Yale vs Mt Sinai (MD only)

[capybarazzz]

Hi everyone, I recently got off the waitlist at Yale, and I’m having a really tough time making a decision as to which medical school to go with. Up until yesterday, I was very content with going to Mt Sinai and had no reservations about the program or about living in NYC. But now that I’ve been accepted to Yale, I feel like it would be such a waste to throw away that opportunity!

Here are my current thoughts:

I would love to experience living in a big city with a diverse patient population, and I’m afraid that I won’t enjoy living or training in New Haven. Community service >> research for me and I’m worried that Yale might not provide as many opportunities to work with the underserved. However, my understanding is that while Mt Sinai isn’t going to hold me back, going to Yale might open up more doors for me in the future. Also not gonna lie prestige is definitely a consideration lol.

I am from the west coast so I have no ties to either location. COA would be about the same for me at both schools, and thankfully money isn’t a huge issue. I don’t have a specific specialty that I am set on, but I am interested in surgery and global health.

I recognize that I am extremely fortunate to be in this position right now and greatly appreciate any and all opinions or advice!

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[deleted1146359]

Disclosure: PTE at Yale + I love capybaras

I asked a few ppl similar questions during interviews etc. about community service and working with diverse + underserved communities and here's what they told me:

- HAVEN is a super robust free clinic where you can get lots of experience working with those in need in a variety of capacities
- New haven itself is a sanctuary city and is quite a bit more diverse than I at least initially assumed, so there are lots of POC/immigrant populations you can work or organize with
- The Yale system itself enables students to spend more time on passion projects than they would be able to under other conditions, so it may be even easier for you to find the time and make a meaningful long term impact while at Yale (although I'm sure you will do great things at either school)

As for location, it's up to you how much you care about living in NYC vs New Haven. I haven't visited Yale yet so I can't speak to the city, but from what I hear, it's pretty nice.

One final thing I wanted to mention is the completely P/F curriculum including clerkships with no shelf exams. This + the Yale system are probably the two biggest reasons I picked Yale in the first place and I don't think they can be discounted. You may have different priorities or may even prefer to have a more rigid structure (I have no idea what they do at Icahn), but it's worth considering in the context of how it could potentially impact your QoL in med school.

Can't speak to Icahn or any pros it may have over Yale, but I think Yale is the move!

 

[capybarazzz]

Disclosure: PTE at Yale + I love capybaras

I asked a few ppl similar questions during interviews etc. about community service and working with diverse + underserved communities and here's what they told me:

- HAVEN is a super robust free clinic where you can get lots of experience working with those in need in a variety of capacities
- New haven itself is a sanctuary city and is quite a bit more diverse than I at least initially assumed, so there are lots of POC/immigrant populations you can work or organize with
- The Yale system itself enables students to spend more time on passion projects than they would be able to under other conditions, so it may be even easier for you to find the time and make a meaningful long term impact while at Yale (although I'm sure you will do great things at either school)

As for location, it's up to you how much you care about living in NYC vs New Haven. I haven't visited Yale yet so I can't speak to the city, but from what I hear, it's pretty nice.

One final thing I wanted to mention is the completely P/F curriculum including clerkships with no shelf exams. This + the Yale system are probably the two biggest reasons I picked Yale in the first place and I don't think they can be discounted. You may have different priorities or may even prefer to have a more rigid structure (I have no idea what they do at Icahn), but it's worth considering in the context of how it could potentially impact your QoL in med school.

Can't speak to Icahn or any pros it may have over Yale, but I think Yale is the move!

Thank you so much for your detailed reply!! I appreciate you