i'm not at either program, but i interviewed at both and know guys at both. Tufts is definitely a better program, better training and better attendings. the attendings at columbia for the most part are not very good teachers. a bigger name for sure, but not great training, and there is definitely an attitude/ego there that is not necessary.

Don't know much about the quality of the programs but the pre-interview dinner at Columbia is amazing. And NYC is definitely better than Boston.

i heard about the dinner-suppose to be impressive...i may have to miss it because i'll be flying in from an interview at uva-sucks!

are you seriously picking a program based on the PRE-interview dinner? That sounds ill advised.

I think you should pick it based on what other people have 'heard' about the program....its only 5 years of your life

I think the social can provide some very valuable info about a program. At the pre-interview dinner at Columbia both the program director and the chairman were there to greet us, and they knew pretty much each candidate by name. That right there tells you about their involvement with the residents. And the fact that nearly every resident showed up and had a good time speaks volumes about resident camaraderie and the atmosphere. This is in contrast to other places I interviewed (Jefferson sticks out but I'm sure there were others) where I felt the residents were not at all interested and the program had a "holier than thou" attitude towards the applicants.

P.S. No, I am not a resident at Columbia or Jefferson so feel free to ignore any or all of the above.