Cornell Vs. Baylor

[fallfeather]

I have to decide in a few days. Any thoughts?

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[KinasePro]

Essentially identical reputations in the world of medicine, so let the extraneous factors inform your decision. In my opinion, Houston >> NYC on a med student's budget (COL, entertainment, social scene). Plus, TMC is awesome.

If you don't have to worry about $$ and can stand the weather/sports/people in the northeast, then Cornell is a safe bet. At face value, I'd probably pick Baylor, but you can't go wrong either way. Congrats!

 

[Brachyury]

I have to decide in a few days. Any thoughts?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

What are the COA of both institutions?

Do you want to live in Manhattan or Houston?

Are there any special programs at either institution you are interested in?

Did you get a better feel at one of the schools?

Are the schools close to your family/friends? Do you want to be near/far from your family?

 

[hghstakes]

I would do Baylor because of the TMC. It is really awesome and full of opps. Cornell is really full of rich patients and not that medically awesome.

 

[Brachyury]

I would do Baylor because of the TMC. It is really awesome and full of opps. Cornell is really full of rich patients and not that medically awesome.

I see two things in this sentence that are not correct.

 

[jturkel]

BCM. TMC is unbeatable. and like stated elsewhere, the opportunities here are endless. most hands on experience you'll get anywhere since you will be rotating at VA/public/private/childrens/psych etc...and since you'll also start rotating a semester sooner than everyone else (2nd semester of 2nd yr)

cost is less. that's huge

weather is nicer. cold is lame

our curriculum is legit...you can take your STEP 3rd yr after you do a bunch of your rotations, which is why we're always among the top 3 in step score (i am told that this really helps improve the step score). you can also block off like 3+ months to study for your step which is nice.

cornell is nice. i am not that familiar with what they have so won't comment on it, though i have heard that comment about rich patients and not being able to do much. i cannot verify that though.

go where you will be happier.

 

[vicinihil]

Cornell has very impressive facilities as well as a very renowned faculty and respected reputation as does BMC so as posters mentioned above, they are practically equivocal in terms of quality. It boils down to what you prefer.

I've heard practicing medicine in NYC is a beast upon itself and much more malignant than that found in other parts of the country. I can't speak for Houston personally, but many of my friends doing rotations in NY at a diverse array of hospitals spoke about being abused mentally and verbally.

If I had your choices, BMC would be the way to go. Isn't it also WAYYYY cheaper tuition wise?

 

[fallfeather]

thanks for the thoughts. I am actually leaning towards cornell because I am an older student from a non science background and there seems to be more of a group of those students at cornell. Also, a lot of my close friends are in new york and I love the city.

However, bcm is cheaper and I'm from houston so my family is there. Also, the laid back and easy atmosphere in houston might be perfect for the high intensity of medical school.

Its such a hard decision! Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NickNaylor]

thanks for the thoughts. I am actually leaning towards cornell because I am an older student from a non science background and there seems to be more of a group of those students at cornell. Also, a lot of my close friends are in new york and I love the city.

However, bcm is cheaper and I'm from houston so my family is there. Also, the laid back and easy atmosphere in houston might be perfect for the high intensity of medical school.

Its such a hard decision! Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

Personally that doesn't sound like a good enough reason to pass up on the fantastic deal that is BCOM. I interviewed at both schools, and while Cornell is pretty fantastic, Baylor is a value that simply can't be matched. Just my two cents.

 

[TTi23]

I've heard practicing medicine in NYC is a beast upon itself and much more malignant than that found in other parts of the country. I can't speak for Houston personally, but many of my friends doing rotations in NY at a diverse array of hospitals spoke about being abused mentally and verbally.

Can you elaborate on this? Doesn't sound like an atmosphere that I would wish to find myself in..

 

[mmmcdowe]

Can you elaborate on this? Doesn't sound like an atmosphere that I would wish to find myself in..

I haven't been abused during my nyc rotations. While nyc does have some things that make certain practicing styles difficult (price makes a single doc office difficult, etc), none of this really applies to med students. You don't have to deal with billing and administrative junk. The diversity and volume of patients can't be beat, and there's a long history of medical learning in the area. That being said, I would go with Baylor. You'll be able to afford to fly out and visit your nyc friends will all the cash you will save. I met a lot of non trads at Baylor, personally.

 

[fallfeather]

are there any reasons for choosing baylor that are not related to the cost? and is there no one who thinks cornell? i'm surprised.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

wasn't there a big dust-up about baylor's financial situation and consequent slide in the rankings?

 

[mmmcdowe]

are there any reasons for choosing baylor that are not related to the cost? and is there no one who thinks cornell? i'm surprised.

Great hospital system, such as its onc hospital being the only rival of Sloane Kettering, nice curriculum, great people, great city, near the family, nice weather, diverse patient population, near a great university with a traditional college night life,the possibility of owning your residence.

 

[NickNaylor]

wasn't there a big dust-up about baylor's financial situation and consequent slide in the rankings?

There was, but most people that I've talked to seem to think that it won't meaningfully impact one's education.

are there any reasons for choosing baylor that are not related to the cost? and is there no one who thinks cornell? i'm surprised.

I agree with mmc. TMC is an incredible asset that I don't think any other medical schools can come close to touching. The ridiculous amount of facilities will give you excellent opportunities.

And while you don't seem to be too concerned about cost, I would definitely be concerned about it. Cornell is a great school, but the high cost isn't worth it IMO. Unless you're getting some excellent financial aid, cost should be a major factor in your decision.

 

[jturkel]

wasn't there a big dust-up about baylor's financial situation and consequent slide in the rankings?

i find it odd how people are so misinformed about BCM's drop in the rankings.

BCM dropped in standings not because of its financial situation, but because it started reported it's funding differently. BCM had been reporting funding from MD Anderson for years and years and years when it was a top 10 school. However, it was getting pressure from a particular school in the state of Texas (UTSW) to not report the funding since technically MD Anderson belongs to UTH. Eventually, BCM caved in and stopped reporting the funding.

Why the huge drop then over two years? Well the way the rankings are made, they average out the funding received over a period of two years. Therefore, BCM made a drop consecutive years. As you may have noticed, BCM did not drop this year, and in fact improved it's ranking.

I feel the reason why many feel this is correlated to BCM's financial situation is because these happened at rather similar times. And as an FYI, BCM's financial situation is very stable now and we have an A- credit rating, which is excellent. Our medical education at BCM has not been impacted in any way.

That all being said, you shouldn't make a decision based on rankings anyway. Rankings are absolutely subjective. You should go where you will be most happy, since it is in that state of mind where you will most likely succeed.

 

[OoEeOoAhAh]

I'm sure Houston as a city is extremely laid back compared to New York, but as a school, I found Cornell students really calm, cool, and collected. Class goes from 8-1 and students have all afternoon to study, leaving time at night for other activities. There are tons of older students, including many with families, who choose to go there because of the ability to balance school and one's personal life. (I know this can be said for lots of places, but I found it exceptionally so at Cornell.)

I can't speak for the question about treatment during the clinical years, but I certainly wouldn't worry that you'll be incredibly stressed (relative to other schools) in the first two years.

That said, cost is killer. You have to really want to be in New York to shell out that sort of dinero.

 

[2010houston]

As a nontrad @ bcm I'd be happy to answer any specific questions if you have any (just pm me), but I have found the curriculum incredibly flexible and the general atmosphere very congenial and far less stressful than I thought it would be! BCM is very family/ nontrad friendly in my opinion. And the 18 m. preclinical and later Step 1 date are HUGE advantages (though I don't know anything about Cornell curriculum specifically).
Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[astrife]

Cornell hands down. Better city, better reputation.

 

[bcmbound369]

BCM. No school has professors and a faculty that are more dedicated to you as a student succeeding. From day one you are referred to as a young colleague.