NYU impressions

[deleted77919]

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NYU is a number *****, especially MCAT *****

I think it is interesting that if a school decides to invite people to interview, or makes acceptances for that matter, based mostly on MCAT and GPA that school is called a number *****. If, on the other hand, a school decides to weight other factors more people complain "Why didn't I get an interview? I have numbers better than their averages. Who do they think they are? What's going on?" Just no way for an adcomm to win I suppose . . .

 

[DrKitty]

I think it is interesting that if a school decides to invite people to interview, or makes acceptances for that matter, based mostly on MCAT and GPA that school is called a number *****. If, on the other hand, a school decides to weight other factors more people complain "Why didn't I get an interview? I have numbers better than their averages. Who do they think they are? What's going on?" Just no way for an adcomm to win I suppose . . .

I suppose you are right, Dakota. I am jealous of you guys who got interviews at NYU 🙁 NYU is a big part of my life, as I spent the last couple of years studying there and getting to know the faculty and students, and of course I love living in the city. I am serious about going to NYU for MD, I know the school inside out, and it's not like I am incapable of handling its academic environment! I see tons of applicants for whom NYU is not even their first choice get interviews there, and sadly, most of them will get into ivy schools - Cornell, etc and will not end up going to NYU! The school did not give me a chance 🙁

 

[deleted77919]

This is a really long and often frusterating process, and with 2 applicants for every 1 slot the process breeds disappointments and confusion. I wish I could get into the adcomm's collective head at several different schools, but often I'm not sure they even understand how the system works completely. Best of luck.

 

[Risa]

At NYU, everyones interview goes the exact same way-- perfect. no pressure, just friendly chat.

Mine didn't 🙁

My interviewer wouldn't make eye contact with me, shuffled through papers and typed on her computer, and questioned me with no attempt at conversation.

Which was double surprising and weird given the reputation Jacque just pointed out. Oh well!

 

[calvinandhobbes]

Mine didn't 🙁

My interviewer wouldn't make eye contact with me, shuffled through papers and typed on her computer, and questioned me with no attempt at conversation.

Which was double surprising and weird given the reputation Jacque just pointed out. Oh well!

Risa, you can petition for a re-interview if you feel you didn't connect with your interviewer. I hear they are pretty cool about it.

And Kitty, maybe you can send a letter of intent? I personally think that since you have been at the school for so damn long, maybe it's time to go somewhere else (ie blessing in disguise)? please don't kill me

 

[Turquoisey]

I am interested to see-if anyone has one of those MSAR books...if they took applicants with mcats at or below a 29 last year??
Thank you very much.

 

[allisonbk]

I am interested to see-if anyone has one of those MSAR books...if they took applicants with mcats at or below a 29 last year??
Thank you very much.

I don't know if MSAR has this info. But does anyone on SDN know of anyone accepted with a 30 or below?

 

[bubbleyum]

doesn't nyu stop interviewing in 3 days or something?
i've given up on nyu a long time ago. they don't even have the decency to send out rejection letters.

 

[DrKitty]

doesn't nyu stop interviewing in 3 days or something?
i've given up on nyu a long time ago. they don't even have the decency to send out rejection letters.

Time for me to give up on NYU as well, their loss. I'll be much happier in the school that is actually interested in me.

 

[Clocks]

Time for me to give up on NYU as well, their loss. I'll be much happier in the school that is actually interested in me.

I'm an NYU undergrad that had my sights set on going here (I applied ED via a program they have and didn't even get an interview then).

Alas, it looks like they don't want to touch me with a 10 ft. pole. I think I'll be happier somewhere else at this point at a program that actually wants me. Congrats to those who have gotten in/received interviews; you're in competition to gain a seat at an excellent med school.

 

[Turquoisey]

I really want to get into NYU-I am nervous that because I was interviewed later/lower mcat than average by a few points, I won't be admitted. Good thing we find out soon at least.

 

[justskipee]

NYU sounds like a number *****. Some schools just don't want to take the time to really get to know the applicant, and as a result, they are missing some of the best applicants.

 

[deleted77919]

I really want to get into NYU-I am nervous that because I was interviewed later/lower mcat than average by a few points, I won't be admitted. Good thing we find out soon at least.

Because NYU is non-rolling I wouldn't worry about when you interviewed. And hey, if they really just did number cut-offs, why not just interview 500 people. That's enough to weed-out the few jerks who come by, then accept your class size, then when people start declining it gives you a plenty big waitlist. Nothing you can do now but sit tight . . . Jan is comming up soon.

 

[Turquoisey]

Yeah, that is very true. I hope that they actually do consider the entire application and not just numbers. January could not come any slower.

 

[temmie]

i got an inteview yesterday for the 21st, how pathetic is that. But they said they were done sendin gout invites and then later decided to send more. Thanks God they did though

 

[jdovez]

Hey guys. I am a current MS1 here at NYUSOM and I just wanted to put in a couple of cents. I used SDN extensively when applying so I thought I'd attempt to give back a bit......

Your concerns about the "collar-popping" frat types are to a degree warranted. By that I mean there are certainly students here that fit that bill. I am sorry they made such an impression on a number of you. I can tell you though, that they are the minority. Unfortunately, they are a VOCAL minority, so often these characters stick out on a one day trip to the school. Fortunately though, the class is 160 students and as such you can definitely find people of like mind (I have formed a niche of friends of very diverse life experience). Also, there are a lot of us that are not financially well to do and are living on the loans/financial aid only. I can honestly tell you that the students here are overall amazing and even the "frat types" are not as bad as they may come off initially.

i had a great time at NYU. the area is top-notch, the facilities, although many say are dated, are pretty damn nice. they are making some brand-spanking new beautiful research centers.

about the dorms, i was really shocked at how many people whine about them. i lived in a tiny little room with two other people, and it worked out fine. at nyu, you get your own room..i thought they were awesome

the only weird feel i got there was that all the guys and girls seem like their in the greek system. i had heard this rumor/stereotype before, but i was sure it had to have been false. but upon going there, i was pretty surprised at how many popped collars/abercrombie kids were out there...hopefully i met a very unrepresentative population

nevertheless, good people, fun atmosphere, low stress, and great school

 

[jdovez]

Continuing to add feedback. I am actually a non traditional student who took 4 years off. We also have students who had entire careers, such as I-banking, optometry, teaching, etc prior to becoming enrolled here. My class has significantly more non-traditional students than the current MS2s. I will explain why I think this is in my next post.....but if you are a non traditional and enjoy NYU you def have a shot, and if you don't want to be surrounded by only students just emerging from undergrad you don't have to worry about that.

Looking at my handy MSAR it's a median of 11/12/12 Q (V/PS/B). So yes, fairly high. Another trend I noticed was the students seemed fairly young . . . guess there aren't many non-trads who want to live in Manhattan. Best of luck on the interview . . . it's nothing to worry about, but seriously, get some sleep.

 

[jdovez]

If you got an interview then you have a chance. Try to be confident. Even if you don't get in right away the waitlist is always a possibility. But, just stay optimistic!

well that is very comforting to know that around half of those interviewed get accepted. I feel like my mcat is a little lower than the matriculated mcat...but if i didnt have a chance-why would they have asked me to interview?? so i am being optimistic. I guess if we interview then we find out whether or not we were accepted before the end of january. I really hope that i do end up getting in! I am really excited about being here. Thank you so much for all of the information.

 

[allisonbk]

Continuing to add feedback. I am actually a non traditional student who took 4 years off. We also have students who had entire careers, such as I-banking, optometry, teaching, etc prior to becoming enrolled here. My class has significantly more non-traditional students than the current MS2s. I will explain why I think this is in my next post.....but if you are a non traditional and enjoy NYU you def have a shot, and if you don't want to be surrounded by only students just emerging from undergrad you don't have to worry about that.

this is exciting to hear. nyu is my first choice, by far, but the only thing that worried me was that it seemed like non-trads are not their favorite group. do you have an idea of what percent of your class took time off after college?

 

[jdovez]

OK, basically the admissions process seems to be in a constant state of morphosis. Dean Brienza, the former Dean left a couple of years ago. He was very old school and traditional which is why NYU wasnt part of MSAR (or so I am told). After he left they have been trying to modernize the process a bit. However, in so doing they have been receiving far more applications (its a lot easier to check a box and add it to MSAR than to submit an entire new application). Therefore, I think there have been a few kinks in the system the last 2 years. Last year was a bit of a mess. It seems that only a smallish percent of the class was initially accepted then most of us (myself included) were taken of the waitlist. However, they did seem to reject a TON of high number type applicants which make me believe that anyone saying we are a "number *****" must not be using all of the available info to come up with their assessment. Furthermore, I think this year they are a bit more on top of the process, which resulted in the hard acceptance date of jan 15. Now, what the results of this day look like is still anyones guess. I do not know if they will send out a ton of waitlists and few acceptances. However, its my impression that they learned from last years experience (I think they sheer number of applications made it too difficult for them to decide on the candidates in time for their deadline, resulting in a number of waitlist letters, but that is conjecture). I hope they will offer more direct acceptances (I think they will), on jan 15. Anyway, everyone I know here is EXTREMELY happy with the school. There are small nitpicky things here and there, but overall the other students are AMAZING, the P/F system is awesome, and the faculty and administration really work with us when we have issues. Good luck to you all in getting in here (if this is where you want to go) or finding your niche in the school of your desire.

hard to say. with an acceptance average of 35 and a matriculant average of 32, they are obviously letting in a LOT of people who they should know have no intention of going to nyu in the first place. if you look at old threads, there are a lot of people who get in off the waitlist in the summer (seems ridiculous- apparently they just start mass emailing people and saying are you still interested?) so maybe they just try for the overachievers, 😉 , initially and then fill the class with others, but then again, there is a whole thread of people with 35+ people who are in shock at their rejections from nyu...eh, who knows?

 

[jdovez]

this is exciting to hear. nyu is my first choice, by far, but the only thing that worried me was that it seemed like non-trads are not their favorite group. do you have an idea of what percent of your class took time off after college?

I actually dont have an exact number, but Ill use my small group of friends as an indicator. Of 10 of us, 3 took time off. So thats around 30%. Its a pretty random sampling. But I cant really be sure. I know of at least 10 people that are 25+ and I don't know even close to everyone.

 

[allisonbk]

I actually dont have an exact number, but Ill use my small group of friends as an indicator. Of 10 of us, 3 took time off. So thats around 30%. Its a pretty random sampling. But I cant really be sure. I know of at least 10 people that are 25+ and I don't know even close to everyone.

thanks a lot for posting jdovez, i was hoping someone from nyu would contribute to the thread. it's great to hear from someone who really knows what the school is like. and i am happy to hear that there is a significant number of older students at NYU. thanks!

 

[temmie]

okay guys
i had my interview today at NYU. i must confess i loveeeeeeeeeee the school. It's definitely top of the chart for me, as in top 2. I really felt like i could be happy there.
The interview was laid back. I was asked questions for about 20 mins but after that, i pretty much tok the initiative and talked for like another 25mins with my interviewer. I told him to feel free to kick me out whenver he wanted.
But overall, i enjoyed it, the tour, and everything else about the school.
The only worries i have though is that if the interview processis not so intense, then it could mean that they pretty much know whom they want before the interview. maybe i am wrong but when i am drilled duriing an interview, i think it is because they are looking for my weak point.
Infactmy interviewer onl wrote something on his little paper once. I hope it said "yes, let her in 🙂 " anyways goodluck to us as we wait and thank God we find out sooner rather than later.

 

[nicholasblonde]

i forgot to add: BELLEVUE...it's friggin beautiful and very hands-on...i feel (and many med students will tell you this) that the education you get at medical school is gonna be similar no matter where you go. what really matters how you fit with the school and the experiences it offers. i can't think of many other places that gets you as much experience that bellevue does.

O M G---you have got to be kidding me......why don't you take a cab up to 68th and York Ave and check out New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College--it makes Bellevue look like something from a developing country...in fact, if I were a diplomat from a developing nation riding the cab from JFK to the UN building (right up the street from NYU), as I rode by Bellevue, I would think to myself "wow, the US isn't that much better off than we are...look at that crappy hospital over there...maybe I won't ask for as much aid money after all."

I've never even been to a state school with a hospital in such disrepair. I will give them credit in terms of the "gritty" feel they have going on there. It does feel like an urban hospital with no frills. NY Presb. is like a Neimann Marcus compared to Bellevue.

 

[temmie]

hm i do feel some latent anger there. You need to see a doctor. I agree that the buildings are not lgorgeous by any chance but honey, judging the book by its cover is not going to get you anywhere. I hope you get into cornell showing how beautiful you think their hospital is. If not, then tooooooooooo bad

O M G---you have got to be kidding me......why don't you take a cab up to 68th and York Ave and check out New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College--it makes Bellevue look like something from a developing country...in fact, if I were a diplomat from a developing nation riding the cab from JFK to the UN building (right up the street from NYU), as I rode by Bellevue, I would think to myself "wow, the US isn't that much better off than we are...look at that crappy hospital over there...maybe I won't ask for as much aid money after all."

I've never even been to a state school with a hospital in such disrepair. I will give them credit in terms of the "gritty" feel they have going on there. It does feel like an urban hospital with no frills. NY Presb. is like a Neimann Marcus compared to Bellevue.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

O M G---you have got to be kidding me......why don't you take a cab up to 68th and York Ave and check out New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College--it makes Bellevue look like something from a developing country...in fact, if I were a diplomat from a developing nation riding the cab from JFK to the UN building (right up the street from NYU), as I rode by Bellevue, I would think to myself "wow, the US isn't that much better off than we are...look at that crappy hospital over there...maybe I won't ask for as much aid money after all."

I've never even been to a state school with a hospital in such disrepair. I will give them credit in terms of the "gritty" feel they have going on there. It does feel like an urban hospital with no frills. NY Presb. is like a Neimann Marcus compared to Bellevue.

Are you knocking Bellevue because of their patient population? Facilities?
Bellevue is a public hospital for the poor.
Presby is a research hospital for people like Bill Clinton.
At Bellevue, you probably do a lot of doctoring as a med student.
At Presby, a lot of patients probably won't even talk to a med student.

 

[sun697]

Hey guys. I am a current MS1 here at NYUSOM and I just wanted to put in a couple of cents. I used SDN extensively when applying so I thought I'd attempt to give back a bit......

Your concerns about the "collar-popping" frat types are to a degree warranted. By that I mean there are certainly students here that fit that bill. I am sorry they made such an impression on a number of you. I can tell you though, that they are the minority. Unfortunately, they are a VOCAL minority, so often these characters stick out on a one day trip to the school. Fortunately though, the class is 160 students and as such you can definitely find people of like mind (I have formed a niche of friends of very diverse life experience). Also, there are a lot of us that are not financially well to do and are living on the loans/financial aid only. I can honestly tell you that the students here are overall amazing and even the "frat types" are not as bad as they may come off initially.

Thanks very much for your insights, jdovez. I too was very impressed by the school, but was a bit turned off by how "young" the student body seemed to be. I unfortunately did not meet a single non-trad med student during my interview day. The faculty we met were amazing though. I think it'd be good for NYU to have the non-trads and non-frat types make a stronger impression on future interview days.

 

[jdovez]

Thanks very much for your insights, jdovez. I too was very impressed by the school, but was a bit turned off by how "young" the student body seemed to be. I unfortunately did not meet a single non-trad med student during my interview day. The faculty we met were amazing though. I think it'd be good for NYU to have the non-trads and non-frat types make a stronger impression on future interview days.

Hey Sun. I think that would be a good idea as well. Unfortunately, the way the interviews work out, they are pretty much every day for a few months. Therefore, the bulk of the contact you get on your interview day is your tourguides and/or if you run into other random students. The best way to get exposure to more students is probably to stay with one and hope you get a good one. The administration encourages as many of us as possible to go mingle at the lunch, but it often conflicts with class time making it a bit difficult. However, if you have any other specific questions, concerns, etc please let me know. I will do my best to accurately represent the school as I see it. And best of luck to you with whatever school(s) you liked!!

 

[DrKitty]

Are you knocking Bellevue because of their patient population? Facilities?
Bellevue is a public hospital for the poor.
Presby is a research hospital for people like Bill Clinton.
At Bellevue, you probably do a lot of doctoring as a med student.
At Presby, a lot of patients probably won't even talk to a med student.

I have to disagree with the statements above. I volunteer in their ER on weeknights, and it is intense. We get car accident and interpersonal traumas, homeless, drug addicts...There are TONS of DIVERSE patients, and many of them wait for 10 - 12 hours to be seen....some come from NJ....They all are HAPPY to talk to hospital staff, including volunteers and med students, just to be reminded that they are not forgotten ...So, it is not true that patients won't even talk to med students. NYP is a private hospital, but it sure is #1 in New York State and #7 in the nation, and attracts a HUGE number of patients. The kind of patient care Cornell docs do is amazing both medically and interpersonally, and is a great learning experience for somebody studying medicine.

I have never been to Bellevue, but I sure heard not so good remarks about the how docs treat patients as second class citizens at Bellevue from a classmate who volunteered in their ER. I won't generalize about it though, but I have to say that just because NYP is private does not mean there is not enough clinical exposure.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I have to disagree with the statements above. I volunteer in their ER on weeknights, and it is intense. We get car accident and interpersonal traumas, homeless, drug addicts...There are TONS of DIVERSE patients, and many of them wait for 10 - 12 hours to be seen....some come from NJ....They all are HAPPY to talk to hospital staff, including volunteers and med students, just to be reminded that they are not forgotten ...So, it is not true that patients won't even talk to med students. NYP is a private hospital, but it sure is #1 in New York State and #7 in the nation, and attracts a HUGE number of patients. The kind of patient care Cornell docs do is amazing both medically and interpersonally, and is a great learning experience for somebody studying medicine.

I have never been to Bellevue, but I sure heard not so good remarks about the how docs treat patients as second class citizens at Bellevue from a classmate who volunteered in their ER. I won't generalize about it though, but I have to say that just because NYP is private does not mean there is not enough clinical exposure.

The ED is different. Most patients would be happy to talk to anyone after waiting for 6 hours.

 

[neurone]

doesn't nyu stop interviewing in 3 days or something?
i've given up on nyu a long time ago. they don't even have the decency to send out rejection letters.

I actually had the last interview on the last day at NYU. From what I understand, no interviews are held past 12/21.

 

[temmie]

I actually had the last interview on the last day at NYU. From what I understand, no interviews are held past 12/21.

hmm, what time did you interview? i was also there on the last day and just wondering if i saw you.

 

[jbar]

I've never even been to a state school with a hospital in such disrepair. I will give them credit in terms of the "gritty" feel they have going on there. It does feel like an urban hospital with no frills. NY Presb. is like a Neimann Marcus compared to Bellevue.[/QUOTE]

Just to be clear, NYU isn't a state school, it is private. And Bellvue is a public city hospital, with the funding issues that come with it. In spite of that they just totally redid the front of the hospita and the lobby. If the outside looks a little run down it is becuase the hospital if over a hundred years old and sees more than 500,000 patients a year.
I spent a summer working in the ED at Bellevue and got to see more and learn more than I would have in a year in my local community ED. If I had a family member hit by a car or get shot I would want them to go to Bellevue. It is a great place to learn medicine, you get patients with all kinds of diseases that you would never see at a private hospital.

 

[neurone]

hmm, what time did you interview? i was also there on the last day and just wondering if i saw you.

I was there for the lunch/tour and stayed till ~4. My interview was scheduled for 2 but somehow I didn't interview until after 3.