Mount Sinai vs. NYU

[walkabout2765]

Hey all, I’m really excited about starting school next year, but I would like some external input on this decision. I’ve been lucky enough to get into NYU and Mt. Sinai and I’m trying to figure out which would be best.

-Curriculum: Mt. Sinai is 2 years while NYU is 1.5. I think I would prefer 1.5 to get into clinical medicine faster and possibly provide a better foundation for step 1.

-Clinical: One of the first things that stands out to me about NYU is how close all of their clinical sites are to the campus. Bellevue seems like a great place to learn, at the medical student level at least. On the other hand, Mount Sinai seems like a really strong hospital, though I know little about their affiliated sites.

-Research: According to usnews, they receive comparable amounts of NIH funding. However, Sinai is ranked higher, not sure why. Anyone know which areas each is strongest/well-known in?

-Location: They’re both in pretty good areas of Manhattan. From my limited experience visiting, I think I might prefer NYU’s area slightly more. That said, I’m not really experienced enough to definitively decide between the two on this dimension.

-Housing: It looks like both have dorm-style housing. I’m not sure which has the better setup in this area, because I stayed with friends when I interviewed. If anyone could let me know what the dorms are like, that would be great.

-Undergrad: NYU has one, Sinai does not. Don’t know if I care or not.

Overall, I think I’m slightly leaning towards NYU right now, but Mt. Sinai also seems to be a pretty popular choice around here. Let me know what you think, or if I’m missing something about these schools.

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[DOCTAfoHIRE]

I have not interviewed at these two schools but my biased opinion was that NYU was unnecessarily expensive and that if you can get into a school of similar or greater prestige, that has the added benefit of being less expensive, you should attend that school. Im sure some people would disagree but I would say go with Sinai. They are both well recognized schools that will get you where you need to go, but I do believe Sinai has an advantage, however slight. However I have heard that while the area to one side of Sinai Hospital is nice (Central Park), a few blocks in the other direction becomes a not so nice area. Info from a doc who did residency there, so idk if anything has changed.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Which is cheaper? They're both great schools. I'd go with price if you can't choose based on your gut. NYU is strong in radiology, but I don't know much about their specialty to specialty strength.

 

[walkabout2765]

It looks like Sinai's tuition is 40k and NYU's is 47k, unless I'm missing some fees or something.

 

[Dartmouth1230]

In terms of prestige, Sinai has a slight edge (ranked 18th vs 26th, 3.7/35 vs 3.76/33, 2012 residency director assessment score 3.9 vs 3.8, both schools have similar NIH funding). In terms of hospital reputation, they're pretty comparable with a slight edge to NYU. In terms of location, I'd give the edge to NYU. In terms of housing, I'd give the edge to NYU though Sinai dorms are cheaper. In terms of curriculum, I prefer a 1.5 year curriculum over a 2 year curriculum. Step 1 average scores are above 230 at both schools. If cost is significantly less for one school, I'd choose that school. Otherwise, I think it comes down to personal preference.

 

[mmmcdowe]

It looks like Sinai's tuition is 40k and NYU's is 47k, unless I'm missing some fees or something.

Are you able to go to each schools revisit? That would probably be the best way to decide at this point.

 

[walkabout2765]

Are you able to go to each schools revisit? That would probably be the best way to decide at this point.

Unfortunately, I can't make it to either one. I know that would potentially make it easier.

 

[capn jazz]

It seems like the main differences are
1.5 yr vs 2 yr pre-clinicals
location (just barely though... both are in good areas)

Did you get your financial aid packages?
Which one did you like more at your interview?

 

[vanquishS]

I interviewed and luckily got into NYU which is where I'll be attending this fall. The vibe I got from the other interviewees was very positive here. I dont know about Mt. Sinai, but the people at NYU were unpretentious, friendly, and sharp. I look forward to meeting fellow future classmates at the admitted students event next week. I'm also really looking forward to the new C21 curriculm and it's one of the main reasons I picked NYU. Clearly I'm biased towards NYU, though Sinai is also very good. Match list for NYU was awesome for 2012 btw, if that's a factor. You can view it here: http://206.82.221.135/showthread.php?t=897848&page=6

 

[Se7eN]

Nyu

 

[drumhead90]

Honestly, you can't go wrong with either choice, and both are amazing schools that will prepare you well for boards, residency, etc. I would say go to the school that fits you better and don't focus too much on rankings in your decision since both are ranked quite high and are reasonably close in the rankings. I'm not sure that the difference in ranking between the two schools matters much, if at all, in this particular case.

I interviewed at both schools and preferred NYU's location overall, but both are located in great parts of the city. Also, students seemed very happy at both schools, and I believe both schools are pass/fail during preclinical years (very important). I would recommend going to second look at both schools, but if you can't, I would choose NYU given what you've said in your post. Basically, both are great schools in awesome locations, and I think that "fit" should be your main consideration in choosing one over the other unless there is a huge difference in cost between the two schools.

 

[NeuralNetwork]

Hey all, I’m really excited about starting school next year, but I would like some external input on this decision. I’ve been lucky enough to get into NYU and Mt. Sinai and I’m trying to figure out which would be best.

-Curriculum: Mt. Sinai is 2 years while NYU is 1.5. I think I would prefer 1.5 to get into clinical medicine faster and possibly provide a better foundation for step 1.

-Clinical: One of the first things that stands out to me about NYU is how close all of their clinical sites are to the campus. Bellevue seems like a great place to learn, at the medical student level at least. On the other hand, Mount Sinai seems like a really strong hospital, though I know little about their affiliated sites.

-Research: According to usnews, they receive comparable amounts of NIH funding. However, Sinai is ranked higher, not sure why. Anyone know which areas each is strongest/well-known in?

-Location: They’re both in pretty good areas of Manhattan. From my limited experience visiting, I think I might prefer NYU’s area slightly more. That said, I’m not really experienced enough to definitively decide between the two on this dimension.

-Housing: It looks like both have dorm-style housing. I’m not sure which has the better setup in this area, because I stayed with friends when I interviewed. If anyone could let me know what the dorms are like, that would be great.

-Undergrad: NYU has one, Sinai does not. Don’t know if I care or not.

Overall, I think I’m slightly leaning towards NYU right now, but Mt. Sinai also seems to be a pretty popular choice around here. Let me know what you think, or if I’m missing something about these schools.

What this looks like to me: you liked both schools when interviewing there, but you feel most comfortable with NYU. However the discrepancy in rankings is making you second guess that, and you are trying to make sure you don't end up hurting your chances further down the line. Only matching students can comment with certainty, but from what I have seen on these forums, it would not appear to make a drastic difference whether you graduate from NYU or Sinai as far as residency applications go.

I think regardless of your choice, you aren't going to be disappointed. I don't know why there is so much talk about money here...all in all when taking into account the figures provided by the schools and seeing housing cost differences, you are not going to see more than a 5k difference and at private school cost at this level it shouldn't be a big deciding factor.

Now for the very biased: I'll be at NYU next year and personally I am very much looking forward to being able to get everything I need within a 5 minute walk and crossing the street to get to the hospital. I also like the fact that they revised the curriculum to be 1.5 and from talking to current students, it seems like they have plenty of time to have fun over there regardless of the curriculum.

 

[NYCMS2]

MSSM has always been 'preferred' on SDN, but that is changing...NYU is the hotter school right now; I am surprised by the even handed responses on this thread - this would have been a far different thread 2 or 3 years ago...which probably indicates you really shouldn't care what anybody else has to say about it.

You really should attend revisits of the schools you are most interested in - if only one, attend the one you are leaning towards (NYU).

Oh, and the 1.5 year preclinical rocks...

 

[emilyschmemily]

It definitely does sound like you prefer NYU. My personal opinion is that sometimes with decisions like this, you just have to go with your gut. (Or with the school that gives you a significantly better financial package?) From what I know about the two schools, I don't think you can make a "wrong" choice here.

However, I'm biased because I was extremely impressed with MSSM when I visited and I'm almost certain I'll be attending it next year. The students were very nice, involved but also had fun outside of school. I'm going to the revisit weekend, if there is anything specific you'd like me to find out let me know.

I'm guessing you've seen this thread which discusses a similar situation?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=703773

Good luck with a difficult but also awesome choice to make!

 

[NYCMS2]

I'm guessing you've seen this thread which discusses a similar situation?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=703773

You linked to a 2 year old poll (probably the very one I was thinking about from my app year) that reflects exactly what I was talking about - a few years ago, MSSM would far out distance NYU in an SDN poll, and maybe it still would, but I have noticed a shift in attitudes about NYU on SDN, for the positive.

To anyone: don't be so heavily influenced by what a bunch of SDNers think about different schools that they probably know very little about from personal experience (except for knowing their NIH funding rank).

You really do need to attend the revisits of your top choice schools - I was torn between 2 schools prior to revisits, but the experience at the 2 schools completely flipped the order of preference. Without the benefit of the revisits, I would have made the opposite choice, and I shudder to think about that today...

Before anybody gets their panties in a twist, I am not knocking MSSM, nor am I particularly pushing NYU over MSSM. Make up your own mind, and the best way to do that is via revisit.

 

[jbz24]

A couple of things to think about.

Clinical training: Very different between the schools. Bellevue and Mount Sinai Hospital are completely different. Bellevue is more of a community hospital feel. Lots of immigrants, good pathology, poor ancillary staff (which may sound good for a med student as you can do more blood draws and stuff, but is not and gets tiring quickly). You can also rotate through Tisch (private hospital, not sure if the students do rotate through there or not), and Manhattan VA, all of which are within 10 blocks from each other. Mount Sinai is more of an academic hospital, better ancillary staff, also good pathology, patient population from East Harlem and Upper East Side. Students also rotate through Elmhurst Hospital (the equivalent of Bellevue) and Bronx VA, both of which are ~30 min shuttle ride.

Price: Probably changed since I was a student, but I thought Sinai was roughly 10k cheaper per year than NYU, which may not seem like a lot but is significant when comparing schools in roughly the same location.

Location: Mid/downtown vs. Upper East Side and Central Park. Different settings but all of NYC is easily accessible at both places.

Residency: Most residencies and fellowships are stronger at Mount Sinai than NYU, at least on paper (exceptions include radiology, maybe some surgical subspecialties like ortho). This includes internal medicine and most of the fellowships like cardiology and GI. Also admittedly biased, but the match list is a little better at Sinai, at least in terms of sending people to the Harvard and California hospitals.

 

[science234]

Residency: Most residencies and fellowships are stronger at Mount Sinai than NYU, at least on paper (exceptions include radiology, maybe some surgical subspecialties like ortho). This includes internal medicine and most of the fellowships like cardiology and GI. Also admittedly biased, but the match list is a little better at Sinai, at least in terms of sending people to the Harvard and California hospitals.

Actually, that's not the case at all. According to the most recent U.S. News and World Report of Best Hospitals, NYU Langone ranked higher than Mount Sinai, based on an evaluation of several specialties (NYU: #2. Mount Sinai: #3). In fact NYU, ranked nationally in no less than 15 specialties (out of the 16 that the report examines)!

Source: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/new-york-ny

Which is cheaper? They're both great schools. I'd go with price if you can't choose based on your gut. NYU is strong in radiology, but I don't know much about their specialty to specialty strength.

Not only does NYU fare well in radiology and the 15 specialties listed in the U.S. News report (see above), but it has hands down one of the best - if not the best - dermatology programs in the country.

It has consistently ranked among the top 4 derm programs in the country, leaving Mount Sinai in the dust (relatively speaking). If you're considering derm, attending NYU would best prepare you to excel in the field and would enhance your application to this notoriously competitive residency (and performing well on the Step 1 couldn't hurt either).

Resident Physician Ranking:

http://www.residentphysician.com/Dermatology_rankings.htm

Dermatology Online Journal Ranking (see abstract and Table 6):

http://dermatology.cdlib.org/133/original/academy/wu.html

In addition, I must add that NYU's match list was spectacular this year (and has been consistently so over the past several years). The number of students who placed into highly competitive specialties (at top-notch hospitals), including derm, plastics, ENT, radiation oncology, orthopedics, and vascular surgery, was simply astounding!

You just can't go wrong with such a high caliber program as NYU. And since you're already leaning in that direction, I say go for it! Congratulations on your application success!!

 

[jbz24]

Actually, that's not the case at all. According to the most recent U.S. News and World Report of Best Hospitals, NYU Langone ranked higher than Mount Sinai, based on an evaluation of several specialties (NYU: #2. Mount Sinai: #3). In fact NYU, ranked nationally in no less than 15 specialties (out of the 16 that the report examines)!

Source: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/new-york-ny



Not only does NYU fare well in radiology and the 15 specialties listed in the U.S. News report (see above), but it has hands down one of the best - if not the best - dermatology programs in the country.

It has consistently ranked among the top 4 derm programs in the country, leaving Mount Sinai in the dust (relatively speaking). If you're considering derm, attending NYU would best prepare you to excel in the field and would enhance your application to this notoriously competitive residency (and performing well on the Step 1 couldn't hurt either).

Resident Physician Ranking:

http://www.residentphysician.com/Dermatology_rankings.htm

Dermatology Online Journal Ranking (see abstract and Table 6):

http://dermatology.cdlib.org/133/original/academy/wu.html

In addition, I must add that NYU's match list was spectacular this year (and has been consistently so over the past several years). The number of students who placed into highly competitive specialties (at top-notch hospitals), including derm, plastics, ENT, radiation oncology, orthopedics, and vascular surgery, was simply astounding!

You just can't go wrong with such a high caliber program as NYU. And since you're already leaning in that direction, I say go for it! Congratulations on your application success!!

I wouldn't really use US News rankings as an indicator of residency program strength. But anyway, it's interesting that the link you pasted shows NYU as #2, while in the national rankings, Sinai is #16 and NYU didn't make the cut.

 

[NeuralNetwork]

I wouldn't really use US News rankings as an indicator of residency program strength. But anyway, it's interesting that the link you pasted shows NYU as #2, while in the national rankings, Sinai is #16 and NYU didn't make the cut.

What is it 16 in?

 

[jbz24]

National rankings of hospitals per US News.

http://health.usnews.com/health-new...1/07/18/best-hospitals-2011-12-the-honor-roll

 

[NeuralNetwork]

National rankings of hospitals per US News.

http://health.usnews.com/health-new...1/07/18/best-hospitals-2011-12-the-honor-roll

I was looking for this for a while, thanks!

 

[DoctwoB]

I'd go with the cheaper option, unless you are dead set on radiology or plastics, in which case NYU all the way.

 

[mistoffelees]

I might be slightly biased because I'm a current student at Sinai, but I feel like this discussion leaves out a few important things that I considered when I was considering the two schools last year:

- Sinai's financial aid is very generous - you should definitely compare packages.
-My rent is $551 - the location is not quite as nice as the NYU dorms in terms of access to downtown, but that's ok (I worked at Bellevue in college). The dorm is also right next to (<3 minute walk) the major building where all the classes are.
- Our exams are all taken completely independently online over an open window via the honor code system.
- Our student-run clinic is everything they say it is - and there are plenty of positions for leadership
- Mount Sinai is rich and uses a lot of those funds to support research - we have a completely new research building opening the fall of this year that the school is very excited about...well over 80%+ of my class is doing summer research this year, and if you're staying at Sinai you're almost guaranteed to be funded.

I know it's hard to judge a school just by one day/one night at the school, but last year I got an excellent vibe at Sinai and a negative one at NYU, and it was almost a simple choice between the two schools - that said, just wanted to point a few things out about things here that make Sinai a good experience for me.