Thoughts on Cornell and Columbia?

[dottore07]

I'm new to SDN, but I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback about Cornell vs. Columbia in terms of clinical exposure, location, student body, etc since I'm not familiar with NYC (I'm also considering applying to Mt. Sinai and NYU so you can throw them into the mix too if you would like) Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[geno2568]

as far as location goes...

Columbia is way up north by the GW bridge. It's not a postcard part of manhattan, but its not dangerous either (just dont stray too far south ).
Cornell is on the east side, in a pretty good area. It is right next to Memorial Sloan Kettering, so definetly the place to be if you want to do oncology. Mt. Sinai is in the upper-east side, in a very expensive part of manhattan. It's across the street from central park, and a few blocks away from the MET. Definetly a beautiful part of town. NYU is also on the east side, about 30 blocks lower than Weill. I'm not too familiar with the neighborhood where NYU is, but what I hear its great.

as far as curriculum,
Columbia is known for a very traditional teaching style, with lots of large lectures. Cornell, on the other hand, likes to use PBL a lot. All 4 schools are great.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

hmm, these questions and responses sound familiar. where have i heard them before? oh yeah, i heard this lecture back at Search U.

 

[beaverfetus]

hmm, these questions and responses sound familiar. where have i heard them before? oh yeah, i heard this lecture back at Search U.

cornell is probably in a better area than "pretty nice" from what I hear it is often referred to as "gucci medschool"

 

[dittozip]

i am from ny and have spent 3 summers at rockefeller, which is connected to both MSLK and Cornell. you cannot even compare the locations. cornell is in perhaps the wealthiest and most posh part of the city. columbia is in harlem. if you are only going to apply to 1, then cornell is the wya to go. that is of course unless you have a better application than my own (lol).....

 

[Iamdumb]

cornell is probably in a better area than "pretty nice" from what I hear it is often referred to as "gucci medschool"

So with Columbia and Cornell in NYC, why would anyone want to go to Mt. Sinai?

Well, I guess I am asking if anyone has any specific reasons for wanting to go to Mt. Sinai?

 

[Rafa]

hmm, these questions and responses sound familiar. where have i heard them before? oh yeah, i heard this lecture back at Search U.

LOL!

Honestly though, the CvC thread pops up at least twice a season. You'll find a lot of good discussion in the search. If there's something particularly striking, you can even bump the thread to continue the discussion.

 

[LauraPaz]

Personally I loved both Columbia and NYU (didn't apply to the others, so I won't give an uninformed opinion on those). NYU is definitely in a "nicer" neighborhood, but I didn't feel that Columbia was horrible. Their main campus is much closer to Harlem than the med school. I also did my undergrad at Case, which is not exactly the nicest neighborhood, so Columbia didn't bother me much.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how nice people were (to me at least) when I interviewed at Columbia. I was a little nervous that a school as high up in the rankings would be really scary and competitive, but I didn't get that impression at all. They're both great schools though, and I think the only reason I preferred Columbia was just because of the intangibles....that vague "feeling like you belong" was kind of what tipped the scale for me. If you really want to be in NYC though, I'd really suggest going to check them out for yourself. You never know what you really like or hate until you experience it.

 

[UCSFnerd]

What else can I add about Cornell vs. Columbia? Cornell has a class of 100 vs Columbia's 150ish. Columbia lets you take classes at its undergraduate institution, which is nice. Cornell's interview day has 2 interviews (student and faculty) vs. Columbia only has one. If you like Rugby, you can impress Dr. Frantz at Columbia. Location-wise, Cornell is better if you want the whole NY vibe. Columbia is better if you want to be involved with serving the Dominican population. Cornell is closely linked with Sloan and Rockefeller, so more opportunties for research. IMO I would say Cornell is nicer looking. Columbia is on 168th st, Cornell is around 60th street.

 

[Rebs]

Lets repeat the obvious in that both schools are great. I did like both schools, but both had a very different dynamic about them at least for me. It turned I was pretty fortunate this year to be choosing between the two for this coming year, so I did do some research for CvC. As a kid from SoCal never experiencing NYC, I can honestly say that Cornell was the more appealing area. I liked the idea of having class only until 1pm and the experience with the people at Cornell was definitely a positive one. Cornell's financial aid and endowment for int'l opps is definitely one of the best also. The thing I liked about Columbia was how many activities the students were involved in outside of class, something called the P&S club I think. They pretty much have a special interest/hobby group for about anything you can imagine. Their outreach programs to those in Washington Heights was also pretty amazing. I'm not sure if an of this info was of any use, but nonetheless in the end both will place you at top programs after graduation.

 

[LizzyM]

What else can I add about Cornell vs. Columbia? Cornell has a class of 100 vs Columbia's 150ish. Columbia lets you take classes at its undergraduate institution, which is nice. Cornell's interview day has 2 interviews (student and faculty) vs. Columbia only has one. If you like Rugby, you can impress Dr. Frantz at Columbia. Location-wise, Cornell is better if you want the whole NY vibe. Columbia is better if you want to be involved with serving the Dominican population. Cornell is closely linked with Sloan and Rockefeller, so more opportunties for research. IMO I would say Cornell is nicer looking. Columbia is on 168th st, Cornell is around 60th street.

Cornell is at 69th ST and York Ave which is between First Avenue and the FDR Drive (the highway along the East River). The overall neighborhood is very nice. (The Nanny Diaries, anyone?) You have the Hospital for Special Surgery (ortho), The New York Hospital (new name now that is has administratively merged with what was Columbia/Presbyterian), Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Rockefeller (tiny research hospital & grad school), and the Manhattan Ear, Eye & Throat Hospital. And of course, the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic.

Columbia is in a section of northwest Manhattan called "Washington Heights", not Harlem (Harlem is south of Washington Heights, Columbia undergrad is in the southwestern corner of Harlem).

Mt. Sinai is at 96th the Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue faces Central Park and the neighborhood is beautiful (called "Museum Mile" for good reason). Parts of Sex and the City were filmed around there. As you move east & north from the campus, the neighborhood is a little more gritty.

NYU is at approximately 30th St and 1st Ave. Nice residential but not as posh as the area immediately adjacent to Cornell. Close to NYU Med Ctr, Bellevue (a city hospital) the Manhattan VA (very nice based on a report I heard last night), and further south, Beth Israel (around 17th st?). Quite a hospital row!

 

[peezyweezy]

I don't know much about Cornell and Columbia, but I've spent time at NYU and really liked it. Most of the medical facilities are on first avenue in Lower manhattan. Like someone mentioned, this street contains a row of hospitals and reseach facilities....The VA, Bellvue, etc. Bellvue is a large city hospital so you get to see the full spectrum of patients and cases. The VA would also provide nice training opportunities. THere are brand new research facilities and a lot of NYU's buildings on 1st avenue give you a nice view of the water and long island. (not necessary, but a nice touch).

THe area is nice. Because the medical center in on 33rd, big touristy and shopping areas like the Empire state and Fashion Ave are just a few avenues ( a 20 min walk). Shuttle service also takes u right near Union Square. NYU has tons of student groups also. I believe more than of the other schools in NY. They also grade just PASS/FAIL the first 2 years. (no pass honors) which helps to alleviate too much competition. Just my 2 cents. I'm sure all the other schools are great also!

 

[aSagacious]

Closing old thread.