Wash U vs. Yale

[mozil10]

I was planning on going to Wash U next year, but I just got off the waitlist at Yale. I am still waiting for my Yale financial aid package, but my Wash U financial aid package covers tuition completely.

Wash U
Pros
+St. Louis (Med School area especially is more favorable compared to New Haven)
+Students/Faculty (Felt really comfortable during second look weekend)
+Great MD Research Opportunities
+Financial Aid

Cons
-I'm from the east coast and currently live in NYC, so a bit closer to home (don't think this such a big positive for Yale)
-Reputation compared to Yale? (this is something that I'm unsure about)
-Great Match List, but may be slightly less east coast inclined (likely hoping to end up back on east coast, but not confirmed)

Yale
+Great east coast match
+Reputation? (still not sure about this)
+Yale System? (I know this is a huge positive for a lot of people, but I am someone who is ok with a decent amount of structure)
+East Coast/Proximity to NYC
+MD Research Thesis

Cons
-Didn't get to go to the second look and interviewed back in November so don't have much of a feel for the culture/students
-Didn't have the best interview day experience, but can attribute some of that to being in my head after an interview that I thought didn't go well
-New Haven

Summary: Obviously financial aid will be a huge factor, but if things on the financial aid front are similar, I was hoping to get some suggestions on how to think about it. I think the main outstanding things for me are 1) Reputation differences 2) Curriculum/Grading Differences 3) Research (Basic/Translational/Clinical) Opportunity Discrepancies. Any information or advice on this in general or these items specifically would be really helpful.

Thanks!

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[Quantal Reasoning]

No wrong decision. Personally I would pay a small premium for the Yale curriculum, but that's just me.

 

[mozil10]

No wrong decision. Personally I would pay a small premium for the Yale curriculum, but that's just me.

I'm still gathering more information on the specifics of the Yale curriculum, but if you don't mind me asking, what are the key things about it that appeal to you?

 

[mozil10]

If financials aren't equal: WashU. Barnes Jewish + WashU have a stronger reputation within medicine than Yale + Yale residencies.

1) WashU reputation > Yale reputation, slightly.

2) Yale has a laid back curriculum in place. WashU you'd be a guinea pig for the new curriculum (bad)

3) WashU is known for its research. Yale has the research thesis. Both schools will set you up.

4) Match outcomes are both excellent.

Based on your pros and cons, I would go to Yale if it financially comes within ~80K over the 4 yrs (20k/yr). This would almost solely be on the added comfort of the Yale system + being in the northeast. This is my take + my evaluation on how much that comfort means to me.

Thanks for the info that's really helpful. One thing I wanted to point out is that I'm going to be in the last class at Wash U with the old curriculum.

That analysis make sense to me. I think I need to figure out how much the Yale system is worth to me. Also, I'm thinking about location as almost neutral because St. Louis (specifically around the med school) is nicer than New Haven I think, but New Haven is in the northeast.

 

[mozil10]

You seem to have a decent grasp on the factors to consider. Take some time to reflect on the two schools, consider which one you'd find more happiness + success at, then see what the finances are.

Good news: you can't go wrong with either school.

Thanks! Appreciate the input

 

[Espressoshot436]

Unless Yale offers >80-90% of tuition in scholarships, go to WashU

 

[Phoebus Apollo]

Re: prestige

Yale is obviously the better name drop. Your extended family + Ppl sharing an Uber will be impressed. 😉

WashU is better in medicine, although not by much.

In other words: wouldn’t recommend allowing that factor to sway your decision at all

 

[animalluver101]

Both are really great schools, but since they're pretty similar (in terms of how good of an education you'd receive), I would go with the school that offered you the most financial aid. Unless you have stronger family ties near Yale and would be unhappy moving across the country, WashU seems more desirable (to me, at least). Pick a school where you personally think you would succeed and where you feel supported by the other students/faculty! Edit: in terms of matching, I don't think either school will hold you back when it comes time to apply to residencies.

 

[rball]

WashU is not “better in medicine” than Yale, contrary to what some posters are saying here. The Yale name will carry you just as far as the WashU name in virtually any specialty, and of course if you want to do anything outside of medicine there is no comparison.

Both are great choices and I would focus on where you would be happiest etc rather than reputation. If you think you want exposure to the “biggest and best” type of place for your clinical years, WashU is probably a better fit. If you want a smaller, cozier clinical experience Yale would be better. Yale may help with matching on the east coast by a bit. Both schools will set you up very well for any career you want in medicine.

 

[mozil10]

I was planning on going to Wash U next year, but I just got off the waitlist at Yale. I am still waiting for my Yale financial aid package, but my Wash U financial aid package covers tuition completely.

Wash U
Pros
+St. Louis (Med School area especially is more favorable compared to New Haven)
+Students/Faculty (Felt really comfortable during second look weekend)
+Great MD Research Opportunities
+Financial Aid

Cons
-I'm from the east coast and currently live in NYC, so a bit closer to home (don't think this such a big positive for Yale)
-Reputation compared to Yale? (this is something that I'm unsure about)
-Great Match List, but may be slightly less east coast inclined (likely hoping to end up back on east coast, but not confirmed)

Yale
+Great east coast match
+Reputation? (still not sure about this)
+Yale System? (I know this is a huge positive for a lot of people, but I am someone who is ok with a decent amount of structure)
+East Coast/Proximity to NYC
+MD Research Thesis

Cons
-Didn't get to go to the second look and interviewed back in November so don't have much of a feel for the culture/students
-Didn't have the best interview day experience, but can attribute some of that to being in my head after an interview that I thought didn't go well
-New Haven

Summary: Obviously financial aid will be a huge factor, but if things on the financial aid front are similar, I was hoping to get some suggestions on how to think about it. I think the main outstanding things for me are 1) Reputation differences 2) Curriculum/Grading Differences 3) Research (Basic/Translational/Clinical) Opportunity Discrepancies. Any information or advice on this in general or these items specifically would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the input. I really appreciate it. I got my financial aid package from Yale and it's not as good as Wash U. There will be a ~$140-$200K difference in overall cost of attendance. I think there are trade-offs for both programs and with that sizable difference in financials, I'm thinking Wash U is the better option for me. I'd appreciate any other insight or things that I may be overlooking.

 

[Espressoshot436]

Thanks everyone for the input. I really appreciate it. I got my financial aid package from Yale and it's not as good as Wash U. There will be a ~$140-$200K difference in overall cost of attendance. I think there are trade-offs for both programs and with that sizable difference in financials, I'm thinking Wash U is the better option for me. I'd appreciate any other insight or things that I may be overlooking.

Definitely go to WashU then, that much more debt for comparable schools just wouldnt make sense.