Cornell vs Stanford

[MD2024tobe]

Hi everyone, I've been lucky enough to get into a handful of good schools and have trimmed my options down to these two schools largely based on money and location. On the latter point, I eliminated some schools like Wash U because I don't see myself living in a smaller place like St. Louis although I am giving Stanford some slack. I have lived on the East Coast for most of my life and my family lives there + my girlfriend lives in NYC. We have been dating for 6 years so our relationship/proximity is a big factor but we are both willing to try and make things work if we have to. I have also spent two summers in CA so I know that I would like it generally. Both schools also have a similar cost of ~20k a year so that isn't a factor. I also would like to go into a more competitive specialty but I am undecided which.

Stanford:

Pro:
- Prestige T3/5 depending on how USNews feels on a given year +Layman prestige
- Amazing Match list
- Campus is integrated with the rest of the university
- Lots of freedom to explore interests
- pass now/later + no AOA/ any rankings


Con
- Palo alto is smaller city and somewhat far from SF
- May have to do away rotation to better my chances at rematching on the east coast?
-far from family + gf
-higher upfront cost due to moving cross country
- will likely need a car for rotations / making groceries easier
- living on campus with roommates is a con but not a huge one


Cornell:

Pro:
- NYC can't be beat (UES is nice too)
- great match list
- advantage for matching into NYC
- patient population may be more diverse but unsure given the UES location
-lots of friends live in Manhattan


Con
- AOA / internal rankings during clinical years
- have heard that students are competitive
- not sure how prestigious its considered in medical field and I'm unsure how important the difference in prestige between stanford and cornell would be for matching

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[Lucca]

Your GF is in NYC, support system and friends on the East Coast. You want to match on the east coast or in NYC. Same cost at both places. You like NYC better than the Bay looks like.

I love Stanford, but I honestly think you should go to Cornell. Your personal happiness / support network / geographic preferences are the most important thing here. Forget all the med school nonsense / grades / AOA etc, both Stanford and Cornell are "prestigious enough" for that stuff to not matter as much as it would elsewhere and are not as important as the other factors listed. Layman prestige is worth precisely nothing (in fact, may hurt you in the social circles I grew up in LOL).

 

[MD2024tobe]

Thanks for the insight Lucca. Seems everyone thinks I should go to cornell based on the poll. I still have some hesitation as I didn't get as much interaction there as I would have liked and theres no revisit for obvious reasons + for some reason stanford is the place where my heart is set.

 

[wagonwheel23]

It says a lot that your heart is set on Stanford. If you are determined to be in NYC long-term, going to Stanford is a great way to see another part of the country for 4 years. Also, matching back to NYC from Stanford will be no problem and won't require away rotations as you have a strong connection with NYC and it's Stanford!

Is your family in New York or close to it? If not, you may not see them during medical school as much as you would expect. I am in the south for medical school and my family is in Philadelphia, but I don't see them much more than when I previously lived on the West Coast because I am so busy.

In terms of a long distance relationship, that is tough. How serious are you and your girlfriend? Do you anticipate being together for another 4 years? Is there any possibility that she could move to the Bay area? Just some questions to ask, because 4 years of long distance will be extremely challenging but certainly not impossible.

 

[MD2024tobe]

@wagonwheel23 You make a good point about seeing family during medical school but I still think the few chances I'd have would be reduced going from coast to coast. In regards to my gf, we've previously discussed getting engaged/married in the future and it's definitely something I'd still like to do, but if I move that would likely get delayed just to see how things workout.

 

[FatherTime-PhD]

Would your girlfriend consider making the move?

 

[MD2024tobe]

Would your girlfriend consider making the move?

She has limited/ worse job opportunities in the bay vs NYC so she is against it.

 

[Klyx]

Congrats on your acceptances! You've laid out good pros and cons, and you have to decide what's more important to you: having friends/family nearby vs increasing your chance to match into top tier programs. Coming from Stanford certainly opens more doors for you, especially if you are considering competitive programs. It's up to you to decide (and not randos on an online forum) if this is worth moving away from your long term partner. Reasonable people can disagree.

 

[FatherTime-PhD]

She has limited/ worse job opportunities in the bay vs NYC so she is against it.

Hmm. 6 years with intentions to get married ... I think this is a decision we cannot answer for you but one you need to sit down with your SO and decide together. If she can’t move and long distance seems like it would do a lot of harm, I would just go to Cornell.

 

[Lucca]

I've done LDR and been in a committed relationship like yours. I'm telling you that unless you are willing to risk a very high probability of breaking up with your partner forever, DO NOT do LDR during medical school. Yes, some people make it work. They are the exception.

 

[birdred23]

LDR are very hard. Definitely would not recommend for an extended period of time. Would lean towards Cornell if I were you.

 

[MD2024tobe]

As an update, I was able to get more money from Stanford so Stanford is now ~10k cheaper per year than Cornell.

 

[thesecretisme123]

As an update, I was able to get more money from Stanford so Stanford is now ~10k cheaper per year than Cornell.

I would go to Stanford but honestly I feel like a 6 year meaningful relationship + potential marriage is harder to find than the prestige/opportunities you would get at Stanford over Cornell. It's up to you on whatever you prioritize.

 

[DocKoozmin]

As an update, I was able to get more money from Stanford so Stanford is now ~10k cheaper per year than Cornell.

I’d go for Stanford then

 

[Yhwach]

I really want you to go to Stanford. If you can please go there. It's understandable if you can't but I would want you to go there.

If you are very serious about your GF then stay at Cornell but really consider Stanford.

I voted Stanford

 

[MD2024tobe]

I really want you to go to Stanford. If you can please go there. It's understandable if you can't but I would want you to go there.

If you are very serious about your GF then stay at Cornell but really consider Stanford.

I voted Stanford

Can you explain why Stanford?

 

[Yhwach]

Can you explain why Stanford?

I weigh no AOA heavily in my school choice. AOA is another way to rank = another headache. Just go to a school that eliminates that.

also, Stanford will afford you the freedom to explore what you want, not just in medicine. Stanford will allow you to go anywhere for your future training.