NYU over Wash U? Dumb Idea?

[iluvmyhonda]

Would it be incredibly stupid to choose NYU over Wash U? I am not from New York, but I am used to living in a large city and I liked the atmosphere at NYU better than at Wash U. I feel that I would be in a better position for residency placement if I went to Wash U (especially since I am interested in the more competitive residencies), but it is so hard for me to picture living in a more competitive and less lively environment for 4 years.
Would it be a bad idea to choose NYU (I do want to end up in NY or Chicago eventually)?

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[chos]

only do it if you really want to end up in new york. nyu is not the greatest of institutions, from a bureacratic point of view. nyc is very expensive and overwhelming.

Would it be incredibly stupid to choose NYU over Wash U? I am not from New York, but I am used to living in a large city and I liked the atmosphere at NYU better than at Wash U. I feel that I would be in a better position for residency placement if I went to Wash U (especially since I am interested in the more competitive residencies), but it is so hard for me to picture living in a more competitive and less lively environment for 4 years.
Would it be a bad idea to choose NYU (I do want to end up in NY or Chicago eventually)?

 

[superdevil]

Would it be incredibly stupid to choose NYU over Wash U? I am not from New York, but I am used to living in a large city and I liked the atmosphere at NYU better than at Wash U. I feel that I would be in a better position for residency placement if I went to Wash U (especially since I am interested in the more competitive residencies), but it is so hard for me to picture living in a more competitive and less lively environment for 4 years.
Would it be a bad idea to choose NYU (I do want to end up in NY or Chicago eventually)?

even though washu has more money, researchers, etc., NYU is also a very good school. and if you want to end up in NYC anyway, i'd choose NYU.

(disclaimer: i'm on the waitlist at washu, and i may have alterior motives...)

 

[SD Skunk]

even though washu has more money, researchers, etc., NYU is also a very good school. and if you want to end up in NYC anyway, i'd choose NYU.

(disclaimer: i'm on the waitlist at washu, and i may have alterior motives...)

hahaha, that's pretty damn funny man

 

[lulubean]

go where you will be happy. if you end up at WashU and you hate st.louis, you might not do as well as if you had gone to nyu.

besides, nyu is a good school. it's not in the top ten, but it's a strong school. and new york city is awesome....(but i am not biased )

 

[blump]

It is not that idiotic at all. You need to go where you will be happy and NYU is a very strong school, especially if you want to end up in New York City. Its not like youre turning down Harvard. Wash U is a great school but I might have done the same if I was choosing between those two. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[kikkoman]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that WashU is going to give you a significant advantage over NYU in matching in competitive specialties. NYU has a similar (and very good) match list, and considering how many top students WashU attracts with its large MSTP and full scholarship rides, you might have an easier matching well at NYU.

I think it's all good and it's hard to make a mistake. I would take NYU over WashU if I really liked the city, and I wouldn't worry about whatever perceived disadvantages there are long term because it's not clear that there are any.

 

[Without Wax]

Would it be incredibly stupid to choose NYU over Wash U? I am not from New York, but I am used to living in a large city and I liked the atmosphere at NYU better than at Wash U. I feel that I would be in a better position for residency placement if I went to Wash U (especially since I am interested in the more competitive residencies), but it is so hard for me to picture living in a more competitive and less lively environment for 4 years.
Would it be a bad idea to choose NYU (I do want to end up in NY or Chicago eventually)?

I think choosing NYU over Wash U is a great choice, not a dumb choice. I guess it all depends what your priority is. If research/academic medicine is your concern, then you definitely have to choose Wash U. But if you want to end up in New York, then NYU is a great place. You will get great clinical experiences because of Bellevue hospital. My PI, a world renowned researcher, went to NYU and she said she regretted it because there were not many research opportunities. But great clinical opportunities (you see EVERYTHING, rich, poor, young, old, Black, White, flu, AIDS, diseases you never heard of)

 

[Without Wax]

Its not like youre turning down Harvard.

I disagree. Although Harvard is well known by everybody, people in medicine know that Wash U is equal, if not better than, Harvard.

 

[seethrew]

to the OP - i'm in a similiar, but not exact situation. i am probably going to turn down a more prestigous school for a school in a city i find more exciting. (Pitt v. Tulane). and the former is giving me more $. i feel like i must be crazy.... but is there a price on happiness? my advisor put it to me this way: choose what will give you happiness: if a higher ranked school gives you happiness than choose the higher ranked school, if a school that you feel comfortable and excited about its location will make you happy choose that. i am not independently wealthy or anything. i don't know what exactly i want to do in medicine. the only thing i know fer sure is that you need to move forward wit whatever decision you make and *NEVER* look back!

5.5 more days to deliberate

 

[spf0909]

Maybe you should create a poll, but I would choose Wash U in a second.

 

[jjmack]

there is no comparision between wash u and NYU. Go where you feel happier. Even if you want to end up in a residency in NYC the only reason I think you should go to NYU is if you want to be in nyc (which is a legitimite reason.)

It is not that idiotic at all. You need to go where you will be happy and NYU is a very strong school, especially if you want to end up in New York City. Its not like youre turning down Harvard. Wash U is a great school but I might have done the same if I was choosing between those two. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Would it be incredibly stupid to choose NYU over Wash U? I am not from New York, but I am used to living in a large city and I liked the atmosphere at NYU better than at Wash U. I feel that I would be in a better position for residency placement if I went to Wash U (especially since I am interested in the more competitive residencies), but it is so hard for me to picture living in a more competitive and less lively environment for 4 years.
Would it be a bad idea to choose NYU (I do want to end up in NY or Chicago eventually)?

I didn't realize St. Louis was a small town.

Go to Wash U.

You can do your residency in New York. You'll be guaranteed that residency if you go to one of the best medical schools in the nation.

 

[CarleneM]

judging by your username, you love your car and you won't be able to have it in nyc unless you are filthy rich or want to live far away from manhattan. you also won't be able to have a spacious apartment, etc. i'm not sure nyc is that great for many med students, what with their tight budgets and all and would much rather live in nyc when i actually have money to spend (and time. you'll be pretty busy and it could be depressing to be in such a bustling city when you are stuck in the library or anatomy lab). if you have personal connections to the city, then fine, but otherwise I would choose wash u in a heartbeat. maybe i'm biased being a bostonian who is conditioned to be somewhat anti-nyc but when i was looking at nyc schools I got really stressed thinking about housing, car, etc.

 

[ncelano]

Put it this way. The physician I work for right now went to NYU medical school and now owns and operates his own cardiology clinic in Beverly Hills. He got an excellent residency at UCLA after graduating from NYU. Its all in how you make it. You will never be able to live in such cheap housing in Manhattan ever again in your life. I'm on the waitlist, have a couple of acceptances elsewhere, and would drop them instantly to live in the city. hope this helps.

 

[alec689]

One of the fellows in my practice at MGH went to NYU and loved it. Although Rheumatology isn't a competitive field, MGH is a pretty prestigious institution. So you can do very well coming out of NYU. That being said, WashU is a fantastic school, and many residencies will be available to you through its reputation.

It's a tough decision. Good luck!

 

[exmike]

Put it this way. The physician I work for right now went to NYU medical school and now owns and operates his own cardiology clinic in Beverly Hills. He got an excellent residency at UCLA after graduating from NYU. Its all in how you make it. You will never be able to live in such cheap housing in Manhattan ever again in your life. I'm on the waitlist, have a couple of acceptances elsewhere, and would drop them instantly to live in the city. hope this helps.

So your anecdote proves what? What if he was #1 in his class? WashU is superior in terms of reputation. Go there.

 

[tommerbommer]

I would go to NYU, and it wouldn't even be a close decision. I love New York.

I think this one is location vs. reputation (though you will get a great education at either school.)

I, for one, don't understand why everyone gets soooooooooooo crazy about residency statistics. You don't go to multiple residencies. You go to one. And where you go depends more on what you do than on where you went (within reason...).

 

[medstylee]

It seems the one thing you're worried about it how attending NYU over WashU will affect you in life. Is there significant evidence that graduates of WashU have better careers/lives than those who attended NYU. I'm sure there's not. With that, you should just go with the way you felt about the two schools. Both are reputable schools and therefore, in my opinion, you should just be worrying about your next 4 years - quality of life, classmates, environment, location, etc. I think you should just go with NYU. It seems pretty clear that you feel you'll fit in better there and that's what is ultimately most important, right? Best of luck and congrats.

Edit: See, Tommerbommer makes a great point. Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way!

 

[tommerbommer]

,Edit: See, Tommerbommer makes a great point. Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way!

Word.

 

[Bfriccia1]

If you like NYU and want to be in residency in NY you are not losing much in reputation by going to NYU. It's reputation is fantastic in NY...many people at NYU do their residency at Cornell or Columbia. Your happiness is much more important than the "prestige" of a school. For those people who say Wash U kids can do anything, at my interview, one of the tour guides told us that a couple of kids couldn't get into orthopedics this year for residency who wanted to.

Bottom line is: residency is about your individual application and unless you go to harvard or hopkins, your medical school definitely takes a back seat. Go where you will be happiest.

 

[doc05]

NYU is a very good school. Typically, their match list is excellent. Location-wise, NY definitely wins out over St. Louis.

 

[eerie234]

About the Washu kids who couldn't get into ortho, that could possibly be true, but the class also matched around 10 people into ortho (with the rest of the overall match being fairly ridiculous also) so i would hardly say the match was a failure.

 

[MWillie]

In a word, yes.

 

[pekq]

If you are a hot female, go to NYU, else go to Washu.

 

[ADoc]

About the Washu kids who couldn't get into ortho, that could possibly be true, but the class also matched around 10 people into ortho (with the rest of the overall match being fairly ridiculous also) so i would hardly say the match was a failure.

Yes. You would be stupid to do that. Go to Wash U dummy.

 

[Haybrant]

if you have an interest in research or academic med there are few reasons to choose NYU over WashU. Otherwise go with New York; It's an amazing city that gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

 

[YFR]

Go where you'll be happy. They're both great schools, but only one is in a great city. If location is important to you (apparently it is) and NY is where you want to end up, then going to NYU is not a bad idea at all. Otherwise you'll probably end up kicking yourself in St. Louis.

 

[Bfriccia1]

About the Washu kids who couldn't get into ortho, that could possibly be true, but the class also matched around 10 people into ortho (with the rest of the overall match being fairly ridiculous also) so i would hardly say the match was a failure.

I didn't mean that their match was a failure, it just shows that it is the indiviudal applicant and not their medical school that determines where they go. NYU matches around 10 into ortho every year too, and the rest of their match is pretty solid. Im not saying NYU is better than Wash U, Im just saying that if you are motviated and really want to live in NY, youre not crazy for picking NYU.

 

[FloridaMadame]

NYU is a very good school. Typically, their match list is excellent. Location-wise, NY definitely wins out over St. Louis.

Would y'all give the same answer if it was Wash U vs. Mt. Sinai?

 

[blump]

Would y'all give the same answer if it was Wash U vs. Mt. Sinai?

Yes. NYU and Mt. Sinai have similar reputations. In fact, I think they are affiliated in some way financially.

 

[criminallyinane]

I would choose NYU in a heartbeat. Train at Bellevue, live in the city, it's still an EXCELLENT school. I'm not feelin' the midwest or WashU, though. I don't think you'll be losing anything by going to NYU, that's for sure, except "prestige."

 

[MissionComplete]

..."prestige."

Interesting that you think NYU lacks prestige. If you ask any random person on the street to name what they would call NYC's BEST hospital, I bet you a large majority of them would say NYU over P&S and Weil.

Truth is, NYU is an indentifyable name in NYC, and people like that, and they like the fact that NYU has Bellevue and that the doctors that have the privilege to train at NYU come out with skills and knowledge untouchable by "peer" institutions.

If there I was in an emergency, and I needed help, I'd ask the ambulance to take me right to Bellevue and i think most TRUE New Yorkers would do the same!

 

[GhungrooGuy]

I remember that my tour guide at NYU when I interviewed there chose NYU over Wash U (I think he had gone to Wash U undergrad). He said that he pretty much based the decision on location, knowing that he wanted to be in NY and not St Louis for another 4 years...

 

[criminallyinane]

Interesting that you think NYU lacks prestige. If you ask any random person on the street to name what they would call NYC's BEST hospital, I bet you a large majority of them would say NYU over P&S and Weil.

To the contrary, I don't think NYU lacks prestige. I think people on this thread were talking as if it does, but that is not my personal view. I'd rather go to NYU than WashU, like I said before, and whether there is a perceived difference in "prestige" (notice the quotes) or not, I wouldn't care!

 

[Sparky Man]

St. Louis and New York City are so different, definitely go where you fit best. I would go with St. Louis because I'm more of a small town guy. But I can imagine someone from New York getting sick to his/her stomach thinking about living anywhere in the midwest.

Good luck, Sparky

 

[LADoc00]

I disagree. Although Harvard is well known by everybody, people in medicine know that Wash U is equal, if not better than, Harvard.

WashU has an insane amount $$$ for financial aid. My end price was $10,000 less per year than my in state rate at UCSF! (hence 40 grand savings for a vastly better med education)

 

[gujuDoc]

If I were in the positiion, I would choose WashU well over NYU.

First off, last I checked, people had told me that NYU is still on the traditional curricula rather then the new age of integrative curricula etc. So I don't really like that idea, when even Harvard is moving away from the traditional curricula. Secndly, as others pointed out......

coming out of Washington University, if you do well on your boards and at the med school, it will open doors to greater opportunities. However, once again, it depends on your own gut feeling.

Oh and I've heard great things about the facilities of WashU vs. NYU.

But again, it depends on you and only you can decide at the end of the day.

 

[jjmack]

In the end for the OP if you just want to have a private practice and work in the NYC area then going to NYU won't really hurt you. If you want to stay in academics and change medicine then it's wash u no question.

 

[YFR]

yep... For a career in academics or research, Wash U would be better. Otherwise, it seems that NYU would be the road to happiness for this specific applicant.

 

[superdevil]

ok.....so which school did the OP pick? i hate it when people start threads like this and abandon them without any sort of closure.

 

[velo]

Would it be incredibly stupid to choose NYU over Wash U? I am not from New York, but I am used to living in a large city and I liked the atmosphere at NYU better than at Wash U. I feel that I would be in a better position for residency placement if I went to Wash U (especially since I am interested in the more competitive residencies), but it is so hard for me to picture living in a more competitive and less lively environment for 4 years.
Would it be a bad idea to choose NYU (I do want to end up in NY or Chicago eventually)?

Hi there! I'm from Wash U and I have two quick pieces of advice for you.

1) If you chose NYU over Wash U because you're afraid you'll be in a more "competitive" environment here you'll be making a mistake. First year here is pass/fail, 2nd year is H/HP/P based on a straight scale (not a curve), 3rd/4th year is the same as everywhere else. It creates a very nice cooperative environment because there is really no way to succeed at another's expense. You'll find that your best study materials are the review sheets that your classmates create and email to the whole class--or the old exams and student made review sheets that are posted online on a student run website. There isn't even competition for that research you need to land your "competitive residency"...money and oppertunities abound, everyone who applied for research funding this summer (~90 people in the class) got it. So I think you'll find things relaxed and cooperative here.

2) However, If you feel that you NEED to live in a "big city" and by "big city" you mean as big as New York, don't come to St. Louis. I love it here personally--the people are nice, the living is cheap, if you can't find something fun to do you're not trying hard enough, and if I really want to visit the "big city", chicago is only a few hours drive away. But, St. Louis is not New York, If living in a city as big as NY is a deal-breaker then don't come to St. Louis.

best of luck

 

[gujuDoc]

ok.....so which school did the OP pick? i hate it when people start threads like this and abandon them without any sort of closure.

I'm guessing you are hoping they picked NYU so you can go to WashU???

Just messing with ya. LOL