Harvard vs. Yale vs. UMichigan

[elderflowers]

Hi everyone! Never thought I'd be posting something like this!

I got way more love with my applications than I was expecting, which is making the decision making process really difficult. Being of really low income, cost is my number one concern in deciding where to go. These are my three most affordable options (prices for 4 years next to name) as I would have full need/merit based financial aid (minus living expenses) at each of them. My next biggest concern is that the place have a non-competitive environment, making pass/fail which all 3 schools have very important. I am also interested in getting an MPH, and all three of these schools have amazing schools of public health. I feel like I fit really well at all three of them!

Harvard (Pathways), ~135K:
Pros:

• Amazing research opportunities
• Student community seems amazing and incredibly welcoming
• Boston is an amazing city
• Close to significant other
• Finish with pre-clinicals in 1 year
• Flipped classroom, could potentially be a con, I think I would like it but not entirely sure.

Cons:

• Cost. Cost of living is high, and the cost of attendance throughout the four years could go up as it has a 34K per year unit loan which could potentially increase.
• Potentially stressful learning all of the pre-clinicals in a single year
• Largely white and and affluent patient population

Yale, 92K:
Pros:

• Most affordable option, guaranteed to only have to pay a *fixed* unit loan of 23K per year.
• Socioeconomically diverse patient population. HAVEN Free clinic looks amazing, seems to have a great commitment to the underserved
• Lots of freedom, potentially too much though. I could see myself getting lazy
• Student body seems very happy!

Cons:

• Not guaranteed a position at HAVEN, you have to apply and some students don't get it.
• Worried about the perception among residency directors created by the laissez faire Yale system
• Clinical sites looked amazing, but not as good as at the other two schools.
• Not a big fan of New Haven, kind of feels like it's in the middle of nowhere

UMichigan, ~100K:
Pros:

• Administration made the best impression on me during the interviews, seem to really care about their students
• Amazing hospitals and clinical shadowing opportunities
• Can practically take the classes at home via videos and flexible online quizzes
• Finish with pre-clinicals in 1 year
• Good balance between structure and freedom with the branch curriculum

Cons:

• Not a fan of how small (and cold!) Ann Arbor is. I'd like to get out of the midwest
• Less diverse patient population
• Public, so potentially less stability in financial aid? Not sure whether this should actually be a real concern.

Thank you in advance for your advice, I really appreciate it!

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[libertyyne]

Harvard.

 

[Saifa]

Especially given the (minimal) financial differences, I think you know the answer.

 

[elderflowers]

Especially given the (minimal) financial differences, I think you know the answer.

Is it just because of the name/prestige though? I was under the impression that those things don't matter that much unless you want to go into academia

 

[libertyyne]

Is it just because of the name/prestige though? I was under the impression that those things don't matter that much unless you want to go into academia

just looking at your list. It has the most pro's. One of its cons " lack of patient diversity" applies to every other option you have. You are smart enough to get into these schools so you are smart enough for the one year corric. 40 k is not enough to sway a decision at this level. So what that leaves me with is the default to the program with the best opportunities,best locale, proximity to SO. All of that points to harvard.

 

[Saifa]

Yeah, best option on paper IMO and your personal reasons outweigh the others, no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

 

[metobe2018]

Someone else said this on another thread: Choosing any other school other than Harvard would be a huge mistake. The name carries significant weight in and outside of academia, and you will reap its benefits for the rest of your life.

 

[carrots28]

Yale all the way. Less competitive atmosphere and still has brand name recognition

 

[Saifa]

I don't really understand where this "competitive atmosphere" thing regarding Harvard is coming from honestly. I haven't seen/heard anything like it yet.

 

[carrots28]

I meant in comparison. I don't think it's more competitive than the norm, just less so than others by nature of their curriculum.

 

[Saifa]

Fair enough, Yale is special in that respect from what I've heard but I certainly don't think there's anything pathological about the competition level at Harvard.

 

[marieskiier]

This is even a question?!?! Go to Harvard!! Aside from being the obvious choice without having to look at any other options, your pros for Harvard completely overshadow any of Harvard's cons or the other schools' pros. Go Harvard!

 

[NeuroSoph75]

I would pay the extra money and go to Harvard. It's a great school in a great location! (I love Boston though)

Just wondering -- is Ann Arbor actually colder than Boston and New Haven?

 

[Microbug]

I meant in comparison. I don't think it's more competitive than the norm, just less so than others by nature of their curriculum.

Have you actually met HMS kids though? I think gunner types are everywhere but most of the HMS students I have met are exceptionally talented and kind individuals.
What everyone else said, Harvard.

 

[carrots28]

Yes, I know people at HMS. I love HMS people but would probably choose Yale if given the same choices given the combination of lower cost and low stress environment which is what OP stated were important factors. just an opinion though. OP should go to second look and see which group OP vibes with more.

 

[Microbug]

Yes, I know people at HMS. I love HMS people but would probably choose Yale if given the same choices given the combination of lower cost and low stress environment which is what OP stated were important factors. just an opinion though. OP should go to second look and see which group OP vibes with more.

I don't think there's a huge difference between 92k and 135k down the road if you manage your money carefully. I think its a misconception that Harvard is necessarily "more stress" than Yale. It's medical school, how low stress can you get? And people at these places tend to be self-motivated anyways so the "stress" is more or less self-inflicted. If Harvard was a toxic environment, it would be a different story. But it is not and given its name and reputation, it's a no brainer.

 

[elderflowers]

Yes, I know people at HMS. I love HMS people but would probably choose Yale if given the same choices given the combination of lower cost and low stress environment which is what OP stated were important factors. just an opinion though. OP should go to second look and see which group OP vibes with more.

I want to very badly, but Harvard and Yale's second look weekends clash with each other so I can only go to one Thank you for the advice though!

 

[Microbug]

I want to very badly, but Harvard and Yale's second look weekends clash with each other so I can only go to one Thank you for the advice though!

If you email them, they MIGHT be able to work something out for you. Don’t quote me on it though. Midwest programs tend to be willing to do that.

 

[Willy38]

Harvard being more competitive is a misconception. It's true that Yale was one of the first schools to have pass/fail preclinical grading, but now all three of your choices have the same grading model. There ARE clerkship grades at Yale: it's tiered - Honors, High Pass, Pass, Unsatisfactory. This pass/fail preclinical and tiered clerkship model is almost universal now. Med school is stressful, but going to one school versus another won't make a difference. If anything, Harvard's less stressful because you're near your SO! The difference in cost is peanuts.

97-99% honors on clerkships. Lol they literally released the stats to us this year. Not claiming Harvard is toxic at all, just saying the Yale system is much more than a simple pass fail system. No shelf exams is different, no requirements for 4th year other than a research thesis (which you get paid for) is different than most places, and the no ranking or ANY comparative intraclass metrics are different. Definitely not for everyone because you can absolutely flounder if you don’t stay on top of things, but it is a genuinely unique place that’s quite different than the other “pass/fail” schools. Harvard is huge and getting that brand stamp is nice but it’s not unreasonable to see why a number of people opt for the guaranteed intrinsic low stress environment at Yale. If his/her SO is in Boston I would say go there though lol that will end up making a huge difference.

OP, if you can’t do both second looks I would suggest going to the one you’re less sure about and setting up a visit at the other schools a different time. I was able to do this when I was deciding and the other school was able to set up meetings with some faculty, current students, meals etc. It was a really nice experience. Would recommend against splitting the weekend though. Pick one and go to it. The obvious downside is not meeting the other admits, but half of them end up going to different places anyways so it’s better to get a feel from current students.

 

[dark_knight]

Don' forget to factor in curriculum. 1 year completely flipped curriculum with mandatory attendance vs. 1.5 year mixed curriculum without required lectures/optional exams. Any interest in taking an extra research year? I believe Yale is completely tuition free and you might get funded. Can you fathom living in New Haven for 4+ years?

I think at this point all of these schools have a lot of prestige and provide excellent education. Find the best fit for YOU.

If it's really important for you to impress the layman definitely choose Harvard. Long-term and career wise I don' think they'll be a tangible difference.

 

[elderflowers]

I decided on Harvard in the end, thanks for the advice everyone!