usc keck full tuition scholarship vs harvard

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usc vs harvard

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Bruin45

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from San diego, would like to eventually practice in California
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piii said:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...gram-from-a-non-top-25-medical-school.1073026
Read that thread. You have a once in a lifetime chance to go to Harvard. It's not as simple as always choose the cheaper option mentality so misused on pre allo.
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It is a once in a lifetime chance...but is it really worth $200,000+ ? Only you can decide, OP. If you think the benefits outweigh the costs, by all means - go to Harvard. Plus, USC is also a pretty good school. It'd be a lot different if it were Harvard vs some extremely low tier med school that no one has heard about.
 
Bruin45 said:
from San diego, would like to eventually practice in California
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A very large figure in my field once told me about the time he turned down Harvard to take a full ride at, well, let's just call it a well known medical school in the south. He went to Harvard for residency and went on to become a nationally recognized badass.

The moral of this story is that cream always rises.
 
It is up to you, I will say while keck isn't top tier it is still a very good school and you'd have little "school" bias in residency. If you are dead set at working/doing residency in the Boston Area, BMW,BCH, MGH, etc., go to harvard then.
 
piii said:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...gram-from-a-non-top-25-medical-school.1073026
Read that thread. You have a once in a lifetime chance to go to Harvard. It's not as simple as always choose the cheaper option mentality so misused on pre allo.
Click to expand...

The entire basis for that thread are match lists of programs. People will certainly disagree when it comes to how important pedigree is in matching. The reality is that there is no conclusive data pointing either direction and there are loads of confounding factors shrouding this topic. Having been involved in residency admissions at a very competitive program and after spending an inordinate amount of time at some of these 'top' schools, the value drastically drops off when you leave Boston, drops off again when you leave the Northeast and by the time you make it to Appalachia, HMS matters very little. Definitely still gives you a little, "Wow", but most people couldn't care less.

I know the power of Harvard and HMS having multiple family members attend both. Even compared to other 'top' schools that I attended, it is it's own beast. Nobody disputes that name will help with getting into the big name programs. But, that isn't and shouldn't be everyone's goal. That is just plain stupid. If someone is looking to remain in California, it certainly won't hurt to go to HMS, but to say that it will make much difference with residency prospects in the future is incredibly suspect. Doing well at USC or wherever you end up is going to be the deciding factor. Not where you ended up. This holds true for 99%+ of applicants every year.
 
I will add, I am in no way advocating for this specific person or any other pick another school over HMS. It is a very special place, primarily because you hang out with a lot of gifted teachers and classmates. My main point is, not everyone should be saying as a pre-med, "Brigham IM is my goal" that is just stupid. There are certainly people that will gravitate toward those positions and for good reason. But, that is less than 1% of applicants to medical school.
 
If you can't negotiate the scholarship, I'd go where the money is. You'll get the same education whether at USC or Harvard, and as others have mentioned, you can always go to Harvard for residency if prestige is super important to you. Personally, I would rather have my debts paid off before I'm done with residency.
 
I personally would go for USC - the area may seem a bit sketch at first, but I did my undergrad there and LOVED it. They are really expanding a lot now and the campus is in the heart of LA. That is worth its weight in gold IMHO.
 
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I'd say it depends on what specialty you want to do and/or where you want to train.

Derm + specialized surgeries + elite residencies in less competitive fields --> Harvard. The standard here should be you really want to do these things and will put in the overwhelming amount of work to get there.

Vanilla stuff --> USC. Oh, the tragedy of going to Harvard and then choosing psych, neuro, path, family medicine, etc. and then being $200K in debt + interest.

Harvard is in its own league at nearly every step of this process.
  • Harvard College has the best pre-med acceptance rate + highest % representation in most of the Top 10 medical schools.
  • HMS will place you into the elite Boston residency programs if you work & network hard enough.
  • Those elite Boston residency programs will give you a leg up on any fellowship or desirable academic appointment in Boston or elsewhere.
 
HMS has pretty good financial aid, see if you qualify…

I may be a bit biased but I would attend HMS over a full ride at USC, hands down.
 
Harvard. Regardless of field, you've got the path to the highest tiers of academic medicine at the best medical centers in the world carved out for you if you want them.
 
piii said:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...gram-from-a-non-top-25-medical-school.1073026
Read that thread. You have a once in a lifetime chance to go to Harvard. It's not as simple as always choose the cheaper option mentality so misused on pre allo.
Click to expand...
I say choose the cheapest. I'm currently on a waitlist for a not-well-known MD school that allows you to get in state tuition after a year, so if get in there I'm dropping all my other acceptances.

As was stated on that thread, most people have no reason to match into a top IM residency.

I think going from a low-tier (which USC is by no means part of) to top IM is a hard task, and you have a good chance of not accomplishing your goals since schools are not on equal footing, but who cares unless your goal is to be a huge academic (which the vast vast majority of doctors aren't)? I will try for a top residency, but it's not the end of the world or my career if I don't get it. I went to a top undergrad and fully understand the benefits of a top school, but I understand that there are more important things than prestige. Like having the money to start a family, retire, go on vacations. For 90% of med students, prestige isn't necessary for getting the career they want- which is why you just need to be honest with yourself when choosing a school

Op, USC is a fanstastic school and will help you match in the location you want. If you take out Harvard's COA, you are looking at over $500K by the time residency is over. You don't want your life to revolve or be planned around debt. Have your cake and eat it too at USC
 
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OP, if you want to match into the big name residencies in Cali, like UCSF, then HMS (even though it is in the NE) will be better. You will have your pick of Cali residencies coming from HMS.
 
I personally know of 2 top schools who are trying to develop a plan to decrease class size and eliminate tuition because they, and the field of medicine in general, have been losing a lot of talent to cheaper options. I think they acknowledge that what they offer isn't worth $100s of thousands more than other schools.

I've also been speaking with surgeons (who all love their job) since I work at a top 10 med school. About 75% of them flat out told me to walk away because of the amount of debt I will have ($320-340K without interest) and the other ~25% said I should do it only if I truely believe I would be miserable if I did something else.

USC could get you anywhere you want and having a MD with no debt will give you an unparalleled amount of career possibilities.
 
MaxPlancker said:
Yes.
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Lol, perhaps I should have asked you to elaborate. It's not surprising that Harvard grads consistently match into the top residencies all over the country. We're talking about some of the best students in the country. But a top student from USC can also match into a big-name Cali program.
 
Cyberdyne 101 said:
Lol, perhaps I should have asked you to elaborate. It's not surprising that Harvard grads consistently match into the top residencies all over the country. We're talking about some of the best students in the country. But a top student from USC can also match into a big-name Cali program.
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Cali matches are the 2nd most common for HMS students (following the 50%ish Harvard-affiliated program matches; refer to any of the previous match lists). The Cali matches are also almost exclusively at UCLA, UCSF, Stanford.

Yes, a top student can match well from anywhere, but there is no guarantee that OP will be a top student. Based on HMS match lists, it almost seems ridiculous but going to HMS almost guarantees you a top match (or the option of matching to a top place; you pretty much have the freedom to pick where you want to go).
 
MaxPlancker said:
Cali matches are the 2nd most common for HMS students (following the 50%ish Harvard-affiliated program matches; refer to any of the previous match lists). The Cali matches are also almost exclusively at UCLA, UCSF, Stanford.
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And I'm sure those Harvard grads had excellent step scores, research, clinical grades, etc. A USC grad with the same credentials can also match into those programs!
 
Cyberdyne 101 said:
And I'm sure those Harvard grads had excellent step scores, research, clinical grades, etc. A USC grad with the same credentials can also match into those programs!
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Congrats capt. obvi.

A USC with the same credentials will actually have a harder time; a USC grad would probably need to be more impressive. But even if a USC grad only had to match the credentials, there is no guarantee OP will do well "enough" in med school.
 
MaxPlancker said:
Congrats capt. obvi.

A USC with the same credentials will actually have a harder time; a USC grad would probably need to be more impressive. But even if a USC grad only had to match the credentials, there is no guarantee OP will do well "enough" in med school.
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USC's IM program has 20 USC grads in their class of 2016. It seems like the OP would have a good chance at a home program is he isn't a top student
 
Tenk said:
Pick USC if you want to be happy every month when you graduate from residency.

Pick Harvard if you want to be really pissed off every month when you graduate from residency.
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Lol i know you're implying cost differences here, but do people really get upset for choosing Harvard? Seems like anyone is willing to go deep in debt just to get that HMS name and pursue its unique, juicy opportunities.
 
DKMA said:
USC's IM program has 20 USC grads in their class of 2016. It seems like the OP would have a good chance at a home program is he isn't a top student
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My argument is not that OP would not have a good chance. I'm simply saying that HMS will give him a better chance to match to wherever he wants, whatever the reason. Want to match to a top cali program? Check. Want to match to a low cali program? Check. Changed your mind due to SO, family, etc and want to go to the NE, South, Midwest? Check.
 
Lawper said:
Lol i know you're implying cost differences here, but do people really get upset for choosing Harvard? Seems like anyone is willing to go deep in debt just to get that HMS name and pursue its unique, juicy opportunities.
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^ True; you won't know until you actually go to Harvard if you'd be upset or not. I feel that many people that say these things are secretly jealous they didn't attend HMS.
 
MaxPlancker said:
My argument is not that OP would not have a good chance. I'm simply saying that HMS will give him a better chance to match to wherever he wants, whatever the reason. Want to match to a top cali program? Check. Want to match to a low cali program? Check. Changed your mind due to SO, family, etc and want to go to the NE, South, Midwest? Check.
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So, other than your Boston based pre-med opinion and match lists, any other evidence to support this assertion? Match lists both school and program based are notoriously difficult to understand and appreciate, even for people who have gone through this process. There are also many confounding variables that make trying to pontificate based on them a bit silly.
 
Lawper said:
Lol i know you're implying cost differences here, but do people really get upset for choosing Harvard? Seems like anyone is willing to go deep in debt just to get that HMS name and pursue its unique, juicy opportunities.
Click to expand...
Yah it's really overblown here. There are reasons why people pay to go to Harvard, and let's not forget that many doctors have no problem paying off their loans and live decent lives while they're at it. The point of my first comment is that a mantra of always go cheaper is incredibly naive. It's up to OP to decide what he values.
 
mimelim said:
So, other than your Boston based pre-med opinion and match lists, any other evidence to support this assertion? Match lists both school and program based are notoriously difficult to understand and appreciate, even for people who have gone through this process. There are also many confounding variables that make trying to pontificate based on them a bit silly.
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1) I'm actually not from Boston; I'm going to HMS this fall, thus my disclaimer I may be biased in the first post I made in this thread.
2) Is there any other evidence to support either side? Based on the "limited" evidence, USC's case isn't supported. Again, I'm not saying that USC will harm OP's chances. He will have a good chance but HMS will give him a better chance and flexibility.
 
I feel like this might be a troll post.
 
MaxPlancker said:
^ True; you won't know until you actually go to Harvard if you'd be upset or not. I feel that many people that say these things are secretly jealous they didn't attend HMS.
Click to expand...

Meh. I'm getting mixed signals in all this. On one side, HMS provides a global advantage. Anywhere in the world, people will recognize HMS much more easily than other schools. USC seems to have its name popular in CA (and more broadly in the west coast). The global name recognition is probably strong enough to overcome any regional favorites/preferences, so HMS is the best bet.

But it's HMS. It's consistently No. 1 and has essentially set itself apart from other Top 5 or so medical schools. There were many posts/SSD threads where people give up a full ride at the other Top 5 school just to attend HMS at full cost. It's an interesting situation.

However, if OP is financially-minded, it's a reasonable pick to choose USC-Keck.
 
Lawper said:
Meh. I'm getting mixed signals in all this. On one side, HMS provides a global advantage. Anywhere in the world, people will recognize HMS much more easily than other schools. USC seems to have its name popular in CA (and more broadly in the west coast). The global name recognition is probably strong enough to overcome any regional favorites/preferences, so HMS is the best bet.

But it's HMS. It's consistently No. 1 and has essentially set itself apart from other Top 5 or so medical schools. There were many posts/SSD threads where people give up a full ride at the other Top 5 school just to attend HMS at full cost. It's an interesting situation.

However, if OP is financially-minded, it's a reasonable pick to choose USC-Keck.
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OP should also consider that HMS has very generous financial aid for those who qualify (<150K). If OP were to qualify for max assistance (<100K), then the difference between full-tuition and HMS aid would be much closer. Depends on OP's situation.
 
MaxPlancker said:
1) I'm actually not from Boston; I'm going to HMS this fall, thus my disclaimer I may be biased in the first post I made in this thread.
2) Is there any other evidence to support either side? Based on the "limited" evidence, USC's case isn't supported. Again, I'm not saying that USC will harm OP's chances. He will have a good chance but HMS will give him a better chance and flexibility.
Click to expand...

There is no evidence that banning Muslims from the US won't keep us safer. That doesn't mean that Trump doesn't look like an idiot.

Nobody here is arguing in absolutes and is "sure" that USC will provide an edge when it comes to to residency admissions over HMS. If they are, they are equally over reaching. The point is that the edge that it provides is minimal at best for 90%+ of applicants and it is meaningless for most of them. Far more important is to realize that getting into a super competitive program is not and should not be the goal of pre-meds. There is far more to life and the practice of medicine than going to a big name program.

Cost is a very real burden. Should it be the driving factor above all else? Absolutely not. But to say, "Harvard over all else because look at the match lists." is pretty terrible data over-reading and extrapolation. It reminds me of an intern presenting journal club and extolling the virtues of a paper because it was RCT, so it must be good, and getting nothing but rolling eyes because anyone with a bit of experience sees major flaws in the methodology. I say this as someone that was accepted to HMS and went somewhere else. I also say it as someone who interviewed 50+ potential residents and fellows at a competitive residency (and less so fellowship) in a competitive field. School name matters. Cost of attendance matters. Regional biases matter. Peoples' divergent goals matter. But, speak in absolutes comparing different variables? The whole thing blows up.
 
When people ask about choosing a school they prefer over one the don't, and the difference is between 50k and 100k, I usually advocate for the more expensive school. In this case, I would go to USC. USC has a great reputation, and is in California. Not only is that where you want to be, but the weather is better.

Match lists don't tell you much, because you don't know which specialties the students were really vying for that year, ie how many of the medicine or pedes matches really wanted plastics or derm. But I just saw the match list for U of Miami, ranked around 40 ( USC was at 31 in a recent year). They matched 10 seniors into derm, 5 into ophto and 5 into ortho. My point is that you will be able to get into whatever specialty you want from any school if you do well. The only thing you're giving up is bragging rights, and possibly an easier path to academia, although USC will by no means shut you out of that path either. There are current department and division chiefs for highly competitive specialties in top medical schools right now who graduated from schools ranked in the three digits, and one who is a US citizen IMG.

gonnif said:
One study certainly suggests that school ranking matters.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951775/

Results
By 2007, 22.5% of students from highly ranked schools matched into a higher-income CL specialty compared with 16.5% of other US seniors and 8.4% of independent applicants. During the study period, students from highly ranked schools increased their match rate in higher-income CL specialties by 7.9%, while all cohorts experienced declines in match rates for NCL specialties. Compared with other US seniors, students from highly ranked schools were more likely to match into higher-income CL specialties (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27–1.68), while independent applicants were much less likely to do so (OR, 0.46; 95% CI: 0.42–0.51). Independent applicants had the highest odds (OR, 2.38; 95% CI: 2.25–2.52) of matching into NCL specialties.
Click to expand...

That study is better than my anecdotes, but unless the study has a control group ( i.e. people who were accepted to HYS but went to a lower-ranked school instead) it isn't much help. There are similar studies for undergraduate schools, and when they control for people who go to state schools over Ivies for the scholarships, the income advantage of the better schools disappears.

piii said:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...gram-from-a-non-top-25-medical-school.1073026
Read that thread. You have a once in a lifetime chance to go to Harvard. It's not as simple as always choose the cheaper option mentality so misused on pre allo.
Click to expand...

I read that thread. It's a bunch of people arguing that if you want to go to HYS for IM, you're better off going to HYS for med school. That might be true, but most careers won't benefit from going to HYS for IM, or for any other specialty, most likely. If you don't go into academia, no one will care. No one.
 
mimelim said:
There is no evidence that banning Muslims from the US won't keep us safer. That doesn't mean that Trump doesn't look like an idiot.

Nobody here is arguing in absolutes and is "sure" that USC will provide an edge when it comes to to residency admissions over HMS. If they are, they are equally over reaching. The point is that the edge that it provides is minimal at best for 90%+ of applicants and it is meaningless for most of them. Far more important is to realize that getting into a super competitive program is not and should not be the goal of pre-meds. There is far more to life and the practice of medicine than going to a big name program.
Click to expand...

Agree with everything except the bolded. Care to expand on why you think such an "edge" is meaningless to most?

Cost is a very real burden. Should it be the driving factor above all else? Absolutely not. But to say, "Harvard over all else because look at the match lists." is pretty terrible data over-reading and extrapolation. It reminds me of an intern presenting journal club and extolling the virtues of a paper because it was RCT, so it must be good, and getting nothing but rolling eyes because anyone with a bit of experience sees major flaws in the methodology. I say this as someone that was accepted to HMS and went somewhere else. I also say it as someone who interviewed 50+ potential residents and fellows at a competitive residency (and less so fellowship) in a competitive field. School name matters. Cost of attendance matters. Regional biases matter. Peoples' divergent goals matter. But, speak in absolutes comparing different variables? The whole thing blows up.
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I stopped reading this paragraph here. Nowhere did I say this and to imply as such is either poor comprehension or ??
 
Obviously a full ride to a very reputable med school is not something to take lightly and certainly may be a "better" or at least "smarter" choice depending on the OP's personal circumstances.

That said, these threads about more prestigious versus cheaper options almost sound like a smart person would only choose going to med school at all based on whether a cheaper option emerged. I doubt most candidates apply on the front end expecting a full ride to any school or that their decision about whether to attend med school or not is contingent on that. In other words, if you told the OP on the front in that he or she was going to get an admit at HMS would they say "that's great, but it's too much money." If you've committed to applying and hoping like heck a dream school like HMS will take you haven't you already decided that you're willing to pay no matter how outrageous we all might agree med school costs are? If this person didn't have a ful ride to USC would the advice be to skip med school entirely given all of these scary projections of debt load and interest and such?
 
Nietzschelover said:
Obviously a full ride to a very reputable med school is not something to take lightly and certainly may be a "better" or at least "smarter" choice depending on the OP's personal circumstances.

That said, these threads about more prestigious versus cheaper options almost sound like a smart person would only choose going to med school at all based on whether a cheaper option emerged. I doubt most candidates apply on the front end expecting a full ride to any school or that their decision about whether to attend med school or not is contingent on that. In other words, if you told the OP on the front in that he or she was going to get an admit at HMS would they say "that's great, but it's too much money." If you've committed to applying and hoping like heck a dream school like HMS will take you haven't you already decided that you're willing to pay no matter how outrageous we all might agree med school costs are? If this person didn't have a ful ride to USC would the advice be to skip med school entirely given all of these scary projections of debt load and interest and such?
Click to expand...

Option A > Option B >>>>>>>>>> Neither Option
 
Nietzschelover said:
I doubt most candidates apply on the front end expecting a full ride to any school or that their decision about whether to attend med school or not is contingent on that.
Click to expand...

While I agree with this general sentiment I do think if someone was a good enough applicant to generate a full tuition scholarship from a school that isnt far from the top 20 and get into at least one very top school, it's not unreasonable to go into the cycle targeting schools most likely to give you money/be cheapest. You dont have the "expectation" per se of going to med school for free, but when you are this good it's not unreasonable to go in being conscientious of money and to realize there's a very real chance you wont be paying top dollar. Some of these top schools in particular like Pritzker and Pearlman have been known to give out a good bit of scholarship money.

I think a key thing like described above is OP has a clear interest in practicing in CA. We all know the Harvard name but OP's stated interest matters here. As mimelim highlighted, the % of applicants with OP's stated goal for whom the name of Harvard vs the name of Keck has more than a "minor" influence on their residency outlook as he said isnt high. We arent talking about Harvard vs low tier new MD school here: we're talking about Harvard vs if you are into rankings a "borderline top 20 school".

Now Im not saying OP should go to Keck. Frankly there are people much more qualified to give a definitive answer. But I wouldnt let any expectations before the cycle of "Well you didnt expect full tuition money and would have begged on your knees to get into HMS even at full cost before the cycle" influence things here. You gotta look and assess the reasons behind "why you are committing to HMS" like you described. Having an option like a full ride at Keck can very easily allow you to adapt/change your perspective behind "why Id commit to HMS" and you should let that happen if that's the case.
 
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Med Ed said:
Option A > Option B >>>>>>>>>> Neither Option
Click to expand...

Of course (assuming I'm following your graphics correctly). But some of the posts highlighting the costs and interest basically make it sound like anyone would be a fool to go to med school at all. Is it safe to say that a good portion of med students are getting little to no money? Whether the costs of med school are worth it and how outrageous they are sort of seem like a different discussion. BTW, in my view, the costs are outrageous. The work to become a viable candidate, the difficulty and stress of getting in, only to be rewarded with 8 or more years of very hard work and 300K+ in debt doesn't sound very attractive (and that's before even getting into the discussion about whether physician pay will be on the decline thanks to the likes of my man Bernie). All that said, I think 99% of applicants who you told "You're getting an admit to HMS (insert your own fave top 5/top 10) but you'll have to pay" would be dancing in the streets.
 
Nietzschelover said:
Obviously a full ride to a very reputable med school is not something to take lightly and certainly may be a "better" or at least "smarter" choice depending on the OP's personal circumstances.

That said, these threads about more prestigious versus cheaper options almost sound like a smart person would only choose going to med school at all based on whether a cheaper option emerged. I doubt most candidates apply on the front end expecting a full ride to any school or that their decision about whether to attend med school or not is contingent on that. In other words, if you told the OP on the front in that he or she was going to get an admit at HMS would they say "that's great, but it's too much money." If you've committed to applying and hoping like heck a dream school like HMS will take you haven't you already decided that you're willing to pay no matter how outrageous we all might agree med school costs are? If this person didn't have a ful ride to USC would the advice be to skip med school entirely given all of these scary projections of debt load and interest and such?
Click to expand...
The advice I have been getting from professionals is to skip out on med school if I am paying the full cost. I have been getting mixed answers from everyone and it tends to be premeds, med students, residents, and non-medical professionals who tell me to go and attendings who say absolutely not. Many attendings have told me that my debt level would be unmanageable. So I have been torn for months over what to do and I have been meeting with more and more attendings to get opinions. I've also reached out to some physicians on KevinMD who told me absolutely not to go and I spoken with many med students who regret their decision and are trying to figure out how they can escape the field when they are so in debt. Which is why I encourage people not to take the debt lightly

Tl;dr: Plenty of people would actually advise to skip med school at together
 
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GrapesofRath said:
While I agree with this general sentiment I do think if someone was a good enough applicant to generate a full tuition scholarship from a school that isnt far from the top 20 and get into at least one very top school, it's not unreasonable to go into the cycle targeting schools most likely to give you money/be cheapest. You dont have the "expectation" per se of going to med school for free, but when you are this good it's not unreasonable to go in being conscientious of money and to realize there's a very real chance you wont be paying top dollar

I think a key thing like described above is OP has a clear interest in practicing in CA. We all know the Harvard name but OP's stated interest matters here. As mimelim highlighted, the % of applicants with OP's stated goal for whom the name of Harvard vs the name of Keck has more than a "minor" influence on their residency outlook as he said isnt high. We arent talking about Harvard vs low tier new MD school here: we're talking about Harvard vs if you are into rankings a "borderline top 20 school".

Now Im not saying OP should go to Keck. Frankly there are people much more qualified to give a definitive answer. But I wouldnt let any expectations before the cycle of "Well you didnt expect full tuition money and would have begged on your knees to get into HMS even at full cost before the cycle" influence things here. You gotta look and assess the reasons behind "why you are committing to HMS" like you described. Having an option like a full ride at Keck can very easily allow you to adapt/change your perspective behind "why Id commit to HMS" and you should let that happen if that's the case.
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Good post.

I'd just add that we are a prestige culture, and more so among certain demographics. If my kid got in Harvard undergrad and a full ride to the Honors College at UMass, what would I support and what would he do? I think I know the answer for all except those who absolutely could not attend college without the money (and of course in that kind of scenario Harvard likely would foot all or most of the bill anyway).
 
MaxPlancker said:
OP should also consider that HMS has very generous financial aid for those who qualify (<150K). If OP were to qualify for max assistance (<100K), then the difference between full-tuition and HMS aid would be much closer. Depends on OP's situation.
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Maybe I am missing something, but Harvard's aid would include a unit loan, so that would still be ~100k of debt. How is that comparable to full tuition?

MaxPlancker said:
1) I'm actually not from Boston; I'm going to HMS this fall, thus my disclaimer I may be biased in the first post I made in this thread.
2) Is there any other evidence to support either side? Based on the "limited" evidence, USC's case isn't supported. Again, I'm not saying that USC will harm OP's chances. He will have a good chance but HMS will give him a better chance and flexibility.
Click to expand...

I would argue that less debt gives far greater flexibility both in medicine and in the rest of life.

OP, take the money. I had a similar situation and came to the same conclusion as @mimelim -- the ROI for HMS vs. somewhere else decent is too rare and too small for it to matter to most people.

But for better advice, you should post in the thread and explain what your other priorities are! Maybe you fall into the 10%.
 
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