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Please help.
Please help.
MSSM! or NYU - not Pritzker
Why? These schools are ranked lower and more expensive.
Manhattanophiles, like their cousins the Californiaphiles, do not understand the concept of moving away from their affluent habitats.
Why? These schools are ranked lower and more expensive.
Manhattanophiles, like their cousins the Californiaphiles, do not understand the concept of moving away from their affluent habitats.
comparing manhattan and california is as enormous a waste of time as comparing a bulldozer with tricycle, your comparison of a dense city to an entire state (apples vs. oranges a priori) notwithstanding.
Yes, but modelslashactor wasn't comparing the locations, he was comparing the people who live there....both groups have unusually strong attachments to their location to the point of questionable insanity.
For instance: I was at this alum-premed event, and there was a girl (life-long New Yorker) who was seriously and truly torn about whether to go to Einstein or Yale for med school (she had been accepted to both). But it wasn't at all because of money or anything, only due to location. Her family...and this girl....were anti-Yale on the grounds that Yale was too far away (2 hours by the slow train). Not to knock Einstein....but come on.
Well, the OP asked for opinions, that's mine (totally personal). I had the opp to interview at all 3 (maybe the OP should ask pp to clarify where they interviewed?)
Yes, Pritzker is slightly better ranked (Research: 17 vs. 30 & 32).
To me, this doesn't make up for the experience I had during my interview day, which culminated in my running into an old friend whos a current student at Pritzker who told me how that student regeted choosing Pritzker, doesn't like it & can't wait to leave. I thought they did a poor job of treating applicants well (for example, we didn't get to see the lecture halls &/or labs because the doors were locked & our guide didn't have a key, for the hospitals we were essentially walked through the lobbies, my admissions interviewer was the most offensive person I've interviewed with to date, etc.)
I just left with a sour taste in my mouth - but that's my own opinion.
MSSM and NYU had much nicer interview days. NYU has Bellevue - which seemed great - but almost everyone lives in a traditional dorm - I'm married, so my husband & I would be on our own for housing - a real feat in NYC.
MSSM has married student housing - much nicer. I like the location of MSSM better within NY (close proximity to the park, Upper East side), though some like NYUs location better (more central). MSSM just seemed to go out of their way - contacting me post acceptance to answer questions, etc. When I declined my acceptance, they had a form that they asked me to fill out about why I was declining - I guess it made me feel that they were very receptive.
I have more thoughts, but I'll just stop there
Last thought: I would prefer to move to Chicago than NYC. I like the set up of the city, the people, the family I have there, etc far more than NYC. NYC is "exciting" but it's dirty, busy, crowded, etc. I like my space & Chicago offers that. My husband & I were really excited about Pritkzer, and the interview experience was a true let down...
Well, the OP asked for opinions, that's mine (totally personal). I had the opp to interview at all 3 (maybe the OP should ask pp to clarify where they interviewed?)
Yes, Pritzker is slightly better ranked (Research: 17 vs. 30 & 32).
To me, this doesn't make up for the experience I had during my interview day, which culminated in my running into an old friend whos a current student at Pritzker who told me how that student regeted choosing Pritzker, doesn't like it & can't wait to leave. I thought they did a poor job of treating applicants well (for example, we didn't get to see the lecture halls &/or labs because the doors were locked & our guide didn't have a key, for the hospitals we were essentially walked through the lobbies, my admissions interviewer was the most offensive person I've interviewed with to date, etc.)
I just left with a sour taste in my mouth - but that's my own opinion.
MSSM and NYU had much nicer interview days. NYU has Bellevue - which seemed great - but almost everyone lives in a traditional dorm - I'm married, so my husband & I would be on our own for housing - a real feat in NYC.
MSSM has married student housing - much nicer. I like the location of MSSM better within NY (close proximity to the park, Upper East side), though some like NYUs location better (more central). MSSM just seemed to go out of their way - contacting me post acceptance to answer questions, etc. When I declined my acceptance, they had a form that they asked me to fill out about why I was declining - I guess it made me feel that they were very receptive.
I have more thoughts, but I'll just stop there
Last thought: I would prefer to move to Chicago than NYC. I like the set up of the city, the people, the family I have there, etc far more than NYC. NYC is "exciting" but it's dirty, busy, crowded, etc. I like my space & Chicago offers that. My husband & I were really excited about Pritkzer, and the interview experience was a true let down...
experiences particular to the interview day/application process and not the school as a whole seem like odd grounds for dismissing one school and embracing another . . .
So where are you planning on going?
I completely disagree! My knowledge of Pritzker prior to my interview was from a website - sure, I spent a lot of time on the website, but it is an entirely different experience to be on campus, interact with students/staff/faculty, etc. Of course, one should consider interview experiences carefully. For example, I had a slightly abrasive interviewer at MSSM who conducted the most stressful interview I had, but it wasn't BAD interview experience - maybe it put me on my toes, but I didn't leave with negative feelings for him. It was his style, I accepted that, and I didn't judge MSSM for it.
Nevertheless, if you have an interview experience like this:
Unenthusiastic welcome speech, good interview with first interviewer, insulted by random med student in the hallway of the hospital while walking back to admissions, student interviewer was unethusiastic/unhappy/borderline depressed and attacked my word choice in my PS, student couldn't answer what she likes about Pritzker, back to admissions, interview with admissions member who nearly accuses me of cheating on the MCAT because I improved my score so dramatically, lunch of pizza, talk with apathetic 4th year during lunch about her experience, tour where we walked to the lecture halls & labs but couldn't get in - she forgot her key, tour continued through lobbies of hospitals, day concludes, walking out I run into former classmate who spends 30+ minutes talking to me about how she doesn't enjoy her classmates, class time (lecture/small group/lab) is not well balanced, etc. Then head on home.
I'm sorry, but I cannot just disregard this experience, throw it out as just bad luck & continue to choose this medical school over others with far better & more positive experiences. Maybe it was just a bad day for all involved. But I don't have much to judge on, and interview day is a big part of what we as applicants have to base our decisions on. We put on our Sunday best to interview for these positions; in my opinion, so should the schools. We will be investing a lot of time, money, energy into these institutions. If I don't feel I was treated even semi decently as an applicant (at a time when they should be trying to impress), how could I expect to be treated better as a student?
EDIT: I might add that I withdrew from Pritzker post the above interview experience. It didn't seem to be a good place for me. I'm sure everyone has different experiences, different needs, different pressures - mine directed me to not pursure admission at Pritzker.
Not sure... waiting on one more decision before I buckle down to decide.
fair enough. but to me this points to what is so unfortunate about the whole admissions process. my interview day experience was almost the *complete opposite* of what you describe, and the other interviewees I talked to that day were still happy to be there at the end of the day. it really sucks that we all have to make these decisions with relatively limited information and from completely different experience samples. ugh.
Remember to factor in cost of living into determining which school would be cheaper.Looks like DKM pretty much told you to go to NYU.
Enjoy. NY is a great city.
Seems WitchDoctor got a similar vibe to me, which makes me really think that the OP should go with what they felt through interview day & what type of med they want to pursure, etc.
Falco it seems really clicked with Pritzker - to him/her it seems like a great place. WitchDoctor & I didn't click - not that that's a poor reflection on Pritzker (heck, maybe it's just us ) and would rather be elsewhere.
It's funny,too, WitchDoctor, how we both liked MSSM Hope alls going well w/ your apps!
GL OP with making the decision & let me know if there's any thing else you'd like to know about my experiences or clarifications from above
i agree with the different "vibes" sentiment, based on my personal sampling. pritzker definitely felt more academically oriented and serious, while nyu students seemed a bit more interested in getting by and having fun outside of class. it probably has something to do with the research/academic medicine focus at pritzker and its location on the main campus, and the overall younger class at nyu.
i'm not sure i agree with that at all. most schools in new york -- columbia/cornell/mssm to name perhaps the three most cited -- are not only built around a focus of academic and research medicine but also (and perhaps by extension) seek above all else to train leaders of the academe. "getting by" is woefully off-target insofar as the motives of studenst who attend these institutions.
yeah, "getting by" is too strong and connotes that it's necessarily a bad thing, which i don't think it is. but what i mean is that, *compared to pritzker students*, they *seemed* less focused on med school and doing research and more interested in having a fun social life. it's my impression from my limited experience.
plus, you're generalizing to all nyc schools, and i definitely only stated this for nyu. if you disagree with this for nyu in particular, then please tell us what experience your impression is based on.