I was accepted to UChicago and am currently waitlisted at NYU and Columbia, which are the only two schools I might realistically choose over UChicago.

I am trying to be strategic about where I send my one letter of intent. I was looking on MSAR, and it looks like NYU waitlists around 150 applicants and accepts about 50 from that list. I could not find much comparable information about Columbia.

For Columbia, I interviewed through the Bassett program and was waitlisted at both Bassett and the main campus. The dean of Bassett told us that no one has ever turned down a Bassett spot, so if I were accepted off the waitlist, it would likely be at the main campus. My interview day also went really well at Columbia’s main campus, and I got a great vibe from the faculty there.

For NYU, I have gotten a really great vibe from the school as well. The 3-year curriculum is very appealing to me, and NYU seems to have a lot of opportunities in the areas of medicine I am most interested in.

Regardless, I really want to end up in New York because my partner lives in New York City. I think both Columbia and NYU are fantastic, and I would be very happy at either one. My gut is leaning me toward NYU, but I want to be thoughtful and send my one letter of intent where it is most likely to matter. I would really appreciate any thoughts.