Vanderbilt, Stanford or Harvard for Pre-Med

[I Love Cuties]

Oldest kid got in Vanderbilt with a full tuition scholarship as well as Stanford and Harvard as full pay. There were acceptances to variety of other schools but we are focusing on these three. We would be full pay at Stanford and Harvard ($280,000 over four years), but Vanderbilt would cost around $75,000 for four years. We could cover the price difference, but there would be some pain involved especially with a few more kids on the way and colleges getting more expensive every year.

The kid is unsure of what to study, but right now Pre-Med is the intended interest, with Computer Science. being the backup plan if interest in medicine wanes. So the questions are:

1 - Is the kid nuts to pass up a full tuition scholarship to Vanderbilt?

2 - Is the kid nuts to pass up acceptances to Harvard or Stanford?

Thanks in advance.

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[Osminog]

I recommend choosing Harvard. I think the difference between a Harvard degree and a Vanderbilt degree is usually worth more than $200,000 in the long run (if you can afford it without taking on debt and accumulating massive interest).

Harvard has the most productive faculty, the most cutting-edge research, the brightest peers, the best classes, the best potential networking opportunities... Plus Harvard is known for having grade inflation. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is known for deflating grades in STEM classes in order to weed out much of its giant pre-med population.

I guess Stanford might also be a solid choice if your child strongly prefers living on the west coast, but I think the Harvard brand is stronger overall.

 

[Toutie]

Are you sure you will be paying full cost at Stanford and Harvard? Both tend to offer quite a bit of help to a large percentage of the student body. I don't personally know anyone at Stanford paying full price...even those who come from relatively wealthy families.

 

[I Love Cuties]

We have not received the Stanford award letter yet, but the only school that offered need based aid was CalTech with a couple of thousand dollars. Harvard did not offer anything.

 

[curbsideconsult]

I created a thread regarding Harvard Med in the med students forum that's similar to your difficulty in choosing a school: Does anyone actually give up Harvard Med?

Obviously, the two situations are different because you're talking about UG whereas I was asking about med school, but the idea is the same: who chooses to give up Harvard? According to some people, if you read through the thread, I'm an absolute idiot and/or shallow for even thinking of asking the question. But I asked the question because it comes up regularly (look through the "X vs. Y" school sub-forum in the pre-med section) and I personally didn't know of anyone (still don't) who gave up Harvard despite it clearly being a strong brand as osminog mentioned.

Hopefully some of the comments in the thread above will help you decide.

 

[deleted866694]

First of all, congratulations! You must be very proud.

The most important thing is for your kid to go somewhere s/he feels excited about, because a happy person who fits in and feels comfortable will be more likely to excel academically, avoid depression and burnout, make friends, find a community, become a leader, etc. The financial health of the family is obviously important too.

That said, Harvard offers many perks. People give me the (undeserved) benefit of the doubt if they learn that I went there. I wish the world were less status-obsessed, but admissions and hiring committees unfortunately care about pedigree. Patients make small talk by asking about college, and some of them trust me more after they hear "Harvard." Attendings who find out where I went to college become friendlier. The alumni network is vast and powerful; it got me jobs and research opportunities. (I apologize. I know this all sounds obnoxious.)

And that's not to mention the richness of the Harvard experience itself. It's humbling and fun to be at a place where everything under the sun seems to be happening, and all your classmates seem to have six passions and eight projects and a lot of ambition. You can talk about stat mech and machine learning with the STEMmiest of STEM folks while also taking great classes in history and philosophy. It's a genuinely diverse place with lots of people who think critically about how to make the world better.

Is Vandy significantly different? I have no clue. And if Vandy is different, would the abovementioned perks of Harvard be worth $200K? Personally, I think so; but no one else can decide that for you guys.

Good luck, and congrats again.

PS - Harvard has many flaws. It can feel impersonal, too focused on success, not supportive of students who haven't figured it all out, and overly friendly towards banking/consulting careers. Not everyone is happy there.

 

[deleted866694]

I created a thread regarding Harvard Med in the med students forum that's similar to your difficulty in choosing a school: Does anyone actually give up Harvard Med?

Obviously, the two situations are different because you're talking about UG whereas I was asking about med school, but the idea is the same: who chooses to give up Harvard? According to some people, if you read through the thread, I'm an absolute idiot and/or shallow for even thinking of asking the question. But I asked the question because it comes up regularly (look through the "X vs. Y" school sub-forum in the pre-med section) and I personally didn't know of anyone (still don't) who gave up Harvard despite it clearly being a strong brand as osminog mentioned.

Hopefully some of the comments in the thread above will help you decide.

Two of my acquaintances turned down Harvard undergrad. One chose to go to Columbia-Juilliard instead and is now a professional musician. The other chose Yale for the artsier, friendlier vibe; he was happy at Yale and is now working in Silicon Valley. One person I know turned down Harvard Med and picked a school that was more flexible/less gunnery; she matched at Hopkins in a competitive specialty. (I don't know anything about their financial situations.)

 

[WedgeDawg]

I would pick Harvard or Stanford if the cost isn’t an issue, especially if they aren’t 100% sure what they want to do (tbh my recommendation would be the same even if they did). People also change their minds in college. Going to one of those two schools means that absolutely no doors are closed. Vanderbilt only comes into play at this point if the cost is a big issue.