UPitt vs NYU

[idonotcare]

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Hi everyone,
I'm having a hard time deciding between the two and was hoping to get some inputs. I'm interested in going for a surgical specialty, open to any location. I was set on going to Pitt until NYU pulled me from the waiting list. Here are some of my thoughts:

Pitt:
-Bigger hospital network, more opportunity to get involved in research
-Slightly better reputation
-Many top surgical residencies that favor their own
-Loved the school from interview

NYU:
-Bigger city, more things to do
-10K cheaper after 4 yrs
-1.5 yr pre-clinical curriculum, step 1 after 1 yr roation
-Excellent neuro and ortho residencies

Price, location and curriculum favors NYU, while reputation and UPMC monopoly makes me lean toward Pitt.

 

[Dartmouth1230]

Hi everyone,
I'm having a hard time deciding between the two and was hoping to get some inputs. I'm interested in going for a surgical specialty, open to any location. I was set on going to Pitt until NYU pulled me from the waiting list. Here are some of my thoughts:

Pitt:
-Bigger hospital network, more opportunity to get involved in research
-Slightly better reputation
-Many top surgical residencies that favor their own
-Loved the school from interview

NYU:
-Bigger city, more things to do
-30K cheaper after 4 yrs
-1.5 yr pre-clinical curriculum, step 1 after 1 yr roation
-Excellent neuro and ortho residencies

Price, location and curriculum favors NYU, while reputation and UPMC monopoly makes me lean toward Pitt.

I don't think you should ever base your decision on reputation, especially since the difference in reputation between these two schools isn't very significant. I'm going to NYU in August and in all honesty, all things being equal, I'd go to NYU.

In my opinion, price + location + curriculum is more important than reputation + hospitals network (especially since NYU Langone is also top-notch with the added perk of Bellevue). Students from both schools tend to go into surgical residencies more often than at many other schools and doing well at either will allow you to match into the specialty of your choice. Students at NYU also do very well on Step 1 and will undoubtedly do even better with the new curriculum. 30K is also a pretty substantial amount of money, especially if you consider the added interest that will accrue with an additional 30k in loans. Either way, this is a great decision to have so congrats!

 

[Charles Darwin]

I would choose NYU for sure. The reputation difference is absolutely negligible and the hospital network for NYU is comparable to that of Pitt. Plus, as you said, the location, price, and curiculum favor NYU too.

 

[colourmebadd]

I would choose NYU for sure. The reputation difference is absolutely negligible and the hospital network for NYU is comparable to that of Pitt. Plus, as you said, the location, price, and curiculum favor NYU too.

For posterity's sake, I must interject that's plain false. NYU has like 7 facilities (3 at Langone, plus Bellevue, Gouverneur, Woodhull and the VA), whereas Pitt has more than 15 hospitals (http://www.upmc.com/locations/hospitals/Pages/default.aspx). UPMC services the vast majority of Western PA plus has several international facilities.

That being said, you need to go to the school you'll enjoy the most for 4 years. You're only in medical school once, so try to have fun. Go with your gut and choose the school that "feels" right regardless of hospital networks, reputation and, if possible, price.

 

[idonotcare]

Thanks for all the replies. I did some more math and it was actually 10k difference over 4 yrs due to higher COA at NYU. My interaction with the people at Pitt (students and administration) has been great, while NYU administration was a bit harder to deal with. I need to make a decision tonight, any more inputs?

 

[jesse120]

Thanks for all the replies. I did some more math and it was actually 10k difference over 4 yrs due to higher COA at NYU. My interaction with the people at Pitt (students and administration) has been great, while NYU administration was a bit harder to deal with. I need to make a decision tonight, any more inputs?

I was gonna ask whether the 30K was with or w/out considering cost of living in NYC ('cause it's expensive there!). 10k difference should be fairly negligible IMO. I didn't interview at NYU, so I don't know a whole lot about the school, but this step I after third year clerkships is interesting. Have you talked with students who have gone to a school structured this way? Did they find it easier/harder* to study for step I after clerkships (considering they have shelf exams on their mind as well)?

*Edit: I just realized that this would be a stupid question to ask since they would have nothing to compare it to 🙄

 

[penguinism]

I had the same dilemma, and I picked Pitt. NYU was going to be more expensive for me, and I wasn't a huge fan of the housing options at NYU. The COA of Pittsburgh is cheaper than that of NYU, and I think that Pitt does have an advantage being the only medical school in Pittsburgh (aside from small start-ups at Allegheny). Everyone who goes to Pitt seems to love it. Also, FWIW, Pitt may not be a 1.5 curriculum but they do finish their main pre-clinical classes at the end of Feb in Year 2. In March you have a light morning class for ~2 hrs to get you up and running (4 weeks long, optional board review courses in the afternoon), and then you have 5 weeks completely off for the USMLE 1 and vacation. You start your clinicals in early May, which is around 2 months sooner than many schools that begin in July.

 

[Ismet]

Thanks for all the replies. I did some more math and it was actually 10k difference over 4 yrs due to higher COA at NYU. My interaction with the people at Pitt (students and administration) has been great, while NYU administration was a bit harder to deal with. I need to make a decision tonight, any more inputs?

Pitt! 🙂 With the 10k difference, you can pretty much put them on equal level price-wise. I know 10k + interest is still a lot of money, but in the big scheme of things, ~2.5k/year extra is not a big deal. As for location, I definitely love visiting NYC and I don't deny that there is a lot more to do there than Pittsburgh, but personally I would not want to live in NYC. NYC just seems less personal to me, not to mention extremely expensive, and I think it's much easier to feel like you "belong" in Pittsburgh (maybe why it's been voted the most livable city in the country for the last 2 years). That could just be me though. 😀 UPMC is huge, and Pitt has the benefit of being the only allopathic school in Western PA, so there is a large catchment area, and the hospitals don't have to be shared by other schools. I think NYU has to share Manhattan with 3 or 4 schools? Like colourmebadd said, if you have any interest in global health or traveling abroad, UPMC has hospitals in several countries (Ireland, Italy, Qatar, and a couple other) where you can do rotations that don't count in your limit of 2 rotations abroad (since they are UPMC hospitals). Overall, pick the school that makes you feel the most comfortable and where you think you'll be happiest. Look beyond the reputation (doesn't really matter) and now you can pretty much look beyond the price. Good luck with your choice, and maybe I'll see you at Pitt in a couple months!

 

[mybubbles627]

NYU! But I personally love New York. Both are great schools so you are very lucky either way. Good luck on your decision.

 

[SUNY DOWNSTATE]

nyu!

 

[mybubbles627]

What school did you end up choosing?

 

[semicharmed]

I would definitely say UPitt..but that's just based on me not wanting to live in a huge city. People love Pittsburgh, and for a surgical specialty it's going to be a great asset. NYU is a great school too, though, and talk about living in the heart of it all!

I wouldn't worry too much about the money-10k is pretty negligible in the scheme of things. Did you like second look at Pitt? How do the students look at NYU (fb group?). For me, the most important thing was the people I would be with for 4 years, so see if you think you'll be in a really cohesive, supportive group.

Good luck!

 

[NeuralNetwork]

I think OP already had to make the decision by now, but for what its worth, this is a recent development for NYU that pertains to the network size:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/n...o-pursue-merger.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&src=se

 

[idonotcare]

Thanks for all the help guys! I'm sticking with Pitt

 

[mmmcdowe]

I think OP already had to make the decision by now, but for what its worth, this is a recent development for NYU that pertains to the network size:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/n...o-pursue-merger.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&src=se

If this happens it will be many years before it is likely to affect students at NYU.

 

[Mazdave]

Thanks for all the help guys! I'm sticking with Pitt

👍

 

[Ismet]

Thanks for all the help guys! I'm sticking with Pitt

see you in August!!