Pitt vs. Sinai vs. EVMS (IS)

[Hendeaux]

Pitt and Sinai
+Fantastic schools with excellent research opportunities and clinical training
+Both are in nice -- but very different -- cities. I think I'd prefer NYC, but would be happy in either.
- Cost. I'd be paying full tuition at either schools. The difference between Pitt/Sinai and EVMS is ~20k/yr.

Pitt Specific Pro: Pitt seems to have a slightly older student body. I'm 30 currently.

EVMS
+ Great clinical training, seems like a really solid school.
+ Really enjoyed the student culture
+ I have family in Virginia (although not particularly close by, maybe ~4 hours away).
- Does not have the reputation of Sinai or Pitt, and I'm not sure if I will want to pursue a competitive specialty.

Summary: I presented Pitt and Sinai together because I've come to think that maybe it comes down to location and lifestyle preference in deciding between between them. I'm also thinking that it's worth it to fork up the extra dough, but I'd appreciate any input that you have on either of these points. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[787593]

Pitt

 

[Hendeaux]

Pitt

Hey -- Thanks. Any reason in particular?

 

[WorksInProgress]

Having gotten into Pitt and Sinai back in the day, @Hendeaux I'd go EVMS.

One of your two pros for Pitt/Sinai--the research opportunities/clinical training--can be easily had at EVMS. Pre-meds & pre-clinical year med students tend to vastly overemphasize the differences in clinical training at the med student level, when schools are much more similar than they are different. And certainly EVMS has enough clinical/translational research for you to dive into.

And your con for EVMS isn't that big--yes, Pitt and Sinai are more renowned/well known/preftigious, but not that much to make it a significant part of the discussion, when looking at the delta on the debt. Were you considering Penn and Columbia, the calculus changes.

Figure out if you can stomach Norfolk for a few years, or if the city life is a must for you.

 

[ace_inhibitor111]

Normally I'd go for the cheaper school, but in this case the difference in price is not very large while the difference in prestige is quite large. EVMS might be a good school, but in terms of ranking it is among the bottom quartile according to Usnews, while Pitt and Sinai are in the Top 20-25. You can't be sure which residency directors pay attention to these type of things and I don't think it's worth the risk to your future self to go for such a huge difference in reputation. $80,000 is not a lot IMO, I think once it gets over $120K that you should start seriously considering the lower ranked schools.

 

[Hendeaux]

Thanks for the feedback!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[WedgeDawg]

I think Pitt and Sinai are your best bets, particularly if you don't know what specialty you're interested in pursing and given the cost difference isn't astronomical. After that, it comes down to whether you want to live in Pittsburgh or NYC.

 

[Hendeaux]

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile