NYC schools

[2010MD]

I haven't been on sdn very long, but it seems to me that people usually end up comparing Columbia vs. Cornell, Downstate vs. Einstein, and NYU vs... MSSM? (not sure about that one). I'd be interested in hearing from people who applied to a lot of NYC schools and have a strong interest in going to school in the city... and are actually considering most/all of these schools. (I realize we probably haven't heard from many of these places yet, btw... this is all just hypothetical.) Anyone comparing schools other than the typical match-ups (e.g. Einstein or NYU vs. Cornell)? What criteria are you using to make your comparisons?

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[Rafa]

I'm also curious about this topic. What's the atmosphere like, going to med school in the middle of the city? Do you step out of your dorm/apt and find yourself right in the middle of everything, or is there 'space' between the school and the city?

 

[BrownTheDoc]

I've been accepted at NYU and Mt. Sinai and interviewed at Cornell and Columbia. Columbia is really far uptown on W168th, and probably in the worst location, but a great school. Cornell (E 69th) and NYU (E 30th) are arguably in the best locations in Manhattan. Columbia curriculum is very traditional and the class size is about 160 students. Cornell has a little bit of PBL and lectures and the class is about 100 students. They are all pretty good schools, though I got the impression that Columbia and Cornell, and even NYU had the most opportunities. Mt. Sinai use to be part of NYU until 5 or 6 years ago. I have heard the hospital is is poor financial status and the facilities seem to reflect this.

 

[princessd3]

Can't really say what it's like but I can say a little about the location. Columbia is not in the middle of the city. Twenty minutes in a train can take you from Columbia to Times Square. Cornell isn't right in the middle of the city either. It's in a very residential neighborhood. To me MSSM kinda feels like its in the midst of everything. NYU is definitely in the midst of everything. Well Einstein is in the Bronx so it's the furthest away.

 

[2010MD]

I've been accepted at NYU and Mt. Sinai and interviewed at Cornell and Columbia. Columbia is really far uptown on W168th, and probably in the worst location, but a great school. Cornell (E 69th) and NYU (E 30th) are arguably in the best locations in Manhattan. Columbia curriculum is very traditional and the class size is about 160 students. Cornell has a little bit of PBL and lectures and the class is about 100 students. They are all pretty good schools, though I got the impression that Columbia and Cornell, and even NYU had the most opportunities. Mt. Sinai use to be part of NYU until 5 or 6 years ago. I have heard the hospital is is poor financial status and the facilities seem to reflect this.

Thanks Brown -- I live in NYC and interviewed at all 6 of these schools, so I should have clarified that I was hoping to hear about some of the more subtle differences in impressions people got from each school. For example, I know a lot of people love Einstein, but for me it's location and inaccessibility to public transit makes me feel like it's so removed from the city. If my priority were to attend school in NYC, I wouldn't necessarily recommend Einstein in comparison to the other schools. NYU, in my opinion, definitely has the best location, but I believe Columbia and Cornell have better reputations. But if you're interested in working with a diverse patient population, I believe Bellevue (NYU) is a much better place to get your clinical experience than Cornell's hospital. So how are you weighing location (which for me translates into lifestyle) vs. reputation, curriculum, clinical experience, types of students typical to each school, etc.?

 

[bkpa2med]

Can you tell us what your stats are like seeing that you have interviewed at all 6 schools?

 

[Avenue Q]

I've been accepted at NYU and Mt. Sinai and interviewed at Cornell and Columbia. Columbia is really far uptown on W168th, and probably in the worst location, but a great school. Cornell (E 69th) and NYU (E 30th) are arguably in the best locations in Manhattan. Columbia curriculum is very traditional and the class size is about 160 students. Cornell has a little bit of PBL and lectures and the class is about 100 students. They are all pretty good schools, though I got the impression that Columbia and Cornell, and even NYU had the most opportunities. Mt. Sinai use to be part of NYU until 5 or 6 years ago. I have heard the hospital is is poor financial status and the facilities seem to reflect this.

to clarify -
Sinai was never really "a part of NYU". It was founded as a stand alone hospital/med school (similarly to Mayo), but gave it's degrees though the City University of New York as per diploma regulations in NY state. Fairly recently, the two hospitals merged - mostly to deal with purchases and contract negotiations. There was talk of completely combining the two schools and hospitals into one, but the deal went sour and except for having NYU on the diploma (instead of CUNY) and the buying contracts, there is little relationship between the two schools other than an "affilation." In terms of finances, Sinai (the hospital) did have some troubles a while back, but they have a new president and are doing much better. Most hospitals, by the way, are financially unsound. Additionally, Sinai's Gughenheim pavillion is one of the newest hospital facilities in the city.

Also, in terms of location. Most people would say that, in general, NYU and Cornell are in the best locations and that Columbia's and Einstein's areas are less desireable. Sinai is also in a good location - it's the Upper East Side for crying out loud, and near Central Park. It is also the only school of those on the East side (NYU, Cornell, Sinai), that is really close to a subway line, making it easier to get from school to other parts of the city. Regarding the question of the schoosl being "in the city" - yes. They are right smack in the middle of it, they do not have grassy campus'. But NYC is a very diverse place - you don't cross the street out of the hospital into Times Square.

 

[lazygunner]

I live in NYC and interviewed at all 6 of these schools, so I should have clarified that I was hoping to hear about some of the more subtle differences in impressions people got from each school.

I'm in the same situation (but from long island, not nyc). As of now, I'm pretty set on picking NYU over sinai or einstein, then i'd go to cornell or columbia over nyu if i get into either. I just liked the location and the feeling i got at NYU compared to the other two (i don't think that i'd be happy living in the bronx, and i've worked at sinai for the past 2 summers and know that the hospital is constantly in bad financial shape). Cornell and columbia are certainly reputation choices, and although columbia is kind of separated from the rest of manhattan, i noticed that the class seems to be more cohesive as a result, which I like.

 

[2010MD]

Can you tell us what your stats are like seeing that you have interviewed at all 6 schools?

I'd rather not post them here as it makes me kind of uncomfortable. However, since I see you're still in school and haven't started applying, if you really want to know and think it will help you somehow (e.g. in deciding where to apply), I'd be happy to let you know via PM.

 

[2010MD]

bump