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harvard vs. straight med
- Thread starter alianwaar4
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my advice.
someone gave me this advice 4 years ago. and i followed it and i don't regret it at alllllll.
don't be afraid of the MCAT. don't be afraid of working hard in undergrad. don't be afraid of finding yourself.
if you want to be a doctor, you will become one. there's no need to rush into combined programs for the sake of convenience to get yourself there sooner.
plus, if you go to harvard, you have a huuuuuuuuge chance at going to an even more amazing med school.
in short - don't fear the future. embrace and love it.
someone gave me this advice 4 years ago. and i followed it and i don't regret it at alllllll.
don't be afraid of the MCAT. don't be afraid of working hard in undergrad. don't be afraid of finding yourself.
if you want to be a doctor, you will become one. there's no need to rush into combined programs for the sake of convenience to get yourself there sooner.
plus, if you go to harvard, you have a huuuuuuuuge chance at going to an even more amazing med school.
in short - don't fear the future. embrace and love it.
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Four years ago, I was accepted into the Union/Albany program. I turned it down without any hesitation. When I applied to medical school this year, Albany was nowhere to be found on my list of schools. Frankly, I did not like Albany Medical School. Union is okay for undergrad, but obviously you are qualified to get into better schools. If you like Harvard, I would definitely go there.
Search this forum to read people's opinions about combined pre-med/med programs. They really aren't necessarily the best way to go. If you were able to get into Union/Albany, there shouldn't be any doubt that you'll get into medical school four years from now.
Search this forum to read people's opinions about combined pre-med/med programs. They really aren't necessarily the best way to go. If you were able to get into Union/Albany, there shouldn't be any doubt that you'll get into medical school four years from now.
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I have done the grunt work and found one of the threads that briefly addresses the whole combined medical program issue.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110004
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=110004
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hey, you should prob go to harvard. i think theyre undergrad education is definitely different from many other schools. now, please dont tell me how im wrong about this everyone. i go to a public institution as well and im not putting any other colleges down. another thing is that ivy meds take a LARGE percentage of ivy undergrads. some ivy meds are heavily biased. take my word for it. just make sure that you work hard, get good grades, and the rest.
on the other hand, you might be the type of person that would enjoy not having to work towards anything else other than your goal to become a physician. kind of like entering a trade school rather than a university with the seven year program. just make sure that the program you are entering is not a "weeding" program. some seven year programs can only take about half of the students into med after the first 3 years of premed. only those students with the highest gpa's and highest mcats get to continue into the next four years of med school. if this is the case, then the stress level would be the same as for a regular 4 year undgrad.
on the other hand, you might be the type of person that would enjoy not having to work towards anything else other than your goal to become a physician. kind of like entering a trade school rather than a university with the seven year program. just make sure that the program you are entering is not a "weeding" program. some seven year programs can only take about half of the students into med after the first 3 years of premed. only those students with the highest gpa's and highest mcats get to continue into the next four years of med school. if this is the case, then the stress level would be the same as for a regular 4 year undgrad.
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another thing that you might want to think about is residency. you might have a better chance of landing your top choice if you go to a more prestigious med school.
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go to harvard. if u get a 3.1 at harvard, u'll still get into albany (prob).
or, if prestige dun concern you, why not go to a caribbean med school rite now? i dont think you need a bachelors degree.
or, if prestige dun concern you, why not go to a caribbean med school rite now? i dont think you need a bachelors degree.
E
Eraserhead
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I say go to HAAVAARRD. Look at it this way: if you know NOW what it takes to be a doctor AND you can get into an undergrad like Harvard, there is no doubt in my mind that you can do REALLY well AND get into a kick butt med school at the end of four years. Trust me, classwork and studying IS managable. You just have to realize what is more important to you if it starts getting difficult, which, sounds like it won't. So don't worry about it.
Harvard!
Harvard!
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One more voice to chime in for Harvard. Having gone there (and not gotten a stellar GPA, but very solid MCATs), I will tell you, you will probably get better options. It is substantially harder to get a really high GPA, since your classmates are ridiculously talented, however there is some justice in that this fact is recognized by most med schools. I actually applied to Albany as a back-up (to my state school back-up) and am quite glad that I was able to step up a bit. Nothing against Albany, but don't limit yourself.
In addition, at Harvard you will very likely make amazing friends and have incredible intellectually expanding experiences in aspects of your life unrelated to medicine, which is perhaps the most important thing.
In addition, at Harvard you will very likely make amazing friends and have incredible intellectually expanding experiences in aspects of your life unrelated to medicine, which is perhaps the most important thing.
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harvard. sunkist had a great post about this. you are obviously smart enough to get into the big H, there is no reason why you shouldn't get into medical school, let alone a good one. and honestly speaking, johnnyMD is right. you could get a 3.0 at harvard have a decent mcat and get into albany (not trying to knock albany, but their ave gpa is on the low side, and most schools adjust for institution quality). i speak from experience.
youre gonna be taking standardized tests your whole life (usmles, residency boards, recertification). you might as well get used to it now.
i think you'd be crazy to choose union/albany over harvard. if you are going to choose any BA/MD program over Harvard, Northwestern HPME or Rice/Baylor are the only ones are worth considering IMHO. Maybe the Wash U submatriculation one too, but you need a minimum of a 36 mcat i heard. now THAT is pressure. and pretty ridiculous.
youre gonna be taking standardized tests your whole life (usmles, residency boards, recertification). you might as well get used to it now.
i think you'd be crazy to choose union/albany over harvard. if you are going to choose any BA/MD program over Harvard, Northwestern HPME or Rice/Baylor are the only ones are worth considering IMHO. Maybe the Wash U submatriculation one too, but you need a minimum of a 36 mcat i heard. now THAT is pressure. and pretty ridiculous.
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well, i'm pretty biased about this question. but i'll at least chime in with this.
if you go to harvard, i would suggest not concentrating in biochemistry or some similar subject like that. there are two roads at harvard. the easy road and the hard road. in other words, easy classes and advanced classes. now you'll find gunners in both types of classes, but just save yourself the pain of having to go through the tougher classes, especially if your concern is that you want to enjoy life more. i think that it's a lot more work and honestly i dunno what other people think on this, but i don't think anyone out there really knows the difference unless they've actually gone to harvard. in the end, i don't know how much weight adcoms give the advanced courses.
even if you're decided about medicine, that doesn't mean you have to be decided about your concentration. there are plenty of different studies at harvard and college will be your last chance before medical school to study some things you would never have expected to study. plus you won't get burned out on medical, premed type classes. who knows maybe you'll even find out that you would rather do something else besides medicine.
maybe i'm just talking because i'm blindly thinking that the grass was greener on the other side, but definitely not all premeds at harvard study hard core sciences, but many diversify and study something that appeals to them, while taking the easier load of premed classes and i think that works out very well for them.
anyways, best of luck.
if you go to harvard, i would suggest not concentrating in biochemistry or some similar subject like that. there are two roads at harvard. the easy road and the hard road. in other words, easy classes and advanced classes. now you'll find gunners in both types of classes, but just save yourself the pain of having to go through the tougher classes, especially if your concern is that you want to enjoy life more. i think that it's a lot more work and honestly i dunno what other people think on this, but i don't think anyone out there really knows the difference unless they've actually gone to harvard. in the end, i don't know how much weight adcoms give the advanced courses.
even if you're decided about medicine, that doesn't mean you have to be decided about your concentration. there are plenty of different studies at harvard and college will be your last chance before medical school to study some things you would never have expected to study. plus you won't get burned out on medical, premed type classes. who knows maybe you'll even find out that you would rather do something else besides medicine.
maybe i'm just talking because i'm blindly thinking that the grass was greener on the other side, but definitely not all premeds at harvard study hard core sciences, but many diversify and study something that appeals to them, while taking the easier load of premed classes and i think that works out very well for them.
anyways, best of luck.
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go enjoy your undergrad years. theres nothing quite like it.
my 4 years at cal were the best of my life.
yeah the union/albany program might be a guarantee but you must be somewhat intelligent if you got into harvard. do you know that the combined program is a good fit for you?
i mean if you feel that the program is the best thing and the perfect fit for you...then go there cause noone can tell you not to go to a place you feel strongly about. if not...then take your chances with haarvard.
my 4 years at cal were the best of my life.
yeah the union/albany program might be a guarantee but you must be somewhat intelligent if you got into harvard. do you know that the combined program is a good fit for you?
i mean if you feel that the program is the best thing and the perfect fit for you...then go there cause noone can tell you not to go to a place you feel strongly about. if not...then take your chances with haarvard.
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you should definitely go to harvard. there is no question. you will make connections, broaden your horizons, become part of an invaluable network of alumni, discover new areas of interest, gain leadership experience, etc etc etc... Basically going to a school like harvard opens doors for you that you don't even know exist as a high school student. and i don't know any harvard student who couldn't get into albany med, but i know MANY who are heading to harvard/hopkins/columbia/other places full ride next year.
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before a flame war erupts, i would just like to clarify that in the above line i meant "full ride scholarships to OTHER schools" not "people going to harvard and hopkins and columbia full ride" :-D i don't know anyone going to those places full ride, except maybe for MSTP
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I know someone who had a similar dilemma. THey turned down the accelerated med program so that they could go to a more prestigious school. NO matter when you get your degree you will get your degree. And really, all you do is save two years. I know someone who did it and regretted it because they didn't get to experience 'college' and were stuck with that one med school. So go for Harvard.
I personally didn't go to an accelerated med program so that I could go through college, do study abroad and pursue a degree I wanted. In fact I am satisfied with my decision because I have had more opportunities to do stuff i probably wouldn't have done had i just gone straight to the program.
I personally didn't go to an accelerated med program so that I could go through college, do study abroad and pursue a degree I wanted. In fact I am satisfied with my decision because I have had more opportunities to do stuff i probably wouldn't have done had i just gone straight to the program.
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I'm a big believer in a liberal arts education, especially the kind you'll hopefully get at Harvard, and especially for science types who could easily not get that kind of exposure.
Deal with the good folks there, and explore outside of the premed path. You'll learn as much from those two things as any class. Ignore the tools.
And, congrats on your choice!
Deal with the good folks there, and explore outside of the premed path. You'll learn as much from those two things as any class. Ignore the tools.
And, congrats on your choice!
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If you can get into Harvard UGrad, you can get into med school. All US medical schools are good ones, so Albany is too, but I'm sure you can get into a fabulous school. Don't fear competition. Go to Harvard.
CCW
My two cents:
I wanted to say that I agree with the majority that you should go to Harvard.
Obviously for you to get into one of the historically oldest and most prestigous universities in the nation, and the undergrad institution that has number rankings in most of the research rankings, you must have been very very very bright and hard working in highschool.
And I agree with the poster on the first page that said not all GPA's are equal. Private institutions are harder than public institutions because public institutions have less selectivity and freedom in how hard they make the classes, since they have to take certain people due to state mandations.
If you get a 3.1 from Harvard vs. a 3.1 from the University of South Florida where I attend undergrad, they are weighed differently, because people know how hard it is to get into Harvard and that the courses are tougher up there than they are down here.
The other reason I believe you should go to Harvard is because I don't believe in 7 yr programs. I think it takes time to mature and grow and learn. There are life lessons and realities that many are not ready for coming out of highschool. Those life lessons are only learned from experience and living life and taking chances. I think that undergrad is a time to absorb all sorts of knowledge and life lessons and to learn and grow and leave behind those childhood memories of highschool and gradeschool. Many that I have known at our own 7 yr program are smart but don't have maturity to be good doctors, as I've seen with my own eyes.
I think that maturity only comes with taking those chances and if you go to Harvard and do well, you are bound to get in somewhere.
I wanted to say that I agree with the majority that you should go to Harvard.
Obviously for you to get into one of the historically oldest and most prestigous universities in the nation, and the undergrad institution that has number rankings in most of the research rankings, you must have been very very very bright and hard working in highschool.
And I agree with the poster on the first page that said not all GPA's are equal. Private institutions are harder than public institutions because public institutions have less selectivity and freedom in how hard they make the classes, since they have to take certain people due to state mandations.
If you get a 3.1 from Harvard vs. a 3.1 from the University of South Florida where I attend undergrad, they are weighed differently, because people know how hard it is to get into Harvard and that the courses are tougher up there than they are down here.
The other reason I believe you should go to Harvard is because I don't believe in 7 yr programs. I think it takes time to mature and grow and learn. There are life lessons and realities that many are not ready for coming out of highschool. Those life lessons are only learned from experience and living life and taking chances. I think that undergrad is a time to absorb all sorts of knowledge and life lessons and to learn and grow and leave behind those childhood memories of highschool and gradeschool. Many that I have known at our own 7 yr program are smart but don't have maturity to be good doctors, as I've seen with my own eyes.
I think that maturity only comes with taking those chances and if you go to Harvard and do well, you are bound to get in somewhere.
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Welcome to the I-league!!!
4 years ago my friend got into Princeton and Yale, and also got into the connections program at UC, he also got a free ride to UC. Where did he go? He went to Yale and will not go to medical school in the fall, he is going to Harvard Law.
You have wanted to be a Physician all your life, that is great. In college you will either strengthen your beliefs or you will find a new calling. Either way Harvard is a great door into whatever you choose to do - may it be business, law, engineering, art, history, public policy, medicine.
Good luck,
4 years ago my friend got into Princeton and Yale, and also got into the connections program at UC, he also got a free ride to UC. Where did he go? He went to Yale and will not go to medical school in the fall, he is going to Harvard Law.
You have wanted to be a Physician all your life, that is great. In college you will either strengthen your beliefs or you will find a new calling. Either way Harvard is a great door into whatever you choose to do - may it be business, law, engineering, art, history, public policy, medicine.
Good luck,
