Hopkins vs Vanderbilt

[xkcd6330]

Hey everyone, I’m struggling with this decision and would appreciate any input! Both would be full cost.



Hopkins

+++Very strong college/“molecule”/“macromolecule” system

++Reputation. I’m struggling with this one. On the one hand, they’re both clearly top schools. I know the general consensus on here is that differences within the T10/20 don’t matter, but Hopkins really seems to be considered among the very best of the best, and that’s not something I can easily ignore. I am considering very competitive specialties, and may or may not be interested in academia.

++18 month pre-clerkship. So longer than Vanderbilt, but not by a ton, and still relatively short.

+AOA released after residency apps (so effectively no AOA)

--Baltimore. This got very political in the JHU thread, and I don’t want to restart that debate. But having lots of good bars, restaurants, and concerts is important to me, and Baltimore doesn’t seem to offer as much of that. Current students report that Baltimore grew on them, but the ways they describe it (“small town feel in a city”, “charming neighborhoods”) is not quite what I’m looking for—which is continually being able to explore and having things to do/eat.



Vanderbilt

+++1 year pre-clerkship. Sounds intense, but very appealing overall. I’m very undecided on specialty, so I like the idea of having the extra clinical exposure to decide. Plus, M1 summer is a real summer, with no hidden expectation of research.

+++P/F core clerkships. Sounds like it could relieve a lot of stress.

+++Strong college system. Perhaps not quite as structured as Hopkins, but these are the 2 schools I’ve seen with the most student buy-in into their college/house systems, which is nice.

++Nashville seems fun

++small class size (90). Not a huge distinguishing factor (Hopkins is ~120)

-Shorter pre-clerkship = less time to make friends? (Need to talk to current students about this)

--Very long blocks/ infrequent exams, and thus more material on each one (maybe a pro?). Hopkins has exams every 2-3 weeks.



If anyone has input on things that I may not be considering, but should be, that would also be appreciated!

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[strappysandals]

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[9blade]

Just curious, what would be the CoA at each one? Which one is closer to family? Where would you prefer to do residency and practice? As a person who is applying next cycle..meaning, I didn't attend any interviews and am just going by what I've heard of both places and my preferences, I would take Vandy just bc I prefer Nashville and the curriculum with p/f core clerkships. Reputation is not too big of a thing for me once a threshold is reached. However, it's a big deal for many people. I don't know what's more important to you. You can not ignore Hopkins' reputation. It's a big name. I think only Harvard is in their category as far as prestige, in my opinion. If you know you want to do something extremely competitive, having the Hopkins name doesn't hurt. So to recap, just based on what you wrote, you want a very competitive specialty and if prestige is important to you and you're not sure about academia, better to go the safe route and go Hopkins. Just my two cents. I'm not applying this cycle, so have no ulterior motives to push you one way or the other

 

[xkcd6330]

IMO, I dont think the curriculums are different enough to sway your decisions either way.

The question here is where you want to live, what your goals are, and then a prestige difference in favor of Hopkins.

You could be equally as miserable in Nashville as you suspect you will be in Baltimore. Dont base your opinion of a city on what the current medical schools told you during the fishbowl. Do your own research: what neighboorhood will you live in? Whats the bar/restaurant scene around there? Will you need a car? Etc. Etc. (Im talking going on craigslist, google street view, the reddits of each city, and more.) The more you imagine yourself picking one of these schools, the better idea you will have of whether The location is a pro or a con.

Regardless of prestige, programs will be stronger in some areas than others. Want an education rich with discussions of social injustice, healthcare disparity, etc. Hopkins might be the place. I know nothing about Vandy sorry. Think about whats important to you as a future doctor and what each place will provide with regard to experiences outside the curriculum.

Edit: Im in favor of Hopkins. The bar scene and restaurant scene is better than many bigger cities and better than anyone cares to think. Look at places like Fells Point, Little Italy, and Mount Vernon. They are chock full of things to do. You can also have a sick rooftop patio and pay under 700 dollars per person.

Either way you have a fun choice to make and time to do some intense research on each place. Congrats!

Thanks for the insight! You're right, I may have been too quick to judge Baltimore, and I admittedly am slightly more familiar with Nashville.

Just curious, what would be the CoA at each one? Which one is closer to family? Where would you prefer to do residency and practice? As a person who is applying next cycle..meaning, I didn't attend any interviews and am just going by what I've heard of both places and my preferences, I would take Vandy just bc I prefer Nashville and the curriculum with p/f core clerkships. Reputation is not too big of a thing for me once a threshold is reached. However, it's a big deal for many people. I don't know what's more important to you. You can not ignore Hopkins' reputation. It's a big name. I think only Harvard is in their category as far as prestige, in my opinion. If you know you want to do something extremely competitive, having the Hopkins name doesn't hurt. So to recap, just based on what you wrote, you want a very competitive specialty and if prestige is important to you and you're not sure about academia, better to go the safe route and go Hopkins. Just my two cents. I'm not applying this cycle, so have no ulterior motives to push you one way or the other

I'm really fortunate to be in a position not to have to consider CoA, but if you're wondering, Vandy lists 93k vs. Hopkins 83k. This whole difference is due to the estimated cost of living (the billed costs are basically the same at 60), which is a little surprising to me since I didn't think Nashville had that much higher cost of living.

Hopkins is definitely closer to family, but probably not enough that it makes a huge difference. They're both far enough away that I'm likely not going to be visiting home on a random weekend.

Ending up in the northeast would be nice, but isn't a must (ending up in a city I like is more important to me than the geographic region). When it comes to residency apps though, I was thinking that since I'm from the northeast, that would likely help overcome any regional bias against Vandy if there is one? Could be wrong though. In terms of if I would rather settle longish term in Nashville or Baltimore, I suspect that would be Nashville (based on the explained location preference in the original post), but I'm gonna do more research.

 

[StarSpangled]

Choose Hopkins. Baltimore is amazing and cheap to live in. I miss it dearly, especially the good bars and amazing restaurants. I would live in Canton if I was you. Good luck!

 

[xkcd6330]

Any thoughts on the P/F clerkship grading and if that should be a big enough deal to sway my decision?

 

[hellanutella]

Any thoughts on the P/F clerkship grading and if that should be a big enough deal to sway my decision?

Disclosure: current Hopkins student, formerly WL at Vandy – I'd take P/F cores over H/HP/P/F cores, but I don't know if it'd be enough to make my school decision. Fortunately, Hopkins cores are not curved (with the exception of the 4.5wk neurology one?), and the majority of folks get H/HP. The lack of ranking and post-match AOA is definitely a huge relief.

Seconding the food scene here. Probably can't hold a candle to Nashville in the BBQ domain, but coming from LA's food scene I was very surprised and satisfied with Bmore. If I don't match in the area, I will forever dream of some of this food (Baltimore even made me pick up food blogging). If anyone ever wants some recs, I love to wax poetic about my faves. As for charming neghbourhoods/small town vs. vibrant city feels, I'd argue both can be found in Bmore and Nashville.

As for bar scene – if you like neighbourhood dive bars, seaside taverns, craft breweries, chic speakeasies, historic townhomes turned club, and the occasional glitzy lounge, you're set. If you're thinking more rooftop pools, exclusive nightclubs, and dancing till 4 am (a la NYC) you'll be harder pressed. Thames Street in Fells is always bustling till 2 am on weekends. I usually don't feel compelled to leave Bmore on the weekends, but it's really easy to hoof it out to DC (45 min train), Philly (1.5h drive), or NYC (2.5h Amtrak).

Both cities are comparable in size (600k+ Bmore, <700k Nashville), so if it comes down to the wire and it's financially possible, I'd highly recommend checking out both second looks. Congrats on two awesome options!

 

[xkcd6330]

Disclosure: current Hopkins student, formerly WL at Vandy – I'd take P/F cores over H/HP/P/F cores, but I don't know if it'd be enough to make my school decision. Fortunately, Hopkins cores are not curved (with the exception of the 4.5wk neurology one?), and the majority of folks get H/HP. The lack of ranking and post-match AOA is definitely a huge relief.

Seconding the food scene here. Probably can't hold a candle to Nashville in the BBQ domain, but coming from LA's food scene I was very surprised and satisfied with Bmore. If I don't match in the area, I will forever dream of some of this food (Baltimore even made me pick up food blogging). If anyone ever wants some recs, I love to wax poetic about my faves. As for charming neghbourhoods/small town vs. vibrant city feels, I'd argue both can be found in Bmore and Nashville.

As for bar scene – if you like neighbourhood dive bars, seaside taverns, craft breweries, chic speakeasies, historic townhomes turned club, and the occasional glitzy lounge, you're set. If you're thinking more rooftop pools, exclusive nightclubs, and dancing till 4 am (a la NYC) you'll be harder pressed. Thames Street in Fells is always bustling till 2 am on weekends. I usually don't feel compelled to leave Bmore on the weekends, but it's really easy to hoof it out to DC (45 min train), Philly (1.5h drive), or NYC (2.5h Amtrak).

Both cities are comparable in size (600k+ Bmore, <700k Nashville), so if it comes down to the wire and it's financially possible, I'd highly recommend checking out both second looks. Congrats on two awesome options!

Thanks! That’s definitely reassuring. Do you know how clerkship grades are calculated at Hopkins? Like how much of the grade comes from shelf exams?

 

[KnightDoc]

This is really a no brainer, based on your OP, so I don't understand your struggle -- you care about prestige and realize that while Vandy is a great school, it's really not in the same class as Hopkins, so what else is there to consider, given your interest in very competitive specialties and maybe academia?

You're not planning a weekend getaway -- you are training for a career. Even assuming the living environment is far superior in Nashville, so what? It's 4 years out of your life. I think you know you will not encounter a regional bias against a Hopkins grad anywhere in the country when it comes time to plant roots, so you can always have a life in Nashville if that's what you want.

Sorry to ruin your struggle and your block by block study of Google maps, but, based on your interests and the fact that Hopkins COA will actually be less, you really don't have any decision at all. Congratulations!!!!

 

[hellanutella]

Thanks! That’s definitely reassuring. Do you know how clerkship grades are calculated at Hopkins? Like how much of the grade comes from shelf exams?

Something like 20%? I can't recall to be honest – a majority is comprised of evaluations. I've scored around average on most shelves and honoured most rotations, so the cut off is not stratospherically high. At least from grade histograms it appears to be roughly 50% of students honour per rotation. I think something like 90% of people honoured during my surgery clerkship, as you just needed an aggregate score above 85% and everyone that block was leaning towards surgical residencies.

But to be perfectly honest, you could get milquetoast grades here and still match ridiculously well. The name and privilege of proximity (big name faculty mentors, crazy good research, ample funding) really is something else – I'm constantly pinching myself and have really tried to not take my education here for granted. You'd have to actively avoid mentors and projects here in order to graduate with an anemic CV. I presume you'd have a similar experience at Vandy (they're also a phenomenal), but Hopkins has exceeded my expectations in this regard. I went to a low-tier undergrad and just comparing my experience applying to med school and now – applying to residency – its is night and day... I have Hopkins alums putting me up across the country, chairs are asking me "how is Dr. X doing?", financial support to assist with the app process, etc.

 

[LaFlameCactus]

Grew up in maryland -- went to school in baltimore. I love baltimore, it's my city, it has something for everyone.

 

[Pluto98]

Based on your post, it seems like you are in favor of Vanderbilt. IMO, the prestige between schools in that range is a wash. I would pick based on location. I think Baltimore might be over criticized but its still a fine city. Nashville is almost certainly a better location though. Have you asked vandy for some merit money to sway you?

 

[Engrailed]

Based on your post, it seems like you are in favor of Vanderbilt. IMO, the prestige between schools in that range is a wash. I would pick based on location. I think Baltimore might be over criticized but its still a fine city. Nashville is almost certainly a better location though. Have you asked vandy for some merit money to sway you?

I think that while there won’t be too many differences (in matching, salary etc) between top ranked schools, there is a noticeable prestige (plus other abstract benefits) factor between the T5 and the rest. Just my opinion.

 

[xkcd6330]

I think that while there won’t be too many differences (in matching, salary etc) between top ranked schools, there is a noticeable prestige (plus other abstract benefits) factor between the T5 and the rest. Just my opinion.

Could you elaborate on “abstract benefits”? Do you think there could be meaningful differences in the faculty, exposure to interesting/unusual cases, etc?

 

[9blade]

Based on your post, it seems like you are in favor of Vanderbilt. IMO, the prestige between schools in that range is a wash. I would pick based on location. I think Baltimore might be over criticized but its still a fine city. Nashville is almost certainly a better location though. Have you asked vandy for some merit money to sway you?

what? idk about that. I think in terms of prestige, Hopkins and Harvard are above the rest. I understand that Vandy is a big name too, but it's not on the level of Hopkins. I feel like an MD from Hopkins can open more doors than an MD from Vandy. Don't get me wrong, going to Vandy won't keep him from matching where he wants, but the networking from Hopkins is on a different level. I think an example would be if he wants to get a consulting job later on, or get a board position in a pharmaceutical company, or want to work in venture capitalism...the Hopkins MD caries more weight. Just my opinion.

 

[Pluto98]

what? idk about that. I think in terms of prestige, Hopkins and Harvard are above the rest. I understand that Vandy is a big name too, but it's not on the level of Hopkins. I feel like an MD from Hopkins can open more doors than an MD from Vandy. Don't get me wrong, going to Vandy won't keep him from matching where he wants, but the networking from Hopkins is on a different level. I think an example would be if he wants to get a consulting job later on, or get a board position in a pharmaceutical company, or want to work in venture capitalism...the Hopkins MD caries more weight. Just my opinion.

I think on paper, that might be true but in practice, no doors are limited by coming out of vandy. Going to any top 20, if someone does well there, will open virtually every door. If I were him, I would try to get merit money out of vandy and if they give him a sizable portion, go there UNLESS he really really wants to go to Hopkins

 

[KnightDoc]

I think on paper, that might be true but in practice, no doors are limited by coming out of vandy. Going to any top 20, if someone does well there, will open virtually every door. If I were him, I would try to get merit money out of vandy and if they give him a sizable portion, go there UNLESS he really really wants to go to Hopkins

What is your learned opinion based on, other than an impression that 16-2=14, and that's a pretty small number? Vandy is truly a great school, but, prestige and reputation wise, it's just not in the same league. How many doors have you either opened or had opened for you in this world that makes you think you know whether or not there is a difference between Harvard, Hopkins, and Penn on one hand and Duke, Vandy and Northwestern on the other?

Also, why would Vandy give him merit money while Hopkins wouldn't, since, in practice, no doors are limited coming out of Vandy???

 

[Pluto98]

What is your learned opinion based on, other than an impression that 16-2=14, and that's a pretty small number? Vandy is truly a great school, but, prestige and reputation wise, it's just not in the same league. How many doors have you either opened or had opened for you in this world that makes you think you know whether or not there is a difference between Harvard, Hopkins, and Penn on one hand and Duke, Vandy and Northwestern on the other?

Also, why would Vandy give him merit money while Hopkins wouldn't, since, in practice, no doors are limited coming out of Vandy???

No one is arguing that Hopkins isn’t more prestigious, it is. What I am saying is that the difference between a school ranked 16 vs 2 isn’t going to make a difference come match time if the student does well at both. For the record, I know someone at northwestern who chose it over Hopkins and is doing fine. Same thing with Columbia. Look at both match lists, they are both stellar. I would try to get merit money out of vandy simply because he might be able to. If he got into duke or northwestern, he might still be able to get money out of vandy since these are all peer institutions. I think he should choose based on where he would be happiest including location and cost.

My learned opinion is based on 24 interviews including top ten and top twenty medical school acceptances including merit aid at a top 30. Prestige is important. Past a certain point though, it offers marginal returns IMO

 

[KnightDoc]

No one is arguing that Hopkins isn’t more prestigious, it is. What I am saying is that the difference between a school ranked 16 vs 2 isn’t going to make a difference come match time if the student does well at both. For the record, I know someone at northwestern who chose it over Hopkins and is doing fine. Same thing with Columbia. Look at both match lists, they are both stellar. I would try to get merit money out of vandy simply because he might be able to. If he got into duke or northwestern, he might still be able to get money out of vandy since these are all peer institutions. I think he should choose based on where he would be happiest including location and cost.

My learned opinion is based on 24 interviews including top ten and top twenty medical school acceptances including merit aid at a top 30. Prestige is important. Past a certain point though, it offers marginal returns IMO

Okay, so it sounds like you do have some idea what you are talking about!! Do you wonder why you received merit aid at T30, but not T10, since they are all peer institutions? Maybe it's because they are not, although, as you point out, any given person can do very well anywhere.

For what it's worth, I'm sticking with OP's facts, which are that he's not getting any money anywhere, as opposed to maybe Vandy trying to pry him away with money if he asks nicely (they won't). I will concede the point that anyone should go where they will be happiest if money and prestige are not factors, but this is not OP's case.

You are, however, wrong, about Hopkins, Harvard and Penn being considered "peers" of Vandy, Columbia and Northwestern, notwithstanding awesome match lists at all of them. Sounds like you are going to T30 based on money and the marginal return of prestige, and T30 being pretty good, no? Congratulations!!!!

 

[Pluto98]

Okay, so it sounds like you do have some idea what you are talking about!! Do you wonder why you received merit aid at T30, but not T10, since they are all peer institutions? Maybe it's because they are not, although, as you point out, any given person can do very well anywhere.

For what it's worth, I'm sticking with OP's facts, which are that he's not getting any money anywhere, as opposed to maybe Vandy trying to pry him away with money if he asks nicely (they won't). I will concede the point that anyone should go where they will be happiest if money and prestige are not factors, but this is not OP's case.

You are, however, wrong, about Hopkins, Harvard and Penn being considered "peers" of Vandy, Columbia and Northwestern, notwithstanding awesome match lists at all of them. Sounds like you are going to T30 based on money and the marginal return of prestige, and T30 being pretty good, no? Congratulations!!!!

I have not gotten merit money at the T10 because they havent given it out yet but maybe I will! My situation is also a little bit different because my family EFC is essentially 0 which means almost a full ride or full tuition at many of the top 10. If that was not the case, I might very well consider merit money at a top 30.

And I absolutely think Vandy, Columbia and NW are all peers of Harvard penn and hopkins. At virtually every interview at the top 20, I met someone who went to that top 20 over the "top 5". What do you think @Goro @gyngyn @LizzyM @Moko : are all the top 20s basically a wash when it comes to career outcomes/prestige?

 

[KnightDoc]

I have not gotten merit money at the T10 because they havent given it out yet but maybe I will! My situation is also a little bit different because my family EFC is essentially 0 which means almost a full ride or full tuition at many of the top 10. If that was not the case, I might very well consider merit money at a top 30.

And I absolutely think Vandy, Columbia and NW are all peers of Harvard penn and hopkins. At virtually every interview at the top 20, I met someone who went to that top 20 over the "top 5". What do you think @Goro @gyngyn @LizzyM @Moko : are all the top 20s basically a wash when it comes to career outcomes/prestige?

Okay, great!! Since you are going to get a lot of money wherever you go, just don't go T10 to prove your point!

 

[Goro]

I have not gotten merit money at the T10 because they havent given it out yet but maybe I will! My situation is also a little bit different because my family EFC is essentially 0 which means almost a full ride or full tuition at many of the top 10. If that was not the case, I might very well consider merit money at a top 30.

And I absolutely think Vandy, Columbia and NW are all peers of Harvard penn and hopkins. At virtually every interview at the top 20, I met someone who went to that top 20 over the "top 5". What do you think @Goro @gyngyn @LizzyM @Moko : are all the top 20s basically a wash when it comes to career outcomes/prestige?

Both great schools. and I reiterate that when you were talking about the top five, there are 10 schools you have to choose from. When you were talking about the top 10 there are 20 schools you have to choose from.

The only people who care about school rankings are pre-med and med school Deans.

And yes, it IS a wash in the long run, unless one plans a career in academic medicine.

But when you have a choice between Vandy and Hopkins you have to look at other factors in deciding upon a school.

So it really boils down to this: what do you like better, barbecue or crab cakes?

 

[Pluto98]

Okay, great!! Since you are going to get a lot of money wherever you go, just don't go T10 to prove your point!

Hahaha but what if the top 10 is in a great city, that I like, and is also the cheapest? Thats almost certainly what I am looking at right now!

If we were talking about hopkins vs podunk state medical college, I would say yeah, sure, go to hopkins even if you would be happier at podunk state because the opportunities will be greater. But vandy aint podunk state medical college! In fact, vanderbilt has a significantly higher step score avg than hopkins (244 vs 235).

 

[Lawpy]

I like how this thread collapsed into another prestige war

OP, you can't go wrong with either choice but if you had to choose, go with Hopkins.

 

[LizzyM]

Where you matriculate signals where you were "good enough" to be admitted. There isn't going to be a lot of discrimination between top 10 and top 20 anymore than there might be for having attended Williams rather than Princeton for undergrad.

 

[KnightDoc]

Hahaha but what if the top 10 is in a great city, that I like, and is also the cheapest? Thats almost certainly what I am looking at right now!

If we were talking about hopkins vs podunk state medical college, I would say yeah, sure, go to hopkins even if you would be happier at podunk state because the opportunities will be greater. But vandy aint podunk state medical college! In fact, vanderbilt has a significantly higher step score avg than hopkins (244 vs 235).

Yes, of course that's almost certainly what you are looking at right now, so don't advise #16 over #2, especially when #2 is less expensive, while you are going to justify choosing T10 over T30 for yourself!!!

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Also, why would Vandy give him merit money while Hopkins wouldn't, since, in practice, no doors are limited coming out of Vandy???

Reason Vandy gives merit money is they want to increase their ranking. Same goes for their UG. They give to attract those who would go to T10 without freebies.

 

[KnightDoc]

Reason Vandy gives merit money is they want to increase their ranking. Same goes for their UG. They give to attract those who would go to T10 without freebies.

As far as I know, Vandy does not do that at the med school. I hope I am wrong!!

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

As far as I know, Vandy does not do that at the med school. I hope I am wrong!!

Why do you think they are offering merit scholarships?

 

[unluckyadhessiveness]

Yes, of course that's almost certainly what you are looking at right now, so don't advise #16 over #2, especially when #2 is less expensive, while you are going to justify choosing T10 over T30 for yourself!!!

I have nothing to contribute to this thread but the way you put smiley faces at the end of everything creeps me the hell out

 

[KnightDoc]

I have nothing to contribute to this thread but the way you put smiley faces at the end of everything creeps me the hell out

Thanks for the contribution.

 

[KnightDoc]

Why do you think they are offering merit scholarships?

I'm not sure exactly what merit scholarships they are offering, but I specifically asked them last year what, if anything, they were intending to do to counter what NYU was doing, and the response was "nothing," which, if true, I took to mean that they were not going to throw money at people to lure them away from other schools. I know they have a reputation of being generous with need based aid, but I have not heard the same about merit based. Did I miss something?

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I'm not sure exactly what merit scholarships they are offering, but I specifically asked them last year what, if anything, they were intending to do to counter what NYU was doing, and the response was "nothing," which, if true, I took to mean that they were not going to throw money at people to lure them away from other schools. I know they have a reputation of being generous with need based aid, but I have not heard the same about merit based. Did I miss something?

They do offer several merit scholarships. It used be 75% tuition and it appears they have few 100% tuition now.

 

[KnightDoc]

They do offer several merit scholarships. It used be 75% tuition and it appears they have few 100% tuition now.

I always thought the answer I received was BS, and this kind of proves it. To your earlier point, though, I don't think they do it to try to increase their ranking (unlike UG, where Vandy uses money to lure students away from schools that don't offer merit), but, rather, as I suspected, they use it to avoid losing students they want to other, peer or higher ranked schools, that also offer merit money.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I always thought the answer I received was BS, and this kind of proves it. To your earlier point, though, I don't think they do it to try to increase their ranking (unlike UG, where Vandy uses money to lure students away from schools that don't offer merit), but, rather, as I suspected, they use it to avoid losing students they want to other, peer or higher ranked schools, that also offer merit money.

 

[KnightDoc]

View attachment 292023
View attachment 292023

Tomato! Just look into how rankings are calculated -- they have nothing to do with whether one student or another attends the school.

Rest assured, there are more high stat full pay candidates for each seat at all top schools than there are seats, so no school has to throw money at any candidate in order to increase its ranking, and offering merit money in and of itself has no bearing at all on ranking, so, once again, tomato, not tomahto!!

 

[deleted972488]

You can't go wrong with either choice and since cost is approximately the same, I would go with your gut and choose the location/school where you would feel happiest. It's ridiculous that some here are splitting hairs over largely meaningless rankings when both are fabulous institutions.

 

[Pluto98]

Tomato! Just look into how rankings are calculated -- they have nothing to do with whether one student or another attends the school.

Rest assured, there are more high stat full pay candidates for each seat at all top schools than there are seats, so no school has to throw money at any candidate in order to increase its ranking, and offering merit money in and of itself has no bearing at all on ranking, so, once again, tomato, not tomahto!!

Any school offering merit money is doing so to take better students than they could otherwise get. Theres a reason harvard and stanford dont offer merit money

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Any school offering merit money is doing so to take better students than they could otherwise get. Theres a reason harvard and stanford dont offer merit money

Stanford has scholarships now.

 

[Pluto98]

Stanford has scholarships now.

not merit money do they? If so that’s news to me

 

[KnightDoc]

not merit money do they? If so that’s news to me

Okay, so it's news to you. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Almost all of the well endowed schools now have merit money as part of the mix.

 

[Pluto98]

Okay, so it's news to you. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Almost all of the well endowed schools now have merit money as part of the mix.

I’ve never heard of merit money at Stanford. I know they give full coa for need based or scholarships to recruit URM but never merit based like, Chicago, for example.

 

[deleted972488]

Y'all are derailing the thread, but Stanford only does need-based aid, except for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I’ve never heard of merit money at Stanford. I know they give full coa for need based or scholarships to recruit URM but never merit based like, Chicago, for example.

Referring to Knight Hennessy which is open to all graduate students and they do select MD students.

 

[TRT7]

Regardless of the “minor” difference in USN&WR rankings, I’d pick Hopkins. Picking a city for medical school should have different criteria than going to work in advertising. You don’t really get weekends off, and you won’t go to all the bars. You also don’t have income so won be going out to fine restaurants every week. Generally, I agree that Nashville is more fun than Baltimore, but while studying medicine the way you probably should be, you wont really notice the difference. Check the match lists if you need some more help...

Stanford Med gives about 10% of its class a merit based K-H full COA scholarship

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Regardless of the “minor” difference in USN&WR rankings, I’d pick Hopkins. Picking a city for medical school should have different criteria than going to work in advertising. You don’t really get weekends off, and you won’t go to all the bars. You also don’t have income so won be going out to fine restaurants every week. Generally, I agree that Nashville is more fun than Baltimore, but while studying medicine the way you probably should be, you wont really notice the difference. Check the match lists if you need some more help...

Stanford Med gives about 10% of its class a merit based K-H full COA scholarship

I thought only 4 or 5 Med students are getting K-H every year,

 

[xkcd6330]

Any thoughts on how the Step 1 announcement might change this decision?

I know the obvious impulse will be for people to say Hopkins because name is now even more important, but I think there's actually a decent case to be made for Vandy, since their 1-year preclinical seems to really support a P/F Step 1 and more important Step 2. The curriculum would allow me to take Step 2 much earlier (as early as Sep of M3) and use flex time to get protected study time for it. It also has significantly more clinical time for advanced electives (8 months extra) to take advanced electives in my specialty of interest, gather stronger letters, get to know the dept, etc. Also 3-6 months of research time, which will also be more important now that Step 1 is P/F.

 

[deleted972488]

Any thoughts on how the Step 1 announcement might change this decision?

I know the obvious impulse will be for people to say Hopkins because name is now even more important, but I think there's actually a decent case to be made for Vandy, since their 1-year preclinical seems to really support a P/F Step 1 and more important Step 2. The curriculum would allow me to take Step 2 much earlier (as early as Sep of M3) and use flex time to get protected study time for it. It also has significantly more clinical time for advanced electives (8 months extra) to take advanced electives in my specialty of interest, gather stronger letters, get to know the dept, etc. Also 3-6 months of research time, which will also be more important now that Step 1 is P/F.

I think what was said previously still holds true. There is no meaningful difference in prestige or cost, so choose the environment where you will most likely succeed.

 

[undecidedpremed]

Any thoughts on how the Step 1 announcement might change this decision?

I know the obvious impulse will be for people to say Hopkins because name is now even more important, but I think there's actually a decent case to be made for Vandy, since their 1-year preclinical seems to really support a P/F Step 1 and more important Step 2. The curriculum would allow me to take Step 2 much earlier (as early as Sep of M3) and use flex time to get protected study time for it. It also has significantly more clinical time for advanced electives (8 months extra) to take advanced electives in my specialty of interest, gather stronger letters, get to know the dept, etc. Also 3-6 months of research time, which will also be more important now that Step 1 is P/F.

However, the advantage of Hopkins name is real. Your argument for vandy is contingent upon the assumption that step 2 will be weighed more heavily than school name.


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[xkcd6330]

However, the advantage of Hopkins name is real. Your argument for vandy is contingent upon the assumption that step 2 will be weighed more heavily than school name.


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Is that an unreasonable assumption though?

I know that reputation is important, but but my impression is that Step 1 score was still far more important than school name before the change. Why shouldn’t Step 2 now be similarly important?