Stanford vs Yale vs Hopkins

[Expect_the_unexpected]

This cycle has been a bit of a whirlwind and somehow I've managed to be put in a very privileged situation of considering several amazing schools. It's down to the wire now and I think I know where I want to go, but since I was never pre-med and I'm so green in this process, I figured I'd reach out to the community to help provide some perspective.

Some generalizations of the mindset I'm coming from: I received generous financial aid from all three schools--essentially no debt will be taken on for any of the choices. This is such a fortunate place that I'm not going to do you or myself the disservice of slicing and dicing numbers.

I am in LOVE with the Stanford and Yale educational philosophies of providing diverse opportunities to their students and supporting them in creating their own path in medicine. I have a liberal arts background, and I want my medical career to be interdisciplinary--though in what form, I do not know. That being said, my primary interest is in public health, and since Stanford does not have a public health school (but relations with Berkeley), pursuing this path in Palo Alto might be rocky.

And what can I say about Hopkins? It's an amazing school with fantastic clinical education. Not to mention it touts one of the best public health schools. On the other hand, my interview day at Hopkins was awful. The applicants were brilliant and awesome, and most of the students were wonderful, but, boy, did I walk out feeling pretty miserable. I stayed in the running with the understanding that this was just one day and a very limited view, but it's hard not to go with my gut on this one.

Finally, my SO got into Yale Law on a lark, if you can believe it. It's unlikely he'll go, but it's something I've kept in the back of my mind in this decision.

Anyway, any thoughts would be much appreciated. And best of luck to all!

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[Limbo123]

It seems like you want to choose Yale. It seems like Yale provides the best in terms of public health opportunities and educational philosophy, not to mention proximity to your SO (if he also chooses Yale). I know that med students at Yale work very closely with other graduate programs, so you would have no trouble getting involved with the Public Health school as well as any other school you are interested in working with.

 

[Psai]

Yale

 

[Willy38]

I agree with Limbo. It seems like Yale is the best fit for what you wrote in your description! If you have any questions about Yale and the public health school or just in general feel free to PM me. (Some of my best friends here are in the public health school)

Choose Yale !

 

[trynahelp]

Congratulations on absolutely crushing it! Reputation is irrelevant at this stage, all are fantastic schools and you are clearly a fantastic student/future doctor. There's no reason to choose Hopkins if you have other comparable choices that you liked more. I second Yale, if you want to be close to your SO. Med school is hard, and having a support system is important.

It must be said though, that there is no wrong answer! You will do well anywhere, and having no debt really helps. Congrats again!

 

[breezy16]

This cycle has been a bit of a whirlwind and somehow I've managed to be put in a very privileged situation of considering several amazing schools. It's down to the wire now and I think I know where I want to go, but since I was never pre-med and I'm so green in this process, I figured I'd reach out to the community to help provide some perspective.

Some generalizations of the mindset I'm coming from: I received generous financial aid from all three schools--essentially no debt will be taken on for any of the choices. This is such a fortunate place that I'm not going to do you or myself the disservice of slicing and dicing numbers.

I am in LOVE with the Stanford and Yale educational philosophies of providing diverse opportunities to their students and supporting them in creating their own path in medicine. I have a liberal arts background, and I want my medical career to be interdisciplinary--though in what form, I do not know. That being said, my primary interest is in public health, and since Stanford does not have a public health school (but relations with Berkeley), pursuing this path in Palo Alto might be rocky.

And what can I say about Hopkins? It's an amazing school with fantastic clinical education. Not to mention it touts one of the best public health schools. On the other hand, my interview day at Hopkins was awful. The applicants were brilliant and awesome, and most of the students were wonderful, but, boy, did I walk out feeling pretty miserable. I stayed in the running with the understanding that this was just one day and a very limited view, but it's hard not to go with my gut on this one.

Finally, my SO got into Yale Law on a lark, if you can believe it. It's unlikely he'll go, but it's something I've kept in the back of my mind in this decision.

Anyway, any thoughts would be much appreciated. And best of luck to all!

Great opps, awesome job. If they're unlikely to go I would not use them as an indicator as seen by my peers doing above.

Urban vs Suburban
COA (including housing)
Yale is super lax
Do all 3 have 1.5 year clinicals? I know JHU and Yale do.
Prestige is irrelevant
I believe all 3 schools allow you to move horizontally into different degrees once youre in (MPH, PhD, MBA, etc)

Your opinion on this information is necessary

 

[Cognovi]

Finally, my SO got into Yale Law on a lark, if you can believe it. It's unlikely he'll go

Where is he going then? How serious are you?

 

[felixfelicis]

To offer a contrarian opinion: you should carefully weigh various priorities without considering your gut feeling from Hopkins. How you feel about a school on a short visit is hugely affected by irrelevant conditions that vary widely based on who you happen to meet, weather, etc. If you are serious enough about public health that you are willing to turn down Stanford, then in my opinion you should definitely go to Hopkins. Bloomberg at JHU offers *significantly* more opportunities than YSPH. If it's unlikely that your SO is going to Yale Law (which is very puzzling—I hope he has a good reason e.g. finaid), then I would urge you to consider Hopkins.

 

[mkapp]

It sounds like you're set on Yale! I found Yale and Stanford to be very similar, in terms of the curriculum/focus on interdisciplinary scholarship. Also, both schools are in somewhat out of the way locations, a train ride away from major cities. If I were deciding between these two schools, it would mostly come down to location.

I also got a really weird vibe at Hopkins--my student interviewer was a very unsettling person to talk to, and the students generally seemed unhappy to me. I might have just visited on an off day, but I also got a bad gut feeling at Hopkins.