Hopkins vs NYU

[RegularPerson1602]

Hey everyone! I'm really having a tough time deciding between two fantastic schools and would appreciate any insight. Essentially, I'm looking at Hopkins and NYU - Hopkins has better research resources and a reputation for training (especially in my area of interest), although NYU certainly isn't weak by any means. The cost difference is definitely present (probably about $100k) although that's honestly doable for me if I can match. I am interested in academics, but am not dead set and certainly would still love to be in a private practice setting as well if I can be a good doctor. NYU also seems quite convenient for me in a lot of ways in location and curriculum. Still, part of me feels like going to NYU would make it a bit more difficult for me to match, and where my medical school takes me is really the most important thing to me.

Hopkins
Pros

• Better reputation, but not sure how big the difference is
• Great department for primary specialty of interest (neurosurgery)
• Students have great match outcomes

Cons

• 70-100k more expensive than NYU
• Inconvenient location, slightly farther from home but not too bad
• 1.5 year preclinical

NYU
Pros

• 70-100k cheaper than Hopkins
• Shortened preclinical year (1 year) allows for more research time
• Better location, housing, closer to home and more convenient
• Really cool student body

Cons

• Slightly weaker, but still good and respected departments for specialties of interest
• Slightly weaker match outcomes(?) with regards to neurosurgery. Some very strong matches, but those tend to be really unique people (Fulbrighter, Navy SEAL, MD PhD with C/N/S papers, etc.)
• Students seem to come out with less research

Summary: Having a tough time deciding between Hopkins vs. NYU. Would the difference in prestige and research opportunities make up for the difference in cost and convenience?

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[crokonite]

To me, very very negligible prestige gap. NYU is considered one of the power houses now and residency directors understand that NYU is among the top especially now... Additionally, NYU has an amazing neurosurgeon residency program which helps with opps! Neurosurgery is no easy path at either school but NYU would not hold you back at all - in fact the extra research time might even be beneficial. You'll have to work hard at either place but the prestige difference I think is very small.

Hopkins has plenty of benefits but it sounds like you'd be happier at NYU (location, closeness to home, student body, curriculum). With the price difference, I think it's a no-brainer!

 

[Saturday’s Child]

I would not necessarily view 1 year vs 1.5 year preclinicals as being a benefit to give you way more time for research down the line. You ideally want to start research ASAP since things take time to develop—the later you push that off in school, the less likely you are to have tangible results by the time you apply. 1 year preclinicals are supposedly jam-packed, making research difficult to squeeze in. 1.5 years allows some breathing room, and almost all Hopkins students start doing research as early as October of first year, giving them more time to see projects through to completion.

However, do consider that almost 100% of Hopkins students pursuing neurosurgery take a research gap year during medical school. I don’t know a single classmate who has applied neurosurgery and gone straight through in 4 years. It’s entirely optional but may be implicitly required in the department. It definitely bumps their publication number up and helps in the match, but it’s 1 extra year that you may or may not be stoked about doing. Would try to ask NYU about their neurosurgery students and see whether they follow a similar path.