Vanderbilt v. Mt. Sinai

[Dr Gerrard]

I know there are some of these in the search, but I want to get some updated opinions.

Cost: Lets say its a negligible difference

Location: Love NYC, but I am from the South, loved Nashville too. NYC is really cool, but also very hectic. I get both the big city and small city feel from Nashville.

Students: Got a better feel from the students at Vanderbilt, seemed a lot friendlier. My host as Sinai played video games in his room while I was there. But I stayed there two nights and the second set of hosts were awesome.

Curriculum: ??? I know both are pass/fail

Facilities: Vanderbilt's hospital system I think is much better, one of the best in the southeast. Sinai would have to share their patient population with many many other great hospitals.

Dual Degrees: I want an MD/MBA or MD/Masters in Bioethics. Vanderbilt doesn't even offer the second option, Sinai does. An MBA from Vanderbilt isn't anything special either.

Family/Friends: Vanderbilt is an 8 hour drive from my family, NYC would be a 2-3 hour flight. I'd say this is a negligible difference.

So.. what do you guys think?!

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[Dr Gerrard]

wow sinai is doing much better than i expected. i am slightly leaning towards vanderbilt.

those who chose sinai.. care to elaborate?

 

[90minIPA]

I'd pick vandy in a heart beat. Big name, great home residency programs and happy students. Also, keep in mind that being a med student in NYC will substantially affect your ability to enjoy what the city has to offer.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

yeah i was all for vanderbilt until just recently. i am still absolutely in love with the place, but i also really like mt. sinai now and don't think i should just dismiss it like i was doing before

mt. sinai is winning in the polls, but im still curious as to what sinai might have that vanderbilt doesn't, except the nyc location.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

maybe i shouldn't have made this a poll haha.

anyone have any other pros/cons for these schools?

 

[operaman]

Not much to add about the schools themselves; both great programs.

Did want to add that southwest now flies into GSP and CHS out of both NYC and BNA(nashville). These are also some of the cheapest routes with fares often between 39-59 each way. In both cases it works out to be cheaper/equivalent to driving, so for all intents and purposes you're just as close to home either way. Also, driving from NYC to anywhere in SC is not THAT much longer than from nash unless you hit some nasty traffic. I've done it many times and best times are ~10-11 hours with the worst being 20 hours once in a blizzard(it sucked). From nashville it's 8-10 hours to most SC locations.

I know you said this was negligible but thought I'd toss it in there, especially the Southwest airlines part in case you hadn't heard yet. Those routes actually started flying within the last 2 weeks.

Good luck and congrats on such great acceptances!

 

[jbz24]

yeah i was all for vanderbilt until just recently. i am still absolutely in love with the place, but i also really like mt. sinai now and don't think i should just dismiss it like i was doing before

mt. sinai is winning in the polls, but im still curious as to what sinai might have that vanderbilt doesn't, except the nyc location.

Where do you want to end up after med school?

I don't think one school will offer anything that the other school doesn't, but they are in very different locations, serve very different patient populations.

I wouldn't worry too much about the cost of living in NYC (it will be more expensive than Nashville but completely doable); I'd focus more on fit and location.

 

[HakeeMD]

The most important factors in picking a school are cost followed by location at least in my opinion. I know you've probably heard this before but go to the place where you think you'll be most happy living for the next four years as long as it's not prohibitively expensive(>200K debt). I believe ButImLETired had the same dilemma a few years back so perhaps you could PM her (might be a bit biased lol).

Btw second looks ideally should make the choice easier, and if not at least it'll make for a better thought out decision.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

I really kind of want to go to the west coast... not sure if this means anything

i'll definitely go to the vanderbilt second look, won't be able to make it to the mt. sinai second look

in terms of fit, i'd say i could fit in just about anywhere. i liked both people equally

 

[T1R3KO]

FWIW, Sinai has incredibly cheap housing for NYC @ $550/month.

 

[gravitywave]

Vandy, hands down. you know this already. the reason sinai is so close in the poll is because of the NorthEast bias on these forums. how many of you who voted have actually ever been to Nashville? (I say this as a person with absolutely no connection to the South)

why on earth do you want an MBA?

 

[Dr Gerrard]

mba because my dad owns a business and i think it would be really helpful if i ever wanted to take it over on the side or start my own practice.

plus i feel like business knowledge is always good to have in any field

 

[mdeast]

mba because my dad owns a business and i think it would be really helpful if i ever wanted to take it over on the side or start my own practice.

plus i feel like business knowledge is always good to have in any field

Your MBA won't really teach you how to run a practice. A better tool might be working for a year in a practice (and getting paid for it).

I think the MD/MBA can be a useful degree if you have a particular purpose for it before entering into it. "It's always good to have" is not one of them. If you're interested in biotech development and/or venture capital then yes. If you're interested in Med Business/Healthcare Administration...wait until after your fellowship or residency once you have a clear idea of what you want to do with your clinical career. A executive MBA is often just as good and usually free (the hospital pays for it, etc.)...and probably more relevant because you'll have a clear purpose and actual relevant experience in the field to use both during and after your degree.

 

[KPCOFGS]

I interviewed at both and I have to say, based on the feel of the school at the interview day, I liked Vandy more. However, I'm leaning towards Mount Sinai in my case because of location--but if it doesn't matter for you, I'd say Vanderbilt sounds like your best bet, especially for your situation.

 

[yankeesmed]

Also, keep in mind that being a med student in NYC will substantially affect your ability to enjoy what the city has to offer.

I am NYC native but I would choose Vandy most likely because of its university setting and change of atmosphere.

However, the quoted statement is way off. Being a med student in NYC would not hinder your ability to "enjoy what the city has to offer." New York City is accessible, convenient, and extremely livable. There are tons of busy people in this city and the city has much to offer them. I'm not sure what you think would be unable to be enjoyed as a med student.

Being a busy med student will actually enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of living in a city where you can do anything you want anywhere at any time. I am not one to tout New York City as "the best" or "the only" place to be, but I am well aware of what this city is. It is an ideal place for a busy person.

Things you would enjoy about living at Mount Sinai:

Maharaja Palace, the Indian restaurant a few blocks away that has a great lunch buffet every day and a great takeout lunch deal (5.95 plus tax for two entrees, rice, and naan.)

Amazing Korean-run deli open 24 hrs with a great grill and an even better hot bar and salad bar across the street from where you live.

Central Park a block away, a place to lay down on a blanket and take a nap in the sun or study or zone out.

Convenience stores on every corner that you can walk to instantly to get what you need.

Seamlessweb allowing you to order delivery from a million different types of restaurants straight from your couch. I recommend Hokkaido's lunch special--a massive serving of good Japanese food for under 10 bucks.

The ability to walk down any avenue and in 30 minutes be in an entirely different universe.

A subway a few blocks away that will take you to wherever you need to go.

The fact that while you are going to do your errands you can study on the train instead of wasting time holding a steering wheel.

The fact that you will never be missing out on anything in this city because everything is a dime a dozen. So you missed Roger Waters playing the Wall at Madison Square Garden because you had to study for an exam? Oh well, you'll catch Elton John the next week instead. Fair trade. Your favorite band came through but you were on call? Another great band is playing Saturday night, no big deal. For every "must-see" event, there is another one the next day. There is no pressure and no rush to enjoy anything. You can enjoy the city at your leisure and when it is convenient for you. You can do things casually that would be a "big deal" in smaller towns.

Beautiful women surrounding you on every block (my favorite part about New York City.) They are everywhere.

There are reasons one would choose not to live in New York City. Fear of not being able to enjoy what it has to offer is not one of those reasons. You can't avoid what this city has to offer.




. . . I would like to see Nashville, though. Sounds like a cool place.

 

[yankeesmed]

BTW Dr. Gerrard, congrats on two amazing choices. They are both the right place. There is no wrong decision when weighing Mount Sinai vs. Vanderbilt.

I have this unfounded romantic view of Vanderbilt and Nashville. I get good vibes from that place. I was hoping to have a chance to visit, but it didn't work out. I also love the SEC (college sports) and I'm going to really miss that since I'm going to school in NYC. At least I have the Yankees and Knicks (Giants are too expensive to enjoy).

As someone with a lot of experience in NYC and Mount Sinai in particular and ZERO experience with Vanderbilt and Nashville besides my undergrad college repeatedly destroying Vanderbilt in basketball and football, I say choose Vanderbilt. It is certainly a case of the grass being greener on the other side for me.

If you ever want to experience life in NYC, though, now is the time to do it. You are being offered 4 years of living in NYC and if it was ever a dream of yours, you don't need to worry about "not enjoying it." You WILL have free time in med school and in NYC there is guaranteed to be PLENTY to do ANY TIME you stumble into some free time.

And to answer your questions about the actual med school itself, I can tell you from experience that Mount Sinai is a legit top of the line hospital that you will feel privileged to have access to. The patients are very sick and there is so much to learn. Mount Sinai is a thriving hospital and they are building a new translational research building that you will most likely have the opportunity to take advantage of in a year or two. It's also convenient because the clinical rotations are mostly at the Manhattan campus and you have everything in one place. From the psych ward to the cardiac cath lab, it's all at your fingertips, just a block away from your apartment. The only thing I feel is missing from Mount Sinai is that university feel. There isn't even a true bookstore--just a hole in the wall that sells a few things. It definitely feels like a hospital first, school second. Not the worst thing in the world if your goal is to work at a hospital.

 

[90minIPA]

---snip---.

Regarding the dispute over the quoted text, I simply have to disagree with you. Most things worth doing in NYC or any other great city require time and money, both of which are rare commodities to med students. If you come from wealth and manage to handle your academics very efficiently, it may be a diff story.

I've lived in Boston/Philly/NYC all of my life, as both a student and a busy professional (60 hr/wk). FWIW, I've enjoyed my experience as a professional FAR more than as a student.

Also, you need to realize that city parks, cheap ethnic cuisine, beautiful women and musical attractions are a dime a dozen. Every city has them, including Nashville. This board has a lot of pre-med's romanticizing "big city life" in NYC, but at the end of the day, it's just a city.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

thanks for all of the opinions everyone! its really helpful seeing two different sides.

but it seems as though most of the people that actually commented would choose vanderbilt, even yankeesmed who wrote an extremely convincing view of what nyc would have to offer even as a medical student.

still, sinai is somehow winning in the poll. again, i am leaning towards vanderbilt for sure.

another thing i didn't really like about sinai is when i was there, some of the roommates of my student host seemed really bitter about the nearby ivy med schools and kept talking down places like columbia. not a really good feel.

 

[Geekchick921]

I did not apply to either of these schools, but MSSM was on my list before I decided to just apply locally. NYC would win out over Nashville any day of the week for me.

That said, your OP sounds to me like you liked Vandy more, with the exception of the dual degree programs.

 

[yankeesmed]

thanks for all of the opinions everyone! its really helpful seeing two different sides.

but it seems as though most of the people that actually commented would choose vanderbilt, even yankeesmed who wrote an extremely convincing view of what nyc would have to offer even as a medical student.

still, sinai is somehow winning in the poll. again, i am leaning towards vanderbilt for sure.

another thing i didn't really like about sinai is when i was there, some of the roommates of my student host seemed really bitter about the nearby ivy med schools and kept talking down places like columbia. not a really good feel.

You are perceptive for picking that up. The entire Mount Sinai institution breeds a culture of trying to be "the best," to compete with "the best," etc. In the orientation for all Mount Sinai employees, they talk about how they are ranked #18 and want to keep moving up. Mount Sinai doesn't have the pedigree of NYU, Cornell, or Columbia, but it has its sights set on beating them. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it is what drives the medical center to do things like build a translational research building and hire the best physicians. You do, however, get that "ivy or bust" feel from some people. The last place I want to be is where failed "ivy or bust" applicants end up. Obviously, a class of 100+ will have your good folks and not so good. Mount Sinai is an ambitious medical center run by very good businessmen and health care professionals. You will feel that push to be "elite." Some might say they have already achieved it.

 

[yankeesmed]

NYC would win out over Nashville any day of the week for me.

Gerrard, if you do choose Vandy I would recommend thoroughly evaluating what it will mean to choose Nashville over New York. You will definitely like living in Manhattan, so that's not an issue. You should have a very good reason to decide not to live in New York City for the next four years, especially when you have a top institution inviting you to live there. For me, that reason would be to try something new. You can't use that reason--you're already from the South. You have seen both places. You know where you felt happier. Vandy is probably the better school. NYC is definitely the more beneficial place to live. Now you have to determine if you are willing to sacrifice the shelter and tradition of Vanderbilt University for the social and professional growth and development you will receive from living in New York City for four years, not to mention the ease of living (all the conveniences surrounding you in New York City).

It's such a hard choice. I can't even imagine where I would choose and I would feel like I was missing out on so much no matter which I chose. This is a predicament that some people would kill for, though. Your pre-MCAT, pre-"AMCAS verified" self would be jumping for joy at this dilemma.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

what do you mean NYC would be more beneficial? What growth would I see living in NYC as a medical student that I wouldn't see elsewhere?

Thats a completely honest question by the way. I just figured the difference in location would come down to social life and neither would affect my career in any way except in terms of it would be easier to match in the NE from sinai and the south from Vanderbilt. BUt since I want to go to the west coast, i feel like this isn't a big issue.

A completely unrelated note is that the day I interviewed at Sinai, I also found out I was deferred from michigan and continued at chicago.. both of which kind of upset me. it was also very gloomy with on and off rain. on the contrary, my interview day at nashville was a beautiful sunny day and my very first interview. this is unfair for sinai which is why i am still kind of looking for objective reasons it may be better than vanderbilt.

 

[yankeesmed]

what do you mean NYC would be more beneficial? What growth would I see living in NYC as a medical student that I wouldn't see elsewhere?

Thats a completely honest question by the way. I just figured the difference in location would come down to social life and neither would affect my career in any way except in terms of it would be easier to match in the NE from sinai and the south from Vanderbilt. BUt since I want to go to the west coast, i feel like this isn't a big issue.

A completely unrelated note is that the day I interviewed at Sinai, I also found out I was deferred from michigan and continued at chicago.. both of which kind of upset me. it was also very gloomy with on and off rain. on the contrary, my interview day at nashville was a beautiful sunny day and my very first interview. this is unfair for sinai which is why i am still kind of looking for objective reasons it may be better than vanderbilt.

New York City will develop you as a person, not just a medical student. You will be living alongside every type of person under the sun in one of the centers of the world (London, New York, Tokyo, Bombay, etc.) Living here will build your character, your confidence, your resourcefulness, your adventurousness, your recreational interests, etc. It is a remarkable city to live in. I lived in a small southern college town for undergrad and I'm glad I got to experience that. I found that everything I liked about this small town were things that resembled my life in New York, ie being able to walk places, good places to eat, etc. I have visited many places, transferred in undergrad so have lived in two southern cities, and I marvel every day at how lucky I am to live in a place like New York City. I feel spoiled every day when I get out of work because of what I get to walk out of the door into. This is how you will 100% feel living on 98th street and Madison Avenue. I guarantee it.

Again, your decision is a very difficult one. I am pretty positive I would choose Vanderbilt. Unlike you, though, if I went to Vanderbilt I would be coming home to New York for school breaks, etc.

After living in New York City for four years, you will have received a tangible education that will mold you as a person and a professional.

You can't go to Vanderbilt and live in New York City, unfortunately.


Edit--if it was between Downstate and Vanderbilt, I do not think what you would gain from New York city would be worth sacrificing in terms of quality of school. However, we are talking about Mount Sinai and Vanderbilt. Mount Sinai is an outstanding place to study medicine and the difference between the two medical schools is not measurable and will vary between who you speak to. You are pretty much comparing Amazing School A vs. Amazing School B. This gives you the luxury of considering geography and cost when making your final decision.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

so is all of the mt. sinai love coming from the fact that it is in nyc?

also, and this is only from my personal perspective and is very biased, due to the horrible weather, bad news from other schools, etc. but mt. sinai did not really feel like a top school when i went there. maybe its because of the direct competition those students feel with the two ivies in NYC.

vanderbilt, being the one of the 3 most well known schools in the southeast (along with emory and duke), kind of held its own as a school and gave me a much better feel.

one student at mt. sinai said he went there because it was the best place he got into.
the students at vanderbilt seemed to want to go there much more.

 

[gravitywave]

I did not apply to either of these schools, but MSSM was on my list before I decided to just apply locally. NYC would win out over Nashville any day of the week for me.

That said, your OP sounds to me like you liked Vandy more, with the exception of the dual degree programs.

and odds are good that OP will recognize the folly of dual degree in due course, so it's nearly a moot point.

awesome discussion all around though, these threads aren't usually this high quality

 

[yankeesmed]

so is all of the mt. sinai love coming from the fact that it is in nyc?

also, and this is only from my personal perspective and is very biased, due to the horrible weather, bad news from other schools, etc. but mt. sinai did not really feel like a top school when i went there. maybe its because of the direct competition those students feel with the two ivies in NYC.

vanderbilt, being the one of the 3 most well known schools in the southeast (along with emory and duke), kind of held its own as a school and gave me a much better feel.

one student at mt. sinai said he went there because it was the best place he got into.
the students at vanderbilt seemed to want to go there much more.

Mount Sinai is a self-made academic medicine powerhouse without the help of an affiliated university. The institution's prowess in business and health care have made it a giant in a city already dominated by giants.

You are right--Mount Sinai doesn't feel like a top school. Instead, it feels like a top medical center.

Vanderbilt is a top university. It has history, tradition, and resources beyond its medical school.

Part of me wanted to go to a med school that is part of a big university. However, college life gets old after four years and going to a med school with New York City as the main campus is more conducive to developing a life outside of medical school.

Good luck with your choice, Gerrard. You have two golden opportunities. They are both so different. Both will provide you with comparable career opportunities. It is the opportunities outside of the classroom that will differ. It sounds like going to Sinai would be stepping out of your comfort zone a bit. Vanderbilt would be cozy. Mount Sinai would be life-changing.

 

[Dr Gerrard]

does sinai have any advantages to vanderbilt in terms of actual medical school?

location seems to be obvious

does anyone really prefer sinai's curriculum? i'm not even sure what kind of curriculum they have haha

 

[BrainBuff]

When I started the cycle I applied to four schools in NYC just because I loved New York and all the city has to offer. However, after visiting other schools I felt that I would not really enjoy being a "student" in NYC, so I am going elsewhere. For residency (working) it may be a different story. We'll see?

 

[losthope12]

Mount Sinai is a self-made academic medicine powerhouse without the help of an affiliated university. The institution's prowess in business and health care have made it a giant in a city already dominated by giants.

You are right--Mount Sinai doesn't feel like a top school. Instead, it feels like a top medical center.

That statement is slightly false. Mount Sinai has been a NYU affiliated school for a very long time, depending on NYU's resources for quite a while. Mount Sinai was called the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University since its beginning until, I believe, this school year, where they have finally become a stand alone institution.

Funny how Sinai has surpassed NYU in many ways including ranking.

But I would go Sinai because of its curriculum, location in NYC, resources, research...etc. (I'm Sinai biased because I will be attending this fall.)

And if you care about ranking, Mount Sinai is definitely positioning itself to move up. Once the translational research building is complete in 2012/2013, NIH funding will probably pour in = higher ranking.

 

[Rzarecta]

That statement is slightly false. Mount Sinai has been a NYU affiliated school for a very long time, depending on NYU's resources for quite a while. Mount Sinai was called the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University since its beginning until, I believe, this school year, where they have finally become a stand alone institution.

Funny how Sinai has surpassed NYU in many ways including ranking.

But I would go Sinai because of its curriculum, location in NYC, resources, research...etc. (I'm Sinai biased because I will be attending this fall.)

And if you care about ranking, Mount Sinai is definitely positioning itself to move up. Once the translational research building is complete in 2012/2013, NIH funding will probably pour in = higher ranking.

Actually Mt. Sinai was initially afilliated with the CUNY system and then NYU. In 2010 it became stand alone.

 

[karayraisu]

You are perceptive for picking that up. The entire Mount Sinai institution breeds a culture of trying to be "the best," to compete with "the best," etc. In the orientation for all Mount Sinai employees, they talk about how they are ranked #18 and want to keep moving up. Mount Sinai doesn't have the pedigree of NYU, Cornell, or Columbia, but it has its sights set on beating them. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it is what drives the medical center to do things like build a translational research building and hire the best physicians.

This is extremely true about Sinai. Personally, I don't see it as a bad thing. It's like making an investment or placing bets on the #3 horse at the races. This kind of ambition may mean that the "prestige" attached to your degree may mean something very different in just 10-15 years. (tangent: this also applies to Brown Med, by the way, if anyone is thinking about that)

I actually think there's nothing worse than going to a med school that seems to be staying stagnant in the way that they are doing things. I wouldn't go there even if it is ranked highly right now.

(I didn't interview at Columbia, but for me, Sinai >> Cornell. I think Cornell is a bit overrated. If you think that Sinai med students have an inferiority complex about Ivies, then I think Cornell students have a superiority complex in thinking that they are Ivy League med students...which is arguably worse, IMO)

 

[karayraisu]

I don't want to edit the post above, so I'll post other thoughts here:

I don't see the posts about NYC in this thread as "romanticizing" NYC. I actually had the opposite reaction until I lived in NYC for three months - I used to think NYC as primarily 1) dirty, 2) overcrowded, 3) too many tourists, but when I lived there (and I lived on the LES, which is just as 1) and 2)...maybe not 3) ), I finally realized all the things the City could offer. As someone who had never lived in urban areas with less than a million people, NYC is actually the perfect place for me.

Ultimately, you should also think about where you want to end up. If you look at Sinai's match list, they match very heavily to NYC, so you may need to be mentally prepared to stay in large urban areas for awhile if you go to Sinai. I don't know what the Vandy match list looks like.

Another minor thing that you should consider about Sinai that I thought was very unique was their self-scheduled, unproctored exam system. I don't know whether you view that as a pro or a con.

 

[bucks2010]

Glad you guys could shed some light on NY for someone who's never been there.

 

[ButImLETired]

The most important factors in picking a school are cost followed by location at least in my opinion. I know you've probably heard this before but go to the place where you think you'll be most happy living for the next four years as long as it's not prohibitively expensive(>200K debt). I believe ButImLETired had the same dilemma a few years back so perhaps you could PM her (might be a bit biased lol).

Btw second looks ideally should make the choice easier, and if not at least it'll make for a better thought out decision.

I did actually have this exact same dilemma, and yeah I'm definitely a little biased since I picked Vandy, but I do acknowledge that it was an incredibly difficult decision.

The schools actually seem to attract a lot of the same people- a really big variety of folks with interesting backgrounds, a lot of liberal arts people, etc (to be fair, I think Sinai had a slightly greater liberal arts bend but it may have to do with the people I met when I was there). They also have a very friendly feel. Both places feel oddly "warm" unlike really all the other schools where I interviewed.

I can't really tell you what to do in this case because it's actually tougher than people make it seem. I LOVED Sinai. It was a great fit for me as far as its mission, its patient population and the people I met. However, I've lived in NYC before and I actually hate NYC. It's dirty, messy, loud, I always feel like I'm gonna get hit by a car, and because Sinai doesn't have a campus you really can't escape it. I feel like if it was connected to a nice green campus it would be different, but it isn't. I love college campuses- love the tree-lined streets and little cafes nearby and big libraries and the really sweet academic resources (Vandy has a ton of money, which has definitely come in handy). I didn't like that at Sinai I was basically in the hospital, all day, every day. I'd go home to live with med students, then go outside in the hustle and bustle and walk a block back to school. You don't see very many people who are not somehow involved with Sinai specifically and medicine in general. That would really stress me out.

Academically, I think we're probably pretty close. I don't really think there's much of a difference within the "top 20" or whatever, no matter how much people tell me otherwise, besides research money. I don't think our teaching is any better or worse than the teaching anywhere else on the list. That being said, our hospital is fantastic (I'm sure Sinai is too, I just know our own). We have a huge and awesome Children's Hospital, a brand new critical care tower, a big outpatient facility, a VA on campus and of course VUH. It's a BIG hospital, and we're the only med school to use it so we basically have the run of the place. Our Emergency Department is one of the best in the country and we're super busy cause we have a huge catchment area. We're the tertiary center for just about everywhere in the SE (I've met patients from all over TN, Kentucky, some parts of Indiana etc). Our children's hospital is amazing, and we have the only children's emergency room in Nashville (maybe middle TN?) and we're sent the sickest kids cause we're also the best around. In general, after coming from a college that had a big Ivy envy issue, it's nice to be somewhere you can really be proud of calling your school. No, we don't have the cache of Harvard with the common folk, but really neither does Hopkins and they're not exactly lacking in ego. You tell someone around here that you're a Vandy student, they look at you differently. You tell anyone in the medical community in the SE that you're a Vandy med student, and they REALLY look at you differently. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that. I don't know that we'd have quite the same experience if we were sharing a tiny island with a lot of other top-notch institutions. We never really compare ourselves to anyone else cause we're it around here.

Now, as for location. I'm a big, big fan of moving all around the country (I came to Nashville in part cause I thought it'd be fun to live somewhere new for a while) so I certainly understand the appeal of living in the city. As I said, I don't like NYC for myself, but I had to live there to realize it. Either way, it's a BIG adjustment. And to whomever said that the "cost difference isn't that big a deal"- that's absolutely laughable. Yes, the Sinai dorm is super cheap for its location. But NYC as a whole IS NOT. It is HARD to enjoy the city when you're poor. Maybe I'm not that fantastic a bargain shopper, but I'm not willing to get on a subway and go heaven knows where to find where the cheapest produce is- I honestly just don't have the time for that right now. I live in a one bedroom apartment (not really an option at Sinai btw, and I really wanted to live alone- this was another huge draw for me) a block away from a grocery store and two blocks away from Vandy. Driving downtown takes me 5-10 minutes and from there you can walk anywhere. Yes, you need a car here. Yes, that's a concession- I had to buy a car before coming here. If you're big on public transport, this is definitely not the school for you. That being said, I get in a car maybe once every 2 weeks to get groceries and that's just because I don't want to carry heavy bags. There's plenty within walking distance of my apartment and Vandy so I never have to drive anywhere, really.

I could tell you about how much I love my professors and classmates and how utterly awesome our administration is, how our grads match anywhere they want to go (yes, including NYC) and how straight up nice and happy our residents and attendings are, but honestly, this may be just as true at Sinai. I love my school and think anyone would be lucky to attend, but I accept that this place isn't perfect for everyone. If you choose Sinai, that's totally a reasonable choice, it's a great school and I struggled with it too.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[Dr Gerrard]

thanks everyone!
now i just need to factor in costs

 

[MVKC7210]

Hey, this thread has proven very helpful to me as well! I am deciding between Vanderbilt, Pitt and NYU as of right now and these positive impressions of Vanderbilt have swayed me, a north easterner, more towards Vanderbilt (though I am still going to go to second look). I get the impression also that residency match for Vanderbilt is a little more global (meaning schools outside of Vanderbilt including other elite programs), whereas the NY schools seem to keep people in NY more (maybe because they love NY so much) and that though the clinical opportunities at Vanderbilt versus the NY schools are comparable due to the fact the Vandy dominates the South and NY is such a melting pot, the research opportunities at Vandy compared to Pitt, NYU, Mt. Sinai and Einstein (not so much compared to Columbia and Cornell) are greater. Opinions anyone?

 

[JokerMD]

the research opportunities at Vandy compared to Pitt

i HIGHLY doubt vandy has more research opportunities than pitt

 

[HakeeMD]

i HIGHLY doubt vandy has more research opportunities than pitt

I'd give Pitt the slight edge here. That said, Vandy still does a ton of research even though they don't necessarily expect students to do hardcore research.

 

[NYBills987]

Hey, this thread has proven very helpful to me as well! I am deciding between Vanderbilt, Pitt and NYU as of right now and these positive impressions of Vanderbilt have swayed me, a north easterner, more towards Vanderbilt (though I am still going to go to second look). I get the impression also that residency match for Vanderbilt is a little more global (meaning schools outside of Vanderbilt including other elite programs), whereas the NY schools seem to keep people in NY more (maybe because they love NY so much) and that though the clinical opportunities at Vanderbilt versus the NY schools are comparable due to the fact the Vandy dominates the South and NY is such a melting pot, the research opportunities at Vandy compared to Pitt, NYU, Mt. Sinai and Einstein (not so much compared to Columbia and Cornell) are greater. Opinions anyone?

You seem to be ruling out Pitt in this statement.. are you down to being between Vandy and NYU?

 

[MVKC7210]

I have more of a perspective on the research in my fields of interest (neurology, neuroscience, psychiartry, infectious diseases) than the other medical research fields so I cannot judge those as much. But I've read more exciting papers in these fields from researchers at Vanderbilt than at the other two (though I know NYU has been trying do as much as possible to improve that, particularly for neuroscience). The main reason why Pitt weighs into my decision making is because it is such a phenomenal school and it is closer to home than Vandy or NYU. I haven't eliminated it, but I am leaning more and more towards Vandy because of the overall education and atmosphere. NYU intrigues me too because of the city and the overall desire to improve in areas of medical interest to me.