if you got into both Hopkins & Stanford, where would you go?

[chef]

wondering what people would do if you were faced w/ this decision.. name, prestige, quality of clinical education, and "wow" factor wise Hopkins can't be beat - but Stanford is a great school also in everyway, perhaps not as "well known" as Hopkins, and also location wise it's 1000x better. better weather too. finally i compared matchlists for both, it seems like Hopkins grads go to awesome residencies but mostly to east coast/ivy league institutions, not many to CA. Stanford grads mostly remained in CA, but the quality of programs listed definitely weren't up to par w/ Hopkins.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[VienneseWaltz]

I, alas, do not have this choice because Stanford rejected me for an interview and I have not heard from JHU ... but I think JHU is better for clinical exposure (convenient that I think so, huh?). My understanding is that a lot of the really interesting cases wind up at UCSF, and Palo Alto isn't exactly the inner city. So in terms of preparation for residency, at JHU you get both the fascinating cases and urban medicine. Just my 2 cents ...

 

[GoodMonkey]

eh. toss 'em both and go to cosmotology school.

 

[jtheater]

If research is your thing, Stanford. Also, financial aid will probably be much better at Stanford than Hopkins... but of course, I don't know your circumstances.

 

[batman123]

My younger brother is one of these people who has the pleasure of facing sucha decision... I think he's leaning towards Stanford right now; he wants to be closer to home (the West).

 

[DarkChild]

always willing to offer an unqualified opinion :
if it came down to these two, i would choose Stanford.
the location is better at stanford
while maybe not well renowned as hopkins, stanford is no slouch either.
as you said the weather is better.
but the tie breaker would be financial aid - from what I've heard stanford's financial aid is very good.
and honestly i really dont think you lose anything by foregoing JHU.

 

[Habari]

with regards to clinical/medical training - hopkins hands down. at every school i went to - people always acknowledged the training that the students recieve there. hospital/facilities etc... hopkins is top notch. if one chose to, i'm sure it woudln't be a prb getting into cali residencies from hopkisn. i, personally, however - didn't like hopkins med that much (though the research is great) in terms of students/atmosphere. its not malignantly competitive - just very intense. the schools are practically compliments of eachother (one compensates for what the other lacks) to some degree (obviously a crude generaliztion) - but stanford wins in terms of weather/location/students (all personal prefs). its not at all inconcievable to choose stanford over hopkins for those reasons alone. i would be pretty torn between the two if i were choosing ... probably come down to money for me - and if i had family in cali i would stay.

p.s. - aren't you a matric student chef?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Stanford...sorry, but stanford beats hopkins in prestige (we're not looking at the medical world here), and is in silicon valley, right by san fran..I dont think you can beat that! Their campus is extraordinarily beautiful; I got their 2ndary, but no interview...I'm amazed at some of the people that didnt get interviews, while others did. Stanford=massive affirmative action (they invented the damn idea); However, if you're in, then go there instead of ghetto baltimore! The only plus is that JHU is right by DC!

 

[VienneseWaltz]

Originally posted by jtheater
If research is your thing, Stanford. Also, financial aid will probably be much better at Stanford than Hopkins... but of course, I don't know your circumstances.

JHU has quite a bit to offer research-wise as well ... although I guess you're getting at Stanford's tuition reimbursement for research?

 

[jtheater]

Originally posted by VienneseWaltz
JHU has quite a bit to offer research-wise as well ... although I guess you're getting at Stanford's tuition reimbursement for research?

Stanford does offer a lot of money to students who pursue research and I think the curriculum and administration encourage it much more than at other schools (Yale is another). Your fifth year is totally free, but instead of a separate year of research you can spread your preclinical over 3 years so while you are in school you can be doing research or teaching. For anyone who has done research, even a small clinical study can take more than a year, so I think this system really works to the advantage of someone in research. My point... both schools have great research, but at Stanford I think it is more accessible (and financially lucrative) for med students.

Also, my perception is that Hopkins students are often regarded as gunners by their colleagues. People often say Hopkins really isn't like that... but that is its reputation at least. On the down side of Stanford, I've heard attendings say that Stanford students don't know how to do anything, but they quickly catch up during internship.

 

[Bob Dole]

Chef,

You'd better tell us your decision!

 

[MacGyver]

You people saying that Stanford is more prestigious and has better research opps than Hopkins are smoking crack. Hopkins is definitely more prestigious and has more research going on.

The only thing that Stanford beats out Hopkins at is location. Hopkins beats Stanford in every other facet.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally posted by MacGyver
You people saying that Stanford is more prestigious and has better research opps than Hopkins are smoking crack. Hopkins is definitely more prestigious and has more research going on.

The only thing that Stanford beats out Hopkins at is location. Hopkins beats Stanford in every other facet.

No, Stanford is more prestigious, except in the medical world. Stanford also has a top 3 law and biz school, something JHU lacks; Additionally, Stanford has great sports, and other areas of expertise that JHU lack. In the med world, JHU is better, however, the med world isn't always the best indicator of prestige and money-making potential. Stanford wins the prestige game hands down. Better on location, opportunities, and prestige. The only good thing about JHU location (note: heavily biased) is it's proximity to DC. However, since my only experience with baltimore was a late-night ghetto run, you may want to ask for other opinions on location

 

[DrCarin]

Originally posted by Blitzkrieg
The only good thing about JHU location (note: heavily biased) is it's proximity to DC. However, since my only experience with baltimore was a late-night ghetto run, you may want to ask for other opinions on location

haha- the father of a friend of mine was mugged on his way to his JHU interview back in the day... needless to say, he did not attend JHU though he was accepted

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by Blitzkrieg
No, Stanford is more prestigious, except in the medical world. Stanford also has a top 3 law and biz school, something JHU lacks; Additionally, Stanford has great sports, and other areas of expertise that JHU lack. In the med world, JHU is better, however, the med world isn't always the best indicator of prestige and money-making potential. Stanford wins the prestige game hands down. Better on location, opportunities, and prestige. The only good thing about JHU location (note: heavily biased) is it's proximity to DC. However, since my only experience with baltimore was a late-night ghetto run, you may want to ask for other opinions on location

We're talking about the medical world here. The only people who care about the law, business schools are those doing MD/MBA and MD/JD, which is a tiny fraction of the med student pool.

Money-making potential is equal at both places. Hell you can go to some small med school in the midwest and make the same amount of money as you would as a Hopkins/Stanford grad.

Why do you throw in undergrad prestige into this? It has nothing to do with medical education. Otherwise people would argue that Brown med school is better than Penn, which its definitely not.

I already said the location favors Stanford thats clear.

The bottom line is this:

1. Stanford MED SCHOOL has a better location
2. Hopkins MED SCHOOL is more prestigious than Stanford MED SCHOOL
3. Hopkins MED SCHOOL has more research money/opps than Stanford MED SCHOOL.

All this other crap about other schools and undergrad stuff means nothing.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

We're talking about the medical world here. The only people who care about the law, business schools are those doing MD/MBA and MD/JD, which is a tiny fraction of the med student pool.

didn't specify medical world, did they? Besides, with money flow and politics, you can't seperate worlds. If one is interested in making hot contacts and political/economic opportunities, pay close attention to the university in it's entirety.

Money-making potential is equal at both places. Hell you can go to some small med school in the midwest and make the same amount of money as you would as a Hopkins/Stanford grad.

Yes, if you stay strictly in medicine, then insurance compensation, etc, will be relatively the same; However, a smart person knows that money-making potential is far beyond merely medicine, and that is where contacts and opportunities from those contacts come in.

Why do you throw in undergrad prestige into this? It has nothing to do with medical education. Otherwise people would argue that Brown med school is better than Penn, which its definitely not.

Because Stanford as a university is somewhat unique in the way every aspect of the school is run; Additionally, prestige in the real world (notice I always inserted the caveat of my argument not being to only the medical world) comes from all aspects of the university.

2. Hopkins MED SCHOOL is more prestigious than Stanford MED SCHOOL

Only in the medical world, and in the medical world, the prestige for both is so high that it is negligible. However, in the real world, Stanford beats Hopkins with a stick on prestige factor, contacts, and money making opportunities. Stanford is not only one of the best in America, but the best in the world. All the power people of the pacific rim send their kids there...Its entire university has a worldwide appeal that John Hopkins doesn't enjoy to the same extent.

All this other crap about other schools and undergrad stuff means nothing.

lol..ok..but you're wrong! wrong wrong wrong! (from the digornio pizza commercial).........

 

[dodo2]

This shows how little most of the folks here know about medical schools. Hopkins and Stanford medical schools are not even in the same legue. Stanford almost lost their acreditation few years ago.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Originally posted by dodo2
This shows how little most of the folks here know about medical schools. Hopkins and Stanford medical schools are not even in the same legue. Stanford almost lost their acreditation few years ago.

really dodo? hmm..didnt know that.

Besides, I was talking about real world prestige, and that argument still stands...Plus, with med school prestige, I go on what I hear from doctors and other folks..as I am sure we all do. Now what about stanford losing it's accredidation?

 

[MedApp2003]

i kinda have to agree with dodo

(though i wouldn't state it so harshly).

i think harvard and hopkins are really in a league of their own when it comes to medical school reputation.

well there are plenty of good reasons to choose stanford over hopkins (location, financial aid, comfort level, family) etc. i don't think it is correct to think that hopkins and stanford are on par with regards to medical school reputation.

and well i agree that the overall reputation of stanford versus hopkins is better (univeristy-wide reputation) i think that hopkins has enough reputation in the medical world to overcome that. what is mean is that if you ask a lay person which is a better medical school, hopkins or stanford, my guess is that most would say hopkins.

but just my .02

 

[dodo2]

Not sure whether it was 97,98 or 99, but Stanford was in real danger of losing their acredidation. I understand that they took it to heart and improved quite a bit after that but they don't come close to competing with Hopkins of the world. Stanford med is hanging on because of their reputation in other fields. A friend of mine was offered a residency at Stanford in 98. He talked to a residency director (his family friend ) at another prestigious school about the offer. His friend discouraged him from taking that residency. The best med school on the west coast is UCSF.

 

[CTIL]

I hate to be rude, but you guys really sound like a bunch of *****s. Comparing the academic quality of Hopkins Med and Stanford Med is the most pointless argument I've ever heard. They are both amazing, case closed. If you want to argue about location then fine, but don't try to argue that either one has "better research" or something. Give me a break. The best life science research in the world is being done by both institutions. Saying that one is better than the other is like arguing that someone who got a 41MCAT is "smarter" than someone who got a 40. At that level, comparison is meaningless.

 

[jtheater]

All this is really splitting hairs. Stanford has better name recognition with lay persons compared to Hopkins (especially on West Coast and internationally), just as it does compared to UCSF, but most people in the medical community regard UC and Hopkins as the more presitgious school. I think it really depends on what kind of life you want. They are possibly the two most distinctively different schools around. Do you want:

1. City vs suburban
2. More research opps for med students (MacGyver, sorry, you are making claims without backing them up... Stanford offers any medical student a non-competitive grant of $10K plus other funding and timing opps for research and more than 60% of students take 5 years to have time for research, service or teaching... please let us know what Hopkins offers if you are going to make such claims)
3. Traditional Curriculum vs. Design your own curric at Stanford
4. Grades/ranking vs. P/F
5. Being part of a university or just part of a med center (Stanford Med is very integrated with the rest of the campus)
6. Probably graduate with much less debt at Stanford
7. Stanford alumni network is active and impressive... I don't know about Hopkins


I think the prestige thing is just a silly point... what matters more if you are after prestige (i.e. academic med) is what you produce (your research). Working at NIH, I know many people who are considered leaders in their field and they did not go to Hopkins, Harvard, or Stanford. Also, yes Stanford was threatened with probation but it was soley due to its preclinical teaching facilities. It had nothing to do with the education.

OP, go to both admit weekends and meet the students, faculty and see where you feel more comfortable.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I say the OP should go to Hopkins as it frees up a space for me at Stanford.

On a more serious note....Why are there always many posts about which school I should go to? Gees...no one can make that decision for you except yourself. Go to the second look days for both schools. Search online for the differences in curriculum. Factor location and finances into your decision. Check out the resumes of the faculty. All these threads do is stir up arguments about so and so school is better than so and so and so and so school sux a left nut, etc. etc.

The bottom line is that the best medical school is the one where you feel you will thrive as an individual and medical student.

I realize that you are probably just trying to get different perspectives on the situation. However, all that really matters is your own perspective. One person stated that Stanford has a better basketball program. Personally, I agree and I think it would be a good way to unwind to be able to see Stanford run the score up on USC. But to someone else that may not be the biggest concern. So having a better basketball team is a moot point.

Sorry...just had to vent. I find these threads annoying. Only you can decide which is the best place for you. There are many more factors than just prestige, or just research dollars, etc.

Good luck with the decision!

 

[jtheater]

I agree, but they are both very different schools in terms experience. So comparing the opportunities and lifestyle at the different schools is valid if you are lucky enough to have the choice between the two.

Originally posted by CTIL
I hate to be rude, but you guys really sound like a bunch of *****s. Comparing the academic quality of Hopkins Med and Stanford Med is the most pointless argument I've ever heard. They are both amazing, case closed. If you want to argue about location then fine, but don't try to argue that either one has "better research" or something. Give me a break. The best life science research in the world is being done by both institutions. Saying that one is better than the other is like arguing that someone who got a 41MCAT is "smarter" than someone who got a 40. At that level, comparison is meaningless.

 

[Dr. Dodger Dog]

Originally posted by UCLAMAN
Personally, I agree and I think it would be a good way to unwind to be able to see Stanford run the score up on USC.

haha i wouldn't be talkin if I were you man.... UCLA bball sucks right now....

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by jtheater All this is really splitting hairs. Stanford has better name recognition with lay persons compared to Hopkins (especially on West Coast and internationally), just as it does compared to UCSF, but most people in the medical community regard UC and Hopkins as the more presitgious school. I think it really depends on what kind of life you want.

I agree as a whole Stanford University is more prestigious than Johns Hopkins University. But there is no way you are going to convince me that the med school at Stanford is more "prestigious" than Hopkins. Thats pure nonsense that blitz is spewing. For some reason, he thinks that undergrad rep = med school rep. I dont know why he thinks thats true.

2. More research opps for med students (MacGyver, sorry, you are making claims without backing them up... Stanford offers any medical student a non-competitive grant of $10K plus other funding and timing opps for research and more than 60% of students take 5 years to have time for research, service or teaching... please let us know what Hopkins offers if you are going to make such claims)

Hopkins has a lot more NIH funding than Stanford. There are a lot of med schools (including Hopkins) which offer special med student research programs which pay out funding. I'm not a Hopkins student but what Stanford offers for medical student research is commonplace at all the top med schools. I know that Hopkins has its own set of medical student research programs where students are paid for a year of research. I'll have to let the Hopkins students comment on how much the stipend is.

3. Traditional Curriculum vs. Design your own curric at Stanford
4. Grades/ranking vs. P/F
5. Being part of a university or just part of a med center (Stanford Med is very integrated with the rest of the campus)
6. Probably graduate with much less debt at Stanford
7. Stanford alumni network is active and impressive... I don't know about Hopkins

define 'traditional.' Again lots of schools (including Hopkins) let you take courses outside medicine. Both Stanford and Hopkins have a required core of courses you have to take.

Hopkins uses an honors/pass/fail system. Roughly equivalent to Stanford since a very small portion of students get the honors grades (10%)

The integration aspect is insignificant. You can get back and forth to the med campus from the undergrad campus easily at Hopkins.

I'm sure there are lots of impressive Stanford alumni. Hopkins is at least as good if not better in this respect.

All these points you brought up have nothign to do with prestige. My main argument is that there is no grounds for saying Stanford Med is more prestigiuos than Hopkins med.

I think the prestige thing is just a silly point... what matters more if you are after prestige (i.e. academic med) is what you produce (your research). Working at NIH, I know many people who are considered leaders in their field and they did not go to Hopkins, Harvard, or Stanford. Also, yes Stanford was threatened with probation but it was soley due to its preclinical teaching facilities. It had nothing to do with the education.

OP, go to both admit weekends and meet the students, faculty and see where you feel more comfortable.

How exactly do you claim that preclinical teaching facilities have nothing to do with education?

Stanford is a great place, no doubt. I'm not arguing that it sucks, what I am arguing is that there is no basis for stating stanford med is more prestigious than hopkins med.

Each school is good for different people. I'm not saying that all people should choose Hopkins over Stanford. Indeed there are considerations (some of which you pointed out) which will pull people one way or the other. But there is no evidence to indicate:

1) that Stanford med is more prestigiuos than hopkins med
2) that research at stanford med is better/more abundant than hopkins med

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by Dr. Dodger Dog
haha i wouldn't be talkin if I were you man.... UCLA bball sucks right now....

Like I said earlier...."But to someone else that may not be the biggest concern."

I'm not gonna argue with you. It is pretty sad when our only sellout at Pauley this year was at the hands ofLebron James. Hopefully getting that schmuck Lavin out of the picture will get our bball program running in the right direction. But right now...Bruin basketball is lame-o.

Nevertheless that still doesn't mean I wouldn't love to see Stanford run up the score on USC. God knows our team can't do it this year.

 

[Saluki]

I would go to Stanford. Hopkins is a good school, and the prestige difference is really 6 of one, half a dozen of the other, but nothern CA is beautiful, and I met a couple of the professors there this summer and talked with one of them. So down to earth, friendly, and willing to talk with a student who had just finished freshman year at an undergrad institution in AR. If I were going to apply to any of the top tier schools, that would be the one. Also the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is incredible...

 

[wannabedoc81]

Johns Hopkins Hospital is the nation's leading hospital with 16 incredibly enriching specialties...the school is so interwined with the hospital, that I can't imagine you are actually asking this question.

HOPKINS!!!!

Besides, do you really want to attend a school that replants its flowers every month (Stanford) or do you want to attend a school that spends its money and its resources on contributing to its community.

 

[doepug]

Wow... this thread took off in a hurry.

Hopkins all the way.

Stanford is a great school, and most people would love it there, but in the end I think it's a no-brainer. Preclinical stuff is virtually the same everywhere (except Yale), so I think you should focus your scrutiny on clinical experiences.

Clinical education at Hopkins is second to none. Stanford and UCSF send us their patients (yep, usually for pancreaticobiliary surgery). Medical students at Hopkins are given opportunities and experiences that are unparalleled at any other institution. Seriously.

Research is huge at Hopkins, and to suggest otherwise is fallacy. As was suggested by another poster, plenty of funded opportunities are available for medical students who want to pursue research. Stanford is not unique in this regard.

In the end, when you graduate from Hopkins, your class rank won't matter, and you'll match most anywhere in most any specialty. I think Harvard is the only other program that can claim this. Stanford will give you a great education; they'll make a great doctor out of you, but the training at Hopkins simply can't be beat.

Please PM/e-mail me with any questions anyone might have.

Cheers,

doepug
MS III, Johns Hopkins

 

[INeedAdvice]

Here's my opinion for what it's worth.

There are 3 factors to consider (not just with these two schools, but with any school):

1) Quality of education

2) Opportunity gained by the school's name

3) The prestige & "Wow" factor (basically, this is only for impressing people...and there's nothing wrong with that...I'm all for impressing if you so desire. )

Flame away, but I dare say that education is really what you make of it and it doesn't matter where you go to school (as far as GAINING KNOWLEDGE & learning). It's all a matter of how much study time/work that you put into it. However, if you want to do extracurricular research, then research facilities play a role, but other than that, every school has the basic required books...you just go out and buy them and read and study and learn ...

...so...

#1 isn't really a factor at all if you're not research-intensive.

#2 - Hopkins is better thought-of in the medical community, so this will open more doors in general. However, if you want California doors opened, then Stanford may be just as good (perhaps better....a Californian could probably answer you better on this).

#3 - To the "medical community" Hopkins is more prestigious. However, to the general public, many haven't even heard of Hopkins and there is definitely more prestige with Stanford.... so this factor comes down to whom you want to impress....

In summary:

If you want to end up in a CA residency, then I'd pick Stanford (but ask Californians about the politics of this...they'd know best).

Hoewver, if you want to end up post-residency working in CA, then I'd find out what's worth more in CA:

A California residency

....or....

A *better* residency on the East Coast

I don't know enough about hiring practices of CA hospitals to answer that....

Originally posted by chef
wondering what people would do if you were faced w/ this decision.. name, prestige, quality of clinical education, and "wow" factor wise Hopkins can't be beat - but Stanford is a great school also in everyway, perhaps not as "well known" as Hopkins, and also location wise it's 1000x better. better weather too. finally i compared matchlists for both, it seems like Hopkins grads go to awesome residencies but mostly to east coast/ivy league institutions, not many to CA. Stanford grads mostly remained in CA, but the quality of programs listed definitely weren't up to par w/ Hopkins.

 

[bw07]

Both these schools are going to get you where you want to be. People make a big deal out of the clinical experience you get at Hopkins. For all the excellent training you get, remember this only lasts about a year and you will only do one residency where you do most of your learning anyway. Do you think that you're going to care in 10 years how good your 6 week clerkship in some other specialty was? Probably not.

Don't sacrifice four years of your life for some perceived difference in quality of education. As med students, we already defer too many things. If you're happier at Stanford, go for it.

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by bw07
Both these schools are going to get you where you want to be. People make a big deal out of the clinical experience you get at Hopkins. For all the excellent training you get, remember this only lasts about a year and you will only do one residency where you do most of your learning anyway. Do you think that you're going to care in 10 years how good your 6 week clerkship in some other specialty was? Probably not.

Don't sacrifice four years of your life for some perceived difference in quality of education. As med students, we already defer too many things. If you're happier at Stanford, go for it.

Clinical exposure at both Stanford and Hopkins begins in the first year and continues throughout the 4 years you are there. So I think you're underestimating it.

Now as for the larger claim you make (i.e. clinical training is the same at every med school) I think thats patently false. There are distinct differences in clinical preparation among the med schools; some do better jobs than others.

Clinical training is distinctly different than basic science training in that respect

 

[bw07]

I'm referring to clerkships which go far beyond the exposure you get in the first two years.

Also, don't misquote me. I did not say that "clinical training is the same at every med school." I said that Stanford and Hopkins will get you where you want to be. I did not say Hopkins and Finch or Stanford and Temple, only Stanford and Hopkins.

Originally posted by MacGyver
Clinical exposure at both Stanford and Hopkins begins in the first year and continues throughout the 4 years you are there. So I think you're underestimating it.

Now as for the larger claim you make (i.e. clinical training is the same at every med school) I think thats patently false. There are distinct differences in clinical preparation among the med schools; some do better jobs than others.

Clinical training is distinctly different than basic science training in that respect

 

[Saluki]

OK, I was told this by someone who was in charge of supervising the board test for dentistry. They said the people from southern and midwestern schools, especially the state schools seemed to do better on the actual clinical work, because the big research schools seemed to focus too much on research and not enough on the actual clinical work. So, going to a big research school, isn't always the best route to becoming a good physician, though I think you can go to any med school in the country and do well...

 

[indianboy]

OK, I was told this by someone who was in charge of supervising the board test for dentistry

What a fantastic source. Next time, you should forgoe that part of it if you're into the whole credibility thing.

Hope that Helps.

P 'YLS 2006' ShankOut

 

[Saluki]

Originally posted by indianboy
What a fantastic source. Next time, you should forgoe that part of it if you're into the whole credibility thing.

Hope that Helps.

P 'YLS 2006' ShankOut

First of all you mispelled forego. Also, why should my credibility be affected by telling the truth? One of my relatives has been on the committe that decided whether students passed the dentistry boards, and although that doesn't apply directly to this situation because dentistry is different from medicine, I thought it was a good example of how sometimes the big research schools sacrifice clinical experience for research experience.

 

[Bonds756]

Originally posted by MacGyver

Why do you throw in undergrad prestige into this? It has nothing to do with medical education. Otherwise people would argue that Brown med school is better than Penn, which its definitely not.

I am missing how you extrapolated this. Penn undergrad is ranked 4th, Brown undergrad is ranked 17th.

 

[Bonds756]

Originally posted by dodo2
This shows how little most of the folks here know about medical schools. Hopkins and Stanford medical schools are not even in the same legue. Stanford almost lost their acreditation few years ago.

Yale almost lost their accreditation within the last two years, but how many people would actually turn them down because of that? Not too many. And just like Temple now, med schools would not let it come down to actually losing their accreditation, but rather these threats are more like warnings.

 

[Street Philosopher]

johns hopkins has an extra S (or two). stanfurd is often mispelled. tough choice, so flip a coin.

 

[Bonds756]

Originally posted by Blitzkrieg
No, Stanford is more prestigious, except in the medical world. Stanford also has a top 3 law and biz school, something JHU lacks; Additionally, Stanford has great sports, and other areas of expertise that JHU lack. In the med world, JHU is better, however, the med world isn't always the best indicator of prestige and money-making potential. Stanford wins the prestige game hands down. Better on location, opportunities, and prestige.

I agree with Stanford being more prestigious. Everyone on here knows JHU is ranked higher for med schools and that Hopkins is one of the very best. Residency programs know this, attendings know this etc. But the other 99.9% of the country thinks Standford is a damn good school and they have a world renoun undergrad program. Many probably never even heard of JHU because they don't know the undergrad school and they don't have a good basketball team. And let's be serious, prestige comes down to the best athletic program. Stanford wins the Sear Cup EVERY year for the school that is overall the best in sports (over UNC, Duke, Mich, etc), while I couldn't honestly tell you if JHU had a NCAA basketball team.

 

[INeedAdvice]

Originally posted by bw07
I'm referring to clerkships which go far beyond the exposure you get in the first two years.

Also, don't misquote me. I did not say that "clinical training is the same at every med school." I said that Stanford and Hopkins will get you where you want to be.

Good point. When it comes right down to it, a Stanford or Hopkins med grad could probably do anything that they want to once they get out of there.... neither school will hold them back.

I did not say Hopkins and Finch or Stanford and Temple, only Stanford and Hopkins.

Not to nitpick, but it's funny you should mention Temple. That's one school whose clinical experience over-exceeds everything else in their curriculum.

Even though Temple is definitely not in the same league as Stanford or Hopkins, their clinical training (not their research) is actually supposed to be one of the best in the country due to the great exposure they get from their surrounding neighborhood and getting the top trauma cases of the city.

 

[Dr Chooch]

Originally posted by Street Philosopher
johns hopkins has an extra S (or two). stanfurd is often mispelled. tough choice, so flip a coin.

Finally we have some good insight about these schools. Personally, that extra S kinda freaks me out, so I would go to Stanford.

By the way, mashce, whoever told you that going to a research schools is going to detract from your clinical stuff is smoking some bad crack...where the hell did he pull that from?

 

[Bonds756]

Originally posted by CTIL
I hate to be rude, but you guys really sound like a bunch of *****s. Comparing the academic quality of Hopkins Med and Stanford Med is the most pointless argument I've ever heard. They are both amazing, case closed. If you want to argue about location then fine, but don't try to argue that either one has "better research" or something.

Exactly. There are so many factors involved in picking a school that rank between the top couple of schools should be meaningless. JHU has a better medical reputation. But we are not comparing it to some hick school in bumble fck pennsylvania. Stanford is one of the best in the country. Don't regret making a choice for the wrong reasons.
Think about your future classmates, location, money, grading policies, stress levels, curriculum, etc and what works best for you.
Personally, I think Baltimore vs. Palo Alto is a big difference and would take wearing shorts (although it does get sorta cold) year round over being in the ghetto. But there are advantages to JHU in that you will learn from a more diverse patient population. Good luck.

 

[the_equalizer]

Bonds,
Your statement regarding Yale is rather misleading. Yale School of Medicine was not at risk of losing it's accreditation, it was the surgical residency program that was. And the reason for this was that they were supposedly overworking their surgical residents. The way you stated it would lead one to believe that the school itself had been deemed inaequate in some form or another, while nothing could be further from the truth. Overworking your residents in one field of specialization can hardly qualify an institution to lose it's accreditation.

 

[Dr Chooch]

Originally posted by CTIL
I hate to be rude, but you guys really sound like a bunch of *****s. Comparing the academic quality of Hopkins Med and Stanford Med is the most pointless argument I've ever heard.

You gotta admit that this thread is pretty amusing though.

 

[cg1]

Originally posted by Dr Chooch
Finally we have some good insight about these schools. Personally, that extra S kinda freaks me out, so I would go to Stanford.

Hey - I agree with the Street Philosopher!

I personally believe you should base your medical education on what the weather is like in that part of the country.

 

[xaelia]

Indeed, a silly thread debating two excellent medical schools, each with plenty of name recognition, and fantastic programs that general some of the best physicians and researchers every year.

Though, as someone who has attended both schools, let me set the record straight on names:
The Johns Hopkins University
and
Leland Stanford Junior University

...back to your regularly scheduled flame wars.

 

[Street Philosopher]

i forgot one important thing. stanford is actually leland stanford jr. i wouldn't want people to think i was going to a junior college. or a junior medical school. so if i were you, i would just deal with the extra S and go to johns hopkins.

 

[Dr Chooch]

Originally posted by cg1
Hey - I agree with the Street Philosopher!

I personally believe you should base your medical education on what the weather is like in that part of the country.

Hey, I'm not THE Street Philosopher! He's a punk. Now get in the kitchen and make me some pie!