Why Einstein?

[markus21]

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What makes Einstein unique or superior compared to other schools?

 

[Newquagmire]

dr howard dean is an alumni. well, maybe that's a good thing...

 

[markus21]

That's not something to be proud of. 😛

 

[markus21]

It seems like looking through the mdapplicant website that anyone who gets accepted at Einstein will choose to go elsewhere or are dying to hear from "better" schools (whatever that means). Is there anything attractive about this school????? I've only heard the negatives.....

 

[CalBeE]

Originally posted by markus21
It seems like looking through the mdapplicant website that anyone who gets accepted at Einstein will choose to go elsewhere or are dying to hear from "better" schools (whatever that means). Is there anything attractive about this school????? I've only heard the negatives.....

Among the schools in New York City, Einstein is probably considered to have the worst location (Bornx). There's express bus to Manhattan, but subway station is far away, the roads are confusing in Bronx, etc.

 

[Chrisobean]

einstein's location is in a far better neighborhood than downstate, or even columbia med for that matter.
i dunno why morris park gets such a bad rap, people hear the bronx and are like "ew", when that is actually one of the nicest parts. but people dont say "ew" to columbia, even tho it is in washington heights.

 

[CalBeE]

Originally posted by Chrisobean
einstein's location is in a far better neighborhood than downstate, or even columbia med for that matter.
i dunno why morris park gets such a bad rap, people hear the bronx and are like "ew", when that is actually one of the nicest parts. but people dont say "ew" to columbia, even tho it is in washington heights.

People say "ew" to Columbia too, but I think since it's still technically part of Manhattan, people feel more positive about it than even the nicest part of Bronx.

 

[SarahGM]

Originally posted by Chrisobean
einstein's location is in a far better neighborhood than downstate, or even columbia med for that matter.
i dunno why morris park gets such a bad rap, people hear the bronx and are like "ew", when that is actually one of the nicest parts. but people dont say "ew" to columbia, even tho it is in washington heights.

How do you conclude this? To get to the action of NYC, you have to take a 20 minute bus-ride through a neighborhood not that unlike that of Downstate before even getting to the subway... which then has to travel through the Bronx before hitting Manhattan.

At least Columbia is in Manhattan already... and the A train will take you down to Columbus Circle in just THREE stops!!

Yes, Einstein's campus is a little greener, but for all intents and purposes I wouldn't call it Walden Pond. I'd say Columbia's neighborhood is fairly comparable. And at least you don't have to drive to Gristede's!

 

[Chrisobean]

um... i live here. and have been everywhere i mentioned. so what if the subway ride from the bronx is slightly longer?

 

[Rendar5]

It takes too long to walk to the subway. It really is a pain in the ass to get to the West Side from Einstein, moreso than any of the east-side school. The problem with the location is getting to transportation. Although it really was a nice area. It doesn't matter too much to me, though, since if I go to Einstein, I'll have a car when I go to visit friends in Manhattan.

 

[Bendrix]

That slightly longer subway ride means that it's much more difficult to meet up with non-med school friends during the week. Einstein students seem to be off in a bubble, which is fine if you're happy focusing your social energies on your fellow med students, but more problematic if you hope to maintain your other New York friends.

 

[markus21]

so going back to my original question... anything POSITIVE about going to Einstein????????

(please no more negatives)

 

[doctorcynical]

Einstein is for rich kids who have no perspective of money and couldn't get in any where else. Just my two lincoln's worth.

 

[SarahGM]

Okay, here's a question for y'all...

Would you pick Einstein over UNC? And why?

 

[doctorcynical]

Originally posted by SarahGM
Okay, here's a question for y'all...

Would you pick Einstein over UNC? And why?

Einstein hands down. Three reasons. Location, location, location. Northern schools will give you better connections. Just my two lincoln's worth. Although UNC is a really good school, you will be able to meet better connected professionals up north.

 

[Rendar5]

Originally posted by doctorcynical
Einstein is for rich kids who have no perspective of money and couldn't get in any where else. Just my two lincoln's worth.

why?

 

[prmd4555]

Einstein:
postive:
-very cheap rent, large apartments
-school wants students to go abroad, glad to pay for a lot of students to do this
-you will work in some of the most culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods in the country, you will really see a lot i.e. you will not just be doing medicine for rich people at an elite center
-Einstein seems to be a school that was really built up for and commited to the neigborhood and community
-i work at a large ivy league big city medical school and some of the doctors I work with went to or and many have a lot of respect for einstein

negatives:
-you could feel cut off at times in the bronx
-the amount of social problems, poverty you see in some of the hospitals could be depressing

 

[jamnx]

I interviewed there and naturally the question: Is there anything to do around here? came up during lunch. Obviously if you're a die-hard Yankees fan, season tix would be awesome, but the students explained that there's absolutely nothing to do except for a near-by bar. There was no qualifier. No but. The housing was sweet. I doubt you'd find anything cheaper in the entire tri-state area. Everywhere has its ups and downs.

 

[doctorcynical]

Originally posted by SarahGM
Okay, here's a question for y'all...

Would you pick Einstein over UNC? And why?

You can't spell bunch of pricks without UNC. Enough said.

 

[SarahGM]

Originally posted by doctorcynical
You can't spell bunch of pricks without UNC. Enough said.

Dr. Cynical... aptly named!

 

[doctorcynical]

Okay okay okay. UNC is a great school. But I still think it being in the south puts you at a disadvantage. Residencies are obtained by connections. Remember your dean's letter plays a major role. Most southern schools are not that well connected. UNC might be an exception but I strongly feel any school north of Va is a much better choice.

 

[TheFlash]

Originally posted by SarahGM
Okay, here's a question for y'all...

Would you pick Einstein over UNC? And why?

If money wasn't an issue, I'd pick Einstein. Even though it's the Bronx, it's still NYC vs. the suburban, redneck-ish sprawl of Raleigh. The reputations of the two schools are fairly comparable.

That said, UNC is still a top public school with a dirt cheap tuition (if you're in state), so I think it's a hard baragin to pass up if you're not rich.

tf

 

[SarahGM]

I was actually surprised by responses so far. UNC is a much higher ranked school, and much cheaper in-state... is Einstein really that much better? (Serious question... I'm not trying to play the Devil's Advocate here...)

 

[Kashue]

Originally posted by SarahGM
I was actually surprised by responses so far. UNC is a much higher ranked school, and much cheaper in-state... is Einstein really that much better? (Serious question... I'm not trying to play the Devil's Advocate here...)

Sarah, I'd go with UNC: it's cheap and it's got a great rep. I wish the SUNY's were that cheap...

 

[TRUE]

Originally posted by SarahGM
I was actually surprised by responses so far. UNC is a much higher ranked school, and much cheaper in-state... is Einstein really that much better? (Serious question... I'm not trying to play the Devil's Advocate here...)

Sarah is right in a way. UNC is higher ranked and believe it or not, it has a better reputation among residency directors (4.0 residency director assesment score vs 3.3 for einstein).

Perhaps that is limited to a certain geographical region, so if you wanted to practice in the northeast, then maybe you are better off going to Einstien.

 

[Tezzie]

There have been plenty of posts in the past about Einstein. Do a search.

To be honest i applied to Einstein just because i am from NYC and i wanted to apply to all the area schools. I am not going to go but i still really liked the school.

 

[someguy81]

sarah- I would say go with your gut.

that said, it seems like unc would be an amazing deal (the in-state tuition seems like a major bargain)- fantastic school and really nice environment i would assume (i too went to dartmouth, so can understand what you might be missing).

but einstein was great too- they seem to really support the students and give a lot of freedom (esp with the international rotations as everyone has talked about). and of course there's nyc.

i don't give too much credence to the belief that you would have a harder chance in getting a northeast residency at unc. i'm sure if you do well at either place it would work out fine.

g'luck;

 

[BioMedResearch]

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[doctorcynical]

SarahGM go to UNC for peds, IM, or FP. Go to Einstein for better placements. It is all about what you want to do. I am sure at UNC you can get top placements but you'll have to be at the top of your class. The connections at Einstein alone are worth the cost difference. If you plan on doing a fellowship go with Einstein. If you plan on doing academic medicine go to Einstein. UNC can offer you the same thing but I strongly believe you will have more opportunities in a northern school or a school in California. Just look at the majority of med school students. Most are from the west and up north. If you go to school in the south I'd say go for Duke, Emory, UVa, and then UNC. From what it sounds like you are a qualified applicant and will have options at the end of the admissions cycle. Einstein over UNC any day. But if you have other options I'd look at them too. Go Bruins!

Stanford or bust!

 

[banannie]

UNC is beautiful. The place is alive. I have rarely been more depressed than the time I went to visit Einstein on a Saturday and found the place completely dead. No people on the streets. Nothing within walking distance except some take out restaurants. It put the "post" in "post-apocalyptic"

Also, don't forget at UNC you will have an incredible university at your fingertips. An amazing school of public health. A department of social medicine. Interested in research? It's the research triangle! Biomedical everything is taken seriously there.

At Einstein you may have better connections for getting a residency IN NEW YORK CITY. Otherwise, no matter how good Einstein is, it will always be considered the lesser of the NYC schools, and isn't going to get you all that far anywhere else.

Sure, at Einstein, you can make trips to the city if you have large blocks of free time. But who has that? It's medical school for crying out loud. At Einstein, you will probably have many days where you're trapped in your room, studying, with nowhere to go but the gym downstairs to take a break. At UNC, you can venture out, day or night, and within just a few blocks, go study at a cafe, or under a large shady tree, shop, go to a movie, eat at a swanky restaurant, chill at a great bar, go see a show at a club.

I love New York and I thought Einstein was just a great school when I visited . . . but I honestly don't think I could ever justify going there over a place like UNC, unless I had family in New York or felt I wanted the support of a strong Jewish community. Very telling anecdote: an MD/PhD student I met when I interviewed at Einstein was falling all over himself when I told him I'd also be going to interview at UNC. He told me he really wished he could have gone to UNC.

Oh, and PS: most students at Einstein really wish they were going to Mount Sinai

 

[doctorcynical]

Banana...would you go with Sinai or UNC?