Planning to go into neuro...would Albany or NYMC be better for med school?

[Liz10185]

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I'd like to go into neurology (maybe epilepsy) and am planning to do research as part of my career. I got accepted for medical school to Albany and New York Medical College, and am pretty torn on which school to go to. Does anyone have any insight on which has the stronger neuro dept./better reputation?
Thank you very much!

Also here's the 2006 Match info for Neurology:
Albany: 4
Brown
Thomas Jefferson
Medical University of South Carolina

NYMC: 6 (I believe they have a larger class size)
AECoM North Shore - LIJ 1
New York University-NY 1
St. Vincent's Medical Center-NY 1
U Colorado 1
U Maryland 1
Yale University-CT 1

 

[ChildNeuro]

I would research each school by talking to current students, looking on the internet to see which has what you are looking for in a basic medical school. Such as, is the area one in which you would like to spend the next four years of your life. Secondly, if you do have a specific research area does the school do the type of research that you are interested in? Obviously, both schools will get you to neurology residency and research opportunities, but alot of how well you do depends on how well you like the school you have choosen. If you are a city girl, i.e. don't mind living in NYC, then this might be a good choice for you, also there are multiple med schools in NYC, and numerous national conferences, so potentially you could do more networking in New York, and it might be easier logistic-wise to do an elective at another NYC med school. However, if you like a more suburban/urban environment slightly away from the hustle and bustle, then Albany might be the choice for you. I would write down a list of your must-haves and pet-peeves, talk to students at both schools and find out what they don't and do like about their schools and compare to your list. If one school has that gym/library that you absolutley love, then maybe you should go there, because you will be spending alot of time at whatever school you choose.

 

[ChildNeuro]

Addendum- Also, see what sort of research tracks are offered at each school, at the best schools like Harvard the majority of med students spend 5 years because there are excellent research/public health tracks. Try to get a feel of the funding available for research, and the ease of setting it up. In some schools the students don't do alot of research, and you might want to be where you would have a good group of fellow med students interested in research. Also, if you are MD/PhD inclinded, some schools will let you transfer in after year 2 basic sciences, so now that you are in you might want to know what the possibilities are at each school, some schools won't let you do this or are not very helpful. This is just a plan B in case that your research project during summer between year 1 and 2 turns out well, you love the cloister of labs you were in, and you want to pursue it further. Best to call the schools and get the information from the source.

 

[OldGrayMatter]

I sent you a private message.

 

[ariwax]

Albany's neuro residency program is regarded by some as being better in certain ways than NYMC's. As far as getting a fellowship or a job, it is probably all a wash in the end, but you do have a better chance at matching into your home institution's residency program. For what it's worth.