Harvard vs. Columbia (w/scholarship)

[nervousivy]

Say you got a scholarship (3/4's to full tuition) to go to Columbia and got into Harvard, which one would you choose and why? Also, let's say that your dream school is neither one, but is slightly lesser ranked than both, would you give both up to go to the 'dream school'? Just wondering/want to hear some opinions...

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[Vvandenn]

lol

 

[Robizzle]

I know some have argued why we flame people like this but then never flame guys who debate 2 lower tiered schools, but seriously the first thing I think after reading this is: "wtf??" Maybe because money is always involved with people debating over upper tiered schools.. I donno .

FWIW, I would go with Columbia or your dream school. If Columbia was out of the picture, I would go dream school over Harvard. A dream school is a dream school, cmon man.

 

[AtreyuRocks]

Say you got a scholarship (3/4's to full tuition) to go to Columbia and got into Harvard, which one would you choose and why? Also, let's say that your dream school is neither one, but is slightly lesser ranked than both, would you give both up to go to the 'dream school'? Just wondering/want to hear some opinions...

Is your dream school UCSF and you are a CA resident so it's dream school AND uber cheap education, AND you can live at home?

If so, pick dream school! (but don't live at home)

 

[TerdFerguson]

Darn it, OP, you beat me to it! I was actually going to post this exact same dilemma. Mods, can we please make this a sticky?!

 

[SupergreenMnM]

Dream school, hands down. As long as it isn't in the caribbean.

 

[moomix906]

what do you mean by lower ranked? Do you mean 'less prestigious', or do you mean usnwr ranked no.16 or something? Because I think the latter case is not worth considering, especially if its your dream school. Anyways, I am sorta in the same boat, and I won't hesitate to turn down a higher ranked school if I prefer a lower ranked school's student body.

 

[Ms MD]

Hi, first of all, you're awesome for having 2 really great choices ahead of you. If money's not an object, go with the school that will help you in a specific specialty you're interested in .. i.e. Columbia has awesome Psychiatry and Cardiology dept's. ... maybe someone has a specific researcher you'd like to work with. Also ... where do you want to be?? NYC?? Albeit not the nicest area of the city, or around the Boston area?

Also .. don't get too wound up over this decision. There are ppl that would give their right kidney to be in your situation. I'd prolly choose Columbia, unless I had a pretty convincing reason to choose Harvard. You're pretty much paying for the name with Harvard, since their medical education is not necessarily superior to a great school like Columbia.

 

[searun]

Go to Pikesville in Arkansas...more bang for your buck. And the Arkansas chicks will dig you.

 

[PhotoMD]

Go with Columbia. Obviously.

 

[nervousivy]

I know some have argued why we flame people like this but then never flame guys who debate 2 lower tiered schools, but seriously the first thing I think after reading this is: "wtf??" Maybe because money is always involved with people debating over upper tiered schools.. I donno .

FWIW, I would go with Columbia or your dream school. If Columbia was out of the picture, I would go dream school over Harvard. A dream school is a dream school, cmon man.

Ya, I thought "wtf? i'm def. going to Columbia" when I found out the good news. However, now, I just don't want to make the wrong decision and be swayed by money...Honestly, though, I think my parents would disown me if I didn't go with Columbia. Thankfully, I liked it when I interviewed, I hope I like it a lot during revisit.

 

[uclaRM]

So you're not going to tell us which school is your dream school? What do you like about it? Does it have better options for what you want to go into? Or is it just location? If it's just location I would definitely suck it up and just go to the better school for your career and then buy a home in your dream location when you're rich

 

[OneDayDoc]

When/how did Columbia let you know about a scholarship?

 

[nervousivy]

So you're not going to tell us which school is your dream school? What do you like about it? Does it have better options for what you want to go into? Or is it just location? If it's just location I would definitely suck it up and just go to the better school for your career and then buy a home in your dream location when you're rich

Heh, my dream school is actually in NYC as well and is an Ivy, too...Dun dun dun...I wonder if you can guess, lol. I think I'll just wait for revisit, but right now, I'll probably go to Columbia, b/c I don't think it's fair to my parents or to myself to look this 'gift horse' (so to speak) in the mouth...I hope I'm making the right decision...

 

[nervousivy]

When/how did Columbia let you know about a scholarship?

An email alerted me and I was told to look out for the snail mail letter. Just got snail mail letter...

 

[moomix906]

lol....your 'mystery' dream school is just as pretigious a school,and you could do no wrong going to any of the three. Did you get any fin aid from Harvard or ummm....dream school? Why specifically is dream your dream school?

also...i was almost certain columbia didn't give merit scholarships...is this not true?

 

[peezyweezy]

also...i was almost certain columbia didn't give merit scholarships...is this not true?

Nope, they definitely give merit scholarships.

 

[moomix906]

Nope, they definitely give merit scholarships.

the fin aid guide said they offer university grant/scholarship for 'demonstrated need' and provost fellowships for selected criteria, none of which are merit based...am I missing something?

 

[JohnnyQ]

The OP is obviously not telling the truth, because Columbia doesn't give out merit scholarships. Nice Lie!

 

[nervousivy]

The OP is obviously not telling the truth, because Columbia doesn't give out merit scholarships. Nice Lie!

Hmm, I assure you I'm not lying and if you or this board meant that much to me, I would scan the document to shut you up.

 

[nervousivy]

the fin aid guide said they offer university grant/scholarship for 'demonstrated need' and provost fellowships for selected criteria, none of which are merit based...am I missing something?

I was told that it was a merit scholarship, whether or not it was a combo of that and demonstrated financial need, I neither know or very much care. Obviously, Columbia does have scholarships or else their supplemental finaid app would not say at the top "The information on this sheet will help us to identify candidates for named scholarships and loans with specific criteria."

 

[AZT]

oops

 

[akinf]

Dude man...just go to Columbia...then to NYP for residency, then become Bill Clinton's personal surgeon...then live happily ever after.

 

[Cirrus83]

Well...for what it's worth, your dream school shares the same teaching hospital system as Columbia does...so you'd pretty much be to rotate through the exact same hospitals...

Apparently you have different ID colors though or something, red for Cornell and blue for Columbia...very Bloods vs Crips, lol.

So yeah, I don't think I could justify the extra money for your dream school, unless there was something unbelievably awesome there that you knew you just had to have.

But seriously, if I was faced with this decision I'd almost be tempted to go to Harvard (and give up NYC for Boston, which would probably be the biggest negative for me), just because it's friggin' Harvard. But that's just a stupid childhood fantasy sort of thing I'd prolly get over lol (oh come on, I can't be the only person who always wanted to go to Harvard).

 

[Cirrus83]

The OP is obviously not telling the truth, because Columbia doesn't give out merit scholarships. Nice Lie!

Umm yes they do. In fact, I'm absolutely sure they do because I know someone who set one up...well, I guess I don't know if it's purely merit based or if it takes into account other stuff, but still.

 

[samwise2]

have you thought about the fact that your dream school has a rep for not letting students touch patients? you should really make sure that you will be able to get real clinical experience. the potential reason for the issue is that the school is in a wealthy area, and most people there are not psyched about having med students examine/do procedures on them, nor residents... so you should definitely check it out. i would prolly go to columbia over harvard in the case of the 75% scholarship. congrats and good luck!!!

 

[moomix906]

Well...for what it's worth, your dream school shares the same teaching hospital system as Columbia does...so you'd pretty much be to rotate through the exact same hospitals...

Apparently you have different ID colors though or something, red for Cornell and blue for Columbia...very Bloods vs Crips, lol.

So yeah, I don't think I could justify the extra money for your dream school, unless there was something unbelievably awesome there that you knew you just had to have.

But seriously, if I was faced with this decision I'd almost be tempted to go to Harvard (and give up NYC for Boston, which would probably be the biggest negative for me), just because it's friggin' Harvard. But that's just a stupid childhood fantasy sort of thing I'd prolly get over lol (oh come on, I can't be the only person who always wanted to go to Harvard).

Columbia student rotate through St. LUke's Roosevelt and Presby - Cornell students rotate through New York - very very different hospitals, they NEVER go to each others (even though its part of the same system) Cornell's hospitals does have a maj rep for not letting people touch the rich old patients, Presbyterian in a major underserved area, but at both you will see all sorts of crazy things...what sort of patient pop do you want?

 

[Towelie]

Columbia student rotate through St. LUke's Roosevelt and Presby - Cornell students rotate through New York - very very different hospitals, they NEVER go to each others (even though its part of the same system) Cornell's hospitals does have a maj rep for not letting people touch the rich old patients, Presbyterian in a major underserved area, but at both you will see all sorts of crazy things...what sort of patient pop do you want?

Choosing based on this would be ridiculous. Cornell students rotate through all sorts of hospitals all around NYC, so there you'll get access to pretty much any patient population you want.

If you like Cornell's curriculum and location better, ask yourself if it's worth the ~$125K you would be leaving behind. Personally, I would take the money and run.

 

[gerardjp]

Look, this is your future you're considering. You'll likely be practicing and generating income for 40+ years after getting out of med school, so don't let the prospect of starting out loan-free keep you from attending whichever school you know fits you best. Ultimately it's all about becoming the best doctor you can be, not necessarily what the most fiscally reasonable choice is.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

Look, this is your future you're considering. You'll likely be practicing and generating income for 40+ years after getting out of med school, so don't let the prospect of starting out loan-free keep you from attending whichever school you know fits you best. Ultimately it's all about becoming the best doctor you can be, not necessarily what the most fiscally reasonable choice is.

thats true, but dont you want to be able to live a little bit better once you begin practicing? (as opposed to still living like a resident while paying off loans). this is important especially if you are going into a field with a long residency and if you are thinking of having a family.

ultimately, i think doctors that come out of cornell, columbia, or harvard are similarly competent after medical training. it would be stupid not to take the money.

 

[moomix906]

I dunno...sometimes when you have a gut feeling about it, no amount of money can replace that...

 

[benbk]

Part of what makes Columbia a lot of fun and the student body unique is all of the activites, clubs, etc. that take place outside of class. I've collected probably 1,000+ photos from my MS1 at P&S. Have a look...I'm glad I chose to come here.

http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~benbk/medicine/

Ben B-K
P&S, c/o 2009

 

[benbk]

Part of what makes Columbia a lot of fun and the student body unique is all of the activites, clubs, etc. that take place outside of class. I've collected probably 1,000+ photos from my MS1 at P&S. Have a look...I'm glad I chose to come here.

http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~benbk/medicine/

Ben B-K
P&S, c/o 2009

 

[drhannibal]

Part of what makes Columbia a lot of fun and the student body unique is all of the activites, clubs, etc. that take place outside of class. I've collected probably 1,000+ photos from my MS1 at P&S. Have a look...I'm glad I chose to come here.

http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~benbk/medicine/

Ben B-K
P&S, c/o 2009

lol, i feel like someone paid this guy to spam the forums

 

[Pagz09]

i had an interviewer at cornell med who really gave me some great advice. he asked me what factors i would be considering in my ultimate school choice, and somewhere in there i listed financial aid. basically he told me flat out that i should never pick a school for financial reasons, but where i believe i fit in, will enjoy the most, and will give me the most career opportunities. he was middle aged, the head of pediatrics in one of cornell's hospitals, and he told me he just finished paying off his med school loans in time to start paying his son's college tuition. yet even with the loans, he described to me his waterfront house in queens, his boat, his beach house somewhere on the jersey shore, etc. so the lesson is, you can still have a great lifestyle regardless of loans, but in the meantime you should enjoy your career path every step of the way. =)

 

[Towelie]

i had an interviewer at cornell med who really gave me some great advice. he asked me what factors i would be considering in my ultimate school choice, and somewhere in there i listed financial aid. basically he told me flat out that i should never pick a school for financial reasons, but where i believe i fit in, will enjoy the most, and will give me the most career opportunities. he was middle aged, the head of pediatrics in one of cornell's hospitals, and he told me he just finished paying off his med school loans in time to start paying his son's college tuition. yet even with the loans, he described to me his waterfront house in queens, his boat, his beach house somewhere on the jersey shore, etc. so the lesson is, you can still have a great lifestyle regardless of loans, but in the meantime you should enjoy your career path every step of the way. =)

I'm not sure if I agree with your interviewer. The difference between a full-ride and full-tuition is about $20K in take home income for 20 years. If you go into a low paying field, or go into academic medicine, this can have a major influence on your lifestyle.

Pediatricians (particularly those in academic jobs) don't usually make enough to afford 2 houses and a boat. This guy must have married rich or had some other income source.

 

[cubbbie]

i had an interviewer at cornell med who really gave me some great advice. he asked me what factors i would be considering in my ultimate school choice, and somewhere in there i listed financial aid. basically he told me flat out that i should never pick a school for financial reasons, but where i believe i fit in, will enjoy the most, and will give me the most career opportunities. he was middle aged, the head of pediatrics in one of cornell's hospitals, and he told me he just finished paying off his med school loans in time to start paying his son's college tuition. yet even with the loans, he described to me his waterfront house in queens, his boat, his beach house somewhere on the jersey shore, etc. so the lesson is, you can still have a great lifestyle regardless of loans, but in the meantime you should enjoy your career path every step of the way. =)

I agree with Towelie ... and also, I'm guessing your interviewer has no idea how much more it costs to attend med school now than in his generation. Also, his comments were made in the context of trying to sell you on Cornell, which likely would be one of the spendier med school options for most students.

 

[GoldTooth]

isn't Columbia kinda hard?