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throughandthrough242

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This is a tough choice, but it sounds like you would be better off at Iowa. Full tuition + proximity to family/SO is really hard to beat.
 
$300k difference??? Even with family helping, this is a no brainer. You've really got to take the money. Then your family can help you in other (more practical) ways, like housing/car/vacation/etc.

Besides, Carver has a great reputation. The #3 ranking at NYU is certainly inflated.

Too many suicides lately at NYU. Carver will have a way more chill atmosphere.

Again, $300K is nothing to sneeze at, even if your family is very well off. NYU is not Harvard... take the full ride!!!
 
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I’m struggling with this - still waitlisted at NYU, great scholarship at current school (which I love). I’m also not a fan of NYC (which seems to be a minority opinion on SDN). But It’s still tough choice - have you considered trying to see if they can give you a scholarship? I may have heard of scholarship matching in some cases, but obviously no guarantees. If I end up in the same situation (it would be relatively similar difference in cost), my current thought is to stick with my acceptance unless there’s significant aid involved. I’d love to know what you end up deciding, though - great options all around, so you can’t really go wrong.


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If you are targeting a competitive specialty (like plastic surgery) or non competitive specialty in top 5 program this is a tough decision and edge goes to NYU. If you want to be primary care in Midwest Iowa no question. If not on either end of spectrum prob Iowa.
 
4 years from now will you be kicking yourself because you have 300K in debt (before interest) when you could have a fraction of that?
I would.
If you're looking to match into Ortho/Derm/ENT in NYC or Boston then maybe I could see why you might pick NYU. But 300K is a lot of money especially if you're looking to start a family/buy a house right around the time you need to start paying it back.
Also, idk if "some family help" means something like 50K, or something like 200K....makes a big difference
 
If you want to do things like academics or public health policy, you would need to deviate from being just a physician later in your training, meaning, you would have less income. Its much easier to pursue such things when you have no debt, so in that sense edge also goes, in my opinion, to Iowa. In your situation, I would only pick NYU if I were really wanted to live in NYC.
 
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Iowa for sure. They made you a fantastic offer plus they are a really reputable institution. Add in the fact that your support system is nearby and this becomes a no brainer. Don't be swayed by the rankings; you'll be able to go wherever you want to go (residency) from Iowa and be debt free.
 
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Take the full tuition scholarship and go to Iowa. NYU is overrated.....big time, barely a top 20.
 
Iowa sounds like a much better fit for you from the pros/cons you listed. It may not be ranked as high as NYU, but it's still got an excellent reputation for sure. It's ranked #32 which is nothing to sneeze at.
 
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I'm an MS4 at NYU... the networking is amazing and if you want to go into academic medicine, it's probably the best medical school in the country because of all the networking opportunities in NYC... if you consider yourself to be laid back and don't find yourself adaptable, I don't know if you will be happy in NYC. I'm from CA and I was your typical laid back surfer before moving to NYC, and now I'm more intense than most New Yorkers and I would say the same about most of my friends in my class... it's just a result of the environment and the people that you're around... everyone is short with each other, you'll probably get cursed at 200 times a day (on a good day), and things are extremely expensive unless you live across the East River and take the ferry every day, which some people do
 
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Update: NYU just counteroffered with a full tuition scholarship of their own. So at this point it pretty much comes down to whether NYU is a good enough school to warrant me leaving family/SO and going somewhere where my personality might not necessarily fit in.

I say challenge yourself. Take a risk. Go to the big city.
 
I’d be tempted to stick with Iowa - I wonder if they know you have a full ride to NYU, would they up your scholarship to cover some COL expenses? That would be ideal.


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Update: NYU just counteroffered with a full tuition scholarship of their own. So at this point it pretty much comes down to whether NYU is a good enough school to warrant me leaving family/SO and going somewhere where my personality might not necessarily fit in.
With this update, I change my vote to NYU.
 
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Iowa and New York City are very different atmospheres/environments.
Now that money is not a factor, ask yourself what kind of environment you want to live in/will thrive in.
I'd choose NYC so I'd choose NYU
 
Iowa and New York City are very different atmospheres/environments.
Now that money is not a factor, ask yourself what kind of environment you want to live in/will thrive in.
I'd choose NYC so I'd choose NYU

I mean money is still technically at least a minor factor since the CoL (i.e. not tuition costs) between NY and Iowa City are VERY different. Clearly much less of an issue but still something to consider in part.

What specialty do you want to go into OP? For example: ortho? A ton of Iowa students match to their top notch home program, but NYU could put you in better position to match HSS. You could look into home programs, but I imagine you've already decided by now.
 
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I still have yet to decide. I’m worried about missing the green space and the midwest, whether my personality would fit in New York, and the distance (especially now my parents are growing old). At the same time NYC is alluring and seems like such a good opportunity. I’m stuck on how to decide. I feel like if I had a better way of assessing how much “better” of a school NYU is my decision would be easier, the rankings in this case are not very helpful since everyone says NYU is inflated.
Here are some numbers that may help. NYU's residency director score = 4.0, Iowa = 3.6. NIH funding at NYU is a little over double that of Iowa.

Clearly, NYU has the edge in terms of prestige and research opportunities, but if you'd really be more comfortable staying close to home and want to match in the midwest, then go to Iowa.
 
Not sure
I still have yet to decide. I’m worried about missing the green space and the midwest, whether my personality would fit in New York, and the distance (especially now my parents are growing old). At the same time NYC is alluring and seems like such a good opportunity. I’m stuck on how to decide. I feel like if I had a better way of assessing how much “better” of a school NYU is my decision would be easier, the rankings in this case are not very helpful since everyone says NYU is inflated.

I feel like you’ve already made your choice.
 
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I would go NYU in your situation but as someone who has lived in the midwest and NYC, it honestly sounds like Iowa is the better fit for you. Frankly, NYC is a stressful place to live in (especially during med school) and would put you further away from your support system. Iowa will still let you achieve what you want to and is a well regarded school and if you're already feeling unsure about NYC, I dont think it's worth risking your happiness.

Also it's already been mentioned, but COL differences will be significant for NYC vs Iowa City.
 
Not sure if there’s an objectively better choice here, all things considered. Just commenting to see where you choose :)
 
If you can swing it, why don't you go visit NYU again? Probably worth the investment if you're going to spend four years there. And if you decide it's the right fit, you can start scouting out where you might want to live, etc. Ask around and see if anyone currently there will let you crash on their couch.
 
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I will fully admit my bias as I will be starting at U of I this fall. Your personality sounds very similar to mine. I just signed a lease for $400/month spacious house(2 roommates) and a big back yard that is a 12-minute walk to MERF where classes are. I have summer research lined up with one of the top glaucoma genetics professors in the world. I don't know man, if you wanna chase prestige and some ambiguous chance at a fancier job later in life I don't think anyone would fault you for going to NYU, but people talk all the time about taking care of your mental health in medical school and how stressful it is then everyone hops on this forum and tells you to go away from your support system and to a stressful city. Take care of yourself and make the decision that you think will make you happiest. The medical stuff will figure itself out.
 
I will fully admit my bias as I will be starting at U of I this fall. Your personality sounds very similar to mine. I just signed a lease for $400/month spacious house(2 roommates) and a big back yard that is a 12-minute walk to MERF where classes are. I have summer research lined up with one of the top glaucoma genetics professors in the world. I don't know man, if you wanna chase prestige and some ambiguous chance at a fancier job later in life I don't think anyone would fault you for going to NYU, but people talk all the time about taking care of your mental health in medical school and how stressful it is then everyone hops on this forum and tells you to go away from your support system and to a stressful city. Take care of yourself and make the decision that you think will make you happiest. The medical stuff will figure itself out.

This post is a year old.
 
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