Did anyone ever see that Seinfeld episode where Jerry can't quite figure out the girl he's dating: sometimes she's beautiful and other times she is very unattractive. It turns out it depends on the lighting...funny episode.
That's how I feel it is with NYCOM. As a current applicant, I sometimes feel very positively about NYCOM and wish to go there. I think to myself, "Wow, this school is great. The faculty seem well-qualified, and students do well, etc." Other days, I feel that NYCOM, when compared to other schools, just doesn't have its act together, is a bit less classy or sophisticated, or is not as strong a program. I say to myself, "This school is a bit rough around the edges, and isn't quite up to par."
So, which NYCOM is it? I don't know. The Open House was organized, and perhaps a good showing, but the Interview Day was the most uninspiring of all the schools I've been to. I felt like I was at the DMV, rather than a top-notch university. The least they could do is wipe down the black-board in the conference room, and give us a classy powerpoint presentation about the school. Instead, we got a rushed and quite silly talk from Ms. Croot (ALL schools have simulated patient robots- it's not a big selling point anymore. In fact, most schools have more robots that NYCOM.), we never got a formal talk about financial aid because they were "behind schedule" (that's all they talked about), the students were genuinely helpful, but we sat there without lunches for 15 minutes before they realized they were eating and we weren't- it's not their fault, just poor organization. Dr. Elkowitz was the shining beacon of light that gave me hope that, once accepted, the faculty was the strong point.
Lastly, the interview, albeit relaxed and stress-free as everyone loves to share, was all fluff and little substance. I think questions like "Why medicine," "Why NYCOM," "Why DO and not MD," are great questions that should be asked which weren't. A plethora of questions like "I see you worked in the Biochem Dept- tell me about that," "I see you volunteered after Katrina- tell me about that," "I see you did some research- tell me about that..." is not meaningful in my mind. This line of questions doesn't really get at anything, and left me wanting to explain my interests in NYCOM. That's hard to do when not given the opportunity.
In closing, NYCOM seems great at times, and not-so-great at times. While one might think this is all schools, NYCOM typifies this inconsistency.
That's how I feel it is with NYCOM. As a current applicant, I sometimes feel very positively about NYCOM and wish to go there. I think to myself, "Wow, this school is great. The faculty seem well-qualified, and students do well, etc." Other days, I feel that NYCOM, when compared to other schools, just doesn't have its act together, is a bit less classy or sophisticated, or is not as strong a program. I say to myself, "This school is a bit rough around the edges, and isn't quite up to par."
So, which NYCOM is it? I don't know. The Open House was organized, and perhaps a good showing, but the Interview Day was the most uninspiring of all the schools I've been to. I felt like I was at the DMV, rather than a top-notch university. The least they could do is wipe down the black-board in the conference room, and give us a classy powerpoint presentation about the school. Instead, we got a rushed and quite silly talk from Ms. Croot (ALL schools have simulated patient robots- it's not a big selling point anymore. In fact, most schools have more robots that NYCOM.), we never got a formal talk about financial aid because they were "behind schedule" (that's all they talked about), the students were genuinely helpful, but we sat there without lunches for 15 minutes before they realized they were eating and we weren't- it's not their fault, just poor organization. Dr. Elkowitz was the shining beacon of light that gave me hope that, once accepted, the faculty was the strong point.
Lastly, the interview, albeit relaxed and stress-free as everyone loves to share, was all fluff and little substance. I think questions like "Why medicine," "Why NYCOM," "Why DO and not MD," are great questions that should be asked which weren't. A plethora of questions like "I see you worked in the Biochem Dept- tell me about that," "I see you volunteered after Katrina- tell me about that," "I see you did some research- tell me about that..." is not meaningful in my mind. This line of questions doesn't really get at anything, and left me wanting to explain my interests in NYCOM. That's hard to do when not given the opportunity.
In closing, NYCOM seems great at times, and not-so-great at times. While one might think this is all schools, NYCOM typifies this inconsistency.
