WashU vs NYU

[Jaurim]

Uh, I feel rather idiotic that I waited to post this. Just wanted to get some opinions from out there because the people around me are throughly unhelpful. I come from the Midwest. Used to inclement weather. Used to urban life. Interested in a surgical specialty.

Life

WashU

I know what I'm getting with St. Louis. It's boring, but rationally low key is not bad for med students. But I am spending a good part of my twenties in med school so I am not sure if that's going to haunt me. The savings add up though, I could probably have a car, my own apartment, maybe a cat or two.

NYU

New York city is a pro and a con in my book. Expensive to live in, NYU's student housing is less than ideal for someone who has been used to paying under 1000 for a 1 bedroom. But the culture and the activities are really tempting. I also would prefer good Asian food nearby.

Program

Ill be honest I don't know the consequences between 2 and 1.5 year curriculums. Probably will be okay either way. People succeed in both programs. Not sure if that's because or in spite of the curriculum structure in either situation? The students I've talked to only ever know one way of doing things so the comparison is not super objective.
The feeling I got from NYU was sort of you can do whatever you want like if you wanna do med school and clowns school that's cool (I'm obviously exaggerating), whereas WashU felt fairly traditional in pushing research and the like. Again in practice that probably won't make much of a difference because I doubt I have the capacity to take on a second degree or do a million different activities.
I do worry about residency matching becuase from the looks of it NY schools sort of take students from each other, and I do still want to end up in a large city at some point in my life. Not sure if residency is a good time or if I should get my foot in the door early on?

Fin Aid

TBD and so basing off just COA I feel like they are actually fairly similar. I should qualify for a fairly decent amount of aid, based on household income.

Feel for the schools

WL acceptances so didn't go to either second looks. Didn't get a great idea of NYU because of the whole MMI thing and just sort of the shove in shove out type of interview day that it was. Also I think the students I met definitely came from money, which worries me a bit. WashU was super nice to me. Really enjoyed their admissions personnel. I liked students I met as well, but they are on the whole less diverse in background, in my limited perception. I think I saw some lurking gunner tendencies in the fellow interviewees at both schools. Not a big deal just reflecting on my experiences.


Anyway, I honestly just want to get some thoughts on this before I hit the kill switch. Thanks 🙂

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[7331poas]

I thought the deadline already passed where you could hold acceptances

 

[jaxon]

I thought the deadline already passed where you could hold acceptances

he got into both off the waitlists

 

[Jaurim]

I thought the deadline already passed where you could hold acceptances

Not exactly since neither acceptances were before April 30 I get the time that they specify to get back to them. Which is in about 48 hours lol

 

[InterviewI]

Full disclosure: I'm waitlisted at WashU.

Interview at WashU was one of the best I've experienced. Very hospitable and friendly people in both admissions and students. I got to sit in on a couple of classes and it seems like a lot of students show up to class (one class felt like an undergrad class with the prof just lecturing; another one was super interesting with students working in 5 team groups diagnosing problems).

WashU beats out NYU in research potential and opportunities.

At the end of the day, you really can't go wrong with both of these schools.

 

[KungFuPanda123]

I say NYU. It sounds like you're going to enjoy it a lot more, it'll be very helpful for getting into residency in the city (although obviously WashU's awesome reputation could very well easily get you into NYC as well), and in my humble opinion, the 1.5 year curriculum is superior to the 2 year traditional curriculum (more time to explore elective rotations, etc.).

Also, Asian food in NYC cannot be beat by anywhere in the US aside from LA.

 

[MilaKunisDoe]

NYU.

 

[Lost in Translation]

Wash U 100x over.

But go to NYU for residency.

 

[GrinningAlpaca]

Disclosure: I'm waitlisted at NYU

Just pick the one that you feel better about. It seems like overall, you seemed to like WashU a little more in terms of administration and student body, and I will admit they might have some better research opportunities. If you're worried about matching, I'm pretty sure that WashU could match anywhere whereas NYU matches mainly in the city. That being said, New York is an amazing place.

Congrats on both your acceptances!

 

[another.premed]

I interviewed (waitlisted) at both and I'm an undergrad at WashU.

WashU is definitely more traditional and I definitely got the gunner vibe on my interview day. Less so from NYU. That said, WashU's faculty and facilities are unbeatable, IMO. If you're into research, there are endless opportunities and the PI's are extremely friendly and helpful. It's a very collaborative community which many faculty I've talked to have said they don't experience on the east coast.

NYU definitely seemed more progressive in their approach to medical education (MMIs, 3 year program, etc) which I liked. Also even though living is more expensive, the subsidized housing is a GREAT deal for Manhattan.

Not sure how familiar you are with St. Louis--it is indeed boring but I've always been able to find something to do. Might help you focus more because I think I would get distracted really easily at NYU. The housing here is really cheap and there's a lot of freedom with being able to have your own apartment and car. Also, the CWE has great restaurants and there's stuff to do downtown. Asian food here is crap though. Some areas aren't very safe but the med school is in an affluent and safe neighborhood. A lot of students here definitely come from money, and I assume it might be the same case for the med campus.

From undergrad, I got the impression that WashU has a big name in the midwest but not so much on the east coast.

If I were in your position, I would choose WashU for the faculty but of course I'm biased. Both are really really amazing schools! Either will get you anywhere you want to go, so it's really about your personal preferences at this point. Hope this helped at all---and please give one of those spots to me haha!!

 

[LizzyM]

Disclosure: I'm waitlisted at NYU

Just pick the one that you feel better about. It seems like overall, you seemed to like WashU a little more in terms of administration and student body, and I will admit they might have some better research opportunities. If you're worried about matching, I'm pretty sure that WashU could match anywhere whereas NYU matches mainly in the city. That being said, New York is an amazing place.

Congrats on both your acceptances!

This could also be interpreted as...
Everyone wants to leave St. Louis, whereas everyone wants to stay in NY.

WashU has a reputation for being very generous with financial aid. If your net cost ends up being much less at WashU, would that tilt you toward the Mississippi?

Also, do take into consideration, distance from home and transportation costs/difficulties. Depending on where you are from in the Midwest, it may be far easier to get "home" in an emergency from WashU than from NYU. Here's hoping you don't have any emergencies.

 

[Pastamahn]

This could also be interpreted as...
Everyone wants to leave St. Louis, whereas everyone wants to stay in NY.

WashU has a reputation for being very generous with financial aid. If your net cost ends up being much less at WashU, would that tilt you toward the Mississippi?

Also, do take into consideration, distance from home and transportation costs/difficulties. Depending on where you are from in the Midwest, it may be far easier to get "home" in an emergency from WashU than from NYU. Here's hoping you don't have any emergencies.

To go off of LizzyM's comment about WashU being generous with financial aid, I'd second this. At first I didn't receive anything, but after a phone call and email, myself along with many people I have talked to were able to receive pretty generous aid. It seems like if you ask, they will try their best to accommodate you. Not sure if that changes now that traffic day is over, though.

 

[Mansamusa]

Missouri? 😛

River? It runs alongside St. Louis

 

[Pastamahn]

River? It runs alongside St. Louis

Ah, good catch haha didn't see "the" in front of Mississippi.

 

[Jaurim]

This could also be interpreted as...
Everyone wants to leave St. Louis, whereas everyone wants to stay in NY.

WashU has a reputation for being very generous with financial aid. If your net cost ends up being much less at WashU, would that tilt you toward the Mississippi?

Also, do take into consideration, distance from home and transportation costs/difficulties. Depending on where you are from in the Midwest, it may be far easier to get "home" in an emergency from WashU than from NYU. Here's hoping you don't have any emergencies.

Yeah you're right. I think ultimately money would have to be the main factor. This is why coming off the waitlist is a bit stressful since I have to make a decision not based on financial packages. But I do hear the general consensus is that washu provides a lot of aid to those who need it, so that's at least good to hear.

 

[doc05]

there's no material difference in terms of education, ability to match in the specialty of your choice, and research opportunities. choose based on the intangibles. good luck.

 

[Amba]

Yeah you're right. I think ultimately money would have to be the main factor. This is why coming off the waitlist is a bit stressful since I have to make a decision not based on financial packages. But I do hear the general consensus is that washu provides a lot of aid to those who need it, so that's at least good to hear.

I held acceptances at both WashU and NYU a couple years ago, and WashU was substantially more generous with aid. IIRC, I didn't receive any need-based grants at NYU (100% loans), but WashU offered 26K/year in need-based grants. Every situation is different, but I would be very surprised if WashU didn't end up much cheaper in the long run for you. Best of luck with the decision, and I am always happy to answer questions re: WashU.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to SSD

 

[Glazedonutlove]

NYU is pretty generous too (at least this year)

 

[bearintraining]

Perhaps this is too late already, and disclosure im waitlisted at WashU, but I would pick it in a heart beat. Loved it there, awesome facilities, people and opportunities. Unfortunately can't compare it to NYU personally, but I think WashU would open up great possibilities for you to do residency wherever you wanted.