Pitt vs Cornell?

[huaxiang]

No aid at both so will be taking full COA in loans and they claim to have similar COA, but I'm pretty sure Pitt will end up being a bit cheaper bc NYC
My interests are in med tech and I'm wondering what your opinions are on both of these schools for med tech/innovation type stuff?

Pitt
Pros

• Bioengineering AOC aligns well with my interests
• I've lived in places that resemble Pittsburgh more so than NYC
• School/culture seems more chill
• Can bring my cat and give him a very spacious apartment to play in

Cons

• 2 year preclinical
• Unsure if less opportunities in areas of interest + less prestige?
• Driving sounds terrifying (wtf is a Pittsburgh left) and I am a bad driver...

Cornell
Pros

• Innovation/entrepreneurial focus in curriculum
• Built in 6 month research time + 1.5 year preclinical
• NYC is more diverse
• Unsure if more opportunities in areas of interest + prestige?
• Dorm style living will probably make it easier to make friends and be close with my class
• Don't need to drive, hallelujah
• If interested in med tech/innovation, will the lay prestige help when interfacing with people from other fields?

Cons

• Have never lived in a large city and feel like I may not like it. I'm not really a type A work hard play hard kind of person and feel like maybe I'm not a good cultural fit for NYC?
• Can't bring cat to dorms with me so partner will have to take him for a year. After that, I'd plan to move off campus, which would be expensive (~2k a month?), potentially increase my commute during clinicals, and cat would still probably be living in a shoebox :/ he really likes having room to play
• Seems more stressful environment? Weekly quizzes and AOA
• Seems a large portion of students match back to NYC--I do NOT want to be in NYC for residency!

Summary: Pretty much it comes down to this: Pitt seems to have an edge in terms of the QOL of my cat (I feel ridiculous typing this out but here we are) and maybe vibes (though who knows just my impression from second look)? Cornell possibly has an edge in terms of career benefits if my interests lay in med tech, but I'm unsure if this benefit really even exists or how significant it is?

Would love your thoughts! Thanks so much for your time.

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[voxveritatisetlucis]

I think that prestige is a wash to those who matter (think Pitt is like 9 in PD rank)

Basically just depends on whether you feel comfortable in NYC

Could live much better in Pittsburgh as a med student.

I vote Pitt

 

[huaxiang]

I think that prestige is a wash to those who matter (think Pitt is like 9 in PD rank)

Basically just depends on whether you feel comfortable in NYC

Could live much better in Pittsburgh as a med student.

I vote Pitt

Thanks!

I've honestly never been to NYC (or Pittsburgh for that matter...) so I have no idea. Closest comparison I have is SF and I wouldn't want to live there I think. Pitt definitely seems comfier just based on COL to me so that makes sense as well.

Any thoughts of which school might be better for med tech?

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I’ve been to both and I would probably prefer to live in Pittsburgh if not working as I’d blow through my savings too quickly in NYC to be honest.

Pitt/UPMC is also the top dog in the city (see the iconic UPMC black tower for example). Pretty sure it’s the largest employer. In NYC, medicine will always play second fiddle to high finance.

Don’t know much about med tech to be honest but Carnegie Mellon is the 2nd best CS school after Stanford. Not sure how feasible it would be to pursue opportunities there.

Only instance i would personally pick Cornell is if I was interested in Ortho. Relationship with HSS is huge and clearly shows in match lists

 

[huaxiang]

I’ve been to both and I would probably prefer to live in Pittsburgh if not working as I’d blow through my savings too quickly in NYC to be honest.

Pitt/UPMC is also the top dog in the city (see the iconic UPMC black tower for example). Pretty sure it’s the largest employer. In NYC, medicine will always play second fiddle to high finance.

Don’t know much about med tech to be honest but Carnegie Mellon is the 2nd best CS school after Stanford. Not sure how feasible it would be to pursue opportunities there.

Only instance i would personally pick Cornell is if I was interested in Ortho. Relationship with HSS is huge and clearly shows in match lists

Great points there. Def not interested in ortho haha. Thanks for your insight!

 

[mudfud26]

Went to Pitt for Undergrad. You can take busses to all of your rotations and research, so you don't have to worry about driving. Port Authority/City bus fare should be covered by your transportation fee (unless they've changed the coverage of the fee). It's a very bike-able and walkable city. Pitt collaborates with Carnegie Mellon for the MSTP, so it is likely they have research electives for MD's at CM as well. They also have a National Cancer Institute research center at UPMC Shady Side (buses from Oakland). The festivals and everyday outdoor activities are also great. I recommend Schenley Park if you want to run on a trail through the woods.

No idea about NYC or Cornell. I'm biased.

Become a panther!

 

[anon129847]

Hey! So I admittedly don't know that much about the schools but I had to comment on the cat thing lol. I feel like that's a TOTALLY fair concern- obvs for ur cat but also probably for you too. If our cat doesn't get his energy out he is a DEMON at night and will zoom around making so much noise lol it's definitely a concern for me for school. You are not ridiculous at all (or we're both ridiculous then lol)

In general, going off your pros and cons, it seems Pitt is the best fit for you!! Just my 2 cents

Edit: forgot to address this before but IMO dorms seem like a huge con lol. Maybe I'm just an introvert but I feel like you will spend a ton of time with classmates to the point where living with everyone/sharing kitchens and bathrooms may not make it easier to make friends lol.

 

[huaxiang]

Edit: seems all the replies are in favor of pitt but the poll is pretty close. Would love insight on why any of y'all lurkers think cornell is the better option!

Went to Pitt for Undergrad. You can take busses to all of your rotations and research, so you don't have to worry about driving. Port Authority/City bus fare should be covered by your transportation fee (unless they've changed the coverage of the fee). It's a very bike-able and walkable city. Pitt collaborates with Carnegie Mellon for the MSTP, so it is likely they have research electives for MD's at CM as well. They also have a National Cancer Institute research center at UPMC Shady Side (buses from Oakland). The festivals and everyday outdoor activities are also great. I recommend Schenley Park if you want to run on a trail through the woods.

No idea about NYC or Cornell. I'm biased.

Become a panther!

Thanks for the info!

Hey! So I admittedly don't know that much about the schools but I had to comment on the cat thing lol. I feel like that's a TOTALLY fair concern- obvs for ur cat but also probably for you too. If our cat doesn't get his energy out he is a DEMON at night and will zoom around making so much noise lol it's definitely a concern for me for school. You are not ridiculous at all (or we're both ridiculous then lol)

In general, going off your pros and cons, it seems Pitt is the best fit for you!! Just my 2 cents

Edit: forgot to address this before but IMO dorms seem like a huge con lol. Maybe I'm just an introvert but I feel like you will spend a ton of time with classmates to the point where living with everyone/sharing kitchens and bathrooms may not make it easier to make friends lol.

I think we are the same person haha my cat has crazy zoomies at night. Thanks for the insight!

 

[anon129847]

I think we are the same person haha my cat has crazy zoomies at night. Thanks for the insight!

Hahahah yeah I'm literally currently exhausted because he kept waking me up last night- it's a good thing he's cute! Good luck with your choice