- Joined
- Jun 24, 2014
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 36
Both schools have similar size in terms of class, both are new environments for me and it looks like tuition is gonna be similar for both since I'm OOS and from what I've read Virginia has strict laws on how one can be re-classified as a Virginia resident.
NYMC
Pros
Location - It's NY, which I never lived in, and it's close enough to Manhattan that I can visit when I want to but far enough that it's not smack dab middle of the city, which can get overwhelming for me. I visited in the fall and changing leaves in White Plains were also just gorgeous.
The school campus was appealing enough, and the school philosophy and mission focusing on the immediate needs of the patients really struck me in particular.
On campus housing - relatively cheaper cost compared to living off-campus, easy to get to know all your classmates, and just stress-free not to deal with landlords and utility bills and etc.
Cons
I've heard mixed opinions about White Plains? Someone described the city to me as oppressive and I have no idea what it means. From the interview day it also felt like it was a town a bit secluded from other nearby areas.
I'm also not sure how diverse the area overall and the patient population will be - from what I've seen it looks like it's a safe, but a bit boring neighborhood but I could be entirely wrong - I just don't know how to find out.
There's also the high cost of living in NY, but I don't know how expensive White Plains is compared to Manhattan, or to Richmond.
VCU
Pros
Ranking - It looks like VCU overall is higher ranked than NYMC, although I'm not sure based on what. It looks like it's the research and the student-faculty ratio that VCU triumphs NYMC that also factors into ranking? How important is medical school ranking for residencies?
Facilities - the hospital and the education center looked much more new and well-built compared to NYMC, and it looks like the VCU hospital definitely has a very diverse patient population, which I think would be helpful in my medical education.
I also remember being impressed with their curricular style.
Cons
Location - I'm not a huge fan of living in the middle of a city. I also wasn't too impressed with the city where the school is located - I heard Richmond is a growing and vibrant city so I could be wrong but my personal impression of the city on my interview day was that it's packed with short buildings with not much to do.
Housing - I really disliked having to look for apartments and dealing with landlords... it's already stressful just thinking about it and finding a slew of apartment and sublet posts on the FB group.
I think overall it's the education quality and location/style of living that concerns me - it looks like VCU might help me out more in education but I'd enjoy living in White Plains more than Richmond. At the same time I'm not familiar with either area and don't have a lot of opinions to reference from. If anyone is familiar with either or both schools/areas I would love your opinions. I would also love to know how important medical school rankings are, and if match lists really mean anything - my ultimate goal is to return to CA, but I've heard match lists are useless to find out how much chance one has to get into the residency they want.
Thanks!
NYMC
Pros
Location - It's NY, which I never lived in, and it's close enough to Manhattan that I can visit when I want to but far enough that it's not smack dab middle of the city, which can get overwhelming for me. I visited in the fall and changing leaves in White Plains were also just gorgeous.
The school campus was appealing enough, and the school philosophy and mission focusing on the immediate needs of the patients really struck me in particular.
On campus housing - relatively cheaper cost compared to living off-campus, easy to get to know all your classmates, and just stress-free not to deal with landlords and utility bills and etc.
Cons
I've heard mixed opinions about White Plains? Someone described the city to me as oppressive and I have no idea what it means. From the interview day it also felt like it was a town a bit secluded from other nearby areas.
I'm also not sure how diverse the area overall and the patient population will be - from what I've seen it looks like it's a safe, but a bit boring neighborhood but I could be entirely wrong - I just don't know how to find out.
There's also the high cost of living in NY, but I don't know how expensive White Plains is compared to Manhattan, or to Richmond.
VCU
Pros
Ranking - It looks like VCU overall is higher ranked than NYMC, although I'm not sure based on what. It looks like it's the research and the student-faculty ratio that VCU triumphs NYMC that also factors into ranking? How important is medical school ranking for residencies?
Facilities - the hospital and the education center looked much more new and well-built compared to NYMC, and it looks like the VCU hospital definitely has a very diverse patient population, which I think would be helpful in my medical education.
I also remember being impressed with their curricular style.
Cons
Location - I'm not a huge fan of living in the middle of a city. I also wasn't too impressed with the city where the school is located - I heard Richmond is a growing and vibrant city so I could be wrong but my personal impression of the city on my interview day was that it's packed with short buildings with not much to do.
Housing - I really disliked having to look for apartments and dealing with landlords... it's already stressful just thinking about it and finding a slew of apartment and sublet posts on the FB group.
I think overall it's the education quality and location/style of living that concerns me - it looks like VCU might help me out more in education but I'd enjoy living in White Plains more than Richmond. At the same time I'm not familiar with either area and don't have a lot of opinions to reference from. If anyone is familiar with either or both schools/areas I would love your opinions. I would also love to know how important medical school rankings are, and if match lists really mean anything - my ultimate goal is to return to CA, but I've heard match lists are useless to find out how much chance one has to get into the residency they want.
Thanks!
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