New York Medical College (NYMC) vs Cooper (CMSRU)

[Penguinfreezer]

Background on my career goals: Looking to pursue a more competitive specialty, not exactly sure what.

My personal impressions of the two:

NYMC
Pros

• First interview of the season, fell in love with mission, really enjoyed the faculty I met.
• Students really love NYMC, I didn't hear any real cons from students.
• Great match list, competitive specialties and placements. Read somewhere they "punch above their weight" for the match.
• More well known school (than cooper), since 1860, great history, longstanding reputation, helps with the above point.
• Actual campus with on campus housing people use for first year at least, fosters a community feel.
• Great curriculum, seems to prepare you well for anything.
• collaborative, supportive community of students. close-knit.
• Westchester hospital is a great hospital, practically on campus.
• Newer MEC building looks pretty good, the small group/study spaces look great.
• 40 min from NYC by train. pro and con, it's a little far for spending free time there, would be more planned visits to friends and family that are there and a little bit of a hassle.

Cons

• Facilities seem fine - edited after visit libraries look good enough
• Libraries have NO windows, do not look like the best spaces. Wasted opportunity on new dental building which appears to be all windows from the outside. Would likely spend most study time in MEC building or at residence.
• (not the most important) not great food options for me (gluten free). All kosher campus facilities which are affected regularly with closings due to jewish holidays. Starbucks on campus closed down. Valhalla not bustling with great food options (although options exist).
• Hearing that research opportunities have fallen off in recent years, disconcerting with step 1 P/F. Research seems fine
• On campus residences are definitely a bit run down and old
• won’t get every desired rotation location, ranked placement system

Neither pro nor con

• More traditional med school curriculum. Large lectures (from what I know) are common, still have active learning groups but not used as heavily or as emphasized as cooper. I don't have a real preference for lectures versus small group. I know both will happen at NYMC.
• Gross anatomy all at once not integrated over time -amazing anatomy lab

Cooper
Pros

• Newer school, ~10 years, nice new facilities that I would really enjoy working and learning in. toured today - building looks amazing, really nice spaces, faculty access, amazing people there! Faculty are really great and welcoming.
• Very very mission focused on helping underserved, community service focus.
• Curriculum looks great, current, and well made.
• Very responsive to student feedback on curriculum in the past and still, leads me to believe the curriculum will be very tailored to help students.
• Good-great match list, some competitive specialties in competitive locations, not as great as NYMC but still good. A LOT of primary care matching (I am most likely not looking for primary care residency)
• Cooper hospital is awesome. The cooper health system is regarded as a very good health system.
• All in house rotations - not much competition/trouble finding rotations you need.
• Right next to philly, would likely live there most of the time and utilize food options and social aspect of this.
• faculty seem amazing, supportive, and available. You become very close with the professor/clinician who is the leader of your small group. Think it would be a great environment for me to learn in.

Cons

• Worry about matching to competitive specialties, compared to NYMC.
• Some research opp, but not the MOST with newer school. - Not sure about this but I would say comparable to NYMC.
• Worry with newer school that it is not as well known, "prestige" isn't there yet compared to NYMC (I personally don't care about "prestige", but know that it affects match and career opp).
• Some gut anxiety in general about it being a newer program if that's not clear lol.

neither pro nor con

• very focused on small group learning, active learning, experiential learning.

Both - I believe both have early clinical experience. Cooper seems more longitudinally integrated if that's a term that makes sense. Both seem to have great simulation centers, although I have not seen Cooper's I have heard about it.

Summary:
If I have a misconception about anything above please correct me. I have no problem hearing if I am focusing too much on something that doesn't matter. Touring both this week so I will update my pros and cons more thoroughly with regards to campus feel and facilities from firsthand perspective. Got into Cooper more recently, and felt a gut feeling of seeing myself enjoying my studies more at Cooper, BUT I am worried that I would be wasting a "better" opportunity at NYMC to prepare for and match into competitive specialties / locations. I am a sucker for newer facilities and feeling more "cutting edge".

Let me know if anyone has any thoughts! Thank you.

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[Penguinfreezer]

Bumping this. I really feel like in a perfect world I’d want to be at cooper, but I can’t get past the difference in matching/perceived “caliber”. I hope someone can help

 

[Adrenaline Junky]

Bumping this. I really feel like in a perfect world I’d want to be at cooper, but I can’t get past the difference in matching/perceived “caliber”. I hope someone can help

I would say there's no tangible prestige difference between the two. Go to cooper

 

[chilly_md]

Go to Cooper. NYMC will not open any additional doors for you.

 

[Penguinfreezer]

Thank you people appreciate the input!