Wash U vs Yale (MD)

[Helsabot]

Sorry to post another x vs y thread, but I have narrowed down my choices and have been trying to sort through this decision for several weeks now and am still very much on the fence. Here are my thoughts:
Wash U: higher ranking (4 vs 8 - not a huge factor), great hospital, St. Louis is home for me, excellent teaching, great match list, lecture-based learning, P/F first year
Yale: more presitgious name, part of large/renowned university, smaller hospital, proximity to NY and Boston, Yale System (no grades or ranking - P/F through both basic science years), equally great match list, mix of lecture and small group learning, thesis requirement

Everybody tells me there's no wrong choice here but I still have to make a decision - anybody care to weigh in? Any good/bad impressions of either school during interviews or revisits?

Thanks for your help!

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[Dookter]

Price difference?

 

[Gabujabu]

Sorry to post another x vs y thread, but I have narrowed down my choices and have been trying to sort through this decision for several weeks now and am still very much on the fence. Here are my thoughts:
Wash U: higher ranking (4 vs 8 - not a huge factor), great hospital, St. Louis is home for me, excellent teaching, great match list, lecture-based learning, P/F first year
Yale: more presitgious name, part of large/renowned university, smaller hospital, proximity to NY and Boston, Yale System (no grades or ranking - P/F through both basic science years), equally great match list, mix of lecture and small group learning, thesis requirement

Everybody tells me there's no wrong choice here but I still have to make a decision - anybody care to weigh in? Any good/bad impressions of either school during interviews or revisits?

Thanks for your help!

One of the strengths of the Yale system is that it would give you more time to do other things, like research. I think that having done a thesis (and potentially getting published) probably does help Yale students come match time. WashU just recently renovated their facilities, and they are state-of-the-art. Some people from the coasts have a problem with the St. Louis location, but that obviously would not be a problem for you. Of course, there is the possibility you might want a change of pace.

I really couldn't say either way in this case!

 

[Helsabot]

Price difference?

no price difference - neither school is giving me anything

 

[Meatwad]

Well you said it yourself, Washington is home; how do you feel about New Haven?

 

[dude5678]

Wash U's academics a clear step above... and yeah, New Haven is New Haven.

 

[SomeRandomName]

Go to WashU - they really look out for their students. Yale does too, of course, but not to that extent (so I've been told). Also, Yale's name is more known, but so what? Will you be telling patients where you went to school? Not likely; if they match equally well you will be equally well off at either place.

 

[badasshairday]

I've visited Yale and stayed with some med students so I know a little bit about the vibe. The students at Yale med are the happiest med students I have ever seen.

I don't know much about WashU.

 

[Yehosh]

From what I understand, Yale is more research oriented and WashU is the top school for primary care. So I guess it depends what the OP intends to focus on.

 

[DrBowtie]

From what I understand, Yale is more research oriented and WashU is the top school for primary care. So I guess it depends what the OP intends to focus on.

You are confusing WashU with UWash. WashU is very research oriented.

 

[Yehosh]

yes, you're right, my bad

I didn't apply to WashingtonU or U of Washington so I got them confused

 

[Helsabot]

anyone else? this is very helpful - thank you.

 

[DoctorPardi]

What about cost of living concerns? Add up the expenses including tuititon, rent, food etc for both locations.

Which location has a better environment as far as events, night life, food etc? You will be there for four years, so make sure you'll enjoy it.

One other thing to consider is, you've lived in St. Louis, so really consider if you want to spend another 4 years there of if you want a change of pace. This will largely depend on your personality. The thing is, New Haven could a better, worse or equal place to live, but considering it is a new place that might add or deduct points from it being better depending on your view of change.

 

[anonymous101]

If you want to never step foot out of a lecture hall and kiss goodbye your life, go to WashU.

 

[Helsabot]

Wash U's academics a clear step above... and yeah, New Haven is New Haven.

Is there really a discernable difference between the academics at Wash U vs Yale? I got the feeling that both places are pretty evenly matched for training doctors and the real difference came in the amount of research funding. I should also state - for the purposes of this discussion - that I am much less interested in research than clinical training.

 

[45408]

If you want to never step foot out of a lecture hall and kiss goodbye your life, go to WashU.

I can't speak personally for WashU, but most students at lecture-based schools can decide for themselves whether or not they want to attend lectures. I don't go to them any more.


Personally, Yale's policy of not grading would worry me. I'd go to WashU.

 

[thesmartazz]

Sorry to post another x vs y thread, but I have narrowed down my choices and have been trying to sort through this decision for several weeks now and am still very much on the fence. Here are my thoughts:
Wash U: higher ranking (4 vs 8 - not a huge factor), great hospital, St. Louis is home for me, excellent teaching, great match list, lecture-based learning, P/F first year
Yale: more presitgious name, part of large/renowned university, smaller hospital, proximity to NY and Boston, Yale System (no grades or ranking - P/F through both basic science years), equally great match list, mix of lecture and small group learning, thesis requirement

Everybody tells me there's no wrong choice here but I still have to make a decision - anybody care to weigh in? Any good/bad impressions of either school during interviews or revisits?

Thanks for your help!

I go to undergrad at Yale, so if you have any questions about New Haven, PM me. IMO, you need to think about the Yale system seriously. Do you like having grades or competition to motivate you? Are you a self-driven learner?

I actually love the Yale SOM a lot and only have good things to say about it. I don't know WashU's program at all (didn't apply), so I won't even try to compare the two. But all of the Yale med students whom I've met and worked with other the years have been really happy to be here.

Ultimately, I chose to withdraw from Yale due to geography. I love New Haven a lot and would love to stay here, but I ultimately decided that it'd be good challenge myself by getting some new scenery (different cultural diversity, etc.). Maybe it's time to come see what things are like on the East Coast ?! There really isn't a bad choice here, so let your gut tell you where to go. That's what I'm going to do... (and yet I'm still deciding, haha)...

 

[Helsabot]

I go to undergrad at Yale, so if you have any questions about New Haven, PM me. IMO, you need to think about the Yale system seriously. Do you like having grades or competition to motivate you? Are you a self-driven learner?

I actually love the Yale SOM a lot and only have good things to say about it. I don't know WashU's program at all (didn't apply), so I won't even try to compare the two. But all of the Yale med students whom I've met and worked with other the years have been really happy to be here.

Ultimately, I chose to withdraw from Yale due to geography. I love New Haven a lot and would love to stay here, but I ultimately decided that it'd be good challenge myself by getting some new scenery (different cultural diversity, etc.). Maybe it's time to come see what things are like on the East Coast ?! There really isn't a bad choice here, so let your gut tell you where to go. That's what I'm going to do... (and yet I'm still deciding, haha)...

I am not concerned about the Yale curriculum - I think that I will be able to self-motivate enough that I will get as much out of Yale as Wash U. My biggest concern at this point is that there is somewhat of a coastal bias in medicine - that everyone seems to feel that Yale is superior to Wash U because Wash U is in the midwest. I am not sure if this is an accurate perception, but I have had advisors tell me to consider it. When it comes down to it, I feel that I might get a slightly better training at Wash U (mostly because of the size and versatility of Barnes hospital), but I don't know if the difference is great enough to choose it over Yale. Many of the unique benefits to Yale will derive not from the different curriculum or thesis work (I will have to self-motivate in either place since Wash U is P/F first year and I will ultimately do research for at least a summer, thesis or no) but rather from the proximity and affiliation with Yale as a whole: all of the resources of Yale University - its undergrad, law school, school of public health, etc. will be available to me. Additionally, a lifelong affiliation with Yale is a personal bonus I feel. However, considering the limited amount of time I will have as a med student, I don't know how heavily to weight these factors either. While I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have these options to begin with, the process of choosing has been truly agonizing. Any other helpful comments?