Wash U v Vandy MSTP

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Looking for advice, I've narrowed down my choices down to these two programs, looking to do a PhD in neuroscience. What are some of the pros and cons for each?

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Looking for advice, I've narrowed down my choices down to these two programs, looking to do a PhD in neuroscience. What are some of the pros and cons for each?

I don't know much about Vandy but WashU has absolutely phenomenal neuroscience. If you like the neuroscience opportunities at Vandy, choose based on location. You really can't go wrong.
 
Both are fine programs. You can get an idea of who likes them by looking at the residency match lists:
http://mstp.wustl.edu/students/Pages/Residency-Match-Lists.aspx
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/mstp/residency_match
Both match lists are also quite good. Residency programs tend to be biased towards certain med school programs, so if you're looking to go somewhere specific, look for a school that has a track record of sending students there.

Wash U's program is also the largest in the country so you will probably have a starting class of 20 - 30. Vandy is more modestly sized. Can't speak about Vandy neuroscience, but I'll second that Wash U has great neuroscience.

Saint Louis is quite a bit larger than Nashville, although neither is a big city. I've been to both, and Saint Louis is a far more Midwestern city, while Vanderbilt has a bit of a Southern bent. Saint Louis is a baseball town. The Cardinals are like gods among men. Nashville is a country music town. Since they're smaller cities, they tend to be hit or miss on having a critical mass for what people want to do. What are you interested in?
 
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I too am deciding between this 2 program. To me the 2 things holding me back from Wash U are the city and the "gunner" culture I heard about in Wash U, wheres Vanderbilt seems so much happier.
 
Well I'm from the east coast, so both would be a completely new experience for me. In terms of research I think I'm leaning more towards Vandy since it seems to have a bigger group looking at cognitive neuroscience. However, I think there's something to say about Wash U's large MSTP class size, and the overall focus the med school gives to the MSTP. I also don't know whether the difference in rankings between the two schools translates into any difference in opportunities residency/fellowships
 
I too am deciding between this 2 program. To me the 2 things holding me back from Wash U are the city and the "gunner" culture I heard about in Wash U, wheres Vanderbilt seems so much happier.

I also got this vibe when I was at the interview at Wash U, the students did not seem as happy
 
WashU has a much stronger national reputation for their medical school than Vandy, which is also strong, but more regional. this is something to think about when you're eventually applying to residency and may want to go somewhere else. It's funny that you mentioned student happiness, because I had the exact opposite experience in that the WashU students seemed happier than the Vandy students, but that was several years ago, so maybe things have changed. There's not really a huge difference between the cities. If the lab opportunities are similar, go where you feel more comfortable/interacted better with the students- you're going to be there a long time so it's good to be around people you like...
 
WashU has a much stronger national reputation for their medical school than Vandy, which is also strong, but more regional. this is something to think about when you're eventually applying to residency and may want to go somewhere else. It's funny that you mentioned student happiness, because I had the exact opposite experience in that the WashU students seemed happier than the Vandy students, but that was several years ago, so maybe things have changed. There's not really a huge difference between the cities. If the lab opportunities are similar, go where you feel more comfortable/interacted better with the students- you're going to be there a long time so it's good to be around people you like...

Neither school's reputation is going to hold you back anywhere for residency. Plus, from what I've seen on the residency interview trail, Vandy women are smoking hot--gotta keep your priorities straight here.
 
Neither school's reputation is going to hold you back anywhere for residency. Plus, from what I've seen on the residency interview trail, Vandy women are smoking hot--gotta keep your priorities straight here.

I like this guy already
 
As a current WashU MSTP (in my lab years), hopefully I can provide some additional perspective.

It seems like the issue of StL vs Nashville isn't the biggest concern, so I'll just leave it at: I've lived on both coasts and now StL, and I'm really enjoying it here. Definitely enough stuff to do and it's so affordable you really do live like an adult even on an MSTP stipend.

As for MSTP class size, I think this is a huge plus for WashU. Every year 1/5 of the medical school class (~125 students total / year) is MSTP, meaning you'll have a large cohort of people going through the same life experiences you are. In turn, the transitions from MD to PhD and back to MD are actually very smooth, with everyone from PIs to attendings being aware of the process of doing an MD/PhD.

I also want to chime in about the issue of student happiness. You can't forget that medical school involves 100+ people going through most of their everyday lives together. As a result, when life is stressful, everyone is going to be stressed. When things are happy, everyone will be happy. It's thus hard to extrapolate from how happy students *seem* on the date you interviewed somewhere unless you really get to talk to them about how happy they have been over time. And let's not forget that every class has a unique personality and has its own polarizing members, so there is significant year-to-year variability.

Now, if you think WashU students are too much over-achiever for you, that's something to consider, but I tend to think everyone here is very supportive of one another (I'd never use the word cutthroat to describe anyone here).

Hopefully this sheds some life. I'm happy to answer more specific things via PM.
 
Go to the Second Visits, talk to current students, and go with your gut.
 
Go to the Second Visits, talk to current students, and go with your gut.

THIS

/also agree with the previous statement. You go to a school and spend a day or two with students and think you know what the're like??? You don't. Maybe they were all jerks because they just got out of finals. Maybe they are all awesome because they all just matched somewhere.
 
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