Harvard vs. Stanford

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Harvard vs. Stanford Med

  • Harvard

    Votes: 74 53.2%

  • Stanford

    Votes: 65 46.8%
  • Total voters
    139
S

smaziz

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Hi all,

I have been extremely fortunate to get accepted into both HMS and SMS. I loved both places when I visited and now I am having hard time choosing between the two. I am posting here mainly because I would love to hear from those who were in the same position about how they were able to make the decision, and why they decided to go to one school over the other.

I am interested in research and academic medicine, but I am still not sure about the specialty.

Thank you all!!
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Nice humble brag
 
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Congrats OP! better question is what do your stats look like to get into both?
 
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smaziz said:
Hi all,

I have been extremely fortunate to get accepted into both HMS and SMS. I loved both places when I visited and now I am having hard time choosing between the two. I am posting here mainly because I would love to hear from those who were in the same position about how they were able to make the decision, and why they decided to go to one school over the other.

I am interested in research and academic medicine, but I am still not sure about the specialty.

Thank you all!!
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You really can't go wrong either way. Give us a list of pros and cons for each.
 
Nice humblebrag. :flame:It's about to get hot in here:flame:. But srsly OP if research and academics are a priority, I think you know the answer to your own question.
 
smaziz said:
Hi all,

I have been extremely fortunate to get accepted into both HMS and SMS. I loved both places when I visited and now I am having hard time choosing between the two. I am posting here mainly because I would love to hear from those who were in the same position about how they were able to make the decision, and why they decided to go to one school over the other.

I am interested in research and academic medicine, but I am still not sure about the specialty.

Thank you all!!
Click to expand...

thumbs-up.gif


I would choose Harvard... they don't have a stupid tree as their mascot LOL
 
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If I got into HMS and SMS I'd be humblebragging, too. Can hardly blame the OP.
 
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Which Harvard program did you get accepted?

You cannot go wrong here. Are there particular programs from each school you liked or disliked? Interview day impressions?
 
smaziz said:
Hi all,

I have been extremely fortunate to get accepted into both HMS and SMS. I loved both places when I visited and now I am having hard time choosing between the two. I am posting here mainly because I would love to hear from those who were in the same position about how they were able to make the decision, and why they decided to go to one school over the other.

I am interested in research and academic medicine, but I am still not sure about the specialty.

Thank you all!!
Click to expand...

Congrats on your success! If you are a very strong applicant to be accepted at these two programs, I strongly believe that you are smart enough to figure out which program is best for you.
 
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if it were me i'd be going to Stanford since Stanford = nicer beaches nearby, warm weather year round, and of course for the beautiful girls! guess that's why i'm not going to a top tier medical school
 
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mke520 said:
if it were me i'd be going to Stanford since Stanford = nicer beaches nearby, warm weather year round, and of course for the beautiful girls! guess that's why i'm not going to a top tier medical school
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MUSC FTW?
 
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Unfortunately, neither has a decent hockey team. I send my deepest sympathies OP.
 
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Who really cares if the OP is bragging on a forum that's 99% anonymous?

OP, if you want the name.. go to Harvard. If you want a slightly better atmosphere for research and a future academic career, go to Harvard.

What were your stats/ECs btw OP?
 
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I have a friend who chose Harvard over Johns Hopkins. He's very happy there. Don't know anyone at Stanford
 
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Dudes got 48 posts in over 2 years, no avatar and got into the top two schools in the country. Oh and it's april 1st...

TR_LL....may i buy a vowel?
 
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OP, go to Harvard. Awesome, man/woman, congrats. No more discussion and/or listing of your stats needed. Close thread.
 
Who cares if OP is lying really? Why can't you just answer the question, congratulate him/her and move on. Is it that unbelievable that someone can get into both schools? The negativity in this place stinks.
 
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mke520 said:
if it were me i'd be going to Stanford since Stanford = nicer beaches nearby, warm weather year round, and of course for the beautiful girls! guess that's why i'm not going to a top tier medical school
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There are beaches in northern California?
 
smaziz said:
Hi all,

I have been extremely fortunate to get accepted into both HMS and SMS. I loved both places when I visited and now I am having hard time choosing between the two. I am posting here mainly because I would love to hear from those who were in the same position about how they were able to make the decision, and why they decided to go to one school over the other.

I am interested in research and academic medicene, but I am still not sure about the specialty.

Thank you all!!
Click to expand...

The schools are peers. Follow the $. :greedy:
 
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mke520 said:
Northern? Stanford is like right in the middle of the state near the coast.
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From the one week I spent in SF, people consider it nocal. I'm fairly positive Palo Alto is still included! Maybe a local can clarify for us.
 
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It's too bad Harvard and Stanford second looks are on the same weekend. I think you should talk to current students and get a feel for where you'll fit better. I felt like I didn't get a very good feel for Harvard at the interview day but I already committed to going to second look at Stanford so I've just been talking to Harvard students via facebook and email to ask questions. I think for me, Stanford makes more sense, but a lot of that is for personal reasons. For what it's worth, there are a bunch of threads on this in the past, you should do a search and flip through what other people thought.
 
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Dr Mom provided great info. OP, it may be helpful if you provided your pros and cons of both schools.
 
Harvard did not do a great job of marketing itself during interview day, I felt Stanford did a much better job of that. Then again, during a short visit, California's weather will outshine anything Harvard can do, so it wouldn't matter. Regardless, I feel like the only noticeable differences are California's quality of life/weather, and HMS' ridiculously awesome hospitals. I feel like you will see more in Boston than in Palo Alto, in terms of patient diversity and the like, but maybe current students can comment on this. In terms of research they are pretty much equal, though if you are HST, MIT is definitely a plus. I lean towards Harvard for personal reasons, but in terms of education you can't go wrong with either of these choices.
 
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HMS & SMS? re-apply mainly to lower tier DO.
 
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OP, just be a boss and go to Ross.
 
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Some of my thoughts/comparisons (I was ultimately easily able to cross Stanford off my list because I didn't want to leave the East Coast, but the choice would have been harder had that not been the case)

Stanford Pros:
-Newer campus/facilities
-Nicer weather, better living environment in general
-More progressive institutional culture
-Smaller class size
-Potentially nicer schedule (?) something about Wednesdays being free
-Contiguous with rest of campus, better school spirit (sports etc.)

Harvard Pros:
-Much more/better affiliated hospitals
-More clinical/patient diversity
-Urban environment, more things to do
-Larger network, more/broader research being done (both of these schools are powerhouses in these regards though)
-Cheaper (for me personally, not sure about averages - also, don't need a car in Boston but probably do at some point in Palo Alto)
-Closer to friends/family (this was the kicker for me - turns out Stanford is really far from the East Coast...)
 
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lalax said:
Harvard did not do a great job of marketing itself during interview day, I felt Stanford did a much better job of that. Then again, during a short visit, California's weather will outshine anything Harvard can do, so it wouldn't matter. Regardless, I feel like the only noticeable differences are California's quality of life/weather, and HMS' ridiculously awesome hospitals. I feel like you will see more in Boston than in Palo Alto, in terms of patient diversity and the like, but maybe current students can comment on this. In terms of research they are pretty much equal, though if you are HST, MIT is definitely a plus. I lean towards Harvard for personal reasons, but in terms of education you can't go wrong with either of these choices.
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That's bc they don't NEED to market to you. You are not a special snowflake to them, unless you're someone who can contribute millions to their endowment.
 
DermViser said:
That's bc they don't NEED to market to you. You are not a special snowflake to them, unless you're someone who can contribute millions to their endowment.
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That's their mindset, I suppose, but it still costs them potential students both at the undergraduate and professional/graduate level.
 
I'd make this decision based 90% on financial aid and 10% on which location I liked better.
 
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DermViser said:
That's bc they don't NEED to market to you. You are not a special snowflake to them, unless you're someone who can contribute millions to their endowment.
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lalax said:
That's their mindset, I suppose, but it still costs them potential students both at the undergraduate and professional/graduate level.
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I have heard that they treat their acceptees really well at second look though.
 
nemo123 said:
I have heard that they treat their acceptees really well at second look though.
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Yes, acceptees are a different story. Bc these people are potential future alumni who are more likely to give back to the school. They won't waste these efforts and energy on applicants.
 
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HopefulReapp said:
From the one week I spent in SF, people consider it nocal. I'm fairly positive Palo Alto is still included! Maybe a local can clarify for us.
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Palo Alto = Bay Area = definitely NorCal. Most residents split the state in half, with the divider at about SLO county. Central coast is about from Monterey to Santa Barbara/Ventura.

As for Harvard or Stanford, flip a coin?
 
JJMrK said:
The Bay Area is basically the heart of northern California. To clarify:

CAMap-progress.png
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so looks like the top 2/3 of the state is considered northern cali, if that's the case then i stand corrected
 
Thank you all for your comments. I especially appreciated the helpful/positive ones.

P.S. This was NOT an April fools joke!
 
lalax said:
Harvard did not do a great job of marketing itself during interview day, I felt Stanford did a much better job of that. Then again, during a short visit, California's weather will outshine anything Harvard can do, so it wouldn't matter. Regardless, I feel like the only noticeable differences are California's quality of life/weather, and HMS' ridiculously awesome hospitals. I feel like you will see more in Boston than in Palo Alto, in terms of patient diversity and the like, but maybe current students can comment on this. In terms of research they are pretty much equal, though if you are HST, MIT is definitely a plus. I lean towards Harvard for personal reasons, but in terms of education you can't go wrong with either of these choices.
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Firstly, as others are saying, Harvard doesn't need to impress you on interview day. They probably have the highest retention rate of their acceptees.

Secondly, yes, California's weather is way better.

Thirdly, the "awesomeness" of Harvard's hospitals hardly trumps Stanford's. In medical school, you spend like a year and a half tops in the clinical setting. Who cares about "patient diversity"? You're not a resident who is committing to a hospital system for 3-7 years. I'm sure learning about COPD and CHF exacerbations in Palo Alto is just as educational as in Boston. The # of zebras MGH fills your brain with will have negligible impact on your future clinical practice, especially if the alternative is Stanford. The clinical years are the clinical years.

Fourthly, the research at both Stanford and HMS will excite anybody nerdy enough to care about research in medical school. But again, unless you're an MD/PhD who is committing years to the institution, it's not like the research prowess of either place will benefit you at all that much.

OP, both places are very similar in quality and opportunities. Pick based on cost or location or whatever...you literally can't go wrong.
 
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MGH rotations/opportunities to network/ letters for residency; Harvard
 
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Kaputt said:
Firstly, as others are saying, Harvard doesn't need to impress you on interview day. They probably have the highest retention rate of their acceptees.

Secondly, yes, California's weather is way better.

Thirdly, the "awesomeness" of Harvard's hospitals hardly trumps Stanford's. In medical school, you spend like a year and a half tops in the clinical setting. Who cares about "patient diversity"? You're not a resident who is committing to a hospital system for 3-7 years. I'm sure learning about COPD and CHF exacerbations in Palo Alto is just as educational as in Boston. The # of zebras MGH fills your brain with will have negligible impact on your future clinical practice, especially if the alternative is Stanford. The clinical years are the clinical years.

Fourthly, the research at both Stanford and HMS will excite anybody nerdy enough to care about research in medical school. But again, unless you're an MD/PhD who is committing years to the institution, it's not like the research prowess of either place will benefit you at all that much.

OP, both places are very similar in quality and opportunities. Pick based on cost or location or whatever...you literally can't go wrong.
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I agree with all of this. Especially point #3. Pre-meds have this weird perception that somehow in medical school the clinical training of the residency programs and hospitals somehow matters as a medical student in terms of your education quality (admittedly, it can matter in terms of matching and getting good letters of rec). The reality is (1) you only spend about 1.5 years in clinics...and only 1 year 3 months at most places before you submit residency apps. (2) most of these rotations are 2-8 week durations on a specialty or general service, so it's not as though you're getting a very robust learning experience in anything. You're typically taking care of 2-5 patients at a time on inpatient services. Outpatient electives, depending on the setting, will likely have you seeing 4-6 patients for every half-day clinic. I'd more judge schools on the faculty and whether or not they care about training medical students.

At Stanford you rotate through many various clinical sites: Stanford Hospital (tertiary care), VA Palo Alto (VA system), Valley Medical Center (large public hospital), suburban Kaiser (HMO), and local community and outpatient clinics. Some have poorer, more diverse patient populations (i.e. Valley) with a lot more of "pathologies of neglect" from poor preventative care. Others, like Stanford, are tertiary care centers with a much sicker patient populations (i.e. 1/2 the patients on a service have received some sort of solid organ transplant...believe me, this isn't normal in a community hospital). I could talk at length about the pluses and minuses of each of these in regards to patient populations and faculty teaching quality, etc. The fact is, it's probably useless, as I'm sure Harvard has the same pluses and minuses for all of their hospitals as well. It also probably depends on your personal preferences. Some people love the challenge of "zebras" in a tertiary care center. Others love doing the bread and butter medicine you get from community clinics, Kaiser, public hospitals, etc. There are so many subjective things going into clinical rotations that it's nearly impossible to compare between schools. The reality is, clinical training comes mainly in residency and not in medical school. Don't spend too much time thinking about it. You'll get a good quality experience at any US medical institution.

FYI Stanford student here. I was rejected from Harvard pre-interview. Just for bias control.
 
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