Stanford vs Vanderbilt

[LoverOfSpices]

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Greetings! I am fortunate to have been accepted to Vanderbilt and Stanford, and am now faced with the difficult decision of where to attend.

Stanford has always been my dream program and will open up many doors both inside and outside of medicine. California weather and culture agree with me, and I could see myself wanting to match in California for residency. Not interested in anything wildly competitive (anesthesia), but the slight prestige boost from Stanford might make matching a bit easier?

Vanderbilt is a great institution and I have a full-tuition scholarship. No complaints about Vanderbilt, but it's not Stanford nor located in California, and I am worried I might regret going there over Stanford in retrospect. Would it be an absurd decision to attend Stanford at full cost over Vanderbilt for free?

 

[morak]

Yes, it would be absurd, because the prestige difference between Vandy and Stanford is, at most, negligible. Unless you're literally rolling in money, there's no reason to pay full price for Stanford when you have Vandy for free. Pick Vandy

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Take the money. This decision isn't that difficult unless you have other considerations that you haven't shared.

 

[Goro]

Go for the free ride. Your 50 year old self will thank you.

Four years will go fast.

 

[LoverOfSpices]

Take the money. This decision isn't that difficult unless you have other considerations that you haven't shared.

Don't have any other considerations. It is mostly just the allure of attending a school like Stanford that makes the decision difficult! From a rational perspective Vanderbilt is definitely the better option

Should I be at all concerned about match outcomes between the two given that anesthesiology is getting more competitive?

 

[obiwan]

Don't have any other considerations. It is mostly just the allure of attending a school like Stanford that makes the decision difficult! From a rational perspective Vanderbilt is definitely the better option

Should I be at all concerned about match outcomes between the two given that anesthesiology is getting more competitive?

Absolutely not. Every attending physician on SDN will tell you to pick Vanderbilt. If you want to be at Stanford or California, just match there for residency. No door will be closed to you coming from Vanderbilt

 

[riv_jordan]

The consensus is clear and I agree that Vanderbilt is definitely the choice here. But if you have any reason to believe that you may get a scholarship or significant financial aid (comparable to a full ride) then maybe Stanford is still worth considering. But I would not pay full (or honestly even half) cost to go to Stanford over Vanderbilt for free.