I'd like to comment on a theme that seems to continuously arise when talking about Columbia, i.e., the surrounding neighborhood as "miserable." As someone who's originally from NY, who has attended college here for the past four years, and who has an unabashed and self-professed romantic obsession with P&S
, my views are, of course, slanted, but Washington Heights is by no means "miserable." It's a New York neighborhood, in which you have opportunities to effect change and make a difference.
NYU is in a flashy area near midtown, which to many represents the glamourous idea of New York that tourists often embrace. I can understand the appeal that such an area would have for people coming to New York for the first time, and in this respect I can definitely understand the difficulty of your decision, Scooby! But please also consider that medical school isn't exactly a four-year vacation. You'll be living, studying, working in this environment. Personally, I've found that in time, the bedazzlement with the flashier parts of the City begins to fade. . .
Washington Heights is not nearly as "bad" as some other areas of the City, and yet it still offers you the opportunity to work with an underprivileged community. The patients who come through Columbia Pres have a unique array of conditions that you would not see at hospitals affiliated with Cornell, etc., and partly as such the clinical experience is very strong. And when you want the more upscale delights of Manhattan, the 1 & A trains are right there, as is a shuttle that brings you to Morningside Heights in 15 minutes.
I'm very biased where this topic is concerned, b/c for the past few years the glaringly blatant line between the impoverished and the wealthy -- and the lack of compassion on the part of the latter -- in the Upper West Side, etc., has troubled me, and I've wanted to become more involved with underprivileged communities. Thus, Washington Heights, for me, represents a special opportunity, and a chance to learn. I like Columbia in part BECAUSE, not in spite, of Washington Heights.
For someone coming to Columbia and expecting the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center to be right outside of the Health Sciences Library, yes, the location will certainly come as a disappointment. But for someone hoping to learn medicine in a New York neighborhood, Columbia hardly offers a discouraging experience.