Johns Hopkins v. NYU with Full COA Scholarship

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
As decision day approaches I'm still struggling to commit! NYU's offer definitely sounds more promising as I've continued to research but there's still something itching at me when I think about turning down Hopkins. Can anybody further along in this process possibly comment? Anybody else turn down what seemed like the better school for you in favor of finances? Or vice versa? How'd it work out? Could having the financial burden lifted during medical school possibly ease my stress and ultimately better allow me to thrive?

Should I just go ahead and flip a coin and call it a day?

ZeaL6 said:
Why dont you try to bargain and let JHU know that NYU gave you a massive scholarship and see if they can give you any more money? Tell them your compelling reasons for wanting to go there over NYU but the money is just dragging you that direction. Obviously write it better than that explanation but you get my drift
Click to expand...

Dwan said:
Definitely try to bargain with your credentials! I believe JHU is the right choice for you as well, and the free MPH is a very good deal. You'll still be left with less debt than most people at one of the best schools in the nation for your interests.
Click to expand...

Also, I tried this and Hopkins would not match the scholarship unfortunately.
 
eleveneleven said:
As decision day approaches I'm still struggling to commit! NYU's offer definitely sounds more promising as I've continued to research but there's still something itching at me when I think about turning down Hopkins. Can anybody further along in this process possibly comment? Anybody else turn down what seemed like the better school for you in favor of finances? Or vice versa? How'd it work out? Could having the financial burden lifted during medical school possibly ease my stress and ultimately better allow me to thrive?

Should I just go ahead and flip a coin and call it a day?





Also, I tried this and Hopkins would not match the scholarship unfortunately.
Click to expand...

What's itching you is the fact that Hopkins is ranked higher, haha. Ask yourself, why do you feel like Hopkins is the better school? Will there actually be a difference in your medical education? Do you think going to NYU will result in not being able to match in any specialty you might be interested in?

You won't feel the financial burden during medical school. You'll feel it when you have to start paying it back during residency.

Honestly, picking Hopkins doesn't make you a bad person. A lot of people would make that same choice. You just have to decide what's important to you.
 
eleveneleven said:
As decision day approaches I'm still struggling to commit! NYU's offer definitely sounds more promising as I've continued to research but there's still something itching at me when I think about turning down Hopkins. Can anybody further along in this process possibly comment? Anybody else turn down what seemed like the better school for you in favor of finances? Or vice versa? How'd it work out? Could having the financial burden lifted during medical school possibly ease my stress and ultimately better allow me to thrive?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a world of potential regret, buddy. You know what you gotta do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Oso
solitarius said:
Sounds like a world of potential regret, buddy. You know what you gotta do.
Click to expand...
Haha, you know what's another world of potential regret? Having $150k + interest hanging over your head while you work a minimum wage residency.

I think by this point, you (OP) already know what differences exist between the schools. However, it strikes me that location, fit, curriculum, etc are all secondary to the main debate. I think you can learn to love the location, the other students, etc at both places (or at least, you'll never know if there is a difference anyway), but you'll always know the differences between finances and academic opportunities. So here's how I see it:

NYU - Graduate debt-free
JHU - Graduate from an extremely prestigious school

It's up to you which is more important. A full scholarship to NYU is definitely the more practical option, but you're human, so you have hopes and dreams and other icky emotional things that could make $100ks worth of debt worth it.

Are you willing to live frugally after graduation for 5-10 years? If yes, go and be happy at JHU. Would you rather not worry about finances for the rest of your medical training? Then go to NYU and never look back.
 
^^ Earlier, I said I would choose NYU over Hopkins because, like you, I value the money savings much more than the difference in prestige. I still feel that way.

However, I think we should try to live without regrets. Maybe going to Hopkins will be one of those crowning achievements of his life that he'll always savor. It does sound like it from his description. Harvard's absurdly high yield rate is kind of proof of that.
 
Just a heads up OP. If you do end up picking NYU (which I think is unlikely), don't become one of those people who, when asked where you went to medical school, responds "I went to NYU...but just fyi I got into Johns Hopkins too, I only went to NYU because they gave me a full scholarship." I know a couple of people like that and it's just...bad.
 
You could also ask yourself, what if it weren't Hopkins, but instead it was UCSF, or Yale, or Columbia, or Cornell. Work your way down the USNWR rankings and decide how big a gap on there is worth the money.

Then, if you realize that what I just said is completely ridiculous and the only thing that is tying you to Hopkins is the name and ranking, you have your answer.
 
QuinnTheEskimo said:
Just a heads up OP. If you do end up picking NYU (which I think is unlikely), don't become one of those people who, when asked where you went to medical school, responds "I went to NYU...but just fyi I got into Johns Hopkins too, I only went to NYU because they gave me a full scholarship." I know a couple of people like that and it's just...bad.
Click to expand...

lol that's just bad form

reminds me of when winged scapula talked about a person who went to harvard or something for medical school and they're all like oh I trained at harvard and it's like no dude you're training at the same residency program as us.
 
eleveneleven said:
As decision day approaches I'm still struggling to commit! NYU's offer definitely sounds more promising as I've continued to research but there's still something itching at me when I think about turning down Hopkins. Can anybody further along in this process possibly comment? Anybody else turn down what seemed like the better school for you in favor of finances? Or vice versa? How'd it work out? Could having the financial burden lifted during medical school possibly ease my stress and ultimately better allow me to thrive?
Click to expand...

Yes, it could.
 
hopkins seems to be you want. $150 is still below the average med student debt and totally manageable. if you chose NYU for the money, would you be wondering what if down the road? $150k is not worth the regret in my opinion
 
Ah eleven, this is not an easy decision!

My thoughts here - by taking on $150k in debt, you are joining the masses of medical students who are ALSO taking on a ton of debt. It's not like you are doing anything CRAZY or known to be IMPOSSIBLE to overcome, a lot of people do it. People have commented on having a lower quality of life for many years, but really how low are we talking here? Again TONS of people do it. And if you are interested in primary care, you will be eligible for repayment programs that can ease the debt, and I imagine you're not planning an extravagant lifestyle anyway with those career aims.

Your chance to go to med school on a full ride is unique and gives you an opportunity that the masses of med students never have. This is something extra and something amazing. If you do take it, great!!! But if you don't, you are signing up for the same, surmountable debt process that most of us are signing up for anyway. This means, sir, I really think you cannot go wrong in your choice here and there is no judgment.

If I were you, I would imagine myself getting up in the morning and going to school every day at each school separately. How do you feel? Does doing this for one school put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your gut, more than the another? Go there.
 
I personally think NYU will provide you even more opportunities for what you are interested in given that it is in NYC. Graduating debt free never hurts, and the difference in prestige isn't that great where it is enough to influence most decisions (at least in my opinion).

One other point: Once you are in residency, I HIGHLY doubt that where you went to medical school will matter that much considering your program will likely have people from other medical schools who matched to the SAME program and will most likely be possessing equally brilliant minds.

Take home Point: Both schools are great and offer many opportunities. Why not set yourself up for the most comfortable situation while still having access to those great opportunities. ----> NYU is the way to go
 
Will you regret that you didn't go to the most respected school? JHU.
Will you regret that you threw away 150k$ free money? NYU.
In the grand scheme of things, I would choose JHU if I were you. I am biased because it's my home institution, but the JHU med campus is eyegasmic.
 
There is likely no difference between the 2 schools in terms of medical education. They both offer some very unique opportunities, and I'm sure the training is great at both. If your plan was to go to Hopkins just to be a "normal" student at Hopkins, I'd advise against it. However, it seems like your goal is to be a leader in academic medicine/ public health. If you actively pursue the connections afforded by JHU, I don't think you'll regret the choice. While it's easy to find plenty of public health volunteering opportunities even among low-tier schools, Hopkins is clearly the leader in this field, and their reputation is very well known throughout the top PH schools I've visited. Worst case scenario, even if you don't like JHU as much as you thought (again, unlikely w/ your interests), you have a relatively small amount of loans to pay off, and the name will still carry you wherever you want. Debating the future isn't as important when your future will be set academically and financially even if you choose your dream school. As someone with similar goals but not your options, I'd take advantage of the present and choose Hopkins.
 
I think the temptation of accepting the full scholarship for NYU is really huge, but keep in mind that the cost of attending JHU is not that high, but is, in fact, very manageable! The resources and networking opportunities (along with other opportunities) afforded to you at JHU are, in my opinion, worth bypassing the NYU scholarship, even though this is a difficult thing to do....

Good luck! Let us know what you end up deciding 🙂
 
It comes down to what your financial situation currently looks like. Over the course of a career in medicine, $150,000 is substantial, but it's bearable if you really prefer JHU at the end of the day. If money is a concern for you and/or your family, and that kind of front-loaded expense will mean a lot of financial pressure in the years that come afterward, then go with NYU. If you can afford to swallow the cost of a JHU education, then over the course of a 30+ year career as a physician, it's not so substantial relative to the salary you'll enjoy.
 
Imagine the cocktail conversations that could be had following "I turned down Hopkins med"
 
May 16. Surely OP will deliver!

Fsjal_Fsjal.svg
 
op we really wanna know what you decided!!!! (sorry ive been silently reading this thread but not contributing and now im really curious what you actually ended up picking....tell us!!!) 🙂
 
eleveneleven said:
Hello!

So here's the deal. I'm absolutely thrilled and very grateful to have the options that I do. It's all still very surreal having come into this whole thing not expecting much. I understand that I'm in a very fortunate position, and can't thank SDN enough for helping me along the way.

That said, after receiving news of a full cost of attendance offer from NYU yesterday I am struggling to make a decision, and really would like any advice on the matter. I was pretty set on going and looking forward to going to Hopkins, but now am reconsidering.

About Me: Very interested in healthcare for the underserved, public and global health, community health, health systems/policy research, health disparities, interdisciplinary (antrhopology/sociology/economics) research on healthcare, etc. Hope to go into academics.

Here are some pros/cons:

Hopkins: Ideal. Costs aside, this is where I would like to be.

Pros:
  • Outstanding research and opportunity to work with faculty doing exactly the type of work I'm interested in.
  • Clinical training at #1 hospital.
  • Huge connections in global health with international name recognition.
  • Great vibe from current and prospective students during second-look weekend.
  • Bloomberg School of Public Health: Interested in getting an MPH. Get essentially guaranteed admission with likely possibility of near to full tuition funding for MPH.
  • Beautiful new facilities.
  • Great curriculum.
  • Enjoyed Baltimore. Great location for what I'm interested in and within striking distance of other great cities.
Cons:
  • More expensive.
  • Granted $37,000 in need-based aid, leaving me with ~$150,000 in debt after 4 years. Generous need-based aid leaves a fairly manageable debt load, though. Potential MPH tuition funding would also help with debt if I do go that route.
  • Perhaps I'm overestimating the value of opportunities?

NYU: Wow! Full cost of attendance scholarship. Great school in a great city with a great hospital.

Pros:
  • Full cost of attendance scholarship. Lots of benefits of financial freedom after medical school. I am interested in primary care specialties, and would not have debt hanging over me and possibly influencing my specialty choice. Flexibility to pursue and potentially explore non-traditional (and less lucrative) paths (easier to do international work/community health, etc.) in medicine.
  • New York City! Confident I would love living in New York. Definitely prefer a big-city environment. And the chance to do so without much financial constraints is awesome.
  • Bellevue Hospital. Training at Bellevue would be phenomenal. Largely underserved, very diverse population.
  • Great curriculum with protected research time.
Cons:
  • Possibly less availability of mentors/faculty working in areas I'm interested in.
  • Got a weird vibe from students on interview day. Afraid I wouldn't fit with student culture here.
  • Slight dip in "prestige" compared to Hopkins, though not sure how much that's even worth considering.
  • Would possibly incur more MPH debt if I do go that route.

Finally, I also have University of Michigan on the table with a generous scholarship and need-based grant (~48k given per year total. ~90k more expensive than NYU), but had more or less ruled that out due primarily to little interest in living in Ann Arbor. Should I give this one more thought?

Thank you so much for reading through all of that and any and all advice is welcome!
Click to expand...
I just completed my first year at Hopkins. I was faced with similar decisions last year and it was chaotic. Decisions are tough, this is important. Hopkins was my dream school. I still can not believe I am here as I walk around and see that name I have to pinch myself. I want to tell you to consider everything, and money is a huge deal. I had a few different financial offers given to me from a few schools. A couple of full COA's and even a couple that included COL. Talk to the financial aid office at Hopkins and see if they will give you more. It is an incredible school. That feeling that you got from this city and this school are all real. The support and guidance here is nothing short of amazing. I am thankful that I am here. So I advise that you don't give up and push harder to come here. Call admissions and see what can be done. Good luck
 
Wonder if you could be so considerate of answering everyone who was so gracious to reply to your question of where to attend. That would be the courteous thing to do.
 
Generally speaking, the people who think other students should blindly chase dollar signs and that these threads are absurd, tend to attend low tier medical schools. Probably partly due to a desire to believe an MD at Random Medical School is the same as Hopkins, but I'm sure I'll get flamed for this.

waiting too long said:
Wonder if you could be so considerate of answering everyone who was so gracious to reply to your question of where to attend. That would be the courteous thing to do.
Click to expand...

People take things and run all the time
 
Last edited:
North meets South said:
Generally speaking, the people who think other students should blindly chase dollar signs and that these threads are absurd, tend to attend low tier medical schools. Probably partly due to a desire to believe an MD at Random Medical School is the same as Hopkins, but I'm sure I'll get flamed for this.



People take things and run all the time
Click to expand...
To be fair, the comparison is with NYU, a top 20 institution, not Random Medical School.
 
winterchill said:
@eleveneleven Don't you leave us hanging! My grip is not that strong.
Click to expand...

This is some stalker-level stuff, but I was also curious to know. I happen to know the OP's real name... He is on the JHU 2018 Facebook group but not the NYU group. Not 100% conclusive, but might point to where he decided to go.
 
pyrrion89 said:
This is some stalker-level stuff, but I was also curious to know. I happen to know the OP's real name... He is on the JHU 2018 Facebook group but not the NYU group. Not 100% conclusive, but might point to where he decided to go.
Click to expand...

Haha, that's awesome @pyrrion89. Definitely an indication. I'm guessing he hasn't posted anything in it...? (Don't tell us what it is if he did, wouldn't want to see you banned for a TOS violation).

I wonder what he'll say if he returns to this thread and sees our convo, ha. Though his status says he was last seen around 8pm last night... He must have seen this thread, you'd think?

Okay, it's almost 5am. Let me get my 2 hours of sleep. Our quest shall not cease. We are post-pre-meds and we seek answers!
 
Hello All!

I'm really so sorry to abruptly up and leave this thread but I took a much-needed break from SDN after toiling over this decision so relentlessly. I actually escaped into the literal wilderness for a while there so that's why I was a bit off the radar. I was quite surprised to see that this thread was was still active when I came back on here!

For those interested, I ultimately decided on Hopkins for many, many reasons. Some were listed and hashed out here and others I did not explicitly state but ultimately wound up playing into into my decision. It was a deeply personal decision and one that I will certainly never know was "right" or not. It forced me to seriously consider my system of values and required me to do anything I could to understand what I seek and hope for on my path in my life. I know that may sound dramatic and that some may scoff at what I ended up choosing but being on this side of things I can see that there's so very much that goes into these types of things that nobody can entirely understand the myriad factors that every individual must consider when making choices of this magnitude.

I really am grateful for all the exceptional and thoughtful advice that others have generously offered and can only hope to do some fraction of the same for others that might one day face a similar decision. If anybody ever sees this thread in the future and would like to discuss personally with me about how I finally decided, please feel free to send me a private message and I will happily provide any advice that I can. Or if you're just curious and want to hear anything more or have any questions just shoot me a message and I'll get back to you.

Again, many thanks to all!
 
eleveneleven said:
Hello All!

I'm really so sorry to abruptly up and leave this thread but I took a much-needed break from SDN after toiling over this decision so relentlessly. I actually escaped into the literal wilderness for a while there so that's why I was a bit off the radar. I was quite surprised to see that this thread was was still active when I came back on here!

For those interested, I ultimately decided on Hopkins for many, many reasons. Some were listed and hashed out here and others I did not explicitly state but ultimately wound up playing into into my decision. It was a deeply personal decision and one that I will certainly never know was "right" or not. It forced me to seriously consider my system of values and required me to do anything I could to understand what I seek and hope for on my path in my life. I know that may sound dramatic and that some may scoff at what I ended up choosing but being on this side of things I can see that there's so very much that goes into these types of things that nobody can entirely understand the myriad factors that every individual must consider when making choices of this magnitude.

I really am grateful for all the exceptional and thoughtful advice that others have generously offered and can only hope to do some fraction of the same for others that might one day face a similar decision. If anybody ever sees this thread in the future and would like to discuss personally with me about how I finally decided, please feel free to send me a private message and I will happily provide any advice that I can. Or if you're just curious and want to hear anything more or have any questions just shoot me a message and I'll get back to you.

Again, many thanks to all!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the update! Best of luck in Baltimore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

wysdoc
2024-2025 Johns Hopkins
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
862
Views
218K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
chilly_md
2023-2024 Johns Hopkins
13 14 15 16 17
Replies
809
Views
212K
SultanateIV
SultanateIV
wysdoc
2022-2023 Johns Hopkins
5 6 7 8 9
Replies
438
Views
139K
Milotic Med
M
wysdoc
2024-2025 NYU (Grossman)
9 10 11 12 13
Replies
645
Views
228K
sz909
S
wysdoc
2024-2025 NYU - Long Island
2 3 4
Replies
167
Views
44K
cheesegirlpuff
C
Top