UMiami (Miller) vs Einstein vs Tufts MD/MPH vs RWJMS

[DoctaDocta2024]

Hi everyone! Super thankful to be in this position but also having trouble deciding which school is right for me as they’re all so different. Not sure exactly what is important. I am also on waitlist for Icahn SOM and U Rochester. All of these schools are pretty similar in cost for me. I am not sure what speciality is right for me, but I would like to keep competitive surgical specialities open and available. I would like to teach at some point in the future. I do want to match back into the northeast (NYC, Boston, or Philly) for residency. Thank-you so much everyone!!! I wish you all success in your medical journeys.

UMiami

Pros

• New NextGen curriculum with 1 year preclinical (I really like this)
• Seems like you might get more hands on interaction during Clerkship?
• I love the DOCs program and health fair sites
• I had the best interview experience here and all the other applicants seemed very friendly
• The hospital is very integrated into the medical school
• The clinical experience might be the best of my choices due to the great diversity of patients
• Warm weather / very nice living arrangements
• Quality of life is probably the best.

Cons

• I am from the northeast so I am not sure if I'll like constant summer
• It is far from family
• This is the first year of the new curriculum so there might be some bugs.
• Lots of people match into the northeast but would I be hindered due to location?
• For residency interviews, would it be difficult to make connections back in the northeast?

Einstein

Pros

• Very strong history of matching into NYC and the northeast
• Highest “ranked” of the bunch
• Lots of NIH funding and very strong research orientation
• Close to family
• Housing is very cheap and connected to campus so I will be able to shadow / go to classes easier
• The Bronx and the clinical hospitals are very good and treat a large diverse patient population

Cons

• I had a bad interview experience and didn’t think I would have been accepted
• The medical students I spoke with did not seem very enthusiastic about Einstein
• Everyone seemed very stressed
• The location is a little bit depressing although I value the clinical training it would offer
• Some people have had experiences of Einstein being toxic, not sure how true this is

Tufts MD/MPH

Pros

• Boston is a great location and I love the city
• The administration was very friendly and I had excellent conversations with my interviewers
• I would get an MPH dual degree in 4 years, but I am not sure if this will be useful down the line or set me apart for the match
• It had a good vibe and all the med students seemed satisfied
• The curriculum was just updated and is also shortened for preclinical years (I like this setup as well).

Cons

• I am concerned about being overshadowed by schools such as Harvard and BU in Boston for resources and during the match
• Tufts med students do not match into Harvard or Boston residencies as much as I would have expected (I want to match into NYC, Boston or Philadelphia)
• Not as much research opportunities or NIH funding?
• Not sure if the MPH will be useful down the line as I am not sure what speciality is right for me. Not sure if worth the extra cost.
• While the other schools are about the same cost, this one is definitely more expensive.

RWJMS

Pros

• A very solid and consistent school with a great match list every year
• Matches multiple people into very competitive specialities
• The location is also nice, I like New Brunswick and the college town feel.
• The students seemed the happiest there, but my interview was also during the warmest time of year
• Students do very well on the step exams
• Close to family
• They grade everyone very generously for clerkships so if I work hard Honors is a more likely possibility

Cons

• Lowest “ranked”, not sure if I should even look at rankings anymore
• Curriculum is a bit older and still 2 years preclinical
• The free clinic is an application process so not everyone can participate
• School and hospital are separated which may create a divide? Not as integrated?
• You have to take a shuttle to go to the hospital, not your own car

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[iluvmedicine528]

Good list of schools. It depends where you would want to match. If you want to remain within the RWJ health system, then RWJ is your best bet. Einstein has its Montefiore system and I guess Tufts might be difficult since it’s not connected to a hospital? (Not sure) so maybe you would be competing with other MA schools. I have no idea about Miami haha. All in all it depends where you want to match but in general for competitive surgical specialties Einstein is your best bet (unless you get off the waitlist at Sinai).

 

[little_giant]

Some food for thought:
I dont think any of those schools will NOT limit where you can match!

 

[iluvmedicine528]

LOL as someone from NYC, that post triggered me and I have so many comments about that post! Feel free to DM me and I can address all those points if you want me to

 

[walterwhite3556]

Good list of schools. It depends where you would want to match. If you want to remain within the RWJ health system, then RWJ is your best bet. Einstein has its Montefiore system and I guess Tufts might be difficult since it’s not connected to a hospital? (Not sure) so maybe you would be competing with other MA schools. I have no idea about Miami haha. All in all it depends where you want to match but in general for competitive surgical specialties Einstein is your best bet (unless you get off the waitlist at Sinai).

Tufts has Tufts Medical Center (with their own Children's hospital) plus 20+ other clinical sites LOL

 

[iluvmedicine528]

Tufts has Tufts Medical Center (with their own Children's hospital) plus 20+ other clinical sites LOL

That’s why I said I wasn’t sure in my post

 

[deleted903608]

I am sorry that you had a bad interview day experience at Einstein. I am an M2 there and I would never describe it as anything close to "toxic". I have always felt incredibly supported there and there is a very strong sense of community among students. Please message me if you want to hear more about my experiences or have any questions for me about the school.

That said, these are all some great schools and I'm sure you could do well at any of them.

 

[FuturePedsDoc1993]

Good list of schools. It depends where you would want to match. If you want to remain within the RWJ health system, then RWJ is your best bet. Einstein has its Montefiore system and I guess Tufts might be difficult since it’s not connected to a hospital? (Not sure) so maybe you would be competing with other MA schools. I have no idea about Miami haha. All in all it depends where you want to match but in general for competitive surgical specialties Einstein is your best bet (unless you get off the waitlist at Sinai).

tufts has its own hospital!!

 

[iluvmedicine528]

tufts has its own hospital!!

Yes if you scroll up I was informed earlier

 

[9blade]

Some food for thought:
I dont think any of those schools will NOT limit where you can match!

As a person who has lived in NYC, that post has a lot of inaccuracies.

OP, I think Miami and Einstein are the two best choices based on what you wrote. I voted for Miami because I doubt you would be limited to match in the NE by going to Miami

 

[Icebird]

Biased since I’m mostly going to Miami but out of those 4 if I applied I’d still do MIA

 

[little_giant]

As a person who has lived in NYC, that post has a lot of inaccuracies.

OP, I think Miami and Einstein are the two best choices based on what you wrote. I voted for Miami because I doubt you would be limited to match in the NE by going to Miami

Besides the dating and run-down hospitals which are subjective, which points are false? I heard a lot about the unions and how residents are thus worked extra, and being from NY (disregard my sdn location lol) I know those housing prices too. I think the person who wrote that post is a resident in the city so he's talking about specifically being a resident there and not just a person living in NY.
Maybe you can persuade me back into thinking about staying in NY for residency!

 

[Icebird]

Nothing inaccurate about NY residencies regarding overwork and nursing unions; I’ve had many friends complain about this.

Will not be applying to any NYC residency when application time comes around

 

[9blade]

Besides the dating and run-down hospitals which are subjective, which points are false? I heard a lot about the unions and how residents are thus worked extra, and being from NY (disregard my sdn location lol) I know those housing prices too. I think the person who wrote that post is a resident in the city so he's talking about specifically being a resident there and not just a person living in NY.
Maybe you can persuade me back into thinking about staying in NY for residency!

I personally can't say anything about being a resident in NYC as I'm only a premed. However as far as rent is concerned, I did go to gradschool there and worked there for awhile and I can definitely say you can find studio apartments at less than 2700. My friend is currently a resident in NYC and her apartment in Times Square is around $2000. My studio apartment when I was in NYC cost around 1500 but I lived in Washington Heights. Yes, if you go to Chelsea area or in the village, it can probably run you closer to $3000.

Now about the whole residents feeling overworked thing, I don't think that's specific to NYC. I think it's program dependent. There are toxic programs all over the country. My sister in law who did her residency in NYC hated it and she did feel overworked. My brother did gen surg residency at the same hospital and he loved it. My friend also doesn't feel overworked. She is however doing residency in a specialty that is supposedly "cush". She loves her residency lifestyle.

I personally wouldn't do residency in NYC but it has nothing to do with how they treat residents. I just wouldn't want to live in NYC. I think it's great for visiting, but I wouldn't want to live there long term. I'm glad I got to live there and experience it and get it out of my system, but I'm not a NYC kinda guy. However, If you want to live in NYC, you can definitely find studio apartments cheaper than $2700.

 

[secretnerd]

I personally want to earn an MPH because that is what I'm truly interested in and plan to use in the future so I would choose Tufts for that reason (plus all of your pros) but because you don't seem very set on earning an MPH, I think Einstein is your best bet since it will help with matches in the NE and is the most prestigious.