<p>I live in Staten Island, about twenty minutes from CSI. I am planning in pursuing the pre-med path. While I know that CSI has a horrible reputation and that Hunter is well-known for the sciences, I am having a hard time choosing between the two. I am planning on staying at home, so the commute will be my biggest problem. The commute to CSI is twenty minutes (by car) while the commute to Hunter College is 1.5 hours. I am afraid that if I go to Hunter I won't have any time to study because I would be spending 3 hours going to and from classes. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Bump 10char</p>
<p>go with hunter, the commute isnt that long if you use public transportation. CSI is a good school but you really want to get off this island, at the least the majority of people do</p>
<p>I think your right, that a daily 3 hour commute would be a drag…CSI can get you there…focus on grades and building your relationships.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies :). Anyone else?</p>
<p>Have you considered going to Queens or City and living in the dorms? (Hunter dorms are only for Macaulay).</p>
<p>Hunter will be a trek, but honestly, it’s no worse than kids who travel into the city to go to Stuy or Regis. I would do it if their science courses are better, especially if that’s what you’ll be studying for the next four years. Going to CSI will be like high school all over again…familiar faces, familiar neighborhood, etc. Besides, if you end up hating the commute to Hunter, you can transfer to CSI, but at least you tried changing up your environment.</p>
<p>The commute to Hunter isn’t THAT long, probably two hours at most. Anyway, I say Hunter. CSI has like a 99% acceptance rate.
(Sorry, I’m kind of a college snob, but I’m getting over it 
)</p>
<p>Medical schools are going to look mostly at your MCAT scores and GPA. The main issue to me is how good the science courses are at CSI. You might want to go over there for a day, sit it on classes. See for yourself, are they being taught by people whose english you undertand. Do they seem like they can present material? You might want to meet with a pre-med advisor. This is a big decision, and you should be making it with information, not just chat boards. Also I suspect easier to get a great GPA at CSI.</p>
<p>I started off at Hunter, and to be honest I loved it there. No real campus, but you are in nyc and only 2 blocks from Central Park. I live on Staten Island myself and now attend CSI. I can tell you this, the education at Hunter is far superior. If you want pre med, go to Hunter. You will have plenty of time to study, just use your 3 hours of commute time . Trust me when I tell you, take public transportation, and read your text books or draft your essays while traveling. I am 32 years old and own my own company, time is a major factor for me so purely for convenience sake I had to transfer. CSI has a beautiful campus, but the education is lacking.<br>
I miss the train rides to and from school. It was a great time to catch up on work, no distractions, nothing to do but nap and study. I find when I am home my computer, television and wife tend to be major distractions. I hope this post finds you and is helpful. Good Luck</p>
<p>@Cloudyafternoons - CSI is one of three “comprehensive” colleges in CUNY (along with Medgar Evers College & New York City College of Technology) that has both 2 and 4 year programs. Therefore, while it might seem that CSI is accepting all applicants, it is important to note that not all of those students are being accepted into their 4 year programs, which have a much higher requirement and a much lower acceptance rate. Students admitted into CSI’s 2 year programs have the option of moving on to the 4 year programs after meeting the necessary requirements.</p>