Weill Cornell vs. Sloan Kettering (GSK)?

[alltheclusters]

Hi everyone,

I'm very lucky to get accepted to my first two choices this early and want to start thinking about where to go, since I know it'll be a tough decision. I'm interested in applying computational tools to biological problems, particularly in developmental bio (and slowly getting into cancer as well). Weill Cornell PBSB and GSK share a lot in common and have tons of available resources for PhD students, but there are still some distinct differences between them that matter to me:

*Pros:

GSK: 'leaner' curriculum that's completed within the first year, shorter rotations, smaller class size, better stipend and financial support

Weill Cornell: more faculty members I can see myself working with (like 8-10 people compared to 4-5 at GSK), connection with Cornell Tech so I can take more technical courses

*Cons:

GSK: fewer labs that I'm super excited about (the computational bio there is great, don't get me wrong, and the 4-5 labs there that do work I'm interested in are also amazing)

Weill Cornell: larger class size, financial support not as competitive as GSK, curriculum (I've heard) is biophysics-heavy and more spread out, long rotations 

If anyone is currently in these programs or know them well and could offer any insights that would help with my decisions, please let me know! I'm particularly interested in what people see as the biggest setback of the programs/what they could change if they were able to. Thank you in advance!

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by thinhtran