Duke MSTP vs UCLA-Caltech MSTP vs Yale MSTP

[deleted1037995]

I'm very fortunate to be in this position, but having a tough time choosing between these options. Any advice would be appreciated!

Duke MSTP
- East coast
- Durham is chill, NC weather
- Great connections with potential PIs

- Not as highly ranked as other options
- Research triangle is a bit small

UCLA MSTP
- LA weather
- Excited to explore new city
- Incredible match list, including east coast schools

- Far from GF, family
- Least prestigious option
- Outdated curriculum

Yale MSTP
- Closest to home (NYC)
- Highest prestige, reputation

- New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale is more famous for humanities
- Declining USNWR ranking
- Poor YNHH hospital system

Summary: Leaning towards UCLA, but I am hoping to match back to east coast. Research in my areas of interest is ample at all 3 schools. Thank you for any help you can provide !!

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[Engrailed]

I personally wouldn’t put too much weight on the US news rankings.
All of these are great schools.

If your priority is matching back to the East Coast, (and you’d be ok with Yale’s curriculum), choose Yale. They match really well. Plus, New England is a research haven-you’d be able to network a ton between the hospitals and research centers in the area.

UCLA is also phenomenal—if you’re more excited about living in LA and growing your network on the West Coast, UCLA could also be a great idea.