UCSF vs. Harvard vs. $$$

[mangowolf]

Family & support system are in Bay Area; fiancé has job offers lined up in Bay already (works in tech). Ultimately want to match back in CA. Undecided on specialty but interested in competitive ROAD specialties like derm and ophtho that will give me time with my family and partner. Possibly interested in academic medicine

Harvard (400k)
Pros

• T5 prestige & stronger name brand for those outside of medicine (I have interests in policy and the humanities)
• Preclinical compressed to 1 year
• Biggest hospital system/most research opportunities
• Could be something new to explore, Boston is an amazing city
• Insane match list, tons of derm/ophtho matches, could easily return to CA
• P/F preclin + clin, no AOA

Cons

• Far away from family and support system, fiancé would have to uproot career and has no job connections in area yet (although Boston does have jobs he could apply for)
• Not used to cold or East Coast
• Very expensive, no merit aid, high COL
• Caught a vibe that students were very competitive and not the friendliest
• Some students said there is little community after M1 because of how curriculum is set up
• Not a big fan of mandatory classes/8 AM/group learning

UCSF (300k)
Pros

• T5 prestige and strong name brand within medicine
• In-state tuition
• I love SF a lot as a city
• Being close to my family and entire support system; fiancé can have stability in his career and also stay close to his support system
• P/F preclin + clin
• I really vibed with the students I met and I already know many who go here who are very happy - seems like a good culture of well being
• Tons of research resources and lots of opportunities in health equity areas that I’m specifically interested in
• Have connections / mentorship with some faculty here already
• U Can Stay Forever - lots match back to UCSF for residency which I’d like to do

Cons

• Not attached to a university so fewer opportunities for interdisciplinary / humanities / policy work
• Name is less recognized outside of medicine
• High COL in SF + no merit aid
• Emphasis on primary care means matching specialties is harder? Noticed that fewer people over the years have matched things like derm/ophtho, but maybe that’s just student preference?
• More run down facilities, fewer research opportunities/hospitals compared to HMS

Other options:

• NYU, full tuition (will cost 130k): but undesirable location, less prestigious, internal ranking and AOA, hard for fiancé to find job in NY, away from support system, got bad vibes from students
• Mayo Clinic, merit scholarship (will cost 200k): extremely limited job opportunities for fiancé in Rochester, graded clinicals, super cold
• Vandy, full tuition (will cost 150k): also undesirable location for fiancé but does have P/F clin + preclin
• Waiting to hear back on financial aid for JHU, Penn, Columbia, Duke, Pritzker, Feinberg but they are all in undesirable locations for my fiancé. as far as I can tell only Penn would give enough merit aid that could change my decision - please correct me if I am wrong

My major concern right now is my fiancé - although he is willing to move anywhere for me, it really has to be worth it for us. Since our ultimate goal is to be in CA, leaving would mean forcing him to uproot his life twice. My heart wants to go to UCSF really badly, but my brain is telling me to think about the money and an annoying voice in my brain is wondering if Harvard really has anything special to offer in realms adjacent to medicine or in terms of matching to a competitive specialty. I’d really love all possible input — thank you!

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[burgerking12345]

Congrats on both acceptances !
Imo UCSF doesn’t close any doors that Harvard opens. Plus with your family and support system AND being cheaper I’d go UCSF.

 

[throwaway01564]

UCSF if you wanna match in California and specifically UCSF. I'm not even from California, but thinking I wanna match there so that has made me basically set on UCSF vs my NE options. Looking at their website, a full 1/3 matched to UCSF for last year's class.

 

[JKars]

Congrats on the fantastic options!
Imo, it isnt worth overthinking - everything points to UCSF. Harvard is cool and all but is it really going to make your life any easier then living around your support system in a town you and your SO know you love?

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

UCSF if you want to match in CA.

 

[deleted1114112]

UCSF and not remotely close given your circumstances.

 

[mangowolf]

thank you everyone, this really makes me feel a lot better about my decision! just wondering if the relatively lower matches in derm/ophtho/ROAD specialties at UCSF vs. HMS is something I should be worried about, since no one mentioned it

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

thank you everyone, this really makes me feel a lot better about my decision! just wondering if the relatively lower matches in derm/ophtho/ROAD specialties at UCSF vs. HMS is something I should be worried about, since no one mentioned it

self selection.

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

self selection.

This, but also look at step scores from UCSF versus the rest of the elites. You’re not going to match into derm w a 235 regardless of what school you went to. it’s no surprise that more students from the other elite schools match into these more competitive specialtues, since tge data would suggest that more of their students have the scores to do so.

This is likely a reflection of UCSF’s admissions criteria being way less stat oriented than the other top programs. It’s no surprise a school w a 521 mcat avg has higher board scores than the school w a 516 avg MCAT.

 

[throwaway01564]

This, but also look at step scores from UCSF versus the rest of the elites. You’re not going to match into derm w a 235 regardless of what school you went to. it’s no surprise that more students from the other elite schools match into these more competitive specialtues, since tge data would suggest that more of their students have the scores to do so.

This is likely a reflection of UCSF’s admissions criteria being way less stat oriented than the other top programs. It’s no surprise a school w a 521 mcat avg has higher board scores than the school w a 516 avg MCAT.

OP had a LM 83. This will not be a problem for them at all. Plus looking at data, only step 1 was a lower than the other T5. Step 2 was on par. Coincidentally, Step 1 is now no longer a factor...

 

[mangowolf]

This, but also look at step scores from UCSF versus the rest of the elites. You’re not going to match into derm w a 235 regardless of what school you went to. it’s no surprise that more students from the other elite schools match into these more competitive specialtues, since tge data would suggest that more of their students have the scores to do so.

This is likely a reflection of UCSF’s admissions criteria being way less stat oriented than the other top programs. It’s no surprise a school w a 521 mcat avg has higher board scores than the school w a 516 avg MCAT.

yeah, i was a bit surprised at the lower board scores for UCSF. was worried that it meant that preclinical curriculum wasn't as good here, but hard to tell what the cause of it is...some other folks suggested that if UCSF students are already interested in primary care, they don't really have a huge incentive to study hard for a sky-high STEP score. do you have any insight into the quality of UCSF's training for preclinical/clinical?

 

[mangowolf]

OP had a LM 83. This will not be a problem for them at all. Plus looking at data, only step 1 was a lower than the other T5. Step 2 was on par. Coincidentally, Step 1 is now no longer a factor...

hahaha thank you, hopefully so. it definitely works out in UCSF's favor to have STEP 1 P/F!

 

[throwaway01564]

yeah, i was a bit surprised at the lower board scores for UCSF. was worried that it meant that preclinical curriculum wasn't as good here, but hard to tell what the cause of it is...some other folks suggested that if UCSF students are already interested in primary care, they don't really have a huge incentive to study hard for a sky-high STEP score. do you have any insight into the quality of UCSF's training for preclinical/clinical?

I think it's that, plus the fact that UCSF admits people more people with lower scores compared to the other schools (I've seen ppl get in with <510, which wouldn't happen at a place like Hopkins). If you assume people with a higher MCAT score will score more highly on STEP 1, and lower MCAT will score lower, then that drags the average down compared to the other T5. I doubt it's an issue with the curriculum.

 

[deleted1114112]

Columbia had the same STEP 1 mean as UCSF last year (238) yet has a ridiculous MCAT distribution. Probably more to it than high MCAT = high STEP 1, beyond the simple correlation, especially once you get above 90th percentile MCAT.

 

[Dogruffle01]

UCSF by a landslide. SO + Family+ future match. It’s a legit T5, you’ll go into whatever you want. Average Step score is irrelevant, it’s on an individual basis.

 

[jojofu]

Good god, that list of acceptances. I would choose UCSF if I were you though. You definitely have plenty of appealing options but med school is going to be hard and you will need your support system, including your SO who seems like they may be happier in SF. If you are both as happy as possible, best chance that everything works out with little relationship problems.

 

[BioPsychotic]

Did you by any chance cure cancer? Congrats on having the most successful cycle I have ever seen.

 

[mangowolf]

Did you by any chance cure cancer? Congrats on having the most successful cycle I have ever seen.

hahah thank you, did not do anything remotely close to that! feeling very lucky to be making this decision.

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

Major congratulations! Saw your name all over the threads this cycle and am so glad that you have such excellent choices. Will also put a vote in for UCSF but make sure you at least ask Penn to potentially match or out-do your full tuition offers - you might be able to snag one of their full rides with how well you've done.

 

[dolphinlover99]

I'm having trouble making the exact same decision (Harvard v UCSF). I'm also originally from CA and want to live here long term. Would love to chat more!

 

[SatoruGojo]

Congratulations on a successful cycle! Don't worry about the money, just start your own admissions consulting service on the side. I am sure many of us would be happy to let you name your price!

 

[crimson-cat]

I'd go UCSF. Harvard could *maybe* open up a few more doors in non-traditional areas, but would unlikely be worth being less happy for at least 4 years and having more uncertainty about where in california you will match at, as compared to having a home program there

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

If there is any chance that you could end up on the East coast someday and are thinking about a cash pay speciality or want to be on some private board, I would go Harvard. Outside of medicine, my experience is that people on the East coast haven’t heard of it or just assume it’s a undergraduate UC, one tier below Berkeley/UCLA. In the grand scheme of things, 100k will not be much for one of these specialists married to a tech worker (plus, assuming you get a fixed rate, it may be more like 50k in real terms when you finish residency). Harvard would provide the same advantages on the west coast so you’d have more flexibility. This is assuming you’re serious about other ventures or maybe considering opening a private practice.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

If there is any chance that you could end up on the East coast someday and are thinking about a cash pay speciality or want to be on some private board, I would go Harvard. Outside of medicine, my experience is that people on the East coast haven’t heard of it or just assume it’s a undergraduate UC, one tier below Berkeley/UCLA. In the grand scheme of things, 100k will not be much for one of these specialists married to a tech worker (plus, assuming you get a fixed rate, it may be more like 50k in real terms when you finish residency). Harvard would provide the same advantages on the west coast so you’d have more flexibility. This is assuming you’re serious about other ventures or maybe considering opening a private practice.

By your reasoning, one would basically pick any other T20 over UCSF? This whole layman's prestige thing is so bizarre since no one talks about that when picking a b-school or law school. OP should not factor in whether down the road some random person outside medicine will be impressed by UCSF or not as a reason to pick one school over another at this point.

 

[mangowolf]

If there is any chance that you could end up on the East coast someday and are thinking about a cash pay speciality or want to be on some private board, I would go Harvard. Outside of medicine, my experience is that people on the East coast haven’t heard of it or just assume it’s a undergraduate UC, one tier below Berkeley/UCLA. In the grand scheme of things, 100k will not be much for one of these specialists married to a tech worker (plus, assuming you get a fixed rate, it may be more like 50k in real terms when you finish residency). Harvard would provide the same advantages on the west coast so you’d have more flexibility. This is assuming you’re serious about other ventures or maybe considering opening a private practice.

thanks for your input! Could you explain what a cash pay specialty is or being on a private board would entail? I’ve never even heard of either of those hahah

I’m like 95% sure I’ll never end up on the east coast, I hate the cold and everyone I love is in CA. I guess private practice is a consideration since I am not completely set on academic medicine (worried about getting burnt out by academia/research rat race) but even then I’d try to be in California for that. Not exactly sure what all the career possibilities are for an MD that you alluded to are, but I am quite sure that I want to be treating patients/working heavily as a clinician no matter what

edit - The 300 vs 400k for UCSF/HMS isn’t the biggest factor for me either, but since you mentioned my fiancé’s salary we are worried about him being able to get a job in Boston since being in the Bay Area is far preferable for the specific field he is in. Plus I worry about disruption to his career trajectory if we move from Boston -> CA, it could potentially set him back if he can’t work at the same company anymore. So financially it’s hard to know which one is the better option, as it’s hard to quantify all these unknowns (partner getting more career stability vs. UCSF’s layman prestige compared to Harvard brand, what dollar amount does that equal??)

 

[mangowolf]

By your reasoning, one would basically pick any other T20 over UCSF? This whole layman's prestige thing is so bizarre since no one talks about that when picking a b-school or law school. OP should not factor in whether down the road some random person outside medicine will be impressed by UCSF or not as a reason to pick one school over another at this point.

yea, it‘s really hard to quantify layman prestige! When I seriously think about whether it matters to me, it gets hard to distinguish how much of that feeling is due to my ego and how much is due to real life consequences. I don’t really care if people on the east coast haven’t heard of ucsf. on the other hand, some people have said that most patients are typically random people outside of medicine. i guess that would matter if I did private practice? idk.

 

[mangowolf]

I'd go UCSF. Harvard could *maybe* open up a few more doors in non-traditional areas, but would unlikely be worth being less happy for at least 4 years and having more uncertainty about where in california you will match at, as compared to having a home program there

Thank you!! Do you think that going to HMS would create uncertainty in being able to match to the Bay Area (since there’s really just Stanford/UCSF there for academic institutions) compared to UCSF? I know HMS has the huge name and all but there must be coastal/regional advantage for UCSF folks.

 

[mangowolf]

Congratulations on a successful cycle! Don't worry about the money, just start your own admissions consulting service on the side. I am sure many of us would be happy to let you name your price!

hahah nah I am happy to give free advice in DMs of course taken with a huge grain of salt, I am not an expert!

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

By your reasoning, one would basically pick any other T20 over UCSF? This whole layman's prestige thing is so bizarre since no one talks about that when picking a b-school or law school. OP should not factor in whether down the road some random person outside medicine will be impressed by UCSF or not as a reason to pick one school over another at this point.

but the op specially mentioned that he/she has an interest in interdisciplinary pursuits, competitive specialties (that could require relocation and then who knows what happens..ex. there are only 40 something derm spots in CA for each class so relocation is always a possibility), and academic medicine.

To clarify, both would provide a giant head start on OP’s way to achieving whatever career goals but there is a difference.

Since you mention law school, it’s like comparing Harvard and YLS. Both are recognized for being the best of the best but there is a reason why more Supreme Court clerks and even Harvard law school professors are Yale grads. I would assume that HMS is similar in that it produces more PDs, med school deans, hospital system executives on a per capita basis

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

yea, it‘s really hard to quantify layman prestige! When I seriously think about whether it matters to me, it gets hard to distinguish how much of that feeling is due to my ego and how much is due to real life consequences. I don’t really care if people on the east coast haven’t heard of ucsf. on the other hand, some people have said that most patients are typically random people outside of medicine. i guess that would matter if I did private practice? idk

99% of the time patients don't care where you went for med school. If there's anyone you need to impress, that would be another physician...

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

but the op specially mentioned that he/she has an interest in interdisciplinary pursuits, competitive specialties (that could require relocation and then who knows what happens..ex. there are only 40 something derm spots in CA for each class so relocation is always a possibility), and academic medicine.

To clarify, both would provide a giant head start on OP’s way to achieving whatever career goals but there is a difference.

Since you mention law school, it’s like comparing Harvard and YLS. Both are recognized for being the best of the best but there is a reason why more Supreme Court clerks and even Harvard law school professors are Yale grads. I would assume that HMS is similar in that it produces more PDs, med school deans, hospital system executives on a per capita basis

comparing YLS and HLS is like comparing Hopkins and HMS. UCSF is unique in the sense that there's no general university attached to it, arguably it was spun out of Berkeley many years ago.

 

[crimson-cat]

Thank you!! Do you think that going to HMS would create uncertainty in being able to match to the Bay Area (since there’s really just Stanford/UCSF there for academic institutions) compared to UCSF? I know HMS has the huge name and all but there must be coastal/regional advantage for UCSF folks.

Generally speaking HMS matches by location are Boston >> Bay > NY > everywhere else. Therefore a lot of students go to California and you'd *likely* be able to match back the bay area from HMS, but it'd be a little higher risk. There are certain specialties in which HMS students don't seem to match well at UCSF for whatever reason, and most schools give preference to their own so it will always be safer going to UCSF or Stanford if you 100% want to end up in that area.

As far as your cons lists go, I would say your HMS ones are pretty on point but your UCSF ones (besides the layman prestige) are more questionable. Match lists are hard to interpret and at this level is likely more about student preference and/or desire to pursue other opportunities (which is easier with less competitive shift-work type specialties). UCSF does not benefit from an attached uni, but they are collaborative with Berkley, and perhaps more importantly, they have big name researchers in the medicine-focused version of pretty much every field (history, policy, etc...), and since I'm assuming whatever you do will have a medical slant to it, there is likely similar quality of opportunity if less quantity. Also while both Harvard and UCSF talk and publish about health equity, as a public system UCSF engages in it if that's something important to you.

Overall, I'd say in a vacuum I'd give a slight edge to Harvard because of the name and the number of home programs (BWH + MGH + CHA + BI). However, for anyone who truly values health equity, bearable weather, has a west-coast social network, or has a strong partner preference I would give the edge to UCSF. Seems like you have all of those things, so I'd go West unless you think the HMS FOMO would outweigh everything else.

 

[mangowolf]

Generally speaking HMS matches by location are Boston >> Bay > NY > everywhere else. Therefore a lot of students go to California and you'd *likely* be able to match back the bay area from HMS, but it'd be a little higher risk. There are certain specialties in which HMS students don't seem to match well at UCSF for whatever reason, and most schools give preference to their own so it will always be safer going to UCSF or Stanford if you 100% want to end up in that area.

As far as your cons lists go, I would say your HMS ones are pretty on point but your UCSF ones (besides the layman prestige) are more questionable. Match lists are hard to interpret and at this level is likely more about student preference and/or desire to pursue other opportunities (which is easier with less competitive shift-work type specialties). UCSF does not benefit from an attached uni, but they are collaborative with Berkley, and perhaps more importantly, they have big name researchers in the medicine-focused version of pretty much every field (history, policy, etc...), and since I'm assuming whatever you do will have a medical slant to it, there is likely similar quality of opportunity if less quantity. Also while both Harvard and UCSF talk and publish about health equity, as a public system UCSF engages in it if that's something important to you.

Overall, I'd say in a vacuum I'd give a slight edge to Harvard because of the name and the number of home programs (BWH + MGH + CHA + BI). However, for anyone who truly values health equity, bearable weather, has a west-coast social network, or has a strong partner preference I would give the edge to UCSF. Seems like you have all of those things, so I'd go West unless you think the HMS FOMO would outweigh everything else.

this is SUPER helpful, thank you. as of right now I'm definitely thinking I want to match at UCSF/Stanford and wouldn't care as much about matching at Mass Gen or any of HMS's home programs, which is why I don't know if it still makes sense to choose HMS over UCSF. but the HMS FOMO is definitely real lol. I do care about actually engaging in health disparities work vs. just endlessly philosophizing about it, which I imagine might be worse at HMS vs. UCSF. also, the big-name research in history/policy at UCSF is something definitely I should look into, maybe it was just the med students I talked to at UCSF, but not a lot of them knew much about any interdisciplinary work.

Could I ask (or maybe you could DM if you like) which specialties HMS students tend to not match as well at for UCSF -- I did hear stories from some MS4s about HMS students not being able to match at UCSF when it was their number 1, and it would be helpful to know that if it's a specialty I might be considering. thank you so so much!

 

[inoffensivepersona]

Lol pick HMS. I have a conflict of interest though since I’m still waiting on my UCSF decision.


Update: I got in to UCSF and I wanted to echo every other person on here that UCSF is probably a better choice for you. I know it was for me.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

this is SUPER helpful, thank you. as of right now I'm definitely thinking I want to match at UCSF/Stanford and wouldn't care as much about matching at Mass Gen or any of HMS's home programs, which is why I don't know if it still makes sense to choose HMS over UCSF. but the HMS FOMO is definitely real lol. I do care about actually engaging in health disparities work vs. just endlessly philosophizing about it, which I imagine might be worse at HMS vs. UCSF. also, the big-name research in history/policy at UCSF is something definitely I should look into, maybe it was just the med students I talked to at UCSF, but not a lot of them knew much about any interdisciplinary work.

Could I ask (or maybe you could DM if you like) which specialties HMS students tend to not match as well at for UCSF -- I did hear stories from some MS4s about HMS students not being able to match at UCSF when it was their number 1, and it would be helpful to know that if it's a specialty I might be considering. thank you so so much!

Nsgy.

 

[mangowolf]

Nsgy.

damn thats like the one specialty im not interested in lol

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

damn thats like the one specialty im not interested in lol

It’s hard even for UCSF students to match.

 

[crimson-cat]

this is SUPER helpful, thank you. as of right now I'm definitely thinking I want to match at UCSF/Stanford and wouldn't care as much about matching at Mass Gen or any of HMS's home programs, which is why I don't know if it still makes sense to choose HMS over UCSF. but the HMS FOMO is definitely real lol. I do care about actually engaging in health disparities work vs. just endlessly philosophizing about it, which I imagine might be worse at HMS vs. UCSF. also, the big-name research in history/policy at UCSF is something definitely I should look into, maybe it was just the med students I talked to at UCSF, but not a lot of them knew much about any interdisciplinary work.

Could I ask (or maybe you could DM if you like) which specialties HMS students tend to not match as well at for UCSF -- I did hear stories from some MS4s about HMS students not being able to match at UCSF when it was their number 1, and it would be helpful to know that if it's a specialty I might be considering. thank you so so much!

I don't have any hard figures on this, but I've heard general surgery is one, and there may be others. My theory is there's definitely some (well-founded) hesitance regarding the anatomic education and medicine-is-life ethos at HMS which can hurt for specialties that rely on those. However, I think anything in which you have a chance to do an away rotation (most surgical sub-specialties), you have a chance to tell your own story and dispel preconceptions. It's also hard to read match lists as you never know if someone had a bad away or were riding too much on the name and didn't hustle sufficiently to land where they wanted.

As a rule of thumb coming from HMS is usually a boost as there are so many good home programs that 50% of the class stays in the HMS system, meaning there aren't that many students to go around the country and the number of Harvard-residents is often a proxy for the attractiveness of a program (you likely saw this on the medical school circuit as well where many top schools like to highlight ivies that feed into them). However, if your goal is to match in the Bay and establish a career there, it is damn hard to beat having a home program and 4+ years to develop a professional network in the area before residency. If you can't resist the HMS siren song however, you could definitely take measures to maximize your chances. Just try and pick a specialty quickly and make it clear to your advisors you want to go back West.

 

[throwaway01564]

I don't have any hard figures on this, but I've heard general surgery is one, and there may be others. My theory is there's definitely some (well-founded) hesitance regarding the anatomic education and medicine-is-life ethos at HMS which can hurt for specialties that rely on those. However, I think anything in which you have a chance to do an away rotation (most surgical sub-specialties), you have a chance to tell your own story and dispel preconceptions. It's also hard to read match lists as you never know if someone had a bad away or were riding too much on the name and didn't hustle sufficiently to land where they wanted.

As a rule of thumb coming from HMS is usually a boost as there are so many good home programs that 50% of the class stays in the HMS system, meaning there aren't that many students to go around the country and the number of Harvard-residents is often a proxy for the attractiveness of a program (you likely saw this on the medical school circuit as well where many top schools like to highlight ivies that feed into them). However, if your goal is to match in the Bay and establish a career there, it is damn hard to beat having a home program and 4+ years to develop a professional network in the area before residency. If you can't resist the HMS siren song however, you could definitely take measures to maximize your chances. Just try and pick a specialty quickly and make it clear to your advisors you want to go back West.

Yeah p sure if you want to match at UCSF, you will never have preference over UCSF students, just as HMS students are the priority for HMS-affiliated programs

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

I don't have any hard figures on this, but I've heard general surgery is one, and there may be others. My theory is there's definitely some (well-founded) hesitance regarding the anatomic education and medicine-is-life ethos at HMS which can hurt for specialties that rely on those. However, I think anything in which you have a chance to do an away rotation (most surgical sub-specialties), you have a chance to tell your own story and dispel preconceptions. It's also hard to read match lists as you never know if someone had a bad away or were riding too much on the name and didn't hustle sufficiently to land where they wanted.

As a rule of thumb coming from HMS is usually a boost as there are so many good home programs that 50% of the class stays in the HMS system, meaning there aren't that many students to go around the country and the number of Harvard-residents is often a proxy for the attractiveness of a program (you likely saw this on the medical school circuit as well where many top schools like to highlight ivies that feed into them). However, if your goal is to match in the Bay and establish a career there, it is damn hard to beat having a home program and 4+ years to develop a professional network in the area before residency. If you can't resist the HMS siren song however, you could definitely take measures to maximize your chances. Just try and pick a specialty quickly and make it clear to your advisors you want to go back West.

Surprised that it’s GS. It’s not that competitive to begin with…

 

[crimson-cat]

Surprised that it’s GS. It’s not that competitive to begin with…

Most "non-competitive" specialties actually have nearly as many competitive spots as many of the competitive ones. There is just overall way more spots, but at top programs (like UCSF) spots are competitive in pretty much anything

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

Most "non-competitive" specialties actually have nearly as many competitive spots as many of the competitive ones. There is just overall way more spots, but at top programs (like UCSF) spots are competitive in pretty much anything

interesting. Just checked the GS residents. Not a single HMS graduate.

 

[Dogruffle01]

Random question: Would y’all say that going to HMS would make it easier to match at community/ smaller hospital residencies for competitive specialties?

 

[mangowolf]

Random question: Would y’all say that going to HMS would make it easier to match at community/ smaller hospital residencies for competitive specialties?

iirc you're interested in derm, right? harvard's match list for derm is insane, they have like 10+ people going into derm every year but looking at the match lists, they all go into competitive academic programs like MGH, NYU etc. i would imagine that matching at a smaller community residency would be fine too but i don't know if there would be a bias against you (like they wouldn't believe you are actually interested in their program, kind of like yield protection for med school?? i don't know how the match works lmao). also, i believe there was one HMS grad this year who went unmatched in derm, who was open about his experiences on med twitter

 

[Dogruffle01]

iirc you're interested in derm, right? harvard's match list for derm is insane, they have like 10+ people going into derm every year but looking at the match lists, they all go into competitive academic programs like MGH, NYU etc. i would imagine that matching at a smaller community residency would be fine too but i don't know if there would be a bias against you (like they wouldn't believe you are actually interested in their program, kind of like yield protection for med school?? i don't know how the match works lmao). also, i believe there was one HMS grad this year who went unmatched in derm, who was open about his experiences on med twitter

Lol you’re right. Could you link or PM me the Twitter, would be an interesting find.

 

[crimson-cat]

iirc you're interested in derm, right? harvard's match list for derm is insane, they have like 10+ people going into derm every year but looking at the match lists, they all go into competitive academic programs like MGH, NYU etc. i would imagine that matching at a smaller community residency would be fine too but i don't know if there would be a bias against you (like they wouldn't believe you are actually interested in their program, kind of like yield protection for med school?? i don't know how the match works lmao). also, i believe there was one HMS grad this year who went unmatched in derm, who was open about his experiences on med twitter

If you read through that graduates blog/tweets it appears as if they only ranked Boston programs (not clear if ranked all of them or not). That's a pretty risky move no matter where you graduate from

 

[mangowolf]

update if anyone was interested, officially will be attending UCSF!! after attending ASW I can easily say there is absolutely no other place I could envision myself being for the next four years. this might seem like a no-brainer based on the responses to this thread, but the decision was extremely difficult for me as the HMS name brand can be harder than you think to get past. happy to talk to folks who might be making a similar decision, cheers!