

 

[Lawpy]

Sinai and Duke are essentially equivalent in most aspects (research, opportunities, clinical training etc.). So go for the money and pick Sinai

 

[directv2020]

The choice is clear. You love NYC, won't have to do long distance, same proximity to family, the list goes on. You won't be closing any doors going to Sinai which is an incredible institution and with the scholarship it doesn't make sense to go into debt to attend Duke. Go to Sinai and live it up in NYC with your boyfriend

sinai easily

First of all congrats! Having to make a decision like this is a wonderfully hard dilemma. Duke is no doubt an amazing place, and probably has a few more prestige points. But I think that given how much Sinai has going for it, including a not-insignificant financial difference, you should go there. You were happy, you love NYC, and you like the school's mission, not to mention the nearby support. Congrats on your success!

Sinai and Duke are essentially equivalent in most aspects (research, opportunities, clinical training etc.). So go for the money and pick Sinai

Thank you all so much for taking the time out to read my huge post! It feels really good to hear that other people feel that my decision-making is valid. I decided to commit to Mount Sinai!