Harvard (HST/Pathways) vs. Stanford vs. UCSF vs. Columbia

[cleric201]

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[oioeoelgd154]

Take the full ride at Stanford and don't look back!

 

[deleted972488]

Definitely Stanford

 

[deleted950316]

Stanford 100%.

 

[TempuraOreos]

Congrats on being a superstar and having such amazing opportunities!

I don't know how important a support network of family and friends is for you but I can say that you'll definitely be able to establish your own support network of peers during medical school.

Like others have said take Stanford money and run! You have the least reservations about attending there!

 

[meronebib]

Harvard Pathways. Look, the total difference between Harvard and Stanford/Columbia is 20-40k for 4 years, right? That is nothing; you’ll pay that off in residency. Plus, you don’t need a car at Harvard, but you will need one at Stanford—that’s a significant cost that evens up the game more.

Ultimately, nothing beats Harvard in name recognition or prestige. With Step 1 going pass/fail, their students are set to benefit the most, especially since Harvard also has a pass/fail clinical year and no AOA (both very rare for medical schools). Plus, you’re familiar with Boston/have friends there. That’s important too.

 

[cleric201]

Harvard Pathways. Look, the total difference between Harvard and Stanford/Columbia is 20-40k for 4 years, right? That is nothing; you’ll pay that off in residency. Plus, you don’t need a car at Harvard, but you will need one at Stanford—that’s a significant cost that evens up the game more.

Ultimately, nothing beats Harvard in name recognition or prestige. With Step 1 going pass/fail, their students are set to benefit the most, especially since Harvard also has a pass/fail clinical year and no AOA (both very rare for medical schools). Plus, you’re familiar with Boston/have friends there. That’s important too.

That makes total sense to me, especially since I would need to consider costs of car + flights back home to MA. Do you (or anyone else) have any suggestions as to HST vs. Pathways? I really value HST's rigorous science-heavy curriculum, but I don't think I want to pursue being a PI and conduct basic science research in the long-term. I do think that MIT connection will offer interesting opportunities in the biotech/healthcare innovation space.

 

[Lawpy]

You really can't go wrong with any choice. Like many here, Stanford is the way to go, but that's really just personal opinion and favoring as low debt as possible.

 

[meronebib]

That makes total sense to me, especially since I would need to consider costs of car + flights back home to MA. Do you (or anyone else) have any suggestions as to HST vs. Pathways? I really value HST's rigorous science-heavy curriculum, but I don't think I want to pursue being a PI and conduct basic science research in the long-term. I do think that MIT connection will offer interesting opportunities in the biotech/healthcare innovation space.

I just don't think it's necessary even if you do decide to be a PI. A Harvard Pathways degree will not close any doors for you in the future, including if you want to develop connections with MIT faculty. As you mentioned, HST students typically take 5 years, have an arguably more demanding program, a small class, etc. I just don't think those cons are worth it if you truly do not believe this program is the "perfect" program for a student like you.

 

[SleazySalesMed]

I'd go to Stanford. Get out of Boston for a while and enjoy being young in beautiful WARM California. A change of pace and scenery broadens your horizons, or just lets you escape the mundane. Besides, depending on how match goes, you might end up living in Boston for the better part of a decade. If you really feel like you need to, a Stanford grad can match back right where you started

 

[pyrotechnicpork]

I was under the impression that UCSF no longer had AOA.

If you're interested in medical devices and entrepreneurship, Stanford is probably your best bet. Coupled with the full COA, I think this is the right decision for you. Congratulations on all of your success! 🙂

 

[glee123]

Was also deciding between a subset of these so hope this is helpful. Based on your stated interests and other pros, I would go with Stanford, followed with Harvard HST in 2nd place. Most of your cons for Stanford aren't really cons (e.g. the reason Stanford's lower Step 2 score is likely not because they couldn't do better, but because they had other interests they were focusing on instead), and it also seems to be your cheapest option. Depending on how important staying close to family is to you, though, Harvard HST would also be a good choice for your goals. Either way, you can't really go wrong. Congrats and best of luck!!

 

[cleric201]

Ultimately chose HMS HST. Thank you everyone!

 

[TAVR4life]

$40,000 total for Harvard? Definitely one of the Harvard pathways. Anything more than that then yes Stanford. But $40,000 for a Harvard MD is worth it.

 

[cleric201]

It came out to be ~$20k-30k in loans, so I decided to commit!