Mount Sinai vs. Stanford

[newyorker86]

I've seen some similar threads but wanted some opinions. I was accepted at Mount Sinai back in November and recently got accepted at Stanford after a late interview (mid-March).

Loved Stanford's program and I know it's way higher ranked than Mount Sinai is. Anyway, I ultimately want to end up in NYC for residency and beyond...but I'm not opposed to the idea of leaving for a few years. I've heard there is some California school bias on the east coast, as in residency directors don't think that applicants will come to their program because of location. Also, as I know I want to end up here eventually anyway, is it really a good idea to spend 4 years on the West Coast just to come back afterwards?

I know Sinai isn't as highly ranked, but I was thinking it might be easier for me to get a NYC residency afterwards. Any opinions?

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[BlueElmo]

FYI, that ranking difference isn't that high. 11 vs 18 according to US News.

 

[dw2158]

I've seen some similar threads but wanted some opinions. I was accepted at Mount Sinai back in November and recently got accepted at Stanford after a late interview (mid-March).

Loved Stanford's program and I know it's way higher ranked than Mount Sinai is. Anyway, I ultimately want to end up in NYC for residency and beyond...but I'm not opposed to the idea of leaving for a few years. I've heard there is some California school bias on the east coast, as in residency directors don't think that applicants will come to their program because of location. Also, as I know I want to end up here eventually anyway, is it really a good idea to spend 4 years on the West Coast just to come back afterwards?

I know Sinai isn't as highly ranked, but I was thinking it might be easier for me to get a NYC residency afterwards. Any opinions?

while i'm of the opinion that this doesn't particularly matter, the bolded isn't true. just saying.

as far as ease of getting a residency in NYC... you might have a local edge with sinai (i honestly have no idea though) but i can't imagine that coming from stanford anyone would toss your application in the trash just because of the CA factor. if i were you, that particular thing wouldn't worry me too much. but keep in mind that i don't actually know what i'm talking about

honestly, if you want to experience the west coast, i would say go now because the farther along you get in life, the more settled you get. who knows what your life will be like when you're graduating-- you might not be able to pick up and move cross-country for residency.

 

[alibai3ah]

My vote goes to Stanford. It's awesome. Sports, California, lots of research, great school, more well-known than Mount Sinai.....

 

[docforsure]

Are you kidding me? Go to Stanford! You will thank yourself, hell you may even decide to stay forever after experiencing California for 4 years

 

[loljkttyl]

Disclaimer: I'm a Sinai student, but I'll try to answer this question as objectively as possible.

You are clearly a smart person and will likely get a good residency regardless of where you go to medical school. I don't think going to Sinai will preclude you from getting West Coast residencies, and I don't think going to Stanford will preclude you from getting East Coast residencies. That said, when it comes down to the residency interview process, you will find it easier, cheaper, and more convenient to apply to and interview at more East Coast schools if you go to Sinai. It might also be easier to do away electives on the East Coast if you go to medical school in NYC. Looking back at this whole process in retrospect, there are also many factors that will factor into your residency application process. You might meet your future significant other at medical school and then decide to settle down or go to residency near your medical school. There is simply no way to predict how the future unfolds.

I think your decision essentially comes down to a question of location. Can you give up not going to medical school in NYC? (This is a REALLY REALLY REALLY hard sacrifice to make. After spending 4 yrs in NYC, I'm not sure if the benefits of anything can outweigh the benefits of going to med school in NYC!) Do you want to be in NYC (~urban) or Palo Alto (~suburban) during medical school? Do you like the feeling of driving (Stanford) or prefer the convenience of taking public transportation (NYC)? Where do you see yourself happier over the next 4 years? Which city's cultural/athletic/restaurants/museums/nightlife activities fit better with your personality? Where are most of your friends/support network located? Which location will make it easier for you to attend the birthday parties/weddings/holidays with family? This is a really personal decision and will vary from person to person. Hope that helps!

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me, but I'm warning you that I had such a great time at Sinai that I will most definitely convince you to come here so maybe it is better that you don't PM me...lol! If I were you, I would go to both schools' revisit weekends, try to see which school gives you a better "vibe," and then make your decision after that!

 

[drizzt3117]

What are you interested in doing as a career? I don't think it'd be hard to go to ny after going to Stanford for med school, but it might give you an edge in some programs while Sinai might be better in others.

 

[Encephalectomy]

I think most people would agree that there is some regional bias with residency ranking. However, a lot of that has to do with the 'would this person come here' part of the question, so if you have family in NYC or some other reason thats convincing then it wouldn't be a hard sell. Also, if you do one away in NYC they'll get the idea that you really want to be there. The other major component of regional bias has to do with medical school prestige. In general, non top tier schools are better regarded in their geographical area, but you won't have that problem with stanford (just make sure to do the away rotation).

Congrats on the acceptances, they are both great schools and like someone else said, its about location. They both have great, but very different locations (I grew up near stanford and have spent a lot of time in NYC). Stanford wins for weather/closeness to natural beauty. Sinai wins for being in NYC (though to me, being in NYC w/no money ). Choose your adventure and good luck!

 

[bobsmith]

Disregarding rank (since I sincerely doubt that either school's rank is going to close any doors for you), how did you feel about the schools/curricula? You said you loved Stanford, but how did you feel about Sinai?

Stanford graduates mainly stay in California (almost certainly by choice), but I doubt they'd have a problem being considered for an east coast spot (although someone should correct me if I'm off on this). I think residency programs are just skeptical of a person who grew up in California, has all of his family in California, stayed in California for undergrad and med school, and then suddenly claims to want to live in New York during residency.

Since you do know you want to stay in NYC, though, going to Sinai would probably make it easier for you to do away rotations at NYC hospitals in your chosen specialty (which could be a major plus depending on how competitive it is)

Anyway, I'm in a similar spot (with different coasts -- I want to be in California for residency but am contemplating going to the east coast for school). But with the SDN California bias, you'll probably get a lot of votes for Stanford, while I'd get lots of people telling me to stay in California!

 

[jbz24]

I've seen some similar threads but wanted some opinions. I was accepted at Mount Sinai back in November and recently got accepted at Stanford after a late interview (mid-March).

Loved Stanford's program and I know it's way higher ranked than Mount Sinai is. Anyway, I ultimately want to end up in NYC for residency and beyond...but I'm not opposed to the idea of leaving for a few years. I've heard there is some California school bias on the east coast, as in residency directors don't think that applicants will come to their program because of location. Also, as I know I want to end up here eventually anyway, is it really a good idea to spend 4 years on the West Coast just to come back afterwards?

I know Sinai isn't as highly ranked, but I was thinking it might be easier for me to get a NYC residency afterwards. Any opinions?

I don't think you will have a problem coming back to NY for residency. There's generally regional bias, but Stanford students seem to do pretty well nationally.

That being said, I agree with what the other Sinai student said. There are a lot of reasons to tie you down at a place once you become a med student there. He said you might meet your significant other, but more importantly, you have a better chance at doing residency there. So if you go to Stanford for med school, your best shot for residency will be Stanford. Matching at Columbia/Sinai/Cornell will be harder than matching at Stanford will be for you. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Coming from Stanford will give you an edge pretty much everywhere, including NYC. I disagree with the above in that an average Stanford student should not have difficulty matching at Columbia, Cornell, or Sinai in most fields.

The USNews ranking is deceptive - Stanford is an elite institution (certainly not a #11 in the eyes of residency directors) and Sinai is not.

Look at this insanity: http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/03_30_09.html#7

 

[jbz24]

Coming from Stanford will give you an edge pretty much everywhere, including NYC. I disagree with the above in that an average Stanford student should not have difficulty matching at Columbia, Cornell, or Sinai in most fields.

The USNews ranking is deceptive - Stanford is an elite institution (certainly not a #11 in the eyes of residency directors) and Sinai is not.

Look at this insanity: http://deansnewsletter.stanford.edu/archive/03_30_09.html#7

That's not what I meant, sorry if it was unclear. I meant to say that a student from Stanford will find it easier to match into Stanford (home institution) than matching into a NYC program. Your home institution gives you an edge at pretty much every specialty. So if you are a top student from Stanford applying to plastic surgery, you will have an easier time matching into Stanford plastics than Columbia plastics.

 

[searun]

My vote goes to Stanford. It's awesome. Sports, California, lots of research, great school, more well-known than Mount Sinai.....

Plus Playboy's "Girls of the Pac 10" which is being photographed as we speak, and Stanford will have several representatives in the lineuup..

Oh, wait, Mt. Sinai's representatives in a Playboy photo shoot, I will have to wait and reserve judgment until after I see the issue.

Just kidding ladies, but Stanford has been well represented in the past. As a Pac 10 guy, I always check it out just to see how Oregon measures up in the competition. And I would be curious about Mt. Sinai.

 

[mdeast]

Going to resurrect this thread. Just got off the WL at Stanford.

I think I'm still possibly leaning Sinai for location, but I definitely liked the research/interdisciplinary environment at Stanford a bit better (and was really impressed by their programs on LGBT health). And, it wouldn't hurt me to live on the West Coast for a while. I don't have anything particular (relationships, etc.) keeping me on the East Coast right now...it's more I found NYC to be more my sort of pace of life than Palo Alto. But, I'm not sure how much I'll care about this as a med student...and sort of admit I may underestimate the quality of life in Palo Alto. Cost is also an issue, because I'm worried Stanford might be way more expensive.


At this point, I'd like to end up back in Philadelphia post-graduation.

 

[jbz24]

Going to resurrect this thread. Just got off the WL at Stanford.

I think I'm still possibly leaning Sinai for location, but I definitely liked the research/interdisciplinary environment at Stanford a bit better (and was really impressed by their programs on LGBT health). And, it wouldn't hurt me to live on the West Coast for a while. I don't have anything particular (relationships, etc.) keeping me on the East Coast right now...it's more I found NYC to be more my sort of pace of life than Palo Alto. But, I'm not sure how much I'll care about this as a med student...and sort of admit I may underestimate the quality of life in Palo Alto. Cost is also an issue, because I'm worried Stanford might be way more expensive.


At this point, I'd like to end up back in Philadelphia post-graduation.

I think you know more than most of the people here who would give you advice about what you should do...

 

[taschen]

Both are awesome schools so congratulations. If you've never lived in California before, Stanford might be a fun adventure. Who knows, this might be one of your only chance to try out some new surroundings. You may end up loving it there. And I'm sure you'll have no problem coming back to Philly if you still want to afterward...

 

[JokerMD]

Stanford for SURE if you are interested in pursuing academia/industry

Both are good for standard clinical medicine. I also think both are near equals in terms of rank (Sinai is really moving up the ladder, i hear)

 

[drizzt3117]

Stanford for SURE if you are interested in pursuing academia/industry

Both are good for standard clinical medicine. I also think both are near equals in terms of rank (Sinai is really moving up the ladder, i hear)

Only on sdn...

Seriously weird stuff going on with ppl's attitude towards Sinai, which is no doubt a great school but Stanford is significantly better for research/academic medicine. Just go to any major clinical or basic science conference and take a look at the posters/presentations...

 

[JokerMD]

[/b]

Only on sdn...

yes, i based my comment off of SDN. This is mainly because im not heavily infiltrated into the medical field yet, so I don't know what is really "better." Everyone knows stanford is good. I'm simply implying that sinai is also good and could beat out stanford under the right circumstances (location, family, $$)....

 

[pelliper]

[/b]

Only on sdn...

Seriously weird stuff going on with ppl's attitude towards Sinai, which is no doubt a great school but Stanford is significantly better for research/academic medicine. Just go to any major clinical or basic science conference and take a look at the posters/presentations...

they are actually pretty close in terms of usnews ranking, but sinai is not stanford. we're looking at a research score of 72 vs a score of 61. in terms of residency research director rankings, we're talking about ratings of 4.3-4.5 for stanford versus ratings of 3.6-3.8 for sinai. yes, these are imperfect measures of research prowess, but then again so is the ranking methodology itself. in terms of prestige i don't think anyone can argue that sinai is anywhere near on the same level as stanford. i would agree though that the schools are fairly level when it comes to clinical experience

 

[drizzt3117]

they are actually pretty close in terms of usnews ranking, but sinai is not stanford. we're looking at a research score of 72 vs a score of 61. in terms of residency research director rankings, we're talking about ratings of 4.3-4.5 for stanford versus ratings of 3.6-3.8 for sinai. yes, these are imperfect measures of research prowess, but then again so is the ranking methodology itself. in terms of prestige i don't think anyone can argue that sinai is anywhere near on the same level as stanford. i would agree though that the schools are fairly level when it comes to clinical experience

In the fields i've been involved in for research which are fairly broad (cancer research, cardiovascular, neuroscience, radiology, med physics) Stanford probably outnumbered Sinai 10:1 in term of posters and presentations and that's probably being generous... Sinai does have pretty good research (180M in research grants or something but Stanford has 80M more on public funding and probably an order of magnitude if not more in private funds, Stanford has a huge amount of endowed funds. Before starting med school I was consulting for some biotechs and all of them have a ton of Stanford faculty working with them. The sheer amount of projects being worked on there is mind boggling.

As far as clinicals go, Stanford doesn't have the best clinical rep from a lot of people i've talked with but that doesn't seem to be hurting their students in residency director rankings or the match!

 

[drizzt3117]

yes, i based my comment off of SDN. This is mainly because im not heavily infiltrated into the medical field yet, so I don't know what is really "better." Everyone knows stanford is good. I'm simply implying that sinai is also good and could beat out stanford under the right circumstances (location, family, $$)....

Also forgot to mention that Stanford has one of the lowest average indebtedness of any med school...

 

[kjamess]

Mount Sinai is a strong school no doubt, but it does not have the same reputation/prestige as Stanford. Stanford's residency director rating is 4.5/5 and its peer rating is 4.6/5. Mount Sinai's is 3.7/5 for both. To give you some context, Stanford's numbers are on par with Penn/UCSF, while Mt. Sinai's are on par with Case Western/Iowa. Here is the complete list:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=720207&highlight=residency

I also find it amusing how people on SDN focus so much on the numerical rank for a particular year as if it means anything. These rankings fluctuate from year to year, but reputations do not. If you do a search, you will find that the residency director ratings in years past have remained fairly constant despite any changes in rankings. In the event that school name is taken into consideration, the only thing that matters is how that particular residency director feels about your school (this is where regional bias comes into play). Its not as if their opinion is going to change every year based off of a news magazines ranking.

That being said, prestige is NOT a strong enough reason to choose one school over the other, as other factors (which are important to you) have to be considered as well. Use your judgment and try not to let the SDN cheerleaders for either school have an influence on your decision. GL

 

[ButImLETired]

Going to resurrect this thread. Just got off the WL at Stanford.

I think I'm still possibly leaning Sinai for location, but I definitely liked the research/interdisciplinary environment at Stanford a bit better (and was really impressed by their programs on LGBT health). And, it wouldn't hurt me to live on the West Coast for a while. I don't have anything particular (relationships, etc.) keeping me on the East Coast right now...it's more I found NYC to be more my sort of pace of life than Palo Alto. But, I'm not sure how much I'll care about this as a med student...and sort of admit I may underestimate the quality of life in Palo Alto. Cost is also an issue, because I'm worried Stanford might be way more expensive.


At this point, I'd like to end up back in Philadelphia post-graduation.

I've lived in both places. If you LIKE the New York pace of life (not everyone does, for sure), Stanford will make you want to stick needles into your eyeballs. The difference is astounding. At Stanford, you will have a lot more opportunities to be outdoors, you can hike, bike, run, whatever. Everyone is super healthy and will judge you if you're not like that as well. Expect a lot of sushi restaurants and gourmet salad places and organic produce. Students are very academic and again, big on working out, hiking, biking, etc. Cost of living between the UES and Palo Alto is essentially equal, so that's really a wash. San Fran is about an hour away by train (don't even TRY living without a car in Palo Alto) or 40ish minutes away by car (but there's never any parking). It's just far enough that you can't really go by public transportation super late at night because you'll be stuck there. The cab situation in PA is absolutely dire- I've been left at my apartment because "the company doesn't have enough cars" like, 4 times.

As for social life, there are all of maybe 4 bars in the vicinity, and ONE place to go dancing (which is sketchy, I might add). Besides that, your social life will be on Stanford campus. Again, unless you plan on making the trek to SF. On the other hand, you're about an hour away from some other great places like Santa Cruz where you can go to the beach, etc. Northern California is truly beautiful.

But, if what you love about New York City is the diversity, the hustle and bustle, the variety of things to do...that's not Stanford. On the other hand, if you think that slowing down and spending your days biking and running and eating organic salads is just what you need to relax and focus on your studies, then Stanford is awesome. The weather is basically perfect. Also, if you don't want to let go of your car, Stanford is great.


Anyway, that's my 2 cents on location only. People have pointed out the prestige factor enough, I think.

 

[jbz24]

No doubt Stanford is a more prestigious program than Sinai. Most of the arguments in favor of Sinai here are about location, but I think location is a very personal choice. Stanford wins in terms of overall prestige and academics, although I do think Sinai is more academic than most people here think. I also do think the culture and type of medicine practiced at each institution is very different.

 

[mdeast]

Yeah, I think it's mainly a location decision which no one here can obviously answer for me. So, I got some thinking to do. I've been talking with some current Stanford students, and I'm heading out to visit there later this week sometime. Hopefully I'll get the chance to meet a few people and get their thoughts first hand. I've also never really have been to SF (didn't get a chance to on interview day)...so I might try and check out what the culture is like there. I'm just impressed by each school for somewhat different reasons. I think if Stanford was in SF, I'd probably choose it in a heartbeat. But, it isn't.

I know some people on these boards sometime express doubts as to the clinical training at Stanford. But, to be honest, that was one of the things I was really impressed by after interviewing. I also loved the research and the whole university atmosphere, and the real opportunities (that students actually took advantage of) to take courses in other departments and really do some awesome interdisciplinary work. It doesn't have the cool patient populations that Sinai does, and maybe I got the sense that students weren't quite as social?

Anyway, thanks for any advice. I'll let you know what I decide when I cross that hurdle.

 

[pelliper]

actually living in Palo Alto without a car is totally possible. lots of students bike to and from school. walking is a little impractical though unless you also make it double as your morning exercise (~30-45 mins brisk walk from the town to the med school)

you do need a car for clinical years since you'll be going to santa clara valley, kaiser, and other sites

i think the students are "less social" because they are in class for more of the day and also a little spread out over campus. some students learn very well being in the classroom all day and others need more time to self-study and reflect on the importance of the material, but stanford has alot of class time

palo alto is a nice, large college town with plenty to do--you wont miss NYC

 

[wolfiemd]

SF isn't that inaccessible..i mean the caltrain and the bart are pretty reliable (bart more than cal) so you can easily go into the city. Besides, this mode of transportation is probably better than driving into SF and parking.

 

[mdeast]

If I go to Stanford I'll definitely take my car You don't need one, but it's certainly easier...and I love my driving. Also sounds like a fun cross country road trip...because it currently resides in Philly. I also will bring my bike. Gotta love biking.

SF isn't ridiculously far. But, yeah, it's far enough that you can't really easily go out there. It's my same gripe as Einstein. It's sort of in NYC, but not really. Going out there becomes a planned trip. There were Stanford kids who lived in SF (I met some there), and a few students go into the city every weekend (or some apparently multiple times per week). I think the little things...like grabbing a beer after class at a local bar, might be way easier living in Manhattan than they are in Palo Alto.

I didn't get the sense of excessive class time at Stanford, but that students did study hard. I guess this is of true of everywhere though.

Trying to playing both sides of the "devil's advocate" right now in making this decision. Thanks for any thoughts though. Good things to think about.

 

[ButImLETired]

actually living in Palo Alto without a car is totally possible. lots of students bike to and from school. walking is a little impractical though unless you also make it double as your morning exercise (~30-45 mins brisk walk from the town to the med school)

you do need a car for clinical years since you'll be going to santa clara valley, kaiser, and other sites

i think the students are "less social" because they are in class for more of the day and also a little spread out over campus. some students learn very well being in the classroom all day and others need more time to self-study and reflect on the importance of the material, but stanford has alot of class time

palo alto is a nice, large college town with plenty to do--you wont miss NYC

For what it's worth, I really, really disagree with these two statements. I guess this is why these threads aren't really all that useful- some people might live in Palo Alto and think it's awesome, some find it stifling. Some find NYC exhausting, some find it exhilarating. It's a matter of opinion. About 2 months into my arrival to Palo Alto I felt that I had done and seen all there was to see and do, and I missed having a city. Also, I lived without a car and it was basically impossible to do anything that wasn't on campus. But yeah, totally a matter of taste. I'm more of a city person (not New York either, I prefer somewhat smaller cities) so Palo Alto made me go a little bit crazy. To each his own.

 

[BubbaChuck3]

Mount Sinai is a strong school no doubt, but it does not have the same reputation/prestige as Stanford. Stanford's residency director rating is 4.5/5 and its peer rating is 4.6/5. Mount Sinai's is 3.7/5 for both. To give you some context, Stanford's numbers are on par with Penn/UCSF, while Mt. Sinai's are on par with Case Western/Iowa. Here is the complete list:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=720207&highlight=residency

I also find it amusing how people on SDN focus so much on the numerical rank for a particular year as if it means anything. These rankings fluctuate from year to year, but reputations do not. If you do a search, you will find that the residency director ratings in years past have remained fairly constant despite any changes in rankings. In the event that school name is taken into consideration, the only thing that matters is how that particular residency director feels about your school (this is where regional bias comes into play). Its not as if their opinion is going to change every year based off of a news magazines ranking.

That being said, prestige is NOT a strong enough reason to choose one school over the other, as other factors (which are important to you) have to be considered as well. Use your judgment and try not to let the SDN cheerleaders for either school have an influence on your decision. GL

Wow I got quoted ! It seems as though people beat the prestige and location topic enough. So I will be brief. If you have an inkling of doing academic medicine I would choose Stanford hands down especially if the price differences ends up being a moot point. I have a couple friends at Stanford Med and they are extremely happy as I'm sure you will be too if you choose to attend. IMO Stanford just seems like a better bang for your buck and if you won't hate it there I see no reason not to attend. But that is just me. Sorry I was brief but I didn't feel the need to regurgitate what everyone else said with a little personal flair. Happy choosing and let us know what you decide.

 

[mdeast]

I'm not a prestige *****. I chose my quirky liberal arts school over Penn and Harvard undergrad and to be honest, never regretted it. So, yeah, that's not really a big issue (i.e. the argument that Stanford has a bigger "name" than Sinai. I just don't really care).

I'd have a car in Palo Alto, which I think would make things way better. I don't think I could live in the suburbs without one. Anyway, just booked a plane ticket to SFO for Thursday evening. Gonna stay til Sunday and check out Stanford/Palo Alto/San Francisco and see how everything vibes for me. Got til the following Tuesday, so a decent amount of time to let things digest.

Thanks guy!

 

[neuronc]

It sounds like you really loved Stanford based on your posts before you got off the waitlist??? If your only qualm is about moving to the west coast I would totally go for it. Their program is awesome, they treat their students well, and the entire class just seems so HAPPY.

I'm not a prestige *****. I chose my quirky liberal arts school over Penn and Harvard undergrad and to be honest, never regretted it. So, yeah, that's not really a big issue (i.e. the argument that Stanford has a bigger "name" than Sinai. I just don't really care).

I'd have a car in Palo Alto, which I think would make things way better. I don't think I could live in the suburbs without one. Anyway, just booked a plane ticket to SFO for Thursday evening. Gonna stay til Sunday and check out Stanford/Palo Alto/San Francisco and see how everything vibes for me. Got til the following Tuesday, so a decent amount of time to let things digest.

Thanks guy!

 

[mdeast]

It sounds like you really loved Stanford based on your posts before you got off the waitlist??? If your only qualm is about moving to the west coast I would totally go for it. To be honest, Stanford was my favorite school I interviewed at (> Harvard for me). Their program is awesome, they treat their students well, and the entire class just seems so HAPPY.

Yeah, I did really love it there. It's more of a city vs. suburb thing to be honest. I think the West Coast move (being far from family) is less of a concern than the specific environment. I'm a fairly independent person ( I lived in Europe for a year and loved it), so being fair from family isn't as huge of a concern as other things.

 

[searun]

Yeah, I did really love it there. It's more of a city vs. suburb thing to be honest. I think the West Coast move (being far from family) is less of a concern than the specific environment. I'm a fairly independent person ( I lived in Europe for a year and loved it), so being fair from family isn't as huge of a concern as other things.

I would choose Stanford. My experience is the opposite of your situation. I am a West Coast boy, now going to med school on the East Coast. I am living in a big urban environment for the first time, and loving it, soaking it in.

I think it is good to live in a variety of different environments. You have already experienced East Coast urban, so spend 4 years in California and experience something different. Stanford is a fabulous med school, and San Francisco is nearby when you need your urban fix.

As I recall, you mentioned in a previous post that you are gay - San Francisco is the most gay friendly city in America and I suspect that Stanford is very gay friendly as well. My guess is that you will be very comfortable at Stanford. The weather is great and you will have access to some of best that California has to offer - S.F., the beaches of the central coast, the wine country.

Personally, I love the Northwest but if I were going to go to med school in California, Stanford or UCSF would be my choice, particularly if I were a gay med student.