I have been waitlisted at the University of Central Florida and Drexel and am still waiting to hear a post-interview decision from Albert Einstein. I am having trouble deciding where I would go, if I get accepted to all three. I live in Florida and am not sure that I would enjoy four years of the weather and other transitions needed for a Floridian to live up north. I know Einstein and Drexel are both accredited and are great schools. I especially liked Einstein. I was also extremely impressed with UCF though, but it is not yet accredited. What I would like to know is if you were in the same situation (being accepted to all three), which school would you choose to attend and why?
UCF vs. Drexel vs. Albert Einstein
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I would wait until financial aid information comes out before making any decision. Don't forget, you have until May to make one.
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Since you have not been accepted to any of the three schools yet, I do not think you really have a decision to make. If you are accepted to all three, then you can evaluate to see which one you like the best.
Should it come down to finances, prestige, location....?
I narrowed my choices down to these so, hypothetically, how would you choose?
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Personally, AECOM, because of its rank and reputation and its location in NYC.
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Couldn't stand AECOM. Had my worst interview there. School's grungy, and my tour guide said, "If you have a choice go to Sinai"
Interviewer was blistering and combative...acted like I was some sort of hernia he needed surgically repaired.
But it's in a bad area, and is really sort of inaccessible to transit relative to other schools in NYC, Boston, Philly, etc.
Doing some interesting resesarch there though. I heard they were developing an ED-treatment like Viagra there that's a topical cream, nanoparticles + vasodilators or something.
Drexel for me personally.
Interviewer was blistering and combative...acted like I was some sort of hernia he needed surgically repaired.
But it's in a bad area, and is really sort of inaccessible to transit relative to other schools in NYC, Boston, Philly, etc.
Doing some interesting resesarch there though. I heard they were developing an ED-treatment like Viagra there that's a topical cream, nanoparticles + vasodilators or something.
Drexel for me personally.
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Since im assuming UCF is a state school go there cost alone makes it worthwhile. I interviewed at both aecom and drexel but not UCF. Drexel i would for sure not attend unless it was the only schoool i was accepted to, just didnt like it there. AECOM was nice, the area isnt all that great but if your cool with the bronx the school does have a lot to offer. If you are interested in international health i might consider aecom just because of how supportive and the number of opportunities they have in it over other schools. For me assuming UCF is my state school id go UCF>AECOM>>>>>>>>>>Drexel. UCF is 25k for IS, drexel and aecom are going to run you around 45k+ for tuition....you can not overlook the HUGE amount of debt you are saving from tuition alone.
If you are OOS for UCF id say aecom>>ucf>>>>>>>>drexel.
If you are OOS for UCF id say aecom>>ucf>>>>>>>>drexel.
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I'd agree. I interviewed at Einstein and liked it but didn't love it. I would definitely have no problems going there, but wouldn't choose it over a state school.
I did like the fact that Einstein is located in an underserved area, means more doing and less watching as a med student on rotations. Not the best place to live though.
Well I'd knock out drexel right away. But it would be tougher to decide between AECOM and UCF. I had a friend who decided between FIU and AECOM last year and chose FIU, but I've also seen people turn down FIU and UCF for northern schools or other established Fl. schools. So it really comes down to going with your gut between those two schools.
In no particular order look at the following factors:
1. Financial Aid and cost.
2. Your biggest support system is where? Med school is tough and you will need support of those youcare about because it can get depressing at times.
3. Curricula and area in terms of where you'd be rotating. would the hospitals be far away or close by to one another, etc.
4. Area/location in terms of can you withstand living in NY for 4 years or even Philly vs. living in Orlando.
5. What kind of vibes did you get from the studnts and school and people who you interviewed with assuming some of them will be your future classmates as well as from current students.
Sadly a lot of the best medical schools are not in the best areas. Hopkins hospital isn't in the safest part of the city, other top 60 ranked schools like BU and UMiami also are not in the best part i.e. richest safest part of the cities either.
I'm sure if I put more time into it I could think of other examples, but that is what makes these schools also good places to train in that that they see some of the craziest cases out there.
I know there are several schools like this in california or chicago or Philly or other major cities as well.
But I suppose area is still in one of those factors to take into account. Just a point I thought worth noting.
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Einstein's in a pretty nice area, stop watching 80s NYC flicks - times have changed. People in NY are too busy working their ass off to be bothering you, and if you do go there you would absolutely notice and love that aspect of a the city. However, NYC isn't for everyone. Drexel (School of Medicine and Hospital) are both in pretty nice areas.
Einstein and Drexel are both highly accessible by public transportation, clinically highly regarded by the patients in their city and Einstein has tons of research and other opportunities as well.
I honestly don't know where you guys come up with this bad idea thing about Einstein for. Just cuz it looks run down a bit and people wander the streets? Academic centers have wide range of patients and the surrounding areas never look like that of a private hospital. NYC has ridiculously strict anti-violence/crime laws and also laws against big corporate business which fosters a lot of jobs through small businesses so crime isn't all that common (esp per capita).
You also have to understand that Philadelphia, NY, NJ are highly urbanized and have been established for wayyy longer than other parts of the country. NYC and Philly are top 5 in terms of population (PHX doesn't count) and are in large metropolitan areas. The city has historical preservation laws that have at times come to block urban renovation and new construction (which is why skyskrapers are lacking in Philly). So cities become centralized and some parts get ignored. NYC was pretty crappy back in the 80s but it had a huge boom in the 90s and I would say almost all parts of the city are decently safe and personable. Succeeding in an urban area also gives you a really unique feeling of pride, esp with a Yankee Stadium/Citizen's Bank Field near by.
If you do honestly feel that the area is not for you, you should look into the rotating hospitals. Einstein is connected to Beth Israel in Manhattan/Union Square and you just can't do better than there.
But if UCF is cheaper for you, I would totally take the difference in money and stay in Florida.
Einstein and Drexel are both highly accessible by public transportation, clinically highly regarded by the patients in their city and Einstein has tons of research and other opportunities as well.
I honestly don't know where you guys come up with this bad idea thing about Einstein for. Just cuz it looks run down a bit and people wander the streets? Academic centers have wide range of patients and the surrounding areas never look like that of a private hospital. NYC has ridiculously strict anti-violence/crime laws and also laws against big corporate business which fosters a lot of jobs through small businesses so crime isn't all that common (esp per capita).
You also have to understand that Philadelphia, NY, NJ are highly urbanized and have been established for wayyy longer than other parts of the country. NYC and Philly are top 5 in terms of population (PHX doesn't count) and are in large metropolitan areas. The city has historical preservation laws that have at times come to block urban renovation and new construction (which is why skyskrapers are lacking in Philly). So cities become centralized and some parts get ignored. NYC was pretty crappy back in the 80s but it had a huge boom in the 90s and I would say almost all parts of the city are decently safe and personable. Succeeding in an urban area also gives you a really unique feeling of pride, esp with a Yankee Stadium/Citizen's Bank Field near by.
If you do honestly feel that the area is not for you, you should look into the rotating hospitals. Einstein is connected to Beth Israel in Manhattan/Union Square and you just can't do better than there.
But if UCF is cheaper for you, I would totally take the difference in money and stay in Florida.
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That is an easy decision for me. I applied to all three schools but I have already been accepted to UCF. UCF is 30-45 mins from my home and I am pretty sure they are going to offer their students some sort of scholarships to attend (50%? -100%?). Plus, I am not worried that the school is not accredited yet, I am pretty sure they will be accredited in 2013.
I think 3/4, but REL would have to confirm. Not 100% though if what I heard from someone is correct. but then again I might be wrong. REL if you are around please feel free to confirm on the scholarship issue.
Yeah but if they are from Fl. everything seems scarier. haha. when I first moved to south end part of boston I thought everything seemed sketchy til I realized the truth is there are patches which are but fact is that is true anywhere including Fl. cities and once you get used to the big city you become ok with it and learn to cope. But the real decision for you has to be based on more then something seemed more dingy.
When I first started going to BU I hated the old look of the buildings when I was used to such nice auditoriums and student lounges and stuff at USF med from my other MS. But fact is 2 weeks into the program i was blown away by the faculty, students, and school for how much history it has and all of its accomplishments in terms of research, serving the community through innovative programs, and education models.
you have to look at the big picture. Everything.
Look at more then just location. Look at where you biggest support system is, where you can see yourself living for 4 years as they are going to be four years which may have many stressful moments and you want to be in a place where you can cope because you are happy in the location, with the support system, like your peers and the type of people chosen by the admissions as your classmates i.e. the class diversity if that makes a difference, the financial aid packets.
You have to look at everything. Also everything includes the educational model i.e. curriculum. Is the school more research focused or more clinical focused. Do you have to go miles away because you can't stay in the city for med school rotations? Do you get to be close by to where your main school is? Is it at multitude of hospitals or one or two hospitals where you go? How do you feel about that? Some prefer to be in a 1-2 hospital system which doesn't require a lot of traveling and some prefer to be in a multihospital system. And some prefer that even if it is a multihospital system that it will be as it is going to be at UCF where they are all in the same area and not like it is say at USF where you are all over the place or at some other schools. Someone said Drexel is like this.
Think about all the factors.
First of all i am from NYC and if einstein is in a bad area to you please do not move to nyc that is not a bad area it is actually considered a semi good area of nyc. I do not know much about Drexel except for the prestige of its name. As for UCF I am biased because that is where I am going I love the fact of making history in a new school, the modern facilities, orlando living, small class size, the closeness of the faculty. he cost of living in orlando compared to nyc is much cheaper. UCF is affiliated with a level one trauma center( if you are interested in ER)
I guess it is good to think ahead, but wouldn't it be better if you were actually accepted to all three first? Good LUCk
UCF COM 2014
I guess it is good to think ahead, but wouldn't it be better if you were actually accepted to all three first? Good LUCk
UCF COM 2014
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Agreed. The area around Einstein is actually fairly nice. There's million dollar homes, cute tree-lined streets just by campus. What sucks about Einstein is the area is BORING. There isn't much to do there, there aren't many restaurants, bars, etc. that are conducive to people in their early 20's. It's also in a slightly isolated area of NYC without a good connection to the Metro, leaving you to take a 45 minute "express" bus to Manhattan if you want to go downtown. On my interview day, I found most of the facilities really old and grungy, both academic and clinical...and to be honest, started feeling almost geographically claustrophobic just by the 8 hours I spent there. I heard students there compare Einstein to Sinai a lot, but personally, I think it would be difficult to choose Einstein over Sinai's higher ranking and better location (1 block from Central Park!). I withdrew after getting into Sinai, and haven't looked back.
Given your choices (assuming you have them), I'd personally choose between Drexel and Florida. But, this is mainly by personal preference of really not digging living in the Einstein area for 4 years. Drexel gets a bad rap sometimes, and although it is expensive and not highly ranked, I think they do offer a very interesting and unique program (that's accredited and well established) and most of the people I know who go there actually really enjoy it. Philly is also a great city, and there's decent transportation in the Drexel served areas that you can enjoy the entire city for what it has to offer. It's also way less expensive than NYC, so you'll be living in a nicer apartment for less money and will have more left over to have some fun when you're not studying. Just my two cents.
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When's that?
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When's that?
You'd be surprised that (particularly your first and fourth year of med school), there is plenty of time for fun if you want it. Just remember your clinical clerkship year is utter heck no matter where you're at.
When's that?
A lot of people I know partied after the major block exams to destress. But I had friends who made time every weekend to go home so if they had time to do that then they had time to party had they wanted to. So it just depends on how you budget your time.
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Joke alert!
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I feel the same about this.
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