Pros and cons of two schools...

[YourGoldTeeth]

I am sorry to do this, because I know these threads are obnoxious. That being said...

I was accepted and very interested in Columbia. Two days ago, I was accepted off the wait list to WashU. So, I would appreciate if people could list what they see as the advantages of both schools. (note: I am from St. Louis)

WashU:
slightly better reputation for research (most areas)
close to home
better financial aid
newer facilities

Columbia:
New York City
less competitive
slightly better clinical reputation
New York City (did I mention that already?)


Please let me know if you have anything to add/dispute about my list. Also, please don't hate me for this obnoxious thread; I really am torn.

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[doinmybest5840]

I am sorry to do this, because I know these threads are obnoxious. That being said...

I was accepted and very interested in Columbia. Two days ago, I was accepted off the wait list to WashU. So, I would appreciate if people could list what they see as the advantages of both schools. (note: I am from St. Louis)

WashU:
slightly better reputation for research (most areas)
close to home
better financial aid
newer facilities

Columbia:
New York City
less competitive
slightly better clinical reputation
New York City (did I mention that already?)


Please let me know if you have anything to add/dispute about my list. Also, please don't hate me for this obnoxious thread; I really am torn.

Congrats on your acceptances! I have nothing to add to your list, I'm applying for 2008. However, it has always been my dream to live in New York City, so I'd go to Columbia. I was going to apply to all 6 schools in NYC + burroughs, but I have no chance at half of them so I'm going to have to bank on my abilities to get into the other three. *sigh* Good luck making your decision, and sorry I'm no help.

 

[silas2642]

assuming the financial aid is the same, I'd go to washu, just because the cost of living is going to be lower and you'll save yourself a lot of money on plane tickets home during the holidays.

 

[Law2Doc]

just because the cost of living is going to be lower and you'll save yourself a lot of money on plane tickets home during the holidays.

Agree - I would say that for most people this decision would turn on whether you were more of an east coaster or a westerner, and whether you had any sort of gut feel about one over the other. Both schools are great and not really going to have a different impact on your future.

 

[QofQuimica]

How much better is the financial aid at Wash U? If it's significantly better, screw living in NYC; go to Wash U. You'll be really busy with medical school anyway, and you can always do away rotations, a residency, or get a job in NYC later. If the cost for each school is pretty comparable, then I agree with the previous posters. Go with your gut, flip a coin, choose by whichever one is closer to your family. It doesn't really matter; they're both excellent schools.

 

[avery2007]

i can only comment on the nyc lifestyle...which may affect financial decisions.

cost of living is crazy in nyc--and you don't always get what you pay for...but the columbia housing is pretty decent if they offer that to med students. i have been to a few grad school student apts with amazing views of george washington bridge for decent prices. after making a few bad housing choices in the past, i would want to see the exact apt they plan to put me in for the next year...

if no decent housing for you--then significantly increase you housing allowance. i pay 1800 for a studio...granted--it is a great studio. oh- and i fresh direct almost everything or do the boutique groceries for meat/produce because i grew up elsewhere where produce was fresh...it is a disappointment to buy milk and find it is soured or bite into a perfect looking apple that has no taste and is brown inside...sigh.

it is harder at first in nyc --but worth it for the lifestyle (question: will you take the time to take advantage of the city? )

my limited exposure to life on the columbia med campus--not what i personally consider the best of nyc living. however, the community seems tight and supportive.

again--just my opinion. it is an adjustment-but everything is here to make most people happy--just takes a little more searching...and it costs $$ which you will more than be able to pay back in the end.

i do wish i were in your shoes! congrats on your fantastic dilemma of choosing btn two excellent schools.

 

[EBI831]

washu isn't really that competitive, to say the truth. i think growing up in STL you get that vibe from the past years, i certainly did. then, i went to second look weekend and the kids were goign out all the time and riding one of their friends b/c she only went out on the weekends and wouldn't go out during the week like a lot of the class. I also met a group of kids who don't go to class and just play video games and watch tv all day. also, the week i was there there were 2 optional labs and only 2 ppl out of the entire class showed up. so, basically i would say that washU is competitive only in that it's full of really smart people who even though they may not put in the face time for studying may have a natural aptitude for the stuff or for memorizing massive amts of stuff short term. that being said, the kids were really fun and this is comign from someone who was more than willing to criticize them and pass WashU off as a dork school. PS it's pass fail so it can't be that bad. just my 2cents but i think that you may be surprised to find columbia more competitive.

 

[jochi1543]

assuming the financial aid is the same, I'd go to washu, just because the cost of living is going to be lower and you'll save yourself a lot of money on plane tickets home during the holidays.

Ditto. You might be saving $10,000 a year by choosing WashU. I'm applying to NYC schools, but considering the cost of living (and my general dislike for New York), I really don't see myself attending one unless it's my one and only acceptance.

 

[QuakerPreMed]

I'm sure you remember since you obviously visited Columbia, but I found the first-year dorms to be only one step above squatting. They seemed poorly lit, tiny, and falling apart. What's the housing situation like at WashU?

As many others have said, NYC is an expensive place to live (I spent a summer there), but to be honest, I think it's a lot cooler place to live than STL. However, P&S's neighborhood is only so-so compared to the 'better' parts of NYC...

Are you going into neurosurg? Columbia has that reputation, for what it's worth...

 

[dbhvt]

New York City (did I mention that already?)

If you think you might want to eventually practice in new york city, a P&S degree will give you an advantage over a WashU degree.

With regard to having time to enjoy the city while in medical school, if you come here and want to enjoy new york, you will.

With regard to the housing situation up here in Washington Heights, check out the class thread in the allo subforum. There's some good information there.

If you are honestly interested in doing research, you probably have it narrowed to a few different fields. It may be a good idea to look up who is doing what work at the two schools, and see if that helps you make your decision.

 

[dbhvt]

I'm sure you remember since you obviously visited Columbia, but I found the first-year dorms to be only one step above squatting. They seemed poorly lit, tiny, and falling apart. What's the housing situation like at WashU?

I hate the first year dorms here, but I do want to say this, they may seem small when you plop an extra cot in there to host a student, but they're much larger than standard dorm rooms. Lighting is pretty much your responsibility. There are a few fixtures that come with the room, but you really need to bring your own lamps if you want a reasonable amount of light.

 

[Critical Mass]

Well I would throw out the stuff about reputations because both will give you great matching opportunities. I wouldn't find much of a difference in competitive environment either, if anything I would tend to disagree with your position. At Wash, for instance, a quarter of the kids are mudphud. So in essence, you don't even know 1 out of every 4 students who you're competing with. Newer facilities? Who cares? As a medical student, the patients are your facilities.

So ditto on L2D. If you are from the midwest and like it, stay in the Lou where you might run into Nelly kickin that country grammar.

Mmmmm, you can find me in St. Louis rollin on dubs, smokin on dubs in clubs, blowin up like cocoa puffs. Sippin Bud, gettin perved and getting rubbed. Daps and hugs, mean mugs and shoulder shrugs. And it's all because, 'ccumulated enough stretch just to navigate it, wood decorated on chrome and it's candy painted, fans fainted while I'm entertainin.

If you are partial to home of 50 Cent, go with NY...

But holla in New York, them n-----'ll tell ya im local. And the plan is to put the rap game in a choke hold. I'm feelin' focused man, my money on my mind. I got a mil out the deal and I'm still on the grind. Now shawty said she feeling my style, she feeling my flow. Her girlfriend wanna get bi and they ready to go.

I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin love...

 

[mountainhare]

Ooh, I had to make this exact same decision last year. Accepted to WashU, then accepted off the waitlist to Columbia. I'm from the Midwest, but not St. Louis. Here are some factors you might consider:

WashU:
Pros: the administration seems to care a lot about student happiness, cheaper cost of living
Cons:
-"I knew a guy who went here" (sorry for the anecdotal evidence), and he told me that he was frequently unhappy during his med-school years because his classmates spent almost all their time studying so that they could one-up one another, and extracurriculars and out-of-the-classroom activities didn't really play a big part in student life.
-The students I met on interview day, as well as my interviewer himself, all seemed surprisingly unenthusiastic about the school and about the city. Your interview day may have been different, though.
-NYC seems to me to be a safer city to live in than St. Louis.

Columbia:
Pros: NYC is only a cheap bus ride away from Boston/WashingtonD.C./other cool cities with a lot of young people, very active extracurricular life, a greater emphasis on the humanities (e.g., the opportunity to take humanities/creative-writing classes for credit), a good public health school (I don't think WashU has a public health school), the med students here really love their school, it's possible to have a lot of fun here during your preclinical years, people are chosen for their well-roundedness so you end up with really interesting classmates
Cons: friggin' expensive, not a great diversity of restaurants in walking distance (As the year goes on, this is really starting to grate on me).