Albany vs NYMC

[GoGoPandaBot]

Wondering what people think about these two schools - if they were your only two choices, what would you choose and why?

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[Disinence2]

Hey, so did you get your acceptance e-mail today?

 

[hayden]

albany is far and away the better school, for many reasons, however, nymc is close to the city, but it's not *that* close, and it's not like you're going down there much with all the work youre gonna do. NYMC is generally felt as being a back-up school for most.

 

[Robizzle]

albany is far and away the better school, for many reasons, however, nymc is close to the city, but it's not *that* close, and it's not like you're going down there much with all the work youre gonna do. NYMC is generally felt as being a back-up school for most.

I might be biased towards NYMC as it is my only acceptance to date, but here are some thoughts I'd like to share:

1) Both are considered "backup schools for most." The average matriculant for NYMC is 3.51 and 30 MCAT while AMC is 3.52 and 30 MCAT.

2) Both are private institutions with no in-state slack on tuition which sucks on both counts.

3) Although NYMC is not "that close" to the city, the students get to do their clinical years in the city which IMO is the equivalent of receiving an education from a school located in NYC. As far as education goes, who cares where you do your basic science years? You'll just be locked up in the library --> the quieter the area, the better.

I applied to both these schools, and honestly if I was accepted at both (which I'm not), I'd choose NYMC anyway. Albany might be the slightly better program, but what it comes down to is personal preference.

 

[TIGIBedHead]

hayden, could you elaborate on your reasons? I haven't done a real comparison of the two schools, and I'm not familiar with their reputations. I have heard that Albany is considered to be a good school. I'm neither confirming nor denying those notions, but I did get a sense of many positive aspects about the school. Students seemed really happy there, the clinical experience is great because it serves as the only major hospital for a large region of the upstate NY area and part of western Mass. (that means all the major cases go here.. broader exposure to pathologies), lectures are recorded (although from my other interviews I've gathered that this has become common practice among medical schools) and class attendance is optional (you can choose to learn in whichever way works best for you.. also a factor common to many schools). I think ultimately a lot of medical schools will offer you similar benefits, and I'm sure the differences in reputation are minor.. It comes down to where you feel the most comfortable and can envision yourself spending four yours.

 

[Yankees84]

hayden=foolish. someone asked a legit question and that's your response? albany is better for many reasons. good one. we need to get people like you off the boards.

 

[hayden]

i'm not foolish, nor am i basing my opinion on nothing, i'm sorry I didn't elaborate, i was simply stating my PERSONAL OPINION, so shove it buddy, as for Albany, it has great facilities, a good balance between clinical education as well as research endeavors, it does have a better "reputation" than NYMC, take that as you will, it usually matches better than NYMC, however, NYMC seems to have better board scores, but not usually by much. I've been to both, and I just liked Albany better, sorry if I have an opinion and i felt like expressing it....how foolish.

 

[Dr. Dukes]

NYMC has a much more impressive match list and higher USMLE pass rates than Albany(99+% compared to ~90%). Albany Medical Center is the biggest hospital in Eastern NY, but isn't as big as Westchester Medical Center. They are both level I trauma centers, but NYMC also has burn & transplant.

 

[hayden]

albany is a major transplant center for the upstate NY and western VT area, I worked for a transplant surgeon in burlington, vt and we were always working with people from albany. I'm not sure about the burns though. Both are great hospitals, and to rethink one thing, being able to do clinical rotations in NYC through NYMC is a big plus for them.

 

[GoGoPandaBot]

Hey, so did you get your acceptance e-mail today?

No. I called two weeks ago to find out. I think the acceptances are being snail-mailed.

 

[boyz of 4d]

Just out of curiosity Hayden, did you even look at the NYMC match list? If you want to compare the matches by difficulty of specialty, NYMC matched way more in to competitive specialities, 3 in neurosurg, 19 into radio (and if you're going to say NYMC has more kids, thats true, but you can also do it as percent of the class the mathed into more competitive residencies).... Also if you want to look at where they matched, NYMC placed to better hospitals as well. I'm not gonna bother typing out all the hospitals, but feel free to look. Also, in relation to what you said on the boards, from what I remember when I interviewed, NYMC step 1 avg is 225 this year, while albany's was around the national average at 216. Also, in pass rate, NYMC was 99, while Albanys was in the low 90's they said. That being said to say albany is a better school doesnt even make sense, because according to the stats given in MSAR, it appears they are taking similar students, yet NYMC is producing kids who do better on the boards and match.

Here is albany's match http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=3509091&postcount=88

Here is NYMC's match
http://www.nymc.edu/admit/Medical/info/Match2006.asp

Maybe I'm being biased but im pretty sure theres no comparison. Before you get defensive and respond actually look the match. Anyone who disagrees feel free to respond, but I'm pretty sure you'll agree with me if you look at the lists.

 

[hayden]

no, i'm not going to get defensive, i realize that nymc has great matches, and albany does as well, they're both good schools, i even said albany *usually* has better matches, apparently, for this past year, I was wrong, i guess i was basing that on a misperception, or a perception that has changed more recently, i apologize.

oh, and in addition, i don't base my own personal perceptions of a school's strength entirely on board scores or the students who match in very competitive residencies. That does say something, but it's not the whole story, at least not to me, and again, i was basing what i said on personal opinion (exept the matching, which was obviously not correct) so yeah, i think we're done here. Both are good schools. Always base your decisions on what's best for yourself, and it'll work out in the end.

 

[ms1finally]

no, i'm not going to get defensive, i realize that nymc has great matches, and albany does as well, they're both good schools, i even said albany *usually* has better matches, apparently, for this past year, I was wrong, i guess i was basing that on a misperception, or a perception that has changed more recently, i apologize.

oh, and in addition, i don't base my own personal perceptions of a school's strength entirely on board scores or the students who match in very competitive residencies. That does say something, but it's not the whole story, at least not to me, and again, i was basing what i said on personal opinion (exept the matching, which was obviously not correct) so yeah, i think we're done here. Both are good schools. Always base your decisions on what's best for yourself, and it'll work out in the end.

Sorry hayden, but the quality of the NYMC match list is not a new development. I think 19 into rads was a bit lower than usual - but 100% of those applying to match in rads did so, which is an amazing statistic.

I can not speak to the direct comparison of NYMC and Albany as I did not consider Albany. However, I am a 2nd year (despite the username) at NYMC and I am incredibly happy with my choice to attend this school. This is probably even more remarkable when you consider the fact that I was initially very hesitant, but ended up choosing NYMC for personal/family reasons. I now realize that I ended up at the best school for me.

I have a few friends who interviewed and were accepted at both NYMC and Albany (and a few friends who were accepted to Albany and other schools, not NYMC), and all have said that they were really happy to not be going to Albany (yes, that is how a few of them phrased it). This is obviously a biased sample since it's the group that ended up "somewhere other than Albany" but it is a trend I've noticed.

I love NYMC's clinical opportunities, the scribe service, the location, and curriculum. I feel like I am getting an incredible education and I often notice a big difference between my knowledge base and that of MS2s at other schools. While shadowing I often find myself being "pimped" by residents or attendings who don't realize I'm only an MS2 and they are often surprised when I know the answer, and even more so when someone tells them I'm still pre-clinical. As far as clinical opportunities - Westchester Med is the ONLY Level 1 trauma center between the city and Albany and it has the ONLY hospital-owned heliport in Southern NY (there are heliports in the city, but they are not directly connected to hospitals). There's also Metropolitan Hospital, which serves an incredibly underserved population in NYC as well as St. VIncent's which gets a very diverse group. That's only 3 of our affiliated hospitals, and I could go on about opportunities at the other ones too.

I know everyone loves to say that NYMC isn't very "research-oriented;" however, I beg to differ. I collaborated with several classmates and a chief of a department at school to produce a paper that is currently undergoing peer review for a major academic journal. I also submitted an abstract to a national meeting in the same specialty that is also being reviewed (and will hopefully be accepted!).

I haven't done much research, but I have heard that Albany has consistently been "dinged" by the LCME for some issues. I don't know what they are and it doesn't sound to me as if their accreditation is in danger, but I have noticed some complaints about it on SDN.

In the end, choose the school where you will be HAPPY. I am happy at NYMC, and as a bonus I feel like it will open a lot of doors for me in the future.

-ms(2)finally

 

[Yankees84]

NYMC kids speaking up for their school. just jumped even higher on my list. good looks all. but yeah, go where you are happy. one.

 

[boyz of 4d]

quick response, as you guys may know, early match was this week and here are the current results

3 matched into optho:
1 in to Bascom Palmer (best optho in the country)
1 in New York Eye and Ear (9th in the country)
1 into UC SD

2 matched into neurosurgery:
Not sure to which programs, but hey its neurosurgery

2 into urology

There are others who also applied early but these are the ones I heard today. The reason I specifically put those specialties is because they are all known to be competitive.

And also hayden, NYMC match list has been better than Albany's for the last 5 years (as far back as I could get access to to NYMC's matches, but im sure thats enough years to prove my point). Basic point of my post, dont hate on a school for no reason, or you will look like an ass.

 

[hayden]

ok, i'm sorry, i wasn't trying to hate, no disrespect intended...peace out

 

[twohearted]

Wow . . . 19 into rads. Check out Rosalind Franklin's match list for another suprise.

 

[boyz of 4d]

rosalind franklins match list is excellent as well, its a shame people make blanket claims on a school before doing the research, or based on what other people have said without looking at it themselves.

 

[riceman04]

hayden=foolish. someone asked a legit question and that's your response? albany is better for many reasons. good one. we need to get people like you off the boards.

Wow!!!! You are straight up screaming..."Yo I am from the Bronx...bull$hit fails to get past me"

Da Bronx must be no joke! I'm scared of you

 

[Robizzle]

Bronx is definitely serious. They keep it gully.

 

[FenderHM]

another NYMCer here shoutin out.. Im an MS1, I was also reluctant to come here, the thing that really turned me off was the isolation of the campus... but westchester med is really an awesome hospitals, and its right next door to the medical school, not to mention that plethora of hospitals in the city we can rotate thru, and the amount of clinical opportunities for pre-clinical students is limited only by the amount of time we have to enjoy them..last week a transplant surgeon invited us to scrub in on kidney transplansts any wednesday evening when we had time... I'm really happy with the school....

Don't know much about Albany....

 

[tinypun2]

I've heard from a lot of people that Albany is terrible...don't know anything about NYMC

 

[Dr. Dukes]

When I interviewed at Albany the tour guide flat out said "I came here because I applied late and it was where I got in, and I'm not that disapointed anymore." Also, they don't have wireless internet because the IT people can't figure out how to make it so only the people who should have access get access. Now, I'm not an IT person, but from talking to friends who have actual computer/IT knowledge they say the problem Albany has is about a complex as trying to figure out whether you put your socks on the inside of your shoes or the outside...
But yes, Albany Medical Center is a good hospital with lots of cool stuff going on that you can see.

 

[TIGIBedHead]

Someone above mentioned that NYMC students get to do rotations in NYC (during both 3rd and 4th year?). If that's important to you, note that you can do pretty much all of your rotations away during your 4th year at Albany (this is what a current 4th year told us.. someone correct me if I'm wrong about that). But certainly both schools will give you great opportunities.

People have mentioned that NYMC's matchlist has more representation of the competitive specialties. I'm not too familiar with NYMC's mission statement, but I do know that Albany aims to train primary care physicians or specialists who understand the importance of working in conjunction with primary care docs to manage patients. There are certainly a significant proportion of matches into IM, peds, and ob/gyn, but a 4th year did say that many Albany grads choose to subspecialize later on. I haven't seen statistics on this.

Someone above referenced the LCME's "dinging" of Albany.. I faintly remember something about this.. but could you tell us more? What did they find lacking/flawed about the school?

 

[Cirrus83]

This is going solely by my impressions from this board, and the fact that I don't want to go to the city of Albany:
NYMC hands down.

I even dropped Albany from my secondaries (after paying for a primary app) just because I realized that even if I got in I didn't want to go up there.

 

[Cirrus83]

When I interviewed at Albany the tour guide flat out said "I came here because I applied late and it was where I got in, and I'm not that disapointed anymore." Also, they don't have wireless internet because the IT people can't figure out how to make it so only the people who should have access get access. Now, I'm not an IT person, but from talking to friends who have actual computer/IT knowledge they say the problem Albany has is about a complex as trying to figure out whether you put your socks on the inside of your shoes or the outside...
But yes, Albany Medical Center is a good hospital with lots of cool stuff going on that you can see.

rotflmao...that's pretty sad...they can't figure out how to implement a MAC address filter and turn off SSID broadcasting?
Jeez.

Of course it's probably more that Albany doesn't care to figure it out and implement it. Well, I hope that's the case anyway or there's something really wrong with their IT department lol.

 

[boyz of 4d]

Tigi, even if you look at the primary care specialties, for the most part NYMC places better.

 

[Dr. Dukes]

Of course it's probably more that Albany doesn't care to figure it out and implement it. Well, I hope that's the case anyway or there's something really wrong with their IT department lol.

But if the IT dept iss too lazy/stupid/whatever to install wireless it makes the school look wicked bad. The students on the tour said "oh, well, you wouldn't use the internet during class anyway." My girlfriend (and MSII at a school in the North East) basically told me thats bull****, and that everyone uses it all the time to look up random stuff the don't understand during the lecture.

 

[-Goose-]

My girlfriend (and MSII at a school in the North East) basically told me thats bull****, and that everyone uses it all the time to look up random stuff the don't understand during the lecture.

This, in my experience, is not true. You are too busy scrambling down notes! The people using the internet in class are usually checking email and therefore relying on the notes system/pod casts.

From someone who interviewed (and was accepted... eventually) to both AMC and NYMC, I think NYMC wins hands down.

The main points are: 1) better step 1 preparation 2) better facilities 3) better clinical opportunities.

That being said, I think albany would be a fine place to go to med school. I was pleasantly surprised with the place (went in with low expectations, though).

What's the tuition difference? This will mean more than anything else in the long run anyways.

-G

 

[GoGoPandaBot]

you can use verizon broadband access with a bluetooth connection to a treo, so , at worst, you pay $45 bucks more a month than you would at another school that can get their IT people to do their job. So, a bit over $500 bucks a year doesnt mean much when you are going to be dropping about $40k a year or so for tuition, etc.

However, the lack of competence in that area could of course be indicative of similar issues in other areas. Let's hope not.

Thanks for all the good info here.

 

[Cirrus83]

But if the IT dept iss too lazy/stupid/whatever to install wireless it makes the school look wicked bad. The students on the tour said "oh, well, you wouldn't use the internet during class anyway." My girlfriend (and MSII at a school in the North East) basically told me thats bull****, and that everyone uses it all the time to look up random stuff the don't understand during the lecture.

Oh I agree, either way it's a bad sign that the school doesn't have wireless in this day and age. Makes them seem technophobic.

edit: Just realized, was that wicked a boston-area wicked? lol

 

[Yankees84]

Wow!!!! You are straight up screaming..."Yo I am from the Bronx...bull$hit fails to get past me"

Da Bronx must be no joke! I'm scared of you

was that some kind of bad joke?

 

[berkshiredoc]

Most of the medical world views these as equivalent schools. SDN happens to have a larger presence from NYMC; Albany students aren't on SDN much, so it is inaccurate to take their "lack of response" to a post as meaningful.

I have friends on the faculty of each, and my personal physicians happen to be NYMC faculty, so I think both are fine.

Looking at #'s for each specialty in the match is a common way people on SDN judge quality, but it has its limits...if a school tends to choose more people who focus on clinical practice/underserved populations to begin with, there will be more IM/peds/OB in the match. It doesn't speak to the quality of the education. Looking at the accepting programs within each field is a slightly better, but not infallible, approach.

The LCME rumors about Albany are just that...rumors, not accurate. Ask the school if you have concerns. The step 1 pass rate was also not accurate. Again, check with each school.

That being said, the two schools are like night and day in terms of the tone of the place and the type of students they attract...in spite of a relatively high number at each school who only got into that 1 school. If I summarize my impressions, I'm afraid I'll get jumped on, so I suggest you spend a day at each..it will become clear where you fit in.

NYMC is a school "in the Catholic tradition." I say that as neither a positive or a negative..it's just part of who they are and who they will always be. Two years ago, it took them a full year to reverse their position banning an LGBT student group, and only after affiliated institutions, like Pace Law School, threatened to withdraw from joint programs. Students (to their great credit) rushed in large numbers to the defense of the founders of the group, and AMSA had some very harsh things to say to NYMC about inclusiveness in medicine. NYMC backed down after enormous pressure and bad publicity. You can Google it and read all the details.

Spend some time at each school, and then decide. Good luck!

 

[ms1finally]

Most of the medical world views these as equivalent schools. SDN happens to have a larger presence from NYMC; Albany students aren't on SDN much, so it is inaccurate to take their "lack of response" to a post as meaningful.

I have friends on the faculty of each, and my personal physicians happen to be NYMC faculty, so I think both are fine.

Looking at #'s for each specialty in the match is a common way people on SDN judge quality, but it has its limits...if a school tends to choose more people who focus on clinical practice/underserved populations to begin with, there will be more IM/peds/OB in the match. It doesn't speak to the quality of the education. Looking at the accepting programs within each field is a slightly better, but not infallible, approach.

The LCME rumors about Albany are just that...rumors, not accurate. Ask the school if you have concerns. The step 1 pass rate was also not accurate. Again, check with each school.

That being said, the two schools are like night and day in terms of the tone of the place and the type of students they attract...in spite of a relatively high number at each school who only got into that 1 school. If I summarize my impressions, I'm afraid I'll get jumped on, so I suggest you spend a day at each..it will become clear where you fit in.

NYMC is a school "in the Catholic tradition." I say that as neither a positive or a negative..it's just part of who they are and who they will always be. Two years ago, it took them a full year to reverse their position banning an LGBT student group, and only after affiliated institutions, like Pace Law School, threatened to withdraw from joint programs. Students (to their great credit) rushed in large numbers to the defense of the founders of the group, and AMSA had some very harsh things to say to NYMC about inclusiveness in medicine. NYMC backed down after enormous pressure and bad publicity. You can Google it and read all the details.

Spend some time at each school, and then decide. Good luck!

As far as I know, NYMC accepts a HUGE portion of students interested in primary care. I was one of those students intially, but now find myself drawn to a different (and more competitive) field.

As far as their being a high number of NYMC students only accepted to one school, the number I was given at orientation in August 2005 was that 60-70% of us had been accepted to more than one school. I don't know what Albany's number is, but I know that if you go to many schools in the US you will not find more people accepted to multiple schools.

I'm not sure why you've decided Albany is "under-represented" on SDN as I have certainly seen posts by Albany students previously - and I think one of them is even an advisor, which is not true of any NYMC students that I know of.

 

[schoup]

Someone above referenced the LCME's "dinging" of Albany.. I faintly remember something about this.. but could you tell us more? What did they find lacking/flawed about the school?

Albany got blown up on the last LCME review. Sited for lack of consistency and reliability in clinical grading. grading that is not criterion based. Sited for lack of appropriate and timely feedback on clinical rotations to allow for improvement. Need to develop faculty able to teach and give feedback in a standardized fashion in clinical sites. Concerns about due process on appeals of promotions committee rulings. Lack of integration of clinical pharm into all 4 years. Library and study spaces are need of improvement, as well as gross lab. This is just a short list.

The biggest things are the lack of consistency and relaibility in clinical grading, lack of feedback, concerns on due process. If you read their handbook you can get thrown out of the school for a single unsatisfactory grade at anytime without the ability to remediate. Whether you get to remediate even a single bad grade is at their discretion.

I know alot of people at Albany Med and most take the approach of this place sucks and just make it to graduation and get out.
I know personally of someone who was given a failing grade in clinical rotation and upon appeal the department would not release how they determined the grade. The would only show the student the shelf grade which was a passing score and by rule is only 25% of the grade. The other 75% of the grade and how it was determined was not revealed. Inpatient and outpatient evaluations were not released or any other info on how the grade was determined. They would not tell the student what the numerical cut offs for honors, good, marginal, and unsatisfatory were. They wouldn't release the overall numerical score despite the fact that according to their own faculty handbook a numerical score is required to go on the transcript. They would not even release the transcript to the student to see. I know of 3 students when they went to ask about a low grade in clinical rotation were told, " you don't need the grade." These students all want to be surgeons, 235+ board scores and ended up AOA 4th year. So, they weren't given the grade they numerically deserved b/c of percieved need of who needs what grade based on what their chosen field. They got marginals and goods instead of good and honors. They found it impossible to get any info on the grade as described above and the appeals committee process turned out to be a joke. Albany Med consistently gets threatened to be reported to LCME and has law suits threatened against by students and residents. Avoid this place!!!!


Before going to Albany Med look at the graduation questionaires and you will see them 30 -50% below the average in very important categories compared to other schools. Especially look at student satisfaction and things like that which are very low. AMC alumns don't give back b/c they hate it and that's why the school despite being old has a pathetic low endowment.

IMO, GO TO AMC ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO. IN REALITY IF YOU ONLY GET IN HERE CONSIDER TAKING A YEAR OFF AND RE-APPLY!!!!

 

[schoup]

as for Albany, it has great facilities, a good balance between clinical education as well as research endeavors,

If you think Albany Med has great facilities where have you been looking at Med schools.

1)The gross lab is a hole. They had to shut the lab down just 2 years ago for the 2nd semester due to excessive fume levels b/c the ventilation was so bad.

2)They have a student gym that is about the size of large bedroom.

3)The library doesn't have wireless.

 

[berkshiredoc]

it would take before the source of the Albany LCME misinformation on SDN posted on this thread. Repeating false information doesn't make it true!

Anyone interested in ANY school...please check the information first-hand and don't believe posts by a former student with a grudge.

BTW, check the Albany interview feedback on SDN. Although there are MANY things people did not like...old facilities, the city of Albany itself...what has been consistently cited as a major positive is the friendliness and enthusiasm of the students and staff. I guess all those happy students are deluding themselves!!!!

One of the mods who is an Albany student already countered this poster elsewhere.

Peace!

 

[schoup]

albany is a major transplant center for the upstate NY and western VT area,

Albany was sited and prevented from doing heart transplants 2 years ago for unethical practices. They were "fudging" the data to move thier patients up on the list by making and reporting their condition worse than it actually was. I forgot how long the sanctions will last but it was big news in NY state. It's actually ironic since Albany has one the most elaborate Ethics curriculum in the country if you look at the 4yr curriculum, I guess we know why they need it.

 

[berkshiredoc]

But when someone doesn't know the difference between "sited" and "cited" and can't spell "patient," I question the message!!!

 

[berkshiredoc]

It was "thier," not "patient."

 

[schoup]

it would take before the source of the Albany LCME misinformation on SDN posted on this thread. Repeating false information doesn't make it true!
Peace!

Misinformation? Anyone that visits Albany Med go to the library and get on their intranet and click LCME Study off the main intranet page and you will see this suppossed misinformation write in your face 35 pages of it. Albany Med got blown up at the last LCME review!

 

[schoup]

But when someone doesn't know the difference between "sited" and "cited" and can't spell "patient," I question the message!!!

I love it, you attack mispellings b/c I'm typing fast. There is no info to defend that school that you have. I'm assuming you are one of the unfortunate souls stuck in that hole.

 

[Robizzle]

I can feel the love.

 

[schoup]

It was "thier," not "patient."

Wow. You are so flustered defending that school you are making misspelling up. You really must be from AMC.

 

[berkshiredoc]

Wow. You are so flustered defending that school you are making misspelling up. You really must be from AMC.

As you can see if you track my other posts, I am a retired MD with no connection to either Albany or NYMC, who has served on adcoms and been part of the administration of an entirely different hospital system (which is how I have access to LCME information and don't fall for your blustery exhortations for people to go check Albany's intranet!!.) I'm just someone who believes in accuracy. Telling ANYONE who has a single acceptance to any US allopathic school to sit it out and try again is lunacy, IMHO.

 

[schoup]

As you can see if you track my other posts, I am a retired MD with no connection to either Albany or NYMC, who has served on adcoms and been part of the administration of an entirely different hospital system (which is how I have access to LCME information and don't fall for your blustery exhortations for people to go check Albany's intranet!!.) I'm just someone who believes in accuracy. Telling ANYONE who has a single acceptance to any US allopathic school to sit it out and try again is lunacy, IMHO.

If you have the access that you claim look up AMC last LCME review. I guess you know more than the school. I guess the summary report they posted on their own intranet is false information. That would be an interesting idea. The school posting false info on their own intranet about a summary LCME report. Unfortuantely 99% of the students don't bother to read the report and therefore nothing changes. People don't read the graduation survey data that shows an extended period of unhappy graduates who don't give back, which leads to a poor endowment, high tuition and subpar facilities.

 

[fizzle]

Bumping up an old thread. I'm looking for people who've interviewed at both of these schools in this school cycle.

I've been accepted to Albany, and I have a NYMC interview coming up. Though ideally I'd like to go see both campuses, considering that the flight + lodging is going to cost almost $1k (I'm OOS), I'm debating whether I should go to the NYMC interview. Any comments would be helpful!

 

[chessodoc]

Bumping up an old thread. I'm looking for people who've interviewed at both of these schools in this school cycle.

I've been accepted to Albany, and I have a NYMC interview coming up. Though ideally I'd like to go see both campuses, considering that the flight + lodging is going to cost almost $1k (I'm OOS), I'm debating whether I should go to the NYMC interview. Any comments would be helpful!

Definitely skip it, 1k is way too much. I have interviewed only at NYMC. Liked the school, although not my top choice, but I still wouldn't recommend shelling out 1k for the trip if you already have a good acceptance.

 

[Handy388]

I am in the same situation as you, Fizzle, and I am personally going down to NYMC soon because I can spare the change, but I love albany.

THEY DO HAVE WIRELESS INTERNET NOW. (although it's very recent). I have no complaint with its library, and the staff was incrediblly friendly.

Also, out of all the schools where I interviewed in a office attached to the admissions office, only albany's office actually had a window.

I was not asked a single ethnical question and it was by far the most conversational faculty interview I had (I've been to around 8 interviews by now), could be just the interviewer though.

 

[fizzle]

I am in the same situation as you, Fizzle, and I am personally going down to NYMC soon because I can spare the change, but I love albany.

THEY DO HAVE WIRELESS INTERNET NOW. (although it's very recent). I have no complaint with its library, and the staff was incrediblly friendly.

Also, out of all the schools where I interviewed in a office attached to the admissions office, only albany's office actually had a window.

I was not asked a single ethnical question and it was by far the most conversational faculty interview I had (I've been to around 8 interviews by now), could be just the interviewer though.

Thanks for your comments, chessodoc & handy388!

I had the same experience as Handy at Albany; I liked Albany Medical College itself, and the admissions office was very friendly...though I thought the city of Albany gave off a rundown and tired vibe. And my single interview was very conversational without any ethical questions, even though I've heard that many people get them there.

Any more comments?