Quinnipiac v Albany v Hofstra

[pinstriped1992]

Hi everyone! I was hoping to get some extra insight from current students or anyone that may have some knowledge about the following programs to help me decide where to matriculate by April 29th. I am currently on several waitlists for other schoolsas well but I would be more than happy to go to any of the programs I’ve been accepted to. All would be roughly the same cost...

Hofstra LIJ
Pros:
Close to NYC
Small class size
Decent step 1 score
Lots of early clinical experience
Class seems very cohesive and friendly
Great impression from my interview day
Affiliated with supportive hospital system

Cons:
Case based learning (PEARLS) (undecided on my feelings towards it)
Mandatory classes
Need car
West Hempstead
Less reputable
Unsure about match history

Albany Medical College
Pros:
Reputable school
Optional classes
Friendly class
Level 3 trauma center (potentially interested)

Cons:
Need car
Didn’t enjoy Albany
Slightly more expensive
Not close to family

Quinnipiac
Pros:
Great facilities
Engaging faculty
More personalized, small class size
Closer to home
Great experience during interview day
Very diverse student population

Cons:
No match history
Clinical sites are far away
Not too interested in area
No reputation

I'd appreciate any advice!

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[Mansamusa]

I would get rid of Quinni just because I think it will provide the least amount of resources to match comptetively and is the least interesting location.

Then Albany and Hofstra don't really have anything over the other, but isn't Hofstra a good deal cheaper? I'd choose Hofstra for that

 

[pinstriped1992]

I would get rid of Quinni just because I think it will provide the least amount of resources to match comptetively and is the least interesting location.

Then Albany and Hofstra don't really have anything over the other, but isn't Hofstra a good deal cheaper? I'd choose Hofstra for that

Thanks for the input, as for cost, Albany is fairly expensive, and doesn't give any scholarship or merit aid. As for Hofstra, I have yet to get my package but it seems they have been tapering down their financial aid now that they are slowly becoming reputable... But I suppose I will find that out eventually.

 

[Psai]

hofstra easily, very forward looking school
albany is incredibly expensive

 

[HofstraMedStudent]

Hi there -

I'm a current Hofstra student (MS4, graduating in a few weeks) and since I replied to another thread with some information about Hofstra I figured I'd share it with you as well. I hope this is relevant.

On case-based learning/mandatory classes: the way that Hofstra teaches is the best thing about it. I came to Hofstra because of their curriculum, and I absolutely love it. They definitely de-emphasize lectures and instead focus on having students work through cases and teach one another in small groups. For me, this was wonderful. It does mean that you have to be present every day, both for yourself and because you owe that to the classmates who rely on you, but you feel incredibly prepared for step exams and clinical rotations. It also means you spend a lot of time with your classmates, which meant that I made incredibly friendships. But to be honest, if you don't want to show up every day and put in the work and learn from the people around you, this may not be the best learning style for you. It's a personal decision.

On location: I am not from Long Island, and had never been to the Hofstra area before coming for my interview day. There are pros and cons, but I would not trade being at Hofstra for anything in the world, including other locations/more exciting cities. I live in Queens, which also means that I have access to the subway and my spouse works in Manhattan without any problem. I've done this for all four years, and while the commute can be rough at times with traffic it generally has worked really well for my family, and I've had fun exploring NY.

On Match/Being a new school: of course going to a new school can be daunting, but it's about picking the place that you feel will make you the sort of doctor you want to be. Hofstra gave me that. People cared enough to go above and beyond in making sure we felt prepared, and I never felt held back by being at a new school. In fact, it gave me something to talk about at residency interviews, because I could share why I thought going to a new school was exciting. In my opinion, success in the Match has much more to do with you and how you portray yourself than it does your school. Be a good student and love what you do and Hofstra will get you where you need to go. But again, this is a decision where you need to factor in your own attitude and desires.

All that being said - my final piece of somewhat unsolicited advice is to make this decision based on how you felt at each school. Step scores and match lists are averages, and really what matters is which place made you feel like you could excel there.