MSTP: NYU vs Vandy

[dazedchinchilla]

Vandy
Pros

• From the area, big family support
• Stipend worth more in lower cost of living area
  • Could probably afford house/mortgage after several years.
• P/F Clerkship
• Huge bioinformatics department

Cons

• Hate driving, Nashville has effectively no public transit
• Huge 2 day exams after a block
• Political situation in the South. Must perform away rotations to receive full women's health curriculum.
• Faculty interviews didn't reveal any exciting mentors
• Several hours a week of anatomy lab dissections. I'm not interested in procedural specialties.
• Dinner, hotel accommodations were mediocre compared to other school's revisit events.
• SO has no interest in staying in the South.

NYU
Pros

• NYC is very vibrant
• Guaranteed housing extremely close to hospitals at rent-controlled prices.
• Students seemed more lively, less stressed.
• Exams every two weeks. Guaranteed Friday afternoon off on exam weeks.

Cons

• Graded clerkships (P/HP/H)
• Furthest option from family support network. Would be away for a very long time.
• Stipend is very low when considering COL
• Seems that most people match in NY. Unclear if self-selecting or worst match stats.
• Student dorm housing is pretty cramped

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[AstroSidekick]

Personally, I vote for NYU given that is where you want to be long term. New York is never going to get cheaper, but I promise the stipend is enough for you to live comfortably in Midtown Manhattan.

If you have a quick 30 mins, there is an interview podcast from a current NYU MSTP explaining his experience with both the medical school and research curriculum:

 

[EndureVascular]

Depends on how much you value family support- based on the fact you listed it a couple times I’d say Vandy

If you think you could live without it for a bit then go NYU

 

[GoSpursGo]

It seems like your SO really wants to leave the south, and if you don't then you're stuck for 7+ years. How committed is that relationship? It also sounds like your political persuasion would prefer being out of the south... and again, if you sign up for Vandy then you'll be there for the better part of a decade.

It's reductive, but decide based on where you truly would like to live for the next decade.

 

[deleted1065184]

Agree with comments above, also wanna add that I'm not entire sure what you're thinking wrt research. You commented on faculty interviews not revealing exciting mentors at Vandy (not quite sure what this means, did you subsequently go to the website and find nobody interesting too?) You didn't comment on NYU's research at all, so not sure if this means you like it or it's lacking in your area of interest. Biggest factors to consider are where you wanna live for ~8 years, research fit, and program structure & support.