What would you choose? Drexel vs. NYMC

[pierspercyjackson]

First off, I think I'm incredibly fortunate to have been accepted to these two programs. I am a reapplicant, and am absolutely thrilled to start school. I'm having a hard time choosing between these two programs, and was hoping to hear your thoughts on this.

Some factors I'm considering:

Location: I live in NYC now, so NYMC is physically closer, but not by much. I would have to relocate either way.

Cost of Attendance: Pretty much the same for both schools.

Curriculum: Both seem pretty great to me and the students I spoke to during interview day seemed happy at both institutions.

I'm leaning a tad more to NYMC just because they have campus housing, and Drexel does not.

Is there any other factors I should consider? Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated!

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[dgray]

Congrats on your acceptances! I’m a current NYMC med student and love my experience - but I’m sure Drexel would be great as well!

My advice for what else you can consider:

If you have any ideas about what specialty you’re interested in or where you want to end up geographically after matching, I would check out each school’s match lists. For example, NYMC has a really strong history with the radiology match, but not a very strong derm match.

I would also look at at the curriculum - NYMC is pass/fail (new transition in case you hadn’t heard) and has two full preclinical years before two clinical years- Im not sure if Drexel is the same.

I would also look at the type of setting you would be in during your clinical years- do you want to experience lots of different hospital settings, urban environments, etc.

I know this isn’t the most helpful advice, but for me a lot of it came down to vibes. It’s very subjective, but I really loved the atmosphere at NYMC - it was down to earth, very “real”, and has a somewhat older/more mature population than some of the other schools I considered.

If you have any specific questions I’d be happy to help - good luck with your decision!

 

[Master Thinker]

Drexel. Because NYMC is in the middle of nowhere (my opinion)

 

[puahate]

I'd pick Drexel but for you NYMC seems better. Both are comparable in ranking

 

[pierspercyjackson]

Congrats on your acceptances! I’m a current NYMC med student and love my experience - but I’m sure Drexel would be great as well!

My advice for what else you can consider:

If you have any ideas about what specialty you’re interested in or where you want to end up geographically after matching, I would check out each school’s match lists. For example, NYMC has a really strong history with the radiology match, but not a very strong derm match.

I would also look at at the curriculum - NYMC is pass/fail (new transition in case you hadn’t heard) and has two full preclinical years before two clinical years- Im not sure if Drexel is the same.

I would also look at the type of setting you would be in during your clinical years- do you want to experience lots of different hospital settings, urban environments, etc.

I know this isn’t not the most helpful advice, but for me a lot of it came down to vibes. It’s very subjective, but I really loved the atmosphere at NYMC - it was down to earth, very “real”, and has a somewhat older/more mature population than some of the other schools I considered.

If you have any specific questions I’d be happy to help - good luck with your decision!

Thanks for the detailed response!

Being a student at NYMC, is there anything you don't like about the program or wish was different? On interview day, I had students say they wished it was P/F, but I know that's changing next year.

And as for the area, do you find there is a lot to do outside of school? I'm used to being in a big city, so Valhalla would be quite different.

 

[thatchemguy]

I would personally choose Drexel over NYMC due to the location (Philly is amazing) but its ultimately up to what you are looking for. I interviewed and am accepted at both schools (will not be going to either) and I really did not like how suburban Valhalla is (there wasn't decent food anywhere to my knowledge besides an Applebees). Drexel's curriculumn is pretty self-dependent - watch lectures at home, come for TBL/case studies twice a week I believe and a community engagement class. A little annoying from what I've heard, but not a big deal. NYMC's curriculum is very standard, 2 years preclinical system-based. Biggest drawback for Drexel I'd say is the huge class size.

Overall, cost of attendance will be the biggest factor in choosing. I would pick Drexel if you can find decent housing and the COL will be slightly higher compared to NYMC. If its significantly cheaper to go to NYMC, Id go there.

 

[dgray]

Thanks for the detailed response!

Being a student at NYMC, is there anything you don't like about the program or wish was different? On interview day, I had students say they wished it was P/F, but I know that's changing next year.

And as for the area, do you find there is a lot to do outside of school? I'm used to being in a big city, so Valhalla would be quite different.

My biggest worry when choosing NYMC was actually that it wasn't PF, but that's changed for us so that's been great!

Overall I like the NYMC curriculum - I like that it gives you several passes at the material: some schools which only have 1.5 years of preclinical experience learn pathophysiology and physiology at the same time, and I completely understand how that could be helpful for some students. For me, I like that I learn physio first and then pathophys the year after because I think it helps me better learn the material to get the repetition. The downside to the full two years of preclinical material however is I think we end up learning more detail than we need to for step 1 - maybe that's just me being lazy, but there's already so much information we need to know, so having to learn all the minutiae gets old very fast.

Our curriculum also means that we take step 1 after the first 2 years, which I'm happy about because I think it would make 3rd year way too stressful to be studying for step 1 while also trying to honor clerkships and study for shelf exams, but other students may prefer to take step after getting clinical experience which can help you better understand the material. So that's sort of dependent on what you think would be the best match for your learning style.

I'm not the best person to ask about in regards to the area, because I actually commute from NYC (it takes me about 30 min each way). After every exam and for different socials/fundraising events, our class will have happy hours in a few different bars in White Plains, which is about 10 minutes away from campus by car. White Plains has a lot to offer, but Valhalla definitely does not. The immediate vicinity of the school is very dead - pretty much nothing in walking distance other than a home depot and an Applebees.

After first year, a large proportion of the class (not really sure exactly how many, maybe a little less than half the class?) moves off campus, and by 3rd/4th year people end up either staying near Westchester for rotations, or NJ, or NYC (Rotations commonly either on the Upper East Side, or in Brooklyn.) If you love city living, and you choose NYMC, I would suggest living on campus for the first year and then moving second year to a nearby town like White Plains, Tarrytown, or even uptown in NYC!

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[arianajm]

My biggest worry when choosing NYMC was actually that it wasn't PF, but that's changed for us so that's been great!

Overall I like the NYMC curriculum - I like that it gives you several passes at the material: some schools which only have 1.5 years of preclinical experience learn pathophysiology and physiology at the same time, and I completely understand how that could be helpful for some students. For me, I like that I learn physio first and then pathophys the year after because I think it helps me better learn the material to get the repetition. The downside to the full two years of preclinical material however is I think we end up learning more detail than we need to for step 1 - maybe that's just me being lazy, but there's already so much information we need to know, so having to learn all the minutiae gets old very fast.

Our curriculum also means that we take step 1 after the first 2 years, which I'm happy about because I think it would make 3rd year way too stressful to be studying for step 1 while also trying to honor clerkships and study for shelf exams, but other students may prefer to take step after getting clinical experience which can help you better understand the material. So that's sort of dependent on what you think would be the best match for your learning style.

I'm not the best person to ask about in regards to the area, because I actually commute from NYC (it takes me about 30 min each way). After every exam and for different socials/fundraising events, our class will have happy hours in a few different bars in White Plains, which is about 10 minutes away from campus by car. White Plains has a lot to offer, but Valhalla definitely does not. The immediate vicinity of the school is very dead - pretty much nothing in walking distance other than a home depot and an Applebees.

After first year, a large proportion of the class (not really sure exactly how many, maybe a little less than half the class?) moves off campus, and by 3rd/4th year people end up either staying near Westchester for rotations, or NJ, or NYC (Rotations commonly either on the Upper East Side, or in Brooklyn.) If you love city living, and you choose NYMC, I would suggest living on campus for the first year and then moving second year to a nearby town like White Plains, Tarrytown, or even uptown in NYC!

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

hi! i'm starting at nymc this fall. i'm from texas and don't know anything about the north or distances from cities in new york lol. i've been researching on and off campus housing. from your post, seems like i should start off with on campus. but, how does it only take you 30 minutes from nyc? on google maps it says approximately an hour. any and all advice is appreciated

 

[thatdude!]

hi! i'm starting at nymc this fall. i'm from texas and don't know anything about the north or distances from cities in new york lol. i've been researching on and off campus housing. from your post, seems like i should start off with on campus. but, how does it only take you 30 minutes from nyc? on google maps it says approximately an hour. any and all advice is appreciated

Hey I’m also starting at NYMC in the fall! I can’t speak for dgray, but I went to Manhattan after second look day and it took about 35-40 minutes to get into the city by taking the Metro-North train. Takes you right to Grand Central!

 

[dgray]

hi! i'm starting at nymc this fall. i'm from texas and don't know anything about the north or distances from cities in new york lol. i've been researching on and off campus housing. from your post, seems like i should start off with on campus. but, how does it only take you 30 minutes from nyc? on google maps it says approximately an hour. any and all advice is appreciated

Hi! I live far uptown in manhattan (put Columbia University Medical Center into google maps and that could give you an idea of the location), and some students live in Riverdale which is a very nice area of the bronx, and they have an even shorter commute than I do! I drive instead of taking the train, which is definitely needed because it would take too long to get to the metronorth from my apartment.

There are some medical students who commute up from the upper west side or upper east side of manhattan, but those areas tend to be more expensive, and it would make it more like a 45 minute commute.

I would say the most simultaneously affordable and fun neighborhoods to live in in NYC while commuting to Westchester are Inwood/Washington Heights, Harlem, Riverdale, and Yorkville (Upper East Side).

I would recommend living on campus your first year if you are from out of town - I live with my significant other who works in the city, otherwise I might've chosen to live on campus as well.

Hope that helps! If you have any specific questions please feel free to private message me.

 

[ciestar]

Drexel student here. Feel free to PM with any questions (or post here for others wondering)

 

[arianajm]

Hey I’m also starting at NYMC in the fall! I can’t speak for dgray, but I went to Manhattan after second look day and it took about 35-40 minutes to get into the city by taking the Metro-North train. Takes you right to Grand Central!

Hi! I live far uptown in manhattan (put Columbia University Medical Center into google maps and that could give you an idea of the location), and some students live in Riverdale which is a very nice area of the bronx, and they have an even shorter commute than I do! I drive instead of taking the train, which is definitely needed because it would take too long to get to the metronorth from my apartment.

There are some medical students who commute up from the upper west side or upper east side of manhattan, but those areas tend to be more expensive, and it would make it more like a 45 minute commute.

I would say the most simultaneously affordable and fun neighborhoods to live in in NYC while commuting to Westchester are Inwood/Washington Heights, Harlem, Riverdale, and Yorkville (Upper East Side).

I would recommend living on campus your first year if you are from out of town - I live with my significant other who works in the city, otherwise I might've chosen to live on campus as well.

Hope that helps! If you have any specific questions please feel free to private message me.

Thank you so much!! Very helpful. I have a kitten, otherwise I would live on campus. I scheduled tours for places in Elmsford and White Plains, but now wanting to visit the places you mentioned. Appreciate it!

 

[MedScat]

I live in the area of NYMC and the best place to live is Tarrytown. They have cute coffee shops and lots of places to eat. Most of the apartments are walking distance from the cute main street and the drive to NYMC is 10 minutes. Second choice would be Pleasantville. More north than NYMC but still a 10-12 minute commute from Pleasantville to NYMC. Next best I would say is White Plains (be careful where though) If you have questions about anything from someone who grew up in the area, feel free to message me. I also go to school in Philly and can help you out there too if need be!