Emory vs Mount Sinai

[biscuit28]

Beyond thrilled about these choices but pretty torn!

Emory Pros:
- fell in love with the school culture and ~vibes~ during second look, really kind and cool students, already feel like i have friends
- extremely collaborative
- received the Woodruff scholarship (covers full tuition + 3k per year stipend; does not cover full COA)
- lots of time for Step 1 dedicated which ppl use to take vacation lol

Emory Cons:
- far from support system. my partner’s family is in the NE. my partner wants to pursue his MBA in the NE so there is a good chance we would do long distance my last 2 years of med school (he would come with me my first two years).

Icahn Pros:
- Amazing school; I do love NYC; it was my top choice before Emory wooed me.
- no need for a car
- Would be closer to support system and lesser likelihood of doing long distance with my partner
- also collaborative from what Ive heard?

Icahn Cons:
- Since I got in off the WL I feel extremely clueless about the school. I havent made friends, I dont know what the vibes are like, I have heard Sinai residency programs can be toxic so Idk if that trickles down to the med school??
- currently aid offer covers 75% tuition meaning I would take on an extra 80k of debt (for all 4 years); I did reach out to see if they could match Emory scholarship but obviously not guaranteed


Some more information about me/my thoughts:

- Aid is obviously a huge factor but I also recognize that I will be able to pay it down easily even if I go into a lower-paying specialty

- COL isn’t gonna be much different between the two considering I need a car for Atlanta and not NYC but NYC is obvs more expensive to simply exist so it kind of evens out

- As I said, having less information about Sinai makes this tough because Im sure there are many wonderful things about it but Im not as familiar with them. But that doesn’t mean they dont exist. So like what if I’d be equally happy at Sinai but I simlply dont have the time to know if thats the case for sure before I commit.

- I am mostly worried about fit and where I would be happiest. On one hand having a better shot at being near my partner (who is my support system) is huge, but so is going to a school where I felt genuinely appreciated and like I fit in well.


Thank y’all in advance 🥲

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[m1redsox]

I don't have much personal insight into either of these schools, but based on your pros/cons, I would go with Emory for these reasons:
1) Cheaper - no reason to take out loans if you don't need to
2) Better culture (I have also heard that the NYC programs can be toxic)
3) I personally believe Emory is the better school (despite what USWNR may say) because of the amazing associated hospitals and residency programs
4) Your partner has not been accepted to a desirable MBA program yet, meanwhile you have a full-tuition scholarship to an amazing med school. If he chooses to leave for a program in the NE, then that's his problem that he can decide to pursue later. For now, I firmly believe you need to do what's best for you (regardless of which school you choose)

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

Disclaimer: on the Sinai WL.

This is tough. If not for your SO then I would definitely say Emory because of that cost difference and because you definitely seem to like the school more and feel more appreciated there. I think my answer would come down to whether or not your partner is coming to Atlanta or doing an MBA in the NE. But also, where in the NE? Because if your partner will be in Boston or Maine while you’re in NY then that also wouldn’t be the most desirable and may influence my decision making process. I’m going to assume they’d get the MBA somewhere near the NYC region where it wouldn’t really be a long distance relationship for the point of my post.

If your partner was to pursue an MBA during your 4th year of med school then that would push me closer to Emory because I don’t think long distance would be do bad at that point in your life. But I definitely don’t know how I feel about a long distance relationship during rotations.

Sorry I couldn’t be of more help but I think it ultimately would come down to that thought process if I was in that position. Good luck!

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

I don't have much personal insight into either of these schools, but based on your pros/cons, I would go with Emory for these reasons:
1) Cheaper - no reason to take out loans if you don't need to
2) Better culture (I have also heard that the NYC programs can be toxic)
3) I personally believe Emory is the better school (despite what USWNR may say) because of the amazing associated hospitals and residency programs
4) Your partner has not been accepted to a desirable MBA program yet, meanwhile you have a full-tuition scholarship to an amazing med school. If he chooses to leave for a program in the NE, then that's his problem that he can decide to pursue later. For now, I firmly believe you need to do what's best for you (regardless of which school you choose)

I don’t know much about Emory so I won’t comment on 2 and 3, but I definitely agree with 1 and 4. Especially 4. In this very moment, I think the best thing for OP’s sake is Emory based on financials and where they’d feel happier. I don’t think a decision should be made on the potential of an MBA program that isn’t set in stone yet

 

[biscuit28]

Disclaimer: on the Sinai WL.

This is tough. If not for your SO then I would definitely say Emory because of that cost difference and because you definitely seem to like the school more and feel more appreciated there. I think my answer would come down to whether or not your partner is coming to Atlanta or doing an MBA in the NE. But also, where in the NE? Because if your partner will be in Boston or Maine while you’re in NY then that also wouldn’t be the most desirable and may influence my decision making process. I’m going to assume they’d get the MBA somewhere near the NYC region where it wouldn’t really be a long distance relationship for the point of my post.

If your partner was to pursue an MBA during your 4th year of med school then that would push me closer to Emory because I don’t think long distance would be do bad at that point in your life. But I definitely don’t know how I feel about a long distance relationship during rotations.

Sorry I couldn’t be of more help but I think it ultimately would come down to that thought process if I was in that position. Good luck!

Yeah so the MBA would be during my third and fourth year of med school which could be tough. And yeah the MBA could end up being anywhere technically. So I do ultimately have to make a choice just for me- but even still- NYC is my fave city and its closer to my support system. Idk😂😂 very tough decision

 

[m1redsox]

Yeah so the MBA would be during my third and fourth year of med school which could be tough. And yeah the MBA could end up being anywhere technically. So I do ultimately have to make a choice just for me- but even still- NYC is my fave city and its closer to my support system. Idk😂😂 very tough decision

Keep in mind that your 4th year of med school will be your easiest, and you can likely spend a lot of time away from Atlanta (ie you could do your virtual interviews from NYC along with an away rotation or two). Conversely, your 3rd year will be the most grueling, and you will not be spending much time at home with your SO at all. And if you are home, you'll be doing UWorld to prepare for your shelf exams and step 2.

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

Yeah so the MBA would be during my third and fourth year of med school which could be tough. And yeah the MBA could end up being anywhere technically. So I do ultimately have to make a choice just for me- but even still- NYC is my fave city and its closer to my support system. Idk very tough decision

Not sure how you feel about Atlanta because you didn’t mention anything in your cons other than the MBA and your SO’s family.

Do you think you’d be happy in Atlanta? If not then I would definitely go to Sinai. But if you’ve been there and can make it your home for 4 years and have your SO with you (which it seems like is the plan with no MBA set in stone right now), then I’d say go for Emory. No need to go into unnecessary debt and it definitely seems like you like the program at Emory much more than Sinai. That MD program is going to take up the majority of your life for the next 4 years so if you can go somewhere you’d be happy and save money then thats a win in my book

 

[liketb12]

not on the WL for either - easily Emory!

 

[riv_jordan]

Just to give Sinai a bit of boost, I've only heard great things about the culture and work-life balance there—I don't believe any NY residency toxicity seriously seeps down into the school. I think the fact that it's closer to your support system is significant. Even if your partner doesn't end up near you, being close to other people who can support you is great. Also, NYC is amazing and Sinai's subsidized apartments + no need for a car make COL relatively manageable. Also, I'm assuming you're from the NE. Would you want to stay there for residency? It might be a little easier to do so from Sinai. But realistically, you're options are wide open at both schools.

The financial aid piece is of course significant and tbh I think it's fair to choose Emory just for that reason. But as you stated, an 80K difference across four years isn't that much in the long term. And if Sinai is able to match, then it for sure has my vote.

 

[biscuit28]

Not sure how you feel about Atlanta because you didn’t mention anything in your cons other than the MBA and your SO’s family.

Do you think you’d be happy in Atlanta? If not then I would definitely go to Sinai. But if you’ve been there and can make it your home for 4 years and have your SO with you (which it seems like is the plan with no MBA set in stone right now), then I’d say go for Emory. No need to go into unnecessary debt and it definitely seems like you like the program at Emory much more than Sinai. That MD program is going to take up the majority of your life for the next 4 years so if you can go somewhere you’d be happy and save money then thats a win in my book

Good question. I think I’d be very happy in Atlanta. But I also would be happy in NYC. I could very well be heads over heel in love with Sinai too I just don’t know because I didn’t go to second look. Ive talked to a few ppl who did go though and they seem to feel the same way about it as I felt about Emory. But I gotta also talk to current students

 

[biscuit28]

Just to give Sinai a bit of boost, I've only heard great things about the culture and work-life balance at Sinai—I don't believe any NY residency toxicity seriously seeps down into the school. I think the fact that it's closer to your support system is signicant. Even if your partner doesn't end up near you, being close to other people who can support you is great. Also, NYC is amazing and Sinai's subsidized apartments + no need for a car make COL relatively manageable. Also, I'm assuming you're from the NE. Would you want to stay there for residency? It might be a little easier to do so from Sinai. But realistically, you're options are wide open at both schools.

The financial aid piece is of course significant and tbh I think it's fair to choose Emory just for that reason. But as you stated, an 80K difference across four years isn't that much in the long term. And if Sinai is able to match, then it for sure has my vote.

Thank you for this Yeah I think since Emory was so great I imagined it might be hard to beat but I recognize there’s a really good chance I would love at Sinai too. If Sinai matches aid I think it’s more reasonable to choose Sinai since the only thing holding me back really is “what if the vibes are off” 😂😂😂