Cornell University, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College Admission
Cornell University, Joan and Sanford I. Weill
Medical College Undergraduate Program
Cornell University, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College Application

The Facts

Cornell University is a rather large, private institution located in the town of Ithaca, New York, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 20,300 students. The university's graduate Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College, however, is located in New York City, and is home to about 412 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 24, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its nontraditional curriculum, and its emphasis on independent and hands-on experiential learning. Along with the basic MD degree, the school offers a joint degree in the MD/PhD in the areas of biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, molecular biology and genetics, molecular pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology, as well as microbiology, all in conjunction with the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Rockefeller University, as well as the Sloan-Kettering Institute.

Admission to Cornell's Weill Medical College is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 5,200 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 260 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 100 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average MCAT scores of 11.9 in Biology, 11.5 in Physics, and 11.0 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status by mid-April, and are able to take advantage of the school's early application program if they so choose.

Weill Medical College has about 938 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse medical and professional backgrounds. The school has a wonderful student to faculty ratio of about 12:1, and the small class sizes ensure that students get plenty of one-on-one attention from their professors.

Graduates of the school often are accepted into some of the top residency programs in the nation, although many of the graduates do stay in New York City to complete their residency training.

Clinical Programs

Students at the Weill Medical College take part in three introductory clinical courses; clinical pharmacology, anesthesia, as well as an Introductory Clerkship. The third year is filled with actual clinical programs, including medicine, surgery, pediatrics, ob/gyn, psychiatry, neurology, as well as primary care. The school's clinical affiliates include New York Presbyterian Medical Center, the Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as well as the New York Medical Hospital.

What's Good

"You receive a lot of one on one time with your teachers, and you get plenty of opportunities to ask them questions."

"The city is full of amazing research centers and hospitals, so there are plenty of learning opportunities."

"Students are very supportive of one another, instead of cutthroat. It's refreshing."

What's Bad

"Tuition is quite high, and the administration doesn't seem too fond of giving out financial aid."

"There is never enough on campus graduate housing, and the city can be a very pricey place to live."

"I often wish there was a more extensive clinical program."

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