Mount Sinai vs Iowa Carver

[RoundaboutWay]

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Hello everyone,


I feel incredibly lucky to have been accepted to both of these schools, as I view both of them very highly.

About me: I am 27 and currently interested in EM, but I am staying open to different specialties. I'm particularly becoming increasingly interested in lifestyle-oriented specialities. I'm from the Midwest, and would like to match in the Midwest for residency (Michigan would be great, but I would be happy with anywhere in the Midwest).

Mount Sinai

Pros:
-True p/f preclinical grading
-Get to live in and experience city-living at a time in my life where it is feasible (I don't want to settle down in a city, but I think it would be a great experience in the short term)
-Diverse hospital system with opportunities to rotate in many different areas
-The curriculum seems pretty flexible, and the students I talked to feel like they have a good amount of free time during preclinical years
-T20/Better known school
-NBME exams

Cons:
-I don't want to live in the student housing, and I would be graduating with about $150k in debt. They gave a great financial aid package.
-Farther from family, all of my family is in the Midwest. My parents don't do planes, so it is a 12-hour drive for them. Also, it would obviously be a lot more expensive for them to stay in nyc vs Iowa city during visits
-Tighter lifestyle/budget; compared to Iowa, I would be living in a much smaller apartment for a lot more money. I would also have to watch my spending a lot more closely
-I've heard med students in nyc can sometimes get stuck with a lot more scut work due to staffing shortages


Carver

Pros:
-Closer to family
-Very generous financial aid. I could conceivably graduate with no debt, or take out ~$80k in loans total and live very comfortably
-Doing away rotations at Midwest schools would be a lot easier
-Holiday breaks are longer, although Sinai incorporates extra, short breaks into their calendar
-No adjusting to big city life

Cons:
-I've lived in the Midwest my whole life, and a change of pace wouldn't happen with Iowa. Although Iowa City is a great little city, it is no nyc.
-They are p/f, but they have some classes you can honor in. Not sure how big a deal that is?
-In-house exams
-Not as highly ranked, though still a solid T50(?) school


I don't think either school would limit my opportunities. Iowa matches well in the Midwest from what I can tell, even in the lifestyle specialties I'm interested in, and they have their own residency programs as well. The students at both schools seemed happy, maybe Sinai a bit more (but I also missed second look at Iowa, so that is a factor). The way I see it, it basically boils down to whether I want to live in a big city, and whether that experience is worth the $150k in debt. I'd also like to find a life partner sometime in the next few years, and I feel like that would be harder to do in nyc since it seems like most people in nyc want to stay on the East Coast. I'm truly conflicted on what school to choose, and any input is welcome.

 

[chilly_md]

If you're Midwest through and through, you don't have to force yourself to go to NYC. Iowa is a good school, and you already understand that you won't miss out career wise there.

Feel free to take some vacations this summer and when you get a chance in school if you want a change of pace.

 

[riv_jordan]

Hmm, could you say a little more about the financial situations for Iowa. You say that you could either graduate with $0 debt or $80k in debt which means the 4-year price difference between Sinai and Iowa could be $150k or $70k—that's a pretty big margin of error. I know Sinai bases their COA on their student housing which is highly subsidized. If you didn't live in their housing and had to deal with the actual cost of housing near UES Manhattan, there's a chance your debt burden will be higher than $150k.

You sound more excited about Sinai and Sinai won't hold you back for matching into the midwest after med school, but the points you mentioned about doing Midwest away rotations, distance from family, and finding a partner willing to live in the midwest will all certainly be challenges to consider during med school. I'm generally a proponent for big city living in your youth, but if the cost difference between Sinai and Iowa is really $150k, that's hard to justify given your goals of ultimately relocating to the midwest. Most people would consider Sinai the stronger school but how much this matters will depend on your career goals. You say you're interested in a "lifestyle specialty" but that means different things to different people and can range from relatively uncompetitive specialties (PM&R, FM, EM) to much more competitive specialties (Derm, Optho). That said, based on their match lists both schools are able to match within the specialties I've mentioned, including EM. If you don't care about matching into a big name coastal academic institution, Sinai doesn't have as much of an edge.