Can you expand more ont eh curriculum style (P/F or graded?? Traditional or organ system integrated curriculum or PBL??? Tertiary care centers or community based hospitals?? I'm guessing tertiary care proper academic hospitals??)
I feel like both are equal but in this case I'd choose AECOM regardless of price in a heartbeat based on its location in NYC (being in a real city vs. a college town is important to me and I loved the NE when I was in boston and visited NYC). I also like that AECOM is close to Mt. Sinai, Cornell, Columbia, and NYU and 4 hours away from harvard, probably like 2 hours away from Yale and a few hours from UPenn. Can't beat being in the middle of the NE or California where research and academic powerhouses are in high number.
But if cost prevents them from going there or the being against big city chaos I don't think it will hurt to go to UF because they are a big reputed academic institution in Florida that is also mid tier ranked and have a lot of well known programs affiliated with them.
I've talked at length about Einstein before but ill just say why i love it and answer your questions:
We are P/F first two years, no class rank. passing is 65%, although our class averages for exams are about low to mid 80's. Cirriculum is a mixed of traditional and organ systems. You have some basic sciences like anatomy, histology, and this huge first year course called MCFM (its a mix of genetics, immunology, biochem topics that they integrate into one course). After that it switches to organ systems half way through the year, starting with CV and renal. Case conferences and the usual stuff. Class time is 2 and a 1/2 hours worth of lecture in the morning usually 9-1145 with a 15 minute coffee break in the middle. Then a one to two hour lunch then some activity in the afternoon, a case conference, going to clinical sites, when anatomy hits you have labs scheduled, and some histo labs when you are taking histo. Get out usually no later then 3pm some and maybe one day a week when you are at your clinical sites it is until 3:30.
You take two courses at once, an exam once a month, before each exam you have study days off plus the course leaders always put together a review packet and do one review session for the whole course.
Was told USMLE ave. is low 230's with a pass rate of 99% (unfortunately there is always one person that has to screw up a perfect 100%).
Einstein has everything in terms of clinical sites, we are literally attached to Jacobi and Weiler which is nice b/c if you want to shadow or if you choose to do your rotations there they are just a 5 minute walk from housing. While Jacobi is county (trauma center for the bronx... ie freakin nuts) and Weiler is a private Einstein owned hospital, Weiler also has a huge underserved pt. population... just to give you an idea, i was on the Ob floor at Weiler one night and all like 15 patients were full term NONE had ever had prenatal care. Our university hospital is Montefiore, which is not just one hospital but basically is made up of two hospitals plus many different clinical sites all around the bronx (including tertiary care centers). Besides that we also have BI in Manhattan - if you do rotations down there you get a free apartment for the length of the whole rotation.
Besides that we also use St. barnabas, LIJ (we will continue to do so even with Hostra since they have many sites), bronx psychiatric hospital which is down the street, and one more stroke rehab hospital that is down the street too.
Coming from California it was nice for once i didn't need a car. Einstein provides free shuttles or taxi rides to clinical sites, express bus and buses to train stop right in front of our housing. If you want a car you can park it in a covered garage attached to the housing for 85/month (pretty cheap for NY) or you can street park it. Anyone who knows anything about the Bronx and NY knows the area the school is a very safe area compared to other big cities.
Housing hands down is the best in the country in terms of what you get for your money.
People always ask how is the Jewish feel, and sincerely as a non-Jew this place is great, you will notice the Jewish influence (ie kosher cafeteria, all the damn holidays you get off, usually classes out by noon on friday) but i don't think it bothers any of us non-Jewish people. And yes we make fun of it all the time in our skit night and its all good humor.
Here is our skit night:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AD7ECAFE5A675D62
Was lots of fun, lots of drinking, the professors came up and not only were in the films but did live skits as well.
But yes... again if Florida saves you 100k I would definitely think about the toal cost you will incur. Einstein does give awesome fin. aid with scholarship though, I know from personal experience.
Good luck with your decision and send me a pm if you have any questions.
