Hopkins or Harvard

[HumbleMD]

I second that.

But what's so bad about signatures? Being happy and proud does not equate to arrogance. It's not like all the accepted schools are listed. Plus you can meet a lot of fellow classmates/interested ppl without creating an entire MDapp (which some may consider more showy and unnecessary)

One man's pride is another man's arrogance. It' not something I bring up all the time (well, save an indirect nudge in my sig) but wanted to in the glaring hypocrisy of this poster.

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[39094]

I don't venture over to this forum very often but this thread caught my eye since I posted an identical thread 3 years ago.

I was in the very lucky position of deciding between the H's as well back then and ended up choosing Hopkins. Now don't get me wrong, I feel like I've gotten a fantastic education at Hopkins but if I had it to do all over again I'd have chosen Harvard. Considering that I'm currently at Harvard doing research and that my fiancee is an HMS student I figure I can make a pretty good comparison between the two. Here goes:

1. preclinical curriculum: I actually very much favor Hopkins in this category, but both schools have recently overhauled their curriculum so I can't speak to the accuracy of my comparison anymore. Harvard obviously does a good job of covering the major topics, but tends to spend more time on the hand-waving touchy-feely stuff than we did at Hopkins. Comparing myself to my fiancee in board prep (we are very evenly matched, same GPA, same MCAT, same majors, same undergrad) she is having more trouble with some of the basics than I did simply because they were glossed over at Harvard. That being said though, Hopkins has preclinical grades which I find to be nothing but an annoyance. Hopkins does provide you with EXCELLENT notes for all your classes while Harvard requires you to buy the book which was written by the professor teaching the course instead of providing you free material.

2. clinical curriculum: Great at both places, you'll be learning from world-class physicians regardless. More points to Harvard though simply because they have so many more hospitals and clinicians to work with. That and in a lot of ways Hopkins is still working with outmoded systems and ancient facilities. The quality of the docs, however, overcomes that problem and they have no trouble keeping it together. Again, Harvard might lose points in the future since they are forcing all students to do longitudinal 3rd years at a single hospital rather than jumping around as they did before.

3. mentoring: About a billion more points for Harvard on this one. The society system which has been in place for decades is a fantastic resource and there's just so much available to help students out in making important decisions. Hopkins has JUST implemented a similar system, but it's in its infancy. That and the fact that they just barely cooked up something like this makes you ask what was in place before. Answer: nothing. You had to find your own mentors and hope that you could figure out how things work by talking to upperclassmen. Harvard routinely puts on board review sessions and other similar activities. At Hopkins I think we were once told there's this thing called "Step 1" we might want to look into sometime. Things are getting better at Hopkins, don't get me wrong, but there's still a long way to go.

4. facilities: Point Harvard. Hopkins is building all brand new facilities for the medical school, but they won't be done for a few years yet. I'm sure they'll totally rock once they are, but until then Hopkins is stuck with outdated buildings and old equipment.

5. opportunities: Great at both, but again a point for Harvard just for the number of faculty and the ridiculous amount of money they throw at students to do whatever they want. Hopkins has money for such things too, but you have to find your own opportunities and hope you can get funded.

6. perks: Harvard by far, they just have more money to throw around for student activities, free food, free materials, etc.

7. city: Baltimore is a hole, there's no sugarcoating it. I love Boston and have been very happy here. If I ever pursued a career at Hopkins I would live far far far outside of the city and only venture into that hellhole to go to the hospital.

I think your choice of school also depends a lot on what you want to do in the future. I'm very interested in a field that Harvard leads the pack in and Hopkins doesn't even make the top 10. Because of this I've found more mentors here at Harvard then I did back at Hopkins.

And to my fellow classmates I'm NOT dissing Hopkins so please no hate mail and angry looks. I do feel lucky to be able to go to Hopkins, I'm simply making a one-man comparison of the two based on my own experience. Honestly you'll be fine either way you choose.

Oh, and as a conflict-of-interest declaration Hopkins was the only school in the US to reject my fiancee so naturally there's not happy feelings there, but there was an admissions shakeup last year that fixed things in my opinion.

Happy to answer any specific questions over PM.

 

[husky0684]

not that I have the luxury of choosing between these two, especially since I didn't even apply to one of them; however, for some reason I enjoy weighing in on topics that I have absolutely no stake in. Hopkins match list I am sure harvard's is just as impressive but holy crap, hopkins was AMAZING. However in my opinion, boston/cambridge>>>>>>>>baltimore, and I mean come on it's harvard. I am sure everyone will tell you the same thing, but seriously you can't go wrong either way, but if you choose hopkins, invest in a good can of mace and work on perfecting a wicked drop kick and sprint. ...super congrats on being able to have this choice!

 

[Vano]

Hopkins IS the best medical school in the world...or so I have been told by people FROM Harvard Med

BS, typical american delusion of grandeur statement. Miami Heat champions of the world!!! Where did the US basketball team end up during last Olympics, during last FIBA world championship? St.Louis Cards--world champs in baseball!!! Did US baseball squad win that international national teams tournament last season?

 

[sully677]

what was ur profile for harvard and jh?

 

[YanYan]

Both schools are quite terrible, i suggest you withdraw from both.

 

[deleted113029]

That would be a killer combination! It's somewhat odd that you do not see more of that - I've certainly seen more Hopkins to MGH/Brigham & Women's than Harvard to Hopkins. I wonder why that is? Could it be that Hopkins med students are more competitive for the residency match, or do the Harvard med students simply choose to stay in Boston?

Baltimore blows as a city compared to Boston. As someone who interviewed for residency positions, it's nice to walk to the hospital without seeing police officers at the entrance and on campus. also nice to not constantly be aware of your surroundings because there are a lot of sketchy/shady people around the Hopkins hospital.

in response to someone saying hopkins has an awesome international reputation, that is true. however, mayo clinic still has the best name recognition even when harvard and hopkins are in the picture. but seriously, all hospitals mentioned are very similar with respect to patient care/outcome.

 

[Towelie]

Baltimore blows as a city compared to Boston. As someone who interviewed for residency positions, it's nice to walk to the hospital without seeing police officers at the entrance and on campus. also nice to not constantly be aware of your surroundings because there are a lot of sketchy/shady people around the Hopkins hospital.

in response to someone saying hopkins has an awesome international reputation, that is true. however, mayo clinic still has the best name recognition even when harvard and hopkins are in the picture. but seriously, all hospitals mentioned are very similar with respect to patient care/outcome.

Let me counter this with one thing. Baltimore is dirt cheap, Boston is ridiculously expensive. If I were choosing a location (especially for residency), this would be worth considering. As a resident, you could live in an extremely nice place in Baltimore, or a disgusting shack in Boston.

Also, when I interviewed at Harvard, my host's girlfriend got mugged the night before at knifepoint. So it's not the safest area in the universe.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

To someone without an acceptance, your signature is more arrogant than this thread: posting your acceptance in your signature, advertising it to a world that doesn't care.

Tell us, why is it that a comparison thread for two of the top programs in the country is any more arrogant than a comparison thread of any other 2 schools? If you subscribe to the SDN mantra, all the schools are equal and Harvard is equal to SLU...

(no offense meant to SLU, just thinking about St. Louis today, and I've gotta say they don't have the same resources as HMS...)

you are right, i have removed my signature.... maybe i am just a bit jealous that I am not able to get into such classy institutions

 

[HumbleMD]

BS, typical american delusion of grandeur statement. Miami Heat champions of the world!!! Where did the US basketball team end up during last Olympics, during last FIBA world championship? St.Louis Cards--world champs in baseball!!! Did US baseball squad win that international national teams tournament last season?

Not trying (too much) to de-rail this thread, but that would be because our sports teams are not supported by our government, and we have a hell of a time getting pro players to play (haven't you seen the movie Miracle? )

 

[Vano]

Not trying (too much) to de-rail this thread, but that would be because our sports teams are not supported by our government, and we have a hell of a time getting pro players to play (haven't you seen the movie Miracle? )

I believe schools are supported by government? State governments, and taxpayers' money? Schools do a great deal to promote sports, hardly many other nations have such organized sports systems on high school level, where one can be coached and can compete in just about any major sport. Playing for national teams in European countries for instance doesn't pay the players much, even if they win something, bonuses are hardly comparable to profits they make on their contracts with professional clubs. By the way good pro-players played in those events I cited (LeBron played, Carmelo played etc.) Hard time getting players to play, shows what? Lack of national pride and overriding power of big contracts and money given by professional clubs over desire to prove that US indeed is a leader in those categories( and those two don't even have to be mutually exclusive, just takes a little adjusting of schedule in hockey for example). Unfortunately, unless those statements are backed by performance, they're meaningless to anyone outside of the US. Bottomline--money can buy anything, including one's soul. My analogy can be extended and examples can be cited not only for sports but for other spheres of life. Most rankings cited here are of US origin, if one goes to Japan or France, for example, one would see slightly different rankings of things, each one of those is biased not only due to sense of promoting one's own but also due to lack of familiarity with institutions outside of one's realm. Point is--little humility never hurts.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

One man's pride is another man's arrogance. It' not something I bring up all the time (well, save an indirect nudge in my sig) but wanted to in the glaring hypocrisy of this poster.

glaring hipocrisy?.... what about your name being HUMBLE md yet then putting up an MD apps profile CLEARLY displaying how great you are. Not humble at all. If you were humble you wouldnt be bragging about your application to the rest of the world.

 

[HumbleMD]

I believe schools are supported by government? State governments, and taxpayers' money? Schools do a great deal to promote sports, hardly many other nations have such organized sports systems on high school level, where one can be coached and can compete in just about any major sport. Playing for national teams in European countries for instance doesn't pay the players much, even if they win something, bonuses are hardly comparable to profits they make on their contracts with professional clubs. By the way good pro-players played in those events I cited (LeBron played, Carmelo played etc.) Hard time getting players to play, shows what? Lack of national pride and overriding power of big contracts and money given by professional clubs over desire to prove that US indeed is a leader in those categories( and those two don't even have to be mutually exclusive, just takes a little adjusting of schedule in hockey for example). Unfortunately, unless those statements are backed by performance, they're meaningless to anyone outside of the US. Bottomline--money can buy anything, including one's soul. My analogy can be extended and examples can be cited not only for sports but for other spheres of life. Most rankings cited here are of US origin, if one goes to Japan or France, for example, one would see slightly different rankings of things, each one of those is biased not only due to sense of promoting one's own but also due to lack of familiarity with institutions outside of one's realm. Point is--little humility never hurts.

Swing and a miss...
I was talking about how international sporting events aren't exactly a fair determination of the "best" sports teams becauset the U.S. doesn't always put in our "best" players (because we don't have a government telling them they have to). Wasn't even trying to comment on academic rankings. Seriously, did you ever see Miracle? I didn't, but it'd be a good lesson in the way governemnt systems and politics can bias things a great deal in international sporting events (CliffsNotes version: back in the 80's professional sports players weren't allowed to participate in the Olympics, so in hockey, for example, we were sending college kids to play against what would be considered pro athletes from Russia, who were allowed to play because in a communist system they weren't considered "pro").

glaring hipocrisy?.... what about your name being HUMBLE md yet then putting up an MD apps profile CLEARLY displaying how great you are. Not humble at all. If you were humble you wouldnt be bragging about your application to the rest of the world.

You didn't have to click on it. It's placed because many times a question is asked and people want to know the background of an applicant. And its so tiny, i'm suprised you found it...
And by the way, humility and success are not mutually exclusive...

 

[jeniffer lopez]

BS, typical american delusion of grandeur statement.

JEjejejeje...kid, I am not even american! And I am well aware of the "american delusion of grandeur" and also the ubiquitious anthropocentrism. However, I was just quoting what one of my interviewers at Harvard told me. His point was that nobody in his department at the Mass general got his/her MD from Harvard, and they were recruited there because they were among the best and brightest. He held Hopkins at high esteem and we talked about it because he wanted to know who else had admitted me. That's all. Chill please!!!!!

 

[cnatstop]

Go for Harvard, trust me. Hopkins is great, but I'd love to be able to say that I went to the best medical school in the world. Even joe schmo knows what Harvard is.

Ahhh, I just imagined myself at Harvard, it'd be a dream come true.

where is hahhhhvahhd again?

 

[husky0684]

wait so has the OP been accepted at harvard? he/she spawned this semi-popular thread and then disappeared..I am mildly interested to know which he/she is going to choose

 

[gujuDoc]

I've already got into Hopkins, waiting for Harvard's decision. Which one do you chose between two? I am biasing towards Hopkins

If you gotta post such a stupid and asinine post, try to at least have the HMS acceptance in hand. Since you don't even know if you are accepted yet this post is useless until you get an acceptance from HMS.

 

[deleted113029]

Let me counter this with one thing. Baltimore is dirt cheap, Boston is ridiculously expensive. If I were choosing a location (especially for residency), this would be worth considering. As a resident, you could live in an extremely nice place in Baltimore, or a disgusting shack in Boston.

Also, when I interviewed at Harvard, my host's girlfriend got mugged the night before at knifepoint. So it's not the safest area in the universe.

disgusting shack?! what are you smoking? even though boston is really expensive one can still get a decent place...much better than your everyday shack.

that knifepoint story is just ******ed, especially your conclusion. she was probably walking alone and counting her money as she left a store. common sense goes a long way in whatever city you find yourself.

 

[Towelie]

disgusting shack?! what are you smoking? even though boston is really expensive one can still get a decent place...much better than your everyday shack.

that knifepoint story is just ******ed, especially your conclusion. she was probably walking alone and counting her money as she left a store. common sense goes a long way in whatever city you find yourself.

I just checked, and the average house in Boston is $150,000 more expensive than the average house in Baltimore. I was merely saying that I would consider taking a cheaper city over a more "fun" city. Over the course of your residency, picking Baltimore could save you tens of thousands.

You and I have the same conclusion about "common sense." If you have common sense in Baltimore, you will be fine--the same goes with Boston.

 

[hot streaks]

Hey Towlie,
Have you heard anything from Harvard yet? Just wondering. Good luck.

 

[Towelie]

Hey Towlie,
Have you heard anything from Harvard yet? Just wondering. Good luck.

I haven't, but I got the "good" financial aid message, if that means anything.

I can't afford to go to Harvard or Hopkins anyway, so getting in is just one big tease

 

[Stolenspatulas]

I haven't, but I got the "good" financial aid message, if that means anything.

I can't afford to go to Harvard or Hopkins anyway, so getting in is just one big tease

Well don't you have a free ride to Pritzker? I think that would be nuts to turn down for Harvard or Hopkins.

Also, Hopkins has ridiculously generous financial aid. I'm not sure about Hahvhaaaad.

Not sure if this is too personal of a question... but are you just worried of going too much in debt? Many med students are comfortable in going 250K in debt for this process, as you know.

 

[Towelie]

Well don't you have a free ride to Pritzker? I think that would be nuts to turn down for Harvard or Hopkins.

Also, Hopkins has ridiculously generous financial aid. I'm not sure about Hahvhaaaad.

Not sure if this is too personal of a question... but are you just worried of going too much in debt? Many med students are comfortable in going 250K in debt for this process, as you know.

I'm in a weird financial situation--in about 5 years I'll be financially responsible for a family member, which will cost a lot, and I already have undergrad debt. $250K on top of that, with the option of only going $80K at another school, would be a bit ridiculous.

 

[searun]

Wow, I am glad I am going to California and will catch a few rays and chill out. Relax guys, it is just life. Nothing more and nothing less. Is it just me or does the East Coast seem a LITTLE UPTIGHT?