Weill Cornell (Tri-I MSTP) vs Harvard (Pathways MD only, Deans REACH Scholar)

[yikesokie]

Weill Cornell (NYC)
Pros:

• MSTP offer (full tuition and COL)
• Love the city life (I think...)
• Great in my clinical and research interests
• Clinical and research powerhouse
• Diverse patient community within a great hospital system

Cons:

• Not named Harvard
• Is living in NYC too taxing for 8 years?
• Currently AOA, but rumor has it that students are fighting hard to get rid of it (maybe in the next 8 years?)

Harvard (Boston)
Pros:

• Harvard name
• Deans REACH Scholarship awardee (100% COA)
• Clinical and research powerhouse
• Possibility of "affiliating" with the MD-PhD
• Great in my clinical and research interests
• No AOA and P/F pre-clinical and core clerkships
• Multiple hospitals

Cons:

• Not a fan of Boston (lived there for a few years)
• Not an MSTP offer
• Compared to Weill, I don't think I vibe well with them

Truly feel very split between the two. Match rate is great for both, could write my ticket with any of these. Just don't know if the HMS name outweighs two terminal degrees that are more or less assured. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[throwaway01564]

Do you want to be an MD/PhD? If you do I feel like it's an easy choice...only one offers the possibility.

 

[mangowolf]

Take the MSTP, having the PhD behind your name is more important than going to HMS for the clout…the AOA is a consideration but it’s the difference between +/- an entire PhD lol. HMS is so not worth that. It’s not like you are settling for some mid ranked school either, it’s Tri-I for goodness sake hahaha. “Not named Harvard” is not a real con 😂

 

[4lphabet]

What's the difference between going to an MSTP vs taking a leave of absence after M2 to apply to Harvard/MIT PhD programs and "affiliate"? Functionally it sounds like affiliating with the MD-PhD isn't different than being in the MD-PhD program since you have a CoA scholarship.

 

[deleted1065184]

What's the difference between going to an MSTP vs taking a leave of absence after M2 to apply to Harvard/MIT PhD programs and "affiliate"? Functionally it sounds like affiliating with the MD-PhD isn't different than being in the MD-PhD program since you have a CoA scholarship.

MSTP will pay quite a bit more in stipend than COA and being in an actual MSTP will provide better structure and oversight.

And tbh, Weill Cornell has one of the best MSTPs in the nation (competing with WashU and Penn). If you want to have a career as a physician scientist, the PhD is far more important than having a huge name behind you.

Besides, having the name of Weill Cornell, Rockefeller, and MSK behind you is every bit as impressive in the research world as Harvard.