Need Help deciding between full-ride vs NYU vs Mount Sinai

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Blueberries11

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The three schools I'm considering so far are: NYU, Mount Sinai, and UChicago (full-ride). I have searched for various New York schools comparison threads but none of them were recent - I would really appreciate your help at this point!

First, I got a full-ride to UChicago and I think I am a really good fit for the school. But my significant other recently got into a PhD program in New York, so I'm actually planning to go to one of the New York schools instead. Lots of debt + steady relationship vs. no debt + long distance relationship? Seems like a tough choice to me…. Is money usually a really important factor?

Second, if I do decide to go to New York, I would love to get some advice on different aspects of NYU and Mount Sinai. I liked both schools during the interview but two schools seemed very similar to me.

Third, is it possible to "negotiate" scholarship in New York schools based on my UChicago full-scholarship? Is such thing common in medical schools?


Thanks a lot for your help!!!
 
How serious is the relationship? Is there or will there be a ring on someone's appendage? If not, a full ride at UofC is nothing to take lightly. Why can't your significant other take time off and reapply to Chicago programs?
If it were me, and there were no ring of power as part of the deal, I'd go to UofC. Besides, some dentists and other people may disagree with me on here, but CHI > NYC by far.

NYU > Sinai in terms of money, prestige, facilities, faculty, and douchbaggery. I'd go with the NYU. In the surgical world, NYU and Columbia have a HUGE alumni network, especially in NY area.

All this is my grossly biased personal opinion. But isn't all of SDN just a big opinionfest? FYI, I am not affiliated with any of these places.
 
Just send an email to the other schools and see if they match the offer but if you turn down a full ride at U Chicago and aren't married to this person then you're making a huge mistake

Sinai is a relative newcomer despite the high rank that premeds salivate about. Nyu might be better but each has pros and cons depending on what you're looking for
 
Blueberries11 said:
The three schools I'm considering so far are: NYU, Mount Sinai, and UChicago (full-ride). I have searched for various New York schools comparison threads but none of them were recent - I would really appreciate your help at this point!

First, I got a full-ride to UChicago and I think I am a really good fit for the school. But my significant other recently got into a PhD program in New York, so I'm actually planning to go to one of the New York schools instead. Lots of debt + steady relationship vs. no debt + long distance relationship? Seems like a tough choice to me…. Is money usually a really important factor?

Second, if I do decide to go to New York, I would love to get some advice on different aspects of NYU and Mount Sinai. I liked both schools during the interview but two schools seemed very similar to me.

Third, is it possible to "negotiate" scholarship in New York schools based on my UChicago full-scholarship? Is such thing common in medical schools?


Thanks a lot for your help!!!
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http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-would-you-rank-the-new-york-city-med-schools.1123465/

From last week.
 
Like others have said, it really depends on the extent of your relationship. All are great schools, with UChicago being arguably slightly better and the cost is a huge incentive. If you aren't planning on living with your S/O in NYC and have not lived with them previously (to know it wouldn't cause a lot of strain on your relationship), I would take the full ride to UChicago. There are too many variables in a relationship, especially if you're in your early/mid-20s, to make it the biggest factor in your decision.

That said, if you're married, engaged, etc. then an NYC school could definitely be your better option.
 
Sorry I didn't mention this in detail before:

1. we're not married yet, but we had 4+ yrs of relationship and we are going be married soon.
2. @Psai can I send email to financial aid offices and explicitly mention that I was offered full ride from UChicago? would that be considered okay or impolite?

Again, thanks so much for everyone's opinion.
 
Are you engaged or is this a 'we think we might get married' thing. Does your SO have any options in chicago?
 
Blueberries11 said:
Sorry I didn't mention this in detail before:

1. we're not married yet, but we had 4+ yrs of relationship and we are going be married soon.
2. @Psai can I send email to financial aid offices and explicitly mention that I was offered full ride from UChicago? would that be considered okay or impolite?

Again, thanks so much for everyone's opinion.
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If you're gonna be married soon, pick NY. Long distance sucks.I've done it for 4 years and my SO and I are much closer than NYC<-->Chicago. Personally, I'd pick NYU > Sinai, but you really can't go wrong with either.
 
caffeinemia said:
That ring of power is a corrupting influence indeed.
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My......precious.....................................

OP, talk to your SO and see what they think. Factor in how important money will be in the upcoming years and whether or not it's worth it to be apart for 4 years but not be in debt afterwards. Failing the capacity to reach a satisfying conclusion there, call both NYU and Sinai finaid departments telling them your situations (money, location of SO, you really want to go to their school, etc) and see if they help you out a bit. Both schools have a lot of money so hopefully they'll be able to accommodate you (I mean you got into 3 top 20 schools and got a full ride to one of them... you're clearly a highly sought-after applicant).
 
In terms of matching your offer (or at least a part of it) I'd definitely contact both of the NY schools. Sinai definitely matched several offers for people last year. In terms of Sinai vs. NYU I'll throw in an opinion that's contrary to the first poster. When I interviewed last year, Sinai's facilities + housing >>> NYU's. Sinai also has more funding and a smaller class size that I definitely felt more at home in. In terms of reputation in surgery, I must defer to other posters but Sinai has one of the largest transplant programs in the country and is known for GI surgery of all kind. Cardiothoracic surgery/ENT is also top notch. NYU does have a better plastics department though, no question. Moreover, how you do in medical school will decide where you match (what really matters for surgery) much more than any potential differences between NYU and Sinai
 
Depends on your SO. As others have said, talk to him/her and ask for an opinion. Personally, I think long distance NEVER works (how can you have a real relationship with someone who is not there), but hey you may beat the odds! If I was in the same situation and planned on marrying this girl/guy then I would wanna be close to them. While money is important, at the end of the day its just money. You have fantastic options regardless of what you choose so you really can't go wrong.
 
I think it would be incredibly unwise to turn down Pritzker in a scenario like this. You would be turning down a top tier school with a full ride.

Do you have any idea what you want to practice as? Making your career decisions based on another person when you are in your early 20's is usually inadvisable. My real question is why your SO is so tied to NYC and having you turn down UChicago for NYU/Sinai. It's usually much easier to get into a good PhD program than an MD.

That said, in my opinion Mt. Sinai is actually the far superior program compared to NYU. They also have way more money and are more likely to match your scholarship than NYU is able to.
 
NY and Chicago are not that far away as far as long distance goes (1.5 hr flight). Southwest flights one way are usually under 100 if bought early. There is no reason to turn down a full ride from such a prestigious school unless you have another full ride (lol). But seriously, go to UChicago and go visit your SO every couple of weeks.
 
I'm in a similar situation, but less extreme. If I had a full-ride at such a great school, I would try my hardest to find a way to get my SO to transfer over to Chicago. And lucky for you that Chicago has so many academic institutions where your SO could do a PhD. If the school in NYC is the only one that offers a PhD in your SO's specific field, I can understand the need to consider his/her future career along with your own. But if you can find an equivalent option in Chicago, do your best to help him/her come to Chicago with you. It's even easier since your SO hasn't started the PhD program yet. If he/she had already started, again it would be tougher decision. I've been in a long distance relationship for 5 years, so doing a few more years apart wouldn't be too hard. But if I was in your situation and had a normal relationship for 4+ years, I would not take 4 years of long distance lightly, especially during med school. Normal to long distance is a drastic and painful change. It's doable, but I wouldn't want to add another huge burden onto my life with the med school workload already weighing me down.
 
full ride or full tuition? a big difference in monetary value. use the money saved for plane tickets to fly back and forth on weekends/holidays 1st, 2nd, 4th year. true P/F at pritzker. probably cant visit each other much 3rd yr though
 
If you're really serious about your significant other and money isnt really an issue, stay in NYC. You will be much happier if you can see you significant other frequently.
 
As an M4, I can tell you now that I'm staring down the barrel of my med school debt I want to cry/barf at the same time. It feels eerily similar to that TMI scene from Bridesmaids. While I'm lucky to have received some help, I would have killed for a full ride at an amazing school like U Chicago (it really, really is amazing). It might not seem like $250k is a lot of debt now because you're "finally going to be a doctor, yay!", but when you're an M4 and realize you actually have to pay off what will eventually amount to like $400-500k you will probably kick yourself for not taking the full ride.

On the flip side, I've been in a long distance relationship throughout my 4 years of medical school. IT SUCKS. Honestly, if my SO hadn't been so willing to drive the four hours to see me, I barely would have seen him through most of 2nd and 3rd year. I'm not sure if flights would be easier than driving because you could study, but if you're signing up for long distance, you're signing up for a lot of time traveling and not a lot of time hanging out. Plus you're away from your classmates and friends and then you barely have time to see your family on top of that.

If you're going to marry your SO and live happily ever after then I can see why you would turn down a full ride, BUT PLEASE don't do it unless you absolutely, one million % have to. Back to cry/barfing for me while I read over this "financial aid seminar" packet.

(But fourth year is literally the best year of all time and after interviews you can probably just move to NYC for all of second semester! So easy!)
 
MilkIsGood said:
full ride or full tuition? a big difference in monetary value. use the money saved for plane tickets to fly back and forth on weekends/holidays 1st, 2nd, 4th year. true P/F at pritzker. probably cant visit each other much 3rd yr though
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Pritzker doesn't do full-rides, just full-tuition (I use just lightly here)

As for OP, I negotiated a couple scholarships based off of one I received last year. Just be tactful and honest and tell them that if you really want to consider them then it needs to be a more financially viable option. Oh and the sooner you do this the better. Schools won't play ball come the last week or two before the deadline.
 
darkjedi said:
I think it would be incredibly unwise to turn down Pritzker in a scenario like this. You would be turning down a top tier school with a full ride.

Do you have any idea what you want to practice as? Making your career decisions based on another person when you are in your early 20's is usually inadvisable. My real question is why your SO is so tied to NYC and having you turn down UChicago for NYU/Sinai. It's usually much easier to get into a good PhD program than an MD.

That said, in my opinion Mt. Sinai is actually the far superior program compared to NYU. They also have way more money and are more likely to match your scholarship than NYU is able to.
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The bolded above x10,000. I'm sorry, but to me this is a no-brainer. The SO should be looking for a PhD program in Chi town as there are plenty to choose from and the competition is bleak. You have the opportunity to attend one of the greatest medical institutions of all time absolutely free, perhaps a one in a bajizillion chance, and you would consider giving it up to get knee deep in debt so a girl can get a PhD?

Unless NYU or Sinai can completely match the full tuition, stay in the windy city and help the SO see the magnitude of the situation. Yes, the SO's aspirations, dreams, and goals are very important by all means, but if the SO insists on not at least trying to find a PhD program in Chicago or taking a year off and searching again, the immensity of the pritzker for free.99 needs to be reinstated. All I'm saying is, if my girl had what you had, I'd drop NY in a heartbeak and be condo shoppin and Bulls season ticket purchasing by the weekend.
 
Seems like it's a full tuition scholarship.

In that case, see what Sinai and NYU will do before making a decision. If it's comparable in terms of $$$$$$ or at a slightly added cost that is reasonable to you, there's really no harm in going to NYC. The schools are all good.

I would definitely factor in the money though.
 
Yes it's a full-tuition scholarship. I thought full-ride actually meant the same thing - my apologies!

Thanks to your suggestions, I will try my best to (hopefully) negotiate scholarships with NY institutions. My SO also got into a really good PhD program with funding in New York so I don't want to hurt his future either. And he's kind of in a unique situation that he cannot reapply next year or choose a program in Chicago. While I am extremely grateful for the scholarship offer, I still think living together with my SO and having such emotional support is very important for me.

Anyway, thanks to all who have been super helpful! I will try to make the decision quickly and withdraw from other schools. Best of luck to all of you!!
 
Blueberries11 said:
Yes it's a full-tuition scholarship. I thought full-ride actually meant the same thing - my apologies!

Thanks to your suggestions, I will try my best to (hopefully) negotiate scholarships with NY institutions. My SO also got into a really good PhD program with funding in New York so I don't want to hurt his future either. And he's kind of in a unique situation that he cannot reapply next year or choose a program in Chicago. While I am extremely grateful for the scholarship offer, I still think living together with my SO and having such emotional support is very important for me.

Anyway, thanks to all who have been super helpful! I will try to make the decision quickly and withdraw from other schools. Best of luck to all of you!!
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Think of the difference it would make for both of your futures together if you didn't have $500k+ in debt to pay back later on down the road. I've been in long distance relationships and they suck, but if your love is as strong as you think it is then it will still prevail. DEFINITELY negotiate with the NYC schools, but if they can't help you, you really, really should take the scholarship and run, then make the relationship work. best of luck with your tough choice.
 
Full disclosure: I'm a MS-4 at Sinai.

I personally think the Manhattan schools are pretty equivalent to each other with the exception of Columbia. I would have gone to Columbia in a heartbeat if they interviewed me, but I truthfully didn't find what I wanted at Cornell or NYU so I came here instead.

Also, NYU is traditionally stronger in the surgical specialities (except GI surgery and liver tx), especially ortho and plastics, and things like derm compared to Sinai. Also, I think Sinai is weaker in peds, ob-gyn, and psych compared to the other schools. Our neuro and anesthesia is as good as any. For internal medicine, I certainly think Sinai > NYU, no question. Cornell would be ~= Sinai, and I would concede if you think Cornell is stronger.

When I interviewed, I felt Cornell had a strong bent towards subspecializing, and NYU was really proud of Bellevue but not much else (and I guess their 1.5). I really liked the community engagement with East Harlem at Sinai, being next to the park, the flexible testing schedule, so I came here, long story short.

I also think it's funny that when I applied 4 years ago Sinai was ranked higher than NYU so the boards were all Sinai > NYU - and now the tables have turned and it's all of a sudden NYU > Sinai...😛

EDIT: But to answer the OP's question, I would take the full-ride at Chicago (UNLESS either NYU or Sinai is willing to match), and this is coming from someone who did long-distance on opposite coasts for 4 years. It's hard, but it's just 4 years in the long scheme of things. If you're meant to be together, you will still be together even 2 hours apart by plane. 200k+ of guaranteed funding is nothing to sneeze at.
 
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You only get one chance at life. Make the decision that will make you the happiest in the long run. Will it be spending a lot of time with and being close to someone you love or will it be living life without having to deal with the burden of a humongous debt that will influence your future decisions and maybe even impact your quality of life?
 
If I were in your shoes, I'd go with NYC... But, personally it's because I view my SO and what she brings to my life as the most important thing. The names NYU, Sinai, and UChicago will get you anywhere you want to in terms of your career goals. I'm not sure of the discrepancies between them and how they fit with your specific career goal but if it's all the same to you then passing up UChic won't hurt you. I would definitely call Sinai and NYU to see if they would match. Dale from Sinai has personally told me that they do whatever they can to match offers. Also, I received what I feel is a generous need-based aid from Sinai so that just shows they are willing to accommodate their students. Not sure, if you qualify for need-based since you mentioned lots of debt in your post but spending 4 years with someone I'm going to end up marrying.. that's priceless.
 
If deciding between NYU and Sinai, consider the housing situation. Not sure if you would need it, but Sinai definitely has couples housing (maybe NYU does too, but I haven't heard of it).

If the costs were the same, I'd probably choose Sinai. NYU didn't have the supportive, nurturing vibe that Sinai gave me. But the NYU kids do seem to really love their school. Critically, some students at NYU have told me that the clerkships can be a little bit rough...med students don't always seem to feel supported. The environment strikes me as a bit more competitive. Sinai, on the other hand, seems to pride itself on maintaining a positive energy about it, even when 3rd year comes around and students lose the great thing that is P/F grades.

While I have to admit that I were in your shoes, I would run towards UChicago, I can see where you're coming from regarding your SO. Are you in a position to get need-based aid from either? Regardless, do try to negotiate.

Remember that if your SO is starting a PhD in NYC, he will be there for a long time. You could go through med school and match into NYC easily and still have several years of low-debt living with him. Reduced debt will be hugely important if you are looking to start a family, enjoy your youth, etc. Just something to think about.
 
amad01 said:
The bolded above x10,000. I'm sorry, but to me this is a no-brainer. The SO should be looking for a PhD program in Chi town as there are plenty to choose from and the competition is bleak. You have the opportunity to attend one of the greatest medical institutions of all time absolutely free, perhaps a one in a bajizillion chance, and you would consider giving it up to get knee deep in debt so a girl can get a PhD?

Unless NYU or Sinai can completely match the full tuition, stay in the windy city and help the SO see the magnitude of the situation. Yes, the SO's aspirations, dreams, and goals are very important by all means, but if the SO insists on not at least trying to find a PhD program in Chicago or taking a year off and searching again, the immensity of the pritzker for free.99 needs to be reinstated. All I'm saying is, if my girl had what you had, I'd drop NY in a heartbeak and be condo shoppin and Bulls season ticket purchasing by the weekend.
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Good point 😉

But in all seriousness if we are going to weigh this a little better it would be useful to know what sort of program/caliber of school she/he's going to. Yeah it's easier to get into a prestigious PhD program than MD program so it does matter what they're getting into. Also I don't know much about PhD programs but maybe it wouldn't kill their to apply next year if distance is really a problem?
 
If you're not going into academic medicine (or a field where your income will be limited), I definitely would go to NY. Sinai and NYU are top 20 programs so you'll have great opportunities. And, while some may think that your medical career should come 1st over the PhD, I disagree. Decide what's best for you guys as a couple.
 
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Cubsfan15 said:
If you're not going into academic medicine (or a field where your income will be limited), I definitely would go to NY. Sinai and NYU are top 20 programs so you'll have great opportunities. And, while some may think that your medical career should come 1st over the PhD, I disagree. Decide what's best for you guys as a couple.
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Hey bro - UChicago is #3 or #4 (I forget) in the country for putting graduates into academic medicine - if academic medicine is OP's desire she would be much better served at UC IMO (obv bias here).
 
ChemEngMD said:
Hey bro - UChicago is #3 or #4 (I forget) in the country for putting graduates into academic medicine - if academic medicine is OP's desire she would be much better served at UC IMO (obv bias here).
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Might be reading this sequence wrong, but @Cubsfan15 seems to be saying if the OP does not want academic medicine, then going to NYC could be a valid option...not that if he wants academics he should go to NYC.
 
tenniseagle92 said:
Might be reading this sequence wrong, but @Cubsfan15 seems to be saying if the OP does not want academic medicine, then going to NYC could be a valid option...not that if he wants academics he should go to NYC.
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Yes - thanks.

If OP wants to go into academics then I think there is much stronger case for UofC.
 
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