Cornell vs. Hopkins

[electr!c]

Not getting any financial aid at either, so cost isn't a big factor (hit me with that crippling debt!). Sorry the pro/con list below is long, but having a tough time with this one because my heart is telling me Cornell because it would be the comfortable choice, but my brain (and prestige-seeking self) is telling me Hopkins. Any advice?

Cornell Pros:

• (+++) Close to home - friends and family support system; really nice location on the UES; good opportunities to match in NYC (~50% match into programs in NYC)
• (++) On-campus housing makes for a really nice sense of community, and I just liked the vibe of the students in general
• (++) Amazing list of extracurriculars, in particular the center for human rights and the PreOp program (since if not ortho I'm almost definitely interested in a surgical specialty)
• (+) Potentially interested in ortho so access to HSS
• (+) Actually quite like the weekly quizzes since I'm a procrastinator (though this could also be a con since it means you're basically always studying for a quiz)
• (+) 6 months of dedicated research time seems really useful if you're trying to go into a competitive specialty
• (+) Really cool abroad opportunities in M4

Cornell Cons:

• (-) Slightly higher COL and tuition
• (-) Heard it kinda has a competitive vibe (AOA is before residency applications here)
• (-) M1 housing really sucks (though it's much nicer M2-M4)
• (-) Not as "prestigious" and match list, while still great, isn't Hopkins-level, particularly in surgical specialties

Hopkins Pros:

• (++) Really liked the overall vibe on my interview day and the college system and molecule system seemed to create a cool sense of community
• (++) Honestly like the curriculum a little more - integration of clinical into preclinical curriculum then later preclinical into clerkship curriculum, and just really awesome longitudinal threads and intersessions
• (++) AOA after residency applications
• (++) Insane match list, particularly in surgical specialties (if not ortho, the others I'm really interested in are neurosurg and plastics, and they do SO well in this)
• (++) Clearly more "prestigious" (trying to tell myself this doesn't matter but can't shake it) - in other words, "it's Hopkins"
• (+) Slightly lower tuition and COL
• (+) Research built into the curriculum, plus access to some of the best research in the world
• (+) Also has a great list of student groups - e.g., the refugee health partnership - but maybe not as exciting as the ones at Cornell?

Hopkins Cons:

• (- -) Baltimore - don't love the city (though I've heard it's not as bad as I think) and I don't have a support system there
• (- -) Heard on the school thread that their ortho dept is kinda malignant and they have a hard time matching all but the best students (hence malignant competition) - not 100% certain I want to go into ortho, and this wouldn't be an issue if I go into a different surgical specialty, but it's just something I want to carefully consider
• (-) Living off-campus could potentially erode that sense of community compared to Cornell?
• (-) Don't necessarily match a high % back into NYC, but I'm guessing that's more personal preference than actual difficulty matching there

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[Lemonlime98]

I vote cornell solely because you want to match to nyc and you have a support network there. If you wanted to go to west coast for residency I'd pick hopkins

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

It's so funny that pre-meds are so gun-ho on surgical subspecialties. Surgery is a lifestyle, and most of us will realize that it's not the lifestyle we want. So forget about the surgical specialty matching.... I would say more than 70% of the chance someone wanting to do surgery as a pre-med will not do it. Back to the choices here, I think given that the price is the same, the choice should be location vs. prestige factor. Location is real. You will spend the next 4 years in that place. UES, well really Yorkville, is better than Baltimore hands down. However, prestige is very amorphous, and it's very personal. Some may be so hung up on the prestige and that name recognition is going to give them joy throughout life. But some may not care much about it once it's obtained. And some may regret not getting the better name down the road in their career. Ask yourself which one you are and then you can decide where to go accordingly.

 

[thetenthletter]

Isn’t Weill debt free? If it’s cheaper, pick Weill. JHU has a stronger name in medicine/research but is probably not worth extra money.

 

[electr!c]

Isn’t Weill debt free? If it’s cheaper, pick Weill. JHU has a stronger name in medicine/research but is probably not worth extra money.

Sadly I don't qualify for aid at either (I'm one of those older non-trads whose parents disqualify them from aid but they won't pay for med school, so I'm taking out the majority of the COA in loans either way - hence JHU will be a tiny bit cheaper over 4yrs given the ~5k/yr lower tuition and obv lower COL in Baltimore)

 

[thetenthletter]

Sadly I don't qualify for aid at either (I'm one of those older non-trads whose parents disqualify them from aid but they won't pay for med school, so I'm taking out the majority of the COA in loans either way - hence JHU will be a tiny bit cheaper over 4yrs given the ~5k/yr lower tuition and obv lower COL in Baltimore)

Can you try negotiating aid? Maybe they'll be inclined to give you something if you have an A at JHU.

Both are great schools, so you can't really go wrong. Personally, I'd go with JHU if I were in your shoes just because their Neurosurgery department is amazing. Though, HSS would be great for Ortho.

 

[electr!c]

Can you try negotiating aid? Maybe they'll be inclined to give you something if you have an A at JHU.

Both are great schools, so you can't really go wrong. Personally, I'd go with JHU if I were in your shoes just because their Neurosurgery department is amazing. Though, HSS would be great for Ortho.

Cornell doesn't negotiate aid since it's all need-based and they don't offer merit

And yeah I'm having a tough time with that aspect. Like if I want to do ortho I'm better off at Cornell hands down, but for legit any other surgical specialty I'm prob better off at JHU. I don't want to go in knowing I definitely want a specific specialty, because like another commenter said, we all change our minds, but I also don't want to go in thinking I may like a specialty and choose a school where I'd be shooting myself in the foot for that specialty if I went there...

 

[thetenthletter]

Cornell doesn't negotiate aid since it's all need-based and they don't offer merit

And yeah I'm having a tough time with that aspect. Like if I want to do ortho I'm better off at Cornell hands down, but for legit any other surgical specialty I'm prob better off at JHU. I don't want to go in knowing I definitely want a specific specialty, because like another commenter said, we all change our minds, but I also don't want to go in thinking I may like a specialty and choose a school where I'd be shooting myself in the foot for that specialty if I went there...

Damn. I think both schools will set you up well for any surgical subspecialty. How committed are you to Ortho vs other surgical specialties? If you're heavily leaning toward Ortho, looks like Weill may be the better option.

Edit: Just saw AOA is pre-residency apps for Cornell. That can definitely change the competitive environment. Though, you will have the benefit of social support in NYC.

 

[Banco]

Both are amazing. But it seems like you like Cornell more because it's closer to where you want to be/family, and you ultimately want to match in NYC anyway, but are hung up because Hopkins is Hopkins. I think you have good reasons for going with Cornell. You can match any surgical specialty you want from Cornell.