NYMC vs. UIC-Chicago?

[sueypooey]

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Hi guys!

I've been reading up on the other "____ vs. ____" threads here, but haven't found one that pitted UIC vs. NYMC. I'm really interested in hearing what you guys have to say, so talkie!

Here's what I've got in my (messy, scribbled) notes for each:

NYMC:
- suburban setting near NYC (close, but not too close)
- but Westchester is kinda sleepy and quiet
- students seemed friendly, faculty seemed dedicated and interested in teaching (I went to undergrad where the profs loooved their research and didn't quite care for teaching)
- wide range of clinical sites (though not many in urban areas)
- um, it's kind of white (questionable diversity?)
- snow 🙁

UIC-Chicago:
- urban, city setting
- diverse student population and setting
- research opportunities
- university setting (exciting!), though it seemed sink-or-swim, self-directed
- better clinical training in M3 and M4 (and a chance to be at urban hospitals)
- more snow

Basically, my impression was that NYMC would kind of baby me (which I would probably enjoy to an embarassing degree) but UIC would give me wider exposure in the clinical years. I don't know if either of them is ranked. Also, I'm from CA, so in-state tuition at UIC doesn't apply.

One last thing: will I need to bring my car if I end up at UIC? NYMC, I'm sure I will.

Please help! Thank you!! 🙂

 

[weezer230]

I have also been accepted to both UIC and NYMC and i think that I would most certainly choose UIC. I think it is generally regarded as a "better school" (whatever that means). It has great research opportunity and if you look at the match list between the two school, UIC is much better. They match way more people to CA, for example, than NYMC (which might be a plus for you). I think UIC has a better match list than all schools in Illinois excluding NU and UChicago. (If you look at the number of students that match to top tier schools like UCSF, Uchicago, NU, Mass Gen...) Also NYMC is about 63K while UIC is 52K (out of state). You will certainly NOT need a car at UIC as public transportation will take you anywhere you want to go. At NYMC you will need peapod to deliver your food for you because the place is in the middle of a suburb. I think the fact that UIC is in the middle of a city while NYMC is in the middle of a suburb will really change the patient pool that you will be exposed to. Of course, these are all my opinions and i am still not sure if i will choose to go to UIC. I am deciding between Rush, UIC, Loyola, [and Pritzker (if i get into pritzker!!!)]. Hope this helped a bit. Good luck.

 

[Uegis]

Also NYMC is about 63K while UIC is 52K (out of state).

All I remember was that UIC is ASTRONOMICALLY expensive for out of state, hovering around 50K a year. But NYMC was definitely not 63K. I think you meant 36K. For the money, I would go to NYMC. Great matchlist and nice campus. Lot of out of staters that can you can empathize with.

 

[ms1finally]

dup post

 

[ms1finally]

Hi guys!

I've been reading up on the other "____ vs. ____" threads here, but haven't found one that pitted UIC vs. NYMC. I'm really interested in hearing what you guys have to say, so talkie!

Here's what I've got in my (messy, scribbled) notes for each:

NYMC:
- suburban setting near NYC (close, but not too close)
- but Westchester is kinda sleepy and quiet
- students seemed friendly, faculty seemed dedicated and interested in teaching (I went to undergrad where the profs loooved their research and didn't quite care for teaching)
- wide range of clinical sites (though not many in urban areas)
- um, it's kind of white (questionable diversity?)
- snow 🙁

UIC-Chicago:
- urban, city setting
- diverse student population and setting
- research opportunities
- university setting (exciting!), though it seemed sink-or-swim, self-directed
- better clinical training in M3 and M4 (and a chance to be at urban hospitals)
- more snow

Basically, my impression was that NYMC would kind of baby me (which I would probably enjoy to an embarassing degree) but UIC would give me wider exposure in the clinical years. I don't know if either of them is ranked. Also, I'm from CA, so in-state tuition at UIC doesn't apply.

One last thing: will I need to bring my car if I end up at UIC? NYMC, I'm sure I will.

Please help! Thank you!! 🙂

First year at NYMC. Here's my input on your list:

NYMC:
- suburban setting near NYC (close, but not too close) - agreed

- but Westchester is kinda sleepy and quiet - not so much. Trump is developing a large portion of downtown White Plains (easy to access, especially if you have a car!), the nicest mall I have ever been in is also in White Plains, there actually is a limited amount of nightlife in WP as well. If not, the city is really not that far away. There are some really cute towns in the area as well!

- students seemed friendly, faculty seemed dedicated and interested in teaching (I went to undergrad where the profs loooved their research and didn't quite care for teaching) - students are friendly, faculty are faculty. Some you will love. Some you will...not love. My u-grad experience was different, so NYMC is a change in that respect.


- wide range of clinical sites (though not many in urban areas) - huh??? St. Vincent's. Metropolitan. HUGE hospitals, both in Manhattan. Approximatelly 60% of our 190 person class will move to NYC for their clinical years. It's done by lottery, and what I have heard is that most people end up where they want to be.


- um, it's kind of white (questionable diversity?) - Many of my classmates come from different ethnic backgrounds. We have a lot of the "overrepresented in medicine" minorities (does that make sense?) in our classes. Westchester itself is pretty white, though.

- snow - yeah, can't help you here. They are quite nice about delaying class, though!

I'm not at all convinced you could get broader clinical experience anywhere else. NYMC has an amazing number of affiliates from Danbury Hospital (in a wealthy part of CT - don't knock it, the residents actually have time to teach you), to Westchester Medical Center (only Level 1 trauma facility between NYC and Albany) to St. Vincent's (Catholic hospital, a lot of charity cases) to Metropolitan (city-run, even more charity cases, even more exposure).


I haven't looked at UIC's match list, but NYMC has an excellent list.

 

[sueypooey]

ms1finally, thanks for your input! If you don't mind my asking, what factors made you decide to go to NYMC?

In terms of "wide range of clinical sites (though not many in urban areas)," I got that based on what the admissions people talked about at my interview. It seemed like they focused more on the wide range of possibilities, whereas the UIC people really emphasized the downtown urban hospitals. Again, that's probably just my impression. It helps that you say about 60% of the class goes into the city for clinical years; I didn't know that (the percentage seemed smaller to me, when people talked about it).

Westchester seemed kind of white, like you said, but then again, it's not that far from the city, so... I could live with that. I loved NYMC when I visited, and I keep leaning in that direction, but at the same time, couldn't shake the feeling that NYMC was a bit isolated (in direct contrast to UIC). What are your thoughts?

Thanks again for your input! I really appreciate the help!

 

[DrHuang]

med school is what YOU get out of it and in the end, its the cost that plays a pretty large factor...as most doctors have told me. go with the cheaper school. (which is NYMC if your not an illinois resident)

 

[sueypooey]

med school is what YOU get out of it and in the end, its the cost that plays a pretty large factor...as most doctors have told me. go with the cheaper school. (which is NYMC if your not an illinois resident)

Hrm. It seems too simple to pick based only on tuition. In the end, how much more would UIC cost me, if I take out more loans? I'd spend more time paying them back, but I think that for me, I'd rather go to the school that I liked more, and spend a few more years in debt, rather than going to the school that didn't mesh well with me. And besides, at the point where I'm comparing $50,000 vs. $63,000 a year, it's also sooo much money either way.

I mean, I guess it sounds like I've got oodles of money (which I don't) to throw away based on preferences, but in the end I don't think I'd put a price limit (within reason, of course) on my education.

 

[DolfinGrl11]

Personally, I don't know a ton about UIC-Chicago because I didn't apply there but I did apply to NYMC and interviewed there in December so I can give you my impressions.....

I'm from Cali and I originally thought that I would only go to NY if you dragged me but once I got to the school, and Valhalla in particular, I found it really charming. Sure the hustle and bustle of the city was a bit crazy (even though I'm used to LA) but a quick 25 minute train ride from Grand Central dropped me off at the Valhalla station and it looked like a postcard! Little stores and tons of houses with families in their yards, old churches and not a lot of traffic. The roads were tree-lined and everything was very simple and quiet. The school itself was gorgeous and its facilities (especially the beautiful anatomy lab) were very impressive. During my free time, I walked over to the Children's Hospital and it was amazing! The area is very suburban but the city is not far at all by train and if you drive into neighboring communities, there is a lot to do. I agree with the MS-1 poster...the White Plains mall is great for killing time! Everyone was very friendly and the students seemed very happy to be there. Plus, there were a lot of students from California so that was nice since they gave me their honest opinions about moving far from home and adjusting to the cold.

I haven't heard back yet (I should soon) but I hope I get in. It was a great school and it would be nice to have the option.

 

[ixitixl]

Hrm. It seems too simple to pick based only on tuition. In the end, how much more would UIC cost me, if I take out more loans? I'd spend more time paying them back, but I think that for me, I'd rather go to the school that I liked more, and spend a few more years in debt, rather than going to the school that didn't mesh well with me. And besides, at the point where I'm comparing $50,000 vs. $63,000 a year, it's also sooo much money either way.

I mean, I guess it sounds like I've got oodles of money (which I don't) to throw away based on preferences, but in the end I don't think I'd put a price limit (within reason, of course) on my education.

I faced the same tuition issue when I started in 2004. It's not as bad as it seems. If you go to NYMC you're stuck with the high tuition. If you go to UIC, you can petition for in-state. The website makes it sound impossible but in reality, it's not as hard as it seems. In addition to petitioning for in-state tuition, you can work in a lab and get a graduate tuition waiver. The combination brings the total tuition down to around 20K.

As a UIC student, I have to admit that it epitomizes the "do it yourself" school. They WILL NOT hold your hand. While I was unsatisfied with basic sciences taught first and second year, the clinical rotations through the major Chicago hospitals amounts to an unmatched clinical experience. Also, because the hospitals deal with many of the less fortunate in our society, it means that you will be allowed to do things that you would not be able to do in a more prestigious hospital. I'm not sure that's the greatest thing for the patient but it guarantees hands on experience even during your first year.