Columbia University vs Weill Cornell

[KecoChen]

Hello everyone! I recently got offers from Columbia University graduate school and Weill Cornell. I am having a hard time choosing between the two, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience and considerations of these two programs! Thanks in advance for your input, and I hope this thread can help other students know about these programs better!

[DRMF]

Specifying the actual programs may help elicit more useful replies.

[KecoChen]

I was deciding between the biological science program at Columbia morningside campus and Weill Cornell BCMB program. Specifically, I am looking into molecular biology (nucleic acids and proteins). I tried not to restrict myself to a particular field as I wanted to explore more areas during rotation. 

[leeal0011]

59 minutes ago, KecoChen said:

I was deciding between the biological science program at Columbia morningside campus and Weill Cornell BCMB program. Specifically, I am looking into molecular biology (nucleic acids and proteins). I tried not to restrict myself to a particular field as I wanted to explore more areas during rotation.  

I can't necessarily speak about those programs, but when I decided on a program I took into consideration many factors. The most important factor for me was that there were more than a handful of PIs (4-5) that I'd like to work with. Next thing I'd considered was whether or not those handful of PIs had sufficient funding and are planning on taking students - take with a grain of salt as funding situations can change at any time. If you're unsure whether or not a PI has funding, one way to check is here: https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm. After that, I'd consider where most of those students end up going after completing their PhD. Next are logistical things like cost of living, location/safety, overall satisfaction of current students in the program.

[TheCytokineStorm]

Hey! I was actually stuck between this exact decision myself this fall, but for Immunology. In the end, I felt the larger program size and community feel at Cornell was a bit better, and the location in Manhattan is fantastic, so I committed to go there. Either way you really cannot go wrong, but after talking with my professors for advice, most of them agreed in terms of science and student life, Weill Cornell is the move.

[myoate]

Can't speak about the research since I'm not in your field, but I have worked/studied at both schools. Morningside Heights is pretty chill and you have your own beautiful campus, albeit small, while Weill Cornell is just individual buildings, so Columbia certainly has that old-school feels to it. However, WCM definitely has better/more modern facilities, especially compared to the decrepit Fairchild building that houses Columbia Bio. Food options are very limited near both campuses. Both campuses are about a 20-40min subway ride to the more exciting parts of Manhattan.

[myoate]

Oh also Columbia has been admitting masters students like mad in recent years, so classes will be hard to register for and super crowded. During exam season the campus is absurdly full and unpleasant. Class experience at Columbia nowadays is a shit show, so if you are interested in classes I definitely would not recommend Columbia.

[dopamine_machine]

I want to emphasise that both schools are excellent for biology.  However, the specific research you want to do may show some school preference.  I recommend looking at every professor's research and seeing if you can visualize yourself being happy in those research labs.  First, evaluate if your research goals are in line with the Faculty member.  If your interests are aligned, then start to consider other factors, including: Postdoc to PhD student ratios, size of labs, general laboratory funding, where the PhD students publish each year, as well as how many times each PhD student publishes.  While this may seem like a lot of work, it will all help in the long run to ensure you are placed in a well-funded lab with adequate support to finish your PhD in a shorter amount of time.  It might also help land you a postdoc, specifically if your PI is well-connected/well-renowned in the field of biology that interests you.  If you can ask your current PI/mentors about PIs at the schools that they have good impressions of (not just in research, but in personality), this will also really help!

Good luck and remember that there is really no "right" or "wrong" choice!

Edited April 9, 2020 by dopamine_machine

[mediumtwotopping]

WCM because of MSK-Rock-HSS collab. Also much less toxic environment.