Longtime lurker here. Really just want to hear some extra perspectives before I made this decision in the next couple of days. Originally it was Hopkins VS Yale for me, but I got off the WL at CCLCM last week, so they are obviously my cheapest option. Hopkins and Yale both gave me **** aid but are fairly comparable in COA.
About me: I'm coming out of undergrad from the South and have always had more of a research background. I'm hoping to get involved in a lot of research in med school but also want to branch out into public policy/humanities stuff as well. Pretty open to any specialty that's not surgery, and would love to match in the east coast or California at one of the big academic medical centers. I do want to go somewhere that would have lots of research opportunities, but I would love to branch out into doing some public policy/medical humanities stuff as well. Happiness is also a very big factor for me.
CCLCM:
Pros
Pros
Pros
About me: I'm coming out of undergrad from the South and have always had more of a research background. I'm hoping to get involved in a lot of research in med school but also want to branch out into public policy/humanities stuff as well. Pretty open to any specialty that's not surgery, and would love to match in the east coast or California at one of the big academic medical centers. I do want to go somewhere that would have lots of research opportunities, but I would love to branch out into doing some public policy/medical humanities stuff as well. Happiness is also a very big factor for me.
CCLCM:
Pros
- Full tuition scholarship for 5 years and COA in Cleveland is relatively low to NHV or Baltimore
- The entire curriculum is conducive for doing research, and in-depth training in basic and clinical research
- Sooooo many research and mentorship opportunities at Cleveland Clinic and small class size = don't have to compete for those resources
- Students get to do clerkships at Cleveland Clinic (something most CWRU med students don't get...?)
- Match list is easily comparable to a T10
- Sounds like the culture is they treat med students like real colleagues- (IIRC, CCLCM med students wear the long white coat? Not that big of a deal tho for me tbh)
- I like how medical humanities is integrated into the curriculum
- No exams, but assessments you can take that aren't graded to gauge your progress. No exams = more time to focus on doing well on STEP
- Overall, would give me the most in-depth research training/experience
- Everything... is mandatory attendance, and business casual attire required. I'm a big athleisure person ):
- PBL heavy; not completely sold on PBL as it sounds like an inefficient mode of learning to me
- Car required; some sites are ~50 min away. Ideally, I don't want to have one to save costs
- There's a portfolio you have to maintain because since there's no grades, everything is feedback oriented, and you write reflective essays based on the feedback you get. Talking to some of the current students, it sounds like a lot of busywork that I don't know if I want to do tbh.
- Unlike other schools, the 5th year here would be required. Not opposed to a 5th year, but would like flexibility
- Because I got off the WL so close to the decision deadline, I did not get to visit the campus. Talked to some current students, so hard to get a vibe, but they seemed ight ig.
- 6 weeks of dedicated for STEP 1 and not flexible as to when you can take it.
Pros
- Strongest prestige within medicine; Hopkins name is hard to turn down
- Easily the best clinical training out of all 3 here. Heard that Hopkins students are very well trusted and get lots of responsibility during clerkships.
- Strong home departments in virtually every single specialty
- Good chance I would match to JHH since it seems like there's lots of inbreeding
- Really like the idea behind the Genes to Society Curriculum and how there are interspersed days/weeks to learn topics in interdisciplinary medicine (nice break from the rest of the preclinical stuff and heard that these courses are pretty chill)
- Proximity to the NIH and DC for research/public policy stuff
- Probably has faculty members whose work align with my research interests the most. Lots of people here I've looked up to for a long time
- Really enjoyed my visit; vibed really well with the other admits, all of whom were extremely impressive!
- Flexibility as to when you can take STEPs
- P/F preclinical and likely to remain P/F for clerkships; AOA is post match
- School provides free Lyfts past 5 PM
- Really strong mentorship systems through the CAP program
- Overall, would probably make me most prepared for residency
- 14 Exams (11 written ones) in the first semester of M1 alone?!?!?!
- I vibed well with the admits, but I did not vibe well with current students, and they definitely seemed more stressed; one even admitted they were burnt out
- For all the research opportunities at Hopkins, the curriculum doesn't seem to afford a lot of time/flexibility to do research
- There's going to be a change in administration, which will always have its kinks
- Seems like a very hierarchical culture, and the administration is not receptive to feedback from students.
- No student-run clinic
- One student I talked to say they still do internal rankings, they just don't release to PDs...? Sounds sus tbh
Pros
- I have never seen such happy med students before. I also felt like I connected best with Yale students and admits than anywhere else. My Yale visit was also probably my favorite one.
- Yale System: No AOA/internal rankings; P/F preclinical and possibly clerkships as well; even when it was graded, basically 90%+ people got honors; no shelf exams is huge; 6-7 multiple choice exams (all anonymous too) for all 4 years of med school. Less exams = more flexibility to focus on doing well on STEPs. Also, flexibility for when to take STEPs
- Proximity to the undergrad campus means easier opportunities to collaborate with faculty from other grad/pro schools
- Yale seems to really emphasize research to students and provides lots of funding for conference travel, summer research, etc
- Seems to match into Boston/Cali the best
- HAVEN is an amazing clinic
- Really good program in addiction medicine and opioid reassessment clinic for VA patients which really fit my interests
- Very familiar with the New Haven area and although it's not my favorite, I like how walkable it is
- Overall, would give me so much flexibility/independence to shape my own med school experience and probably the best quality of life here.
- Weaker hospital system; maybe gets overshadowed by the big NYC hospital systems?
- Not as many strong home departments
- Worried that the class won't be as cohesive (i.e. everyone does their own thing?) I would like to be close with my classmates
- Most expensive option, though the difference between Yale and Hopkins is bupkis
- Probably will remain single in a place like New Haven ):
