Harvard, Columbia, or UCSF?

[PeachBlackTea]

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Luckily, I got into all three of my dream schools, and I don't know which one to choose. Please help me to decide.

I liked all three cities and money is not the issue for me (not a Cali resident). I know Harvard has a small class size, and Columbia and Harvard students take the same class with medical students for the first two years. I think I want to specialize but don't know which field yet.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Svart Aske]

What a show off.

It'd be between Harvard and UCSF for me.

 

[judiciousjim]

Did UCSF offer you a scholarship?

 

[zackfee]

i'd say harvard if you are planning to specialize and also if money is not the problem.

 

[sw4gger]

Harvard mainly for becoming a school admin/faculty, otherwise UCSF since both are good launching pads for specializing IMO.

 

[MTD52]

I don't know much about the other two, but none of you think Columbia is good for specializing? I thought they were WAY up there for schools to specialize...

 

[achilles2]

Go Harvard don't pass it up....people are going to say "school doesn't matter blah blah blah" going to Harvard is a dream that VERY few achieve.

Plus its TRUE P/F

I don't know much about the other two, but none of you think Columbia is good for specializing? I thought they were WAY up there for schools to specialize...

Columbia is prob second to only Harvard in terms of pumping out specialists I think they matched 9 of 11 for ortho this year. But still Columbia is Honors/Pass/Fail so its pretty stressful.

 

[peerless218]

Go Harvard don't pass it up....people are going to say "school doesn't matter blah blah blah" going to Harvard is a dream that VERY few achieve.

Plus its TRUE P/F




Columbia is prob second to only Harvard in terms of pumping out specialists I think they matched 9 of 11 for ortho this year. But still Columbia is Honors/Pass/Fail so its pretty stressful.

What do you mean it's TRUE P/F

 

[sajjy]

What do you mean it's TRUE P/F

No ranking at all. No Honors until third year.
Even if you fail (which barely happens) you retake an exam and score a P. No one knows your initial F.

Even the 35th student is number 1 (if you wanna rank them) in our class. Small class makes you to participate in everything- classes, tutorials, discussion, cannot slip by.

Come to Harvard, I am not saying because I go here but I have friends at those schools and I know the differences.
I would not bring Columbia into comparison, but that is just me (Big class and H/P/F)
As far as specializing is concerned, this is the list for the 2009 graduating class:
9- OMFS
8- Ortho
7- Endo
2- Pedo
3-Prosth
4- GPR
1- MPH
1- Oral Anesthesia
The list for 2008 graduating class was also very similar to it.

OP, Congrats for your success. If you end up choosing HSDM, then welcome to the school.

 

[MTD52]

Columbia is prob second to only Harvard in terms of pumping out specialists I think they matched 9 of 11 for ortho this year. But still Columbia is Honors/Pass/Fail so its pretty stressful.

Why would you think P/F is more stressful than graded?

 

[sajjy]

Why would you think P/F is more stressful than graded?

P/F is not stressful AT ALL!!
But H/P/F makes it more of a A and B grading.

 

[Extirpator]

while we're on the topic, could someone explain how columbia's honors designation works? Is it based on class rank or actual grades received? Thanks

 

[DentalTrain]

I would probably turn down all three. Do you have any other choices?

 

[mueladeljuicio]

go to the school that will give you the greatest opportunities later on, harvard.

 

[achilles2]

while we're on the topic, could someone explain how columbia's honors designation works? Is it based on class rank or actual grades received? Thanks

Honors at Columbia is usually a finite line drawn at some point (85 or 90 usually). Basically your avg in class is looked at and if they are below the set point say an 80 when a 85 is needed for honors you end up with a p or pass. Generally speaking there is no limit to the amount of people who can honor a class. The only time a curve is used is when a significant portion of the class does poorly and the class avg is taking into account and generally then it is a standard deviation thing (like 1 SD above the mean earns honors).

The overall weight of this in your class ranking remains a bit of a black box but when you take 80 people with type A's personalities and give them a chance to earn something above a pass then generally most of them are going to stress out and go for it. But I have heard stories that individuals who never honored a class or had very few got into there first choice residency programs while individuals who had nearly straight honors got rejected. I'd imagine board scores played a role in this and personality but I am unsure what the future looks like for the class of 2014 as the boards switch to P/F. I am grateful they are still graded even tho my class will only have 1 shot at them.


Simply playing the odds game if specializing is your goal then the odds of you getting into your first choice is HIGHER at Harvard plain and simple despite the fact that Columbia has a VERY high specialization rate.

If your only goal is specializing then Harvard > Columbia > UCSF

I am not bashing Columbia one bit I love it here, the only school that I would have considered going to instead of Columbia was Harvard.

 

[ballsin2win]

Columbia, obviously. NYC>SF>Boston. Follow the World Series.