Sinai vs Yale

[ErlichBachman]

Having a really tough time making this decision. Didn’t get scholarship at either but thankfully money isn’t a huge consideration.

Yale pros
-Yale system seems very ideal
-very collaborative/no competition
-opportunity to pursue other interests (MD/MBA may be an interest for me)
-reputation

Yale cons
-location (didn’t love new haven/like bigger cities more)
-come from low ranked school, worried about possibly being “bottom of the barrel”
-worries that as a chronic delayer, lack of structure with Yale system may actually be disadvantageous

Sinai pros
-PF curriculum
-Love NYC and have family here
-students seem chill and happy
-admin supports pursuit of interests outside of curriculum
-institutional emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation

Sinai cons
-lower prestige than Yale
-longer pre-clinical curriculum
-not same degree of freedom/“chillness” as afforded by Yale system
-no MD/MBA

SUMMARY:
Location is a relatively big factor for me, and I’m worried about being in city I don’t love for four years. But I do like the Yale system and nonexistent pressure of academic life at Yale. Any advice is appreciated!

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[Shammyguy3]

If you got into Yale, there shouldn't be a feeling of ever being bottom of the barrel. With Yale's prestige and cost being the same, you can pursue your MD/MBA which will surely keep you busy enough to never feel like you are slacking off or falling behind because of the lack of structure

 

[lalalallala]

I think the biggest points here are location and 'chronic delayer'. Yes Yale's system is great for some people but it is not great for everyone. There is no shame in liking or needing a little structure. Sinai is well respected and having spent a lot of time there I got a really positive impression of their culture and the attendings' desire to help the students. I'm not sure how much the MD/MBA thing matters to you. I think you should go with whichever one you keep feeling drawn back to without too much concern about being in the bottom of the barrel or not enough prestige

 

[jessicajonesharvard]

YALEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[meronebib]

I personally would pick Yale because it seems very stress-free, and its reputation is more widely known than Sinai’s because of its Ivy name (Yale’s match lists are very impressive). New Haven isn’t too far from NYC. It’s not like you’re going to be enjoying the city 24/7 lol - you’re a med student. You’ll be studying. If you want to see NYC, you can always visit it over the weekend or during your vacations and stay with your family.

 

[crimson-cat]

Yale hands down
A lot of thought goes into accepting a candidate, so you shouldn't worry about being "bottom of the barrel". If anything making it to a place like Yale from a lower-ranked undergrad reflects a high level of natural academic ability and/or hustle on your part. You were accepted, and you deserve to be there. The chronic delayer part could be more problematic initially, but Yale has actually added a lot more structure over the last few years to help push procrastinating types along and medical school generally pushes us all to be more proactive to free up time to pursue other things.

 

[ErlichBachman]

Yale hands down
A lot of thought goes into accepting a candidate, so you shouldn't worry about being "bottom of the barrel". If anything making it to a place like Yale from a lower-ranked undergrad reflects a high level of natural academic ability and/or hustle on your part. You were accepted, and you deserve to be there. The chronic delayer part could be more problematic initially, but Yale has actually added a lot more structure over the last few years to help push procrastinating types along and medical school generally pushes us all to be more proactive to free up time to pursue other things.

Why hands down?

 

[Gilakend]

Yale imo. Better school, better curriculum, less stress.

 

[kb1900]

Yale imo. Better school, better curriculum, less stress.

Current Sinai student here - no stress at all up until now (in dedicated now for step 1)

Yale is definitely more prestigious but I wouldn’t knock the stress-reduction that comes with being near friends and family. Every premed on here will probably say Yale based on rankings - I don’t hold that against them but perspective of actually being in medical school is important

If you have any specific questions about Sinai let me know! I had a similarly tough decision when I applied and don’t regret a thing choosing nyc/sinai/family

 

[crimson-cat]

Why hands down?

Besides the city and support network (which are only 2 hours from New Haven), Yale has all of the pros you mentioned from Sinai. On top of that it has an absurd match list and a pretty incredible ecosystem of world class experts in everything from protein degradation to health care policy. If money is the same at both, why not go to the school that has one of the best match lists in the country and has more opportunities outside of the classroom? Family is still close by, and you can always match back to NY after spending some time in New Haven.

 

[pilgrampirate86]

Not sure if it’s relevant to your decision, but I saw this online today

Lawsuit Alleges Age, Race, Sex Discrimination At Mount Sinai Med School

The lawsuit named leadership of a global health institute and the Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City.

www.google.com