NYU vs U Chicago

Started by jabooty
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jabooty

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Hi everyone . . .

I just wanted to get some feedback about a decision I'm trying to make regarding attending NYU or U Chicago. I think I'd have a better time in NYC, but I think that Chicago may have a little more "intellectual" of an environment. I don't know for sure if I want to go into academics or not, but I'm considering it. What factors do u think are important in making this decision? I'm horrible at making decisions, esp. ones w/ long-term impact, so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
 
They're both great schools. I don't think you could go wrong either way. My impression is that the research at U. Chicago is really strong (at least in the graduate biomedical sciences, I don't know specifically about the med school) so if you're interested in that Chicago would be an especially great place. NYU has good research too but probably not as good as Chicago. But NYU's a great school in a great location...just depends on what you want and where you think you'd be happiest. Personally, I loved NYU when I interviewed there.
 
Congratulations on your acceptances.:clap:

I honestly have to tell you that U of Chicago is an outstanding school and probably a better choice than NYU. I interviewed and got into both schools. U of Chicago seemed like it would provide you with a medical foundation that is more progressive than NYU. Also the location of U Chicago as being the best medical school in the midwest is definitely true. NYU is competing with Columbia and Cornell within New York City. Also the professors at U of C are much more concerned about their students. I know this because I researched at Chicago.

I hope this helps.

-AIM-MEDDY
HMS 2007
 
Comparing the two schools, I would say that U Chicago definitely comes up short. NYU has location location location, in addition to excellent clinical and research opportunities that UChicago doesnt have. Chicago is a good school, dont get me wrong, but I wouldnt definitely pick NYU over UChicago. NYU baby, here we come!
 
I think U Chicago is a much better program. It has a much stronger reputation in academics and much more opportunities for research for its students. You will also have a better lifestyle as living in Chicago, which is a very young and fun town, is much cheaper (ie nice private apartment with hard wood floors etc vs the NYU accoms). I also liked the U.Chicago student atmosphere better which was reasonably mellow and low stress, versus a much more competitive feel I got at NYU.
 
NYU has far better clinical traiining. U Chicago is alright, but the location and opportunities available at NYU makes the choice a slam dunk in favor of NYU.
 
I have a friend who has been accepted to both schools and he is going to go to NYU, hands down. He did not even think about it very much. NYU has a much better program for clinical training and its located in a much better location than UChicago.

Jabooty, I would go with NYU if I were you, without a doubt. You even admitted that you would be happier there.
 
I see a lot of superlatives being used in these posts. Just out of curiosity, how many of you are speaking from first-hand experience? (By first-hand I mean from M1 through the matching process).

Personally, I am trying to get into UofC b/c I am a native Chicagoan, and the program seems to suit me well. However, I will not fully realize its strength until I become a graduate.

The city of Chicago is in no way inferior to New York, and Hyde Park is not as bad a neighborhood as everyone seems to think.
 
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It has come to my attention that some may have problems w/my argument in favor of UofC. For those of us on the waiting list, it was not my intention to decrease our chances of getting accepted. It was merely a different perspective.

I still maintain my original stance (of course). However, I will offer this for those who don't enjoy being on a waiting list as much as I 😉 . . . UofC sucks (read "rocks"). If all of the other med schools were to suddenly close, I wouldn't even go to UofC if they waived the tuition and fees. (Read "I'd cut off my right n*t to get an offer. Not only that, but I'd pay double.").

And there you have it.
 
jennie 21 said:
They're both great schools. I don't think you could go wrong either way. My impression is that the research at U. Chicago is really strong (at least in the graduate biomedical sciences, I don't know specifically about the med school) so if you're interested in that Chicago would be an especially great place. NYU has good research too but probably not as good as Chicago. But NYU's a great school in a great location...just depends on what you want and where you think you'd be happiest. Personally, I loved NYU when I interviewed there.
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UChicago...more intellectual
 
Can someone describe what they mean by a more "intellectual" feel at UChicago? By this, do you mean the students at NYU like to go out and party more and aren't as apt to discuss medicine/academia outside of class? Are you also referring to the fact that Pritzker is located on the undergrad campus, which is very prestigious/highly ranked? What are some of the other non-Ivy med schools that have more of an intellectual environment as opposed to a study hard-party hard mentality?
 
AIM-MEDDY said:
Also the location of U Chicago as being the best medical school in the midwest is definitely true.
Click to expand...

Ok so this sentence doesn't make any sense. I also think that the honor of "best midwestern medical school" goes to WashU.

Anyway, I'd go to U of Chicago over NYU.
 
give explanations for your choice, please, especially if they're based on good information. that's the stuff that helps the most.
 
I worked at NYU one summer and was accepted there for the Class of 2011; I've also been accepted to Pritzker. Honestly, I am surprised anyone is saying "go to NYU" in this thread.

1) Chicago's facilities are far superior. I don't mean in terms of hospitals, but in terms of actual medical school facilities. I hate the old, gigantic classrooms of NYU and the A/C doesn't work so well in August. Everything at UofC seems much cleaner, and newer. Pritzker is breaking ground on multiple new buildings, and I just don't see that as a possibility in the cramped NYU area.

2) Living in NYC is insanely expensive and unless you LIKE dorm living, you'll be paying out the ass for a tiny tiny apartment. Hyde Park, although not the nicest neighborhood in the world, is safe enough and you can get a much better real estate value. You can even buy if you want -- try THAT in NYC.

3) UofC has better financial aid. I got $120k from them. I got very little from NYU.

4) NYU has been on a downward trend on USNews (if you take any weight of those rankings whatsoever) and its NIH funds continue to drop while Pritzker is on the rebound back into the top 15 this year.

5) Yes, NYU is in a nice neighborhood of Manhatten. However, there is also no subway stop and little to nothing to do in the immediate area. Your results may vary.

6) The UofC campus is all integrated, while the rest of NYU is way south. This is important if you want electives, or to use the gym (undergrad gym at NYU is way away), etc.

7) The administration at UofC is WAY, WAY nicer. NYU won't return my calls or emails as an accepted student. UofC deans returned my emails immediately and helpfully before I even had been accepted.

8) Honestly? The students at UofC are probably more intellectual. Average MCAT and GPA only go so far, but they're a bit higher.

9) (for me only, perhaps) UofC has a dedicated pediatric hospital, NYU does not. This may or may not make a difference to you.

10) I don't agree with Chicago being the best in the Midwest, I also give that to WashU. However, UofC is DEFINITELY the best med school in Chicago (Northwesterners may try to fight me on this) while NYU is certainly NOT the best school in Manhatten (Cornell/Columbia kick ass)


If you're into EM, I would say go to NYU simply because of the hospitals. Otherwise, Pritzker all the way.
 
If you're a rich jewish kid, go to NYU. If not, go to UChicago.
 
i'd say chicago any day. although NYU may have some sort of stellar clinical training program, i do not see how clinical training in chicago would be lacking it is one of the biggest cities, not in the best area of town (ie manhattan which may influence the patient population) so you'll see all sorts of cases. it's more intellectual, more research opps, and not as expensive as NYC.
 
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Doctor~Detroit said:
huh?
Click to expand...

fine i'll expand:

some nyu tidbits that come to mind:

-younger class so the frat like partying is true
-most classes are taught really well, except most of the pathologist lecturers can barely speak english
-gym is cheap but looks cheap. open 24/7 and in the basement of the dorm
-exams are pretty ez with occasional ******ed questions
-not much diversity; mostly rich white jewish kids; fair share of weird oddball types
-pass/fail but they keep track of the top 40 kids on every module for AOA purposes
-average step 1 score: 227 (official word)
-girls look ok - but just walking around locally you'll see far better
-most guys are single, most girls are taken - creates an interesting dynamic
-most kids here have atleast a parent a doctor - just something i noticed, guess they like that (my parents aren't)
-all lectures are now video recorded and transcribed, i haven't been to class in 1.5 yrs
-there are some top residency programs here you can do some good research in (derm, rads, ortho, etc.)
-clinical experience top notch as everyone else has mentioned
-very much encouraged to take a year off to do fellowships, mph, research, etc.
-all the students are very nice and friendly - but there are few hardcore gunners that would screw you over (very few, like one or two per class)
 
good comments, folks.

i've failed your two criteria, blz. 😉 would someone who's not rich or jewish have a difficult time fitting in at nyu, socially or otherwise?
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
good comments, folks.

i've failed your two criteria, blz. 😉 would someone who's not rich or jewish have a difficult time fitting in at nyu, socially or otherwise?
Click to expand...

not jewish, not a problem - you can hang out with the leftovers. the money thing will be an issue because the city is EXPENSIVE. i suck at being cheap so I am constantly battling this one.


btw, im kidding about the whole needing to be jewish thing. NYU is a very social school (school funds post exam parties, a lot of social club/gatherings, pretty cool people) - some people see that as a postive, others see that as a negative. if you're more of the reclusive type, NYU will just make you feel more alone while you hide in your room and everyone else is out there socializing.
 
with subsidized housing at nyu, i don't see how living in nyc would be any more expensive than chicago. in fact, i think pritzker has a higher room and board budget.
 
blz said:
fine i'll expand:

some nyu tidbits that come to mind:

-younger class so the frat like partying is true
-most classes are taught really well, except most of the pathologist lecturers can barely speak english
-gym is cheap but looks cheap. open 24/7 and in the basement of the dorm
-exams are pretty ez with occasional ******ed questions
-not much diversity; mostly rich white jewish kids; fair share of weird oddball types
-pass/fail but they keep track of the top 40 kids on every module for AOA purposes
-average step 1 score: 227 (official word)
-girls look ok - but just walking around locally you'll see far better
-most guys are single, most girls are taken - creates an interesting dynamic
-most kids here have atleast a parent a doctor - just something i noticed, guess they like that (my parents aren't)
-all lectures are now video recorded and transcribed, i haven't been to class in 1.5 yrs
-there are some top residency programs here you can do some good research in (derm, rads, ortho, etc.)
-clinical experience top notch as everyone else has mentioned
-very much encouraged to take a year off to do fellowships, mph, research, etc.
-all the students are very nice and friendly - but there are few hardcore gunners that would screw you over (very few, like one or two per class)
Click to expand...
I'm just curious what an example of a ******ed questions is?
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
with subsidized housing at nyu, i don't see how living in nyc would be any more expensive than chicago. in fact, i think pritzker has a higher room and board budget.
Click to expand...

Something pointed out to me at my UofC revisit day was that budgets are not always equal. That is, UofC explicitly budgets more into your personal expenses so you can afford things. Yes, their "room and board" might be higher, but that may be because they want you to be able to buy food besides oatmeal and pasta.

If I had to pick a city to live poorly in, I would pick chicago over NYC. Living poor in NYC is just depressing.
 
QuakerPreMed said:
Something pointed out to me at my UofC revisit day was that budgets are not always equal. That is, UofC explicitly budgets more into your personal expenses so you can afford things. Yes, their "room and board" might be higher, but that may be because they want you to be able to buy food besides oatmeal and pasta.

If I had to pick a city to live poorly in, I would pick chicago over NYC. Living poor in NYC is just depressing.
Click to expand...

that makes sense about over-budgeting.

still, nyu has subsidized housing at about $550 per month (if you can stomach dorms). i think this is comparable to chicago rent+utility rates. from the several times i've been to nyc and chicago i haven't noticed a difference in the cost of food or transportation. public transit in both cities is about $2 with a transfer. in both cities, you can find restaurants to spend hundreds of dollars for two people, or go to pizza/diner/ethnic/fast-food restaurants and spend around ten dollars or less per person for lunch.

does anybody else think that the non-housing costs are comparable for both cities? does nyc have some hidden cost that i'm missing?
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
that makes sense about over-budgeting.

still, nyu has subsidized housing at about $550 per month (if you can stomach dorms). i think this is comparable to chicago rent+utility rates. from the several times i've been to nyc and chicago i haven't noticed a difference in the cost of food or transportation. public transit in both cities is about $2 with a transfer. in both cities, you can find restaurants to spend hundreds of dollars for two people, or go to pizza/diner/ethnic/fast-food restaurants and spend around ten dollars or less per person for lunch.

does anybody else think that the non-housing costs are comparable for both cities? does nyc have some hidden cost that i'm missing?
Click to expand...

I agree the costs of non-housing stuff are comparable. Right around NYU's hospital are a bunch of little pizza places/delis/etc. and also bars that give NYU med student discounts so I have to disagree that lviing in NY is so much more expensive than NYU. However, on a housing note, I guess the living in chicago could be a bit more than the dorm-living in NYU but you get soo much more space, and your own bathroom and kitchen!...Hall bathrooms for 21+ year old medical students is just plain wrong, especially when NYU Ugrad freshman dorms in union square are apartment style with 4 people to one bathroom and a small kitchen with full fridge, and don't even get me started on how much nicer the NYU med graduate student dorms are than the med student dorms...they stiff their med students big time...it is seriously time to renovate..
 
husky0684 said:
I agree the costs of non-housing stuff are comparable. Right around NYU's hospital are a bunch of little pizza places/delis/etc. and also bars that give NYU med student discounts so I have to disagree that lviing in NY is so much more expensive than NYU. However, on a housing note, I guess the living in chicago could be a bit more than the dorm-living in NYU but you get soo much more space, and your own bathroom and kitchen!...Hall bathrooms for 21+ year old medical students is just plain wrong, especially when NYU Ugrad freshman dorms in union square are apartment style with 4 people to one bathroom and a small kitchen with full fridge, and don't even get me started on how much nicer the NYU med graduate student dorms are than the med student dorms...they stiff their med students big time...it is seriously time to renovate..
Click to expand...

go to aecom .. you won't have any of those problems 😀
 
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yeah, dorm in manhattan versus apartment in chicago (versus apartment in bronx) is something to think about. i guess it comes down to personal preference.

blz, the males single/females taken dynamic doesn't sound fun. what do poor med student guys do about dating in manhattan? suck it up like a monk for four years?
 
an nyu student stated this about nyu on the amsa survey:

"There is also not a lot of attending teaching on the wards, something I became aware of when I did an externship and when I was interviewing for residency and rounding with teams at other hospitals."

someone else complained about there being plenty of scut work.

so does student involvement in patient care at nyu come at the price of student education (relative to u of chicago)?
 
I got into both. My 2 cents:

-New York is a better city, but Chicago is still pretty good

-Chicago has a much better reputation, both regionally and nationally

-Chicago's hospital system is better, but I think both would have great clinical training

-Chicago has more research going on

They're both great options.
 
Doctor~Detroit said:
nyu has subsidized housing at about $550 per month (if you can stomach dorms). i think this is comparable to chicago rent+utility rates.
Click to expand...

unless you're living in the projects, you're gonna have a hard time finding rent+utilities for $550. in chicago..that's a hell of deal
 
jbrice1639 said:
unless you're living in the projects, you're gonna have a hard time finding rent+utilities for $550. in chicago..that's a hell of deal
Click to expand...

He was talking about dorms for $550. There is no question that your rent money will go a lot farther at U Chicago. You could easily find nicer places in nice neighborhoods at U Chicago for that amount of money.
 
Mortal_Lessons said:
Can someone describe what they mean by a more "intellectual" feel at UChicago? By this, do you mean the students at NYU like to go out and party more and aren't as apt to discuss medicine/academia outside of class? Are you also referring to the fact that Pritzker is located on the undergrad campus, which is very prestigious/highly ranked? What are some of the other non-Ivy med schools that have more of an intellectual environment as opposed to a study hard-party hard mentality?
Click to expand...

Hmm, I think "intellectualism" is part of the image that Pritzker is consciously trying to create for themselves. Not only is the med school located on the undergrad campus, but Pritzker was the only school I interviewed at that actively encourages applicants to take advantage of the undergrad campus's resources if they get in. For example, my Pritzker interviewer was the only interviewer I had who suggested that, in my spare time as a med student, I should audit graduate-level classes in non-medicine-related fields (e.g., theoretical mathematics) that UChicago is strong in. On their interview day, the Pritzker admissions staff likes to boast about the fact that a couple of their faculty members are not only MDs but also have PhDs in unrelated fields such as English literature, etc. And Pritzker, I believe, is one of the few schools that makes it easy for its med students to get PhDs in English, etc., in addition to getting an MD degree. Basically, they just seem to have a greater respect for the idea of "learning for learning's sake" or "learning for the enjoyment of it" than most other med schools (which operate more like trade schools) do. I love NYC, but I'd recommend UChicago, especially if you have a lot of academic interests outside of the medical sciences.

Edit: Wow, everyone who's commented on this thread since 10:41 PM on 4/16/03 is telling you to pick UChicago over NYU.
 
mountainhare said:
Hmm, I think "intellectualism" is part of the image that Pritzker is consciously trying to create for themselves. Not only is the med school located on the undergrad campus, but Pritzker was the only school I interviewed at that actively encourages applicants to take advantage of the undergrad campus's resources if they get in. For example, my Pritzker interviewer was the only interviewer I had who suggested that, in my spare time as a med student, I should audit graduate-level classes in non-medicine-related fields (e.g., theoretical mathematics) that UChicago is strong in. On their interview day, the Pritzker admissions staff likes to boast about the fact that a couple of their faculty members are not only MDs but also have PhDs in unrelated fields such as English literature, etc. And Pritzker, I believe, is one of the few schools that makes it easy for its med students to get PhDs in English, etc., in addition to getting an MD degree. Basically, they just seem to have a greater respect for the idea of "learning for learning's sake" or "learning for the enjoyment of it" than most other med schools (which operate more like trade schools) do. I love NYC, but I'd recommend UChicago, especially if you have a lot of academic interests outside of the medical sciences.
Click to expand...

great point, but the flipside is that i worry how much pritzker students really pursue non-intellectual activities for enjoyment. it gives me the impression of being a bit imbalanced in favor of intellectualism.

on the other hand, nyu might be imbalanced in the opposite direction, given its location and youth of the student body.
 
I think one thing to remember is that U Chicago encourages outside activities...I mean there is a bar in the student lounge....come on....also I know that many students play in intramurals versus other graduate programs on campus such as the business and law program...the cohesiveness of the students at U Chicago is great if you want to feel like you belong to a group...not sure this is the case so much at NYU...U Chicago really wants a "family" type atmosphere and really chooses students based on personalities they think will mesh well to create this family
 
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From a current U Chicago student

"In general, there is very little free time here, and we are studying for 99% of it. It's awful.

Kidding.

People do all sorts of crazy ****. Just as an example, in my class alone, one girl coached the girls' lacrosse team on campus (I think it was lacrosse); another girl is a supermarathoner and ran a 50-mile run during spring quarter of our first year; one guy was a track coach for the track team; I played racquetball fairly often with a group of about 10 other guys in the mornings; others do research and work jobs; another girl was finishing up her MPH at Columbia and would travel to NYC from time to time; a good deal of the class has significant others, and a handful have kids; one guy is part of the biking club and is an amateur photographer and chef; I, along with a few of my classmates, was in the a cappella group here and practiced once or twice a week; essentially every class has IM soccer, football, softball, broomball, tennis, and basketball teams (and we dominate); most people are involved with at least one student group of some kind; etc. etc. etc.

Again, as with pretty much everything I say, this is just one example, but it can give you an idea of how diverse and active the classes are here from year to year. To me, it was surprising to see how unique everyone was upon meeting them and hearing about their lives, but it was even more refreshing to see that people still pursue their interests and passions to this day."
 
lina123321 said:
nyu...by far.
Click to expand...

If you look on the Pritzker vs. Columbia thread, the concensus seems to be that Columbia=Pritkzer or if better, Columbia is just slightly better.

So does this mean that NYU is better than Columbia, "by far" too????

From what I've heard, Bellevue lacks the ancillary support of the U of C hospital sysytem. This does have some positives and negatives. The hospital really depends on the med students to get things done. It also means you "get to" draw a lot more labs and stuff like that. You "get to" do a lot more scut work. Maybe it will be good to be really hone your scut skills...

As for friendliness of administration, students and attendings, it would be hard to beat Pritzker!!!
 
mahasanti said:
If you look on the Pritzker vs. Columbia thread, the concensus seems to be that Columbia=Pritkzer or if better, Columbia is just slightly better.

So does this mean that NYU is better than Columbia, "by far" too????

From what I've heard, Bellevue lacks the ancillary support of the U of C hospital sysytem. This does have some positives and negatives. The hospital really depends on the med students to get things done. It also means you "get to" draw a lot more labs and stuff like that. You "get to" do a lot more scut work. Maybe it will be good to be really hone your scut skills...

As for friendliness of administration, students and attendings, it would be hard to beat Pritzker!!!
Click to expand...
that columbia vs. u of c was due to a large money issue. if money is no issue the answer is simply- columbia
 
jjmack said:
that columbia vs. u of c was due to a large money issue. if money is no issue the answer is simply- columbia
Click to expand...


LOL…No, actually, it's not just the money (although, that plays a large part!) Really Pritzker and Columbia P&S are both fantastic schools and will give you fantastic opportunities. If I was lucky enough to have been accepted to both, it would be a very difficult decision. If I had been lucky enough to have been accepted to both NYU and Pritzker it would be a very difficult decision (although, for me, somewhat easier)!!!

Really, it's ridiculous to say that any school in the top 25 is better “hands down” or “by far” than any other school in the top 25—except for maybe Hopkins and Harvard. I mean really, come on. None of these choices are that easy, and when you say that one school is so “obviously” better than another it really just shows your own ignorance and bias. Different schools will fit better with different people. I was accepted to several schools in the top 25, and although I favored some schools over others, I recognize that even the ones I didn’t particularly like were all fantastic schools and will be the perfect fit for someone else.
 
mahasanti said:

LOL…No, actually, it's not just the money (although, that plays a large part!) Really Pritzker and Columbia P&S are both fantastic schools and will give you fantastic opportunities. If I was lucky enough to have been accepted to both, it would be a very difficult decision. If I had been lucky enough to have been accepted to both NYU and Pritzker it would be a very difficult decision (although, for me, somewhat easier)!!!

Really, it's ridiculous to say that any school in the top 25 is better “hands down” or “by far” than any other school in the top 25—except for maybe Hopkins and Harvard. I mean really, come on. None of these choices are that easy, and when you say that one school is so “obviously” better than another it really just shows your own ignorance and bias. Different schools will fit better with different people. I was accepted to several schools in the top 25, and although I favored some schools over others, I recognize that even the ones I didn’t particularly like were all fantastic schools and will be the perfect fit for someone else.
Click to expand...

NYU is not in the top 25........ Chicago is 15....NYU is 34
 
can anyone in the know or current students comment more on the clinical years at nyu? namely:

1) how bad is the scut factor? does it contribute to your training more than it detracts from your learning?

2) do attendings spend time teaching on the wards? is the teaching component of the clinical years adequate?

3) do the med students do any overnight calls?

thanks.
 
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