Sinia vs. WashU

[appman22]

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School Sinai
Pros

• Its in New York and it has strong East Coast match options. I have a ton of friends in NYC and would love to be around them. I also, long term, would like to end up in the Northeast, so it feels like an ideal start.
• The hospital system it's connected to is super huge, and I feel that I would have a ton of options to shadow anyone I want

Cons

• It's not connected to a normal university, so perhaps less variation in research options available. It also just might feel small.
• I've never lived in NYC and it might be much more expensive to go here compared to my other choice.
• Feels like the students were more like "we're in NYC. of course it's great" rather than "we love our school. It's great"

School Washu
Pros

• Incredible school with a large hospital system. A wide range of research options.
• Feels like the student population really is passionate about the school and medicine. Seems just like a really great atmosphere.
• Great match options.

Cons

• It's in St. Louis, which is not ideal in the slightest. I know no one there.

Summary: Honestly, I am being pulled to Sinai (this is me saying without visiting either). It's a dream to live in NYC while I'm young, and I do think it's a great school. If WashU were in NYC, I'd choose it in a heartbeat. However, the match lists don't feel dissimilar enough for me to choose Washu over Sinai. Please share any tips you have.

 

[fakeeagle]

Congrats! What are the costs - any private loans? I would attend wherever doesn't require private loans honestly, and if it's neither/both are similar, I thnk Sinai makes perfect sense!

 

[YellowSalamander]

Disclosure: I am biased as a WashU medical student. I am also from the East Coast and had never been to the midwest before moving here.

To address some of your points:

• Matching: You will match great from both programs and will have no problems going back to the Northwest from WashU. Attending Sinai will probably allow for slightly more networking though.
  
  
• Hospital system: Sinai is the larger system, but the hospitals are spread out across New York (and Chicago and Florida). WashU with Barnes Jewish, Siteman Cancer and St. Louis children is the larger hospital campus. You are unlikely to take advantage of resources outside of your main campus, so take that into regard as it pertains to shadowing, mentorship and clinical opportunities.
  
  
• Hospital culture: This is arguably the biggest difference! New York hospitals and, by extension residency programs are notorious for being rather cutthroat and challenging institutions to learn medicine as a student and resident. You'll do considerably more scut work than students and residents in other cities. Compare that to the midwest that is more known for friendly, collaborative and down to earth work cultures.
  
  
• St. Louis vs New York: I've lived in both cities so in a good position to compare and contrast. I truly adore NYC! I could easily see myself moving there in the future. However, I could never see myself living there as a medical student. When you are living on loans and spend all your time studying, you come to realize that the city you are in is less important than affordability, a spacious apartment, convenience and access to green spaces. I love living in my own spacious apartment with a full kitchen and in-unit W/D for a mere $1000 a month, only a short walk from the largest urban park in the US, hiking trails and the medical school. St. Louis is definitely not as glamorous as NYC, but its a great place to be a student and I've come to love it. Furthermore, moving away from your social circle is not necessarily a bad thing. It forces you to forge new friendships and network with people who will be your colleagues for life. You risk sort of ending up on the outside of the medical school social circle if you socialize too much with your current friend group. You'll also be forced to study while your non-medical student friends do fun things like travel, go to concerts, party etc, which can feel a bit isolating. All this to say that NYC vs STL is not as clear of a choice as it might appear on the surface.

Lastly, cost of attendance! Go to the cheaper school. Don't take on loans that could otherwise have been avoided. You will do fantastic from both programs.

 

[riv_jordan]

Is cost a concern here? Since you haven't mention COA or financial aid, I will assume not for now. I agree with your intuition to go to Sinai. To address some of your cons:

1. Truly any research you want to do that is even marginally related to medicine and/or public health will be available at Sinai or a Sinai partner. Clinical, translation, benchtop, etc. If for some reason you want to do nuclear physics research or Russian literature research, maybe WashU's larger institution will help with that. I don't think Sinai will feel too small given its location.
2. COL is a valid concern but you've probably heard of their highly subsidized housing in one of the more desirable Manhattan neighborhoods. In most areas, housing is by far the biggest contributor to COL so this subsidized housing is significant.
3. The "we love NYC" sentiment is pretty common for all NYC schools. But one way of interpreting that is that these schools are inextricably linked to the city, its patient population, its social and academic opportunities, etc. You may think to ask why WashU students don't say "We love St. Louis" when they're raving about the school? Anecdotally, I have heard Sinai students say very positive things about the administration, the curricular structure (NBME exams on Fridays so that you get the weekend off), etc.

To give one for WashU, I do think that St. Louis is a better city than people give it credit for. It's no NYC, but depending on who you are, you may find a lot to enjoy there. Both schools are great and will set you up well to match competitively in the northeast. If you're truly split, I'd attend second look weekends and see if that helps you gain clarity. But it sounds like your heart is saying Sinai.