meticulousex36
Full Member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2024
- Messages
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Hiiiii everyone. First, thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read (or skim) this mind dump… I’m genuinely 50/50 (I am doing the “he loves me, he loves me not” of picking a school at this point), so I really appreciate y'all for offering your perspective. Also, yes, i know this reads a bit like a reddit **** post, but I am also really grateful to have this kind of a difficult decision to make.
Some key factors:
• I’m a non-trad (28F), so I really would like to graduate in 4 years.
• Low SES/first gen, so finances are a big deal. I am very debt averse.
• My fiancé is starting a biotech company, so Bay area or Boston are best, but NYC is good too.
• My fiancé’s entire family lives in central Cali, so the long-term goal is to move close to them to start a lil family.
• I will keep an open mind, but I do think I want to match into a specific competitive surgical sub-specialty. I am also heavy into research and policy/program implementation.
Pros and Cons of Each
Harvard – Tuition & Fees Covered (~80k total)
✅ Literally my professional dream. I like the curriculum, research opportunities, and hospital system. I even like mandatory classes because I like seeing the same people every day and getting into routine.
✅ Amazing classmates, diverse patient population, and three hospital systems to learn from / in.
✅ Strong surgical match (generally and in the specialty I am potentially aiming for).
✅ Did a one-year RA here, so I have connections to labs and could jump right in without too much effort.
✅ Partner can live with me and has tons of connections to start his company here.
✅ My mom wants me to go here (for no real reason, she just likes the name lol)
❌ Boston winters suck, regional match bias means I’m less likely to end up on the west coast long term, and would need to take out some loans for living expenses (unless my partner’s company pops off lol)
Stanford – Tuition & Fees Covered (~80k total)
✅ Oh, I would be so happy. I recharge by staring at trees and getting a lil sun burnt. Perfect weather, close to Big Sur / Tahoe / SF / ocean.
✅ Near my partner’s family. Built-in support system (meals, laundry, and if we wanted to start a family, babysitting…).
✅ Regional matching bias means I’m more likely to be able to match and stay in central California.
✅ Great research opportunities. I’ve done work at Harvard before, so Stanford could offer a fresh perspective.
✅ Smaller class size would be nice.
✅ My mother-in-law would love me forever for bringing her only son back lol
❌ It seems like there’s less clinical emphasis. Stanford is more innovation-heavy, and something like 40% don’t go on to residency.
❌ Most students take 5-6 years to finish, and I’ve been told you have to petition to be able to graduate in 4.
❌ They match competitive specialties like Derm, but their surgical match list was a little… funky. Am I reading these right?? Even after taking 5-6 years, Stanford students SOAPed??
❌ Even though they have the residency program I want to go into, they don’t match their own students into it? Their residents are mostly from the east coast (UPenn, Harvard, JHU), and their graduates matched, eg, UC Irvine.
❌ Would still need to take out some loans for rent unless moving in with family / friend.
NYU/Columbia - Tuition Covered (~80k total)
✅ Could be done in 3 years (NYU), have tons of friends and connections in New York, my partner could start his company here.
✅ Still have the opportunity to get COA at both NYU and Columbia, but that’s unknown.
❌ Regional matching bias, cold, potential living expense loans, and news has been circulating about Columbia 🗞️
Yale/UPenn - COA Covered ($0 total)
✅ Chill vibe (Yale), no debt, great research, great name-recognition, great clinical training.
❌ Partner won’t be able to live with me, but will live in Boston nearby (so as a unit we will still be paying for Boston rent and travel back and forth).
Mayo/WashU/UChicago - COA Covered ($0):
✅ Arguably the best clinical training (especially Mayo), small class size (Mayo), great research opportunities, no debt, closer to my home in the Midwest.
❌ Partner won’t live with me (so 2x rent) and regional match bias.
UCSF - Finances Unknown (but OOS public school might mean $300-400k)
✅ Close-ish to partner’s family, great clinical training, great matches, SF is perfect for his company, we have tons of friends there already.
❌ Finances will probably make this a ridiculous choice.
TLDR:
• Harvard is the best program fit, Stanford is the best life fit, NYU is the quickest, and Mayo/Yale/WashU/UPenn/etc. are the best deal.
What else should I be paying attention to?? Am I an absolute idiot for not just taking the cheapest option?? Is long distance for four years fine?? Is it easier to start a small family during medical school or residency?? What questions should I be asking while I’m at Second Look??
Thank you again for taking the time to read all this 🫶🏼😚
Some key factors:
• I’m a non-trad (28F), so I really would like to graduate in 4 years.
• Low SES/first gen, so finances are a big deal. I am very debt averse.
• My fiancé is starting a biotech company, so Bay area or Boston are best, but NYC is good too.
• My fiancé’s entire family lives in central Cali, so the long-term goal is to move close to them to start a lil family.
• I will keep an open mind, but I do think I want to match into a specific competitive surgical sub-specialty. I am also heavy into research and policy/program implementation.
Pros and Cons of Each
Harvard – Tuition & Fees Covered (~80k total)
✅ Literally my professional dream. I like the curriculum, research opportunities, and hospital system. I even like mandatory classes because I like seeing the same people every day and getting into routine.
✅ Amazing classmates, diverse patient population, and three hospital systems to learn from / in.
✅ Strong surgical match (generally and in the specialty I am potentially aiming for).
✅ Did a one-year RA here, so I have connections to labs and could jump right in without too much effort.
✅ Partner can live with me and has tons of connections to start his company here.
✅ My mom wants me to go here (for no real reason, she just likes the name lol)
❌ Boston winters suck, regional match bias means I’m less likely to end up on the west coast long term, and would need to take out some loans for living expenses (unless my partner’s company pops off lol)
Stanford – Tuition & Fees Covered (~80k total)
✅ Oh, I would be so happy. I recharge by staring at trees and getting a lil sun burnt. Perfect weather, close to Big Sur / Tahoe / SF / ocean.
✅ Near my partner’s family. Built-in support system (meals, laundry, and if we wanted to start a family, babysitting…).
✅ Regional matching bias means I’m more likely to be able to match and stay in central California.
✅ Great research opportunities. I’ve done work at Harvard before, so Stanford could offer a fresh perspective.
✅ Smaller class size would be nice.
✅ My mother-in-law would love me forever for bringing her only son back lol
❌ It seems like there’s less clinical emphasis. Stanford is more innovation-heavy, and something like 40% don’t go on to residency.
❌ Most students take 5-6 years to finish, and I’ve been told you have to petition to be able to graduate in 4.
❌ They match competitive specialties like Derm, but their surgical match list was a little… funky. Am I reading these right?? Even after taking 5-6 years, Stanford students SOAPed??
❌ Even though they have the residency program I want to go into, they don’t match their own students into it? Their residents are mostly from the east coast (UPenn, Harvard, JHU), and their graduates matched, eg, UC Irvine.
❌ Would still need to take out some loans for rent unless moving in with family / friend.
NYU/Columbia - Tuition Covered (~80k total)
✅ Could be done in 3 years (NYU), have tons of friends and connections in New York, my partner could start his company here.
✅ Still have the opportunity to get COA at both NYU and Columbia, but that’s unknown.
❌ Regional matching bias, cold, potential living expense loans, and news has been circulating about Columbia 🗞️
Yale/UPenn - COA Covered ($0 total)
✅ Chill vibe (Yale), no debt, great research, great name-recognition, great clinical training.
❌ Partner won’t be able to live with me, but will live in Boston nearby (so as a unit we will still be paying for Boston rent and travel back and forth).
Mayo/WashU/UChicago - COA Covered ($0):
✅ Arguably the best clinical training (especially Mayo), small class size (Mayo), great research opportunities, no debt, closer to my home in the Midwest.
❌ Partner won’t live with me (so 2x rent) and regional match bias.
UCSF - Finances Unknown (but OOS public school might mean $300-400k)
✅ Close-ish to partner’s family, great clinical training, great matches, SF is perfect for his company, we have tons of friends there already.
❌ Finances will probably make this a ridiculous choice.
TLDR:
• Harvard is the best program fit, Stanford is the best life fit, NYU is the quickest, and Mayo/Yale/WashU/UPenn/etc. are the best deal.
What else should I be paying attention to?? Am I an absolute idiot for not just taking the cheapest option?? Is long distance for four years fine?? Is it easier to start a small family during medical school or residency?? What questions should I be asking while I’m at Second Look??
Thank you again for taking the time to read all this 🫶🏼😚
