tufts vs. einstein

[Yogi Bear]

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i had been set on einstein until tufts pulled me off the waitlist last week. what would you choose and why? i have til thurs. thanks. i'd been pretty much settled on einstien but just started wavering today as deadline approached.

einstein:
pros: there's actually green grass rather than just grey concrete at some spots of the medical campus. i like the dorms. higher ranked.
cons: nyc public transit prices 4x more expensive than boston.

tufts:
pros: boston. the epitome of college towns.
cons: high tuition (expect 10k more/4 years = $40k more). housing.

 

[JumboFool]

What Up Yogs,

Here's my thesis on the issue.

I have the exact same decision to make, only in the reverse order. I got into Tufts back in December, but only got into Einstein recently (got the "favorable review" email last week, got the official acceptance yesterday!).

I was an undergrad at Tufts, and I am going to choose Einstein. Tufts is a great university and will afford you tons of opportunites in terms of residency placement. There really are no cons to a Tufts education except for the price. You are buying a great name for $60K per.

Einstein has, in my opinion, a name/reputation that is equal to, if not slightly better than Tufts'. Einstein is also cheaper and gives out a small amount of grant $, versus zero at Tufts. Couple that with the *lower* cost of living (thanks to subsidized Einstein housing vs. $1000 a month for a downtown Boston apt) and Einstein is the clear winner (of the two expensive private schools) in terms of $$.

Then you have grading. Tufts is H/P/F right off the bat, whereas Einstein is P/F for the first year, something that is important to me.

As far as facilities, I think Einstein wins hands down. The classrooms at Einstein blew me away, and I didn't really like what I saw at Tufts. I don't remember the anatomy lab at Einstein (do you?) but the Tufts one is in a basement and not so appealing. Einstein also has the gym right there, which is a big plus. With as little time as we'll have, gym convenience will be huge, and w/Tufts you have to pay even more to join an expensive club (I think) somewhere in Boston.

I grew up around Boston in addition to doing my undergrad there, but I visit NYC quite a bit b/c a lot of my friends live there, and I can honestly say that I prefer NYC at this point in my life. Maybe it's just a mid-twenties thing and I want to be in a big city. Maybe it's because I want a change of venue. Location will always be a personal choice, so this is biased of course, but I feel like getting a medical education in New York is an amazing opportunity, and living there for 4 years is something I am really excited to do.

I know Einstein is a good 40 mins from Grand Central, but I think that plays to my advantages as a student. I like having a buffer zone which will allow me to settle down and focus when I need to, but allow me to take advantage of all that NYC has to offer whenever I feel like it.

ok that's enough 🙂 I'd be interested to know what your thoughts are as we make our decision this week.

-Jumbo

 

[Yogi Bear]

Now that u mention it, einstein does seems to have a lotta advantages over tufts. einstien was the first school i interviewed at so my memories of it are pretty foggy. i'd definitely want to have p/f in a course like anatomy. location wise, i kinda liked boston more than nyc. it's a pain traveling from einstein on the bus, to subway, then to grand central. nearly an hour trip. i've heard there are express buses. anyone familiar w/ those and how long they take to get into manhattan?

Hmm..lemme see. in terms of reputation, tufts/einstein's pretty much neck and neck. i think einstein might be more respected on the east coast. however, in california, few poeple have heard of einstein. (i for one, hadn't heard of einstein til i started looking into med schools while tufts has always been around even as an option for undergrad).

Ranking (2003):
43 Tufts 54 3.2 3.4 3.52 10 9.50% $79.30 1.8 83.20% $38,375 690

31 Einstein 61 3.4 3.3 3.6 10.2 8.80% $144.10 3.2 77.80% $33,300 725

 

[DW]

http://www.nybus.com/morrispark.htm

the stop for einstein is morris park and east chester

 

[JumboFool]

Tufts' rep as a University, for some reason, is big on the East Coast, California, to some degree Florida, and that's it 🙂 It was funny, as an undergrad, to see what a huge percentage of the non-Northeast people were from CA or FL.

But in the pure medical sphere, which is, after all, what matters, I would think that Einstein has a solid reputation nationwide. It's only because AECOM's undergrad is Yeshiva that most ppl don't hear of it when they are doing their college tours.

I took the express bus from manhattan to Einstein. Caught it on Madison Ave., right near Grand Central, and it took about 40 minutes to get dropped off at Einstein's front door. No subway involved. It's really not much to complain about in the grand scheme of things. It can take just as long to get into Manhattan proper from any other part of NYC...

what are the headers of the ranking categories you posted?

 

[Yogi Bear]

Originally posted by JumboFool
Tufts' rep as a University, for some reason, is big on the East Coast, California, to some degree Florida, and that's it 🙂 It was funny, as an undergrad, to see what a huge percentage of the non-Northeast people were from CA or FL.

But in the pure medical sphere, which is, after all, what matters, I would think that Einstein has a solid reputation nationwide. It's only because AECOM's undergrad is Yeshiva that most ppl don't hear of it when they are doing their college tours.

I took the express bus from manhattan to Einstein. Caught it on Madison Ave., right near Grand Central, and it took about 40 minutes to get dropped off at Einstein's front door. No subway involved. It's really not much to complain about in the grand scheme of things. It can take just as long to get into Manhattan proper from any other part of NYC...

what are the headers of the ranking categories you posted?

hey, i dunno what the columns are off the top of my head since i'm not at my home computer. however, 3.52 is tuft's gpa, the following column is mcat.

hey, do u know how to get to einstein from grand central based on dw's link? i.e. are we departing from madison ave. 24th st. northbound to which which stop for einstein?

also, to get to grand central from einstein, which would be the route?

 

[Yogi Bear]

Originally posted by DW
http://www.nybus.com/morrispark.htm

the stop for einstein is morris park and east chester

thanks.

 

[JumboFool]

Yep, you would depart going northbound towards the Bronx. I hopped the bus right near grand central, at the madison and 44th-45th stop. The bus originates at 24th, so add 5 mins to each listed departure time to find out when it arrives near grand central.

Getting back, just hop the bus at Morris Park and Eastchester (literally the front door of Einstein), as DW mentioned, and get out wherever you want in Manhattan.

Mostly harmless 🙂

 

[nuttymcpoonut]

I had to make the same decision last year. I was accepted at Einstein with the January 15 crowd and found out I got into Tufts off the waitlist in June. I chose Einstein.

The reasons listed in the above posts are very similar to the reasons I chose Einstein and are why I would make that choice again. Here are some other things that were going through my mind last June:

1) I prefer New York to Boston. It's a personal preference, but one that was important to me in my final decision.
2) Tufts' price tag didn't seem worth it (already mentioned, but I feel it needed to be reiterated).
3) The students at Einstein seemed more laid back when I interviewed than those at Tufts did. I was told by one of the tour guides at Tufts to go to any school that was ranked higher, because I would probably be happier. Take that comment as you will.

Just a couple more comments to the other posts... The "powers that be" are very seriously considering eliminating Honors for second year, also - making it P/F for the first two years. We are expected to hear a decision over the summer. The anatomy labs at Einstein are on the 6th floor, and they all have rows of windows to let a little sunlight into the labs. The first year lecture hall was just renovated, and all the little technical glitches that come along with major renovations should be completely under control for the class of 2007. The express bus is a rather easy way to get to Manhattan, but the subway is often easier and faster (and always cheaper) - something to consider when/if you move to the Bronx in August.

I hope I was of some help. Congratulations, and good luck in your decision-making process.

 

[Yogi Bear]

when i interviewed at einstein, i remember taking the subway to some street and then getting off and taking a bus, which was a free ride based on the $4 pass. haven't they switched it to $7? how long does that ride take? i remmeber it seemed like a long time when i interviewed....maybe an hour. subway ride was ok...just the bus trip from einstein to the subway station took awhile w/ a ton of people on the bus and standing-only capacity.

 

[Dr. Kermit]

Hmm, since Einstein isn't right at a subway stop, I don't know how you would have taken the subway to a bus.
- Housing is right at the Manhattan bound Express bus. It takes anywhere from 30 minutes (to the Upper East) to 45-55 minutes to get downtown (Union Square).
- The subway is a bit easier and faster depending on the timing of catching a bus and then the train itself. You can take the bus to the 2 and 5 trains which will put you on the West and East sides respectively. (You'd take the 5 train to Grand Central.) And, you can also take the bus and catch the 6 train at a different station.
- If you're adventurous, as I've been the last three trips I've made into Manhattan. You can drive. It takes about 15-20 minutes depending if you know how to navigate. Listen to the radio and have alternate routes in mind.

I dropped my interviews in Boston once I was accepted to Einstein, so I don't know much about Tufts or BU. I did decide to attend Einstein over schools in Philly, but that was a preference issue academically. Personally, I love Philly as city.

I've found my classmates extremely laid-back and have a great group of friends. If you're comfortable with being in NYC, but not Manhattan, I'm sure you'll have a great time at school

Good luck with you decision.

 

[Yogi Bear]

Originally posted by Dr. Kermit
Hmm, since Einstein isn't right at a subway stop, I don't know how you would have taken the subway to a bus.

i don't remember exact details, but from grand central, i took one of the subway lines to the bronx. after like 30-40 minutes, i got off and crossed to the other side of the street. at this corner, there was a bus that took like 15 minutes to go to einstein.

 

[Dr. Kermit]

I see now, you were going from Manhattan to the Bronx. If you had taken the Express buss from the city, there is a stop at 45th and Madison that would probably have taken about 30 minutes.

 

[tgifbos]

How is the married life at Einstein? How many married couples live in the dorms?? Is the studio big enough for two people?