Yale v Penn

[Lisha]

I know this has been posted again and again...but every student is a new individual and schools evolve! Hoping for some advice from you all. I am currently trying to decide between Yale and Penn. With 5 days left and counting until decision deadline, I am freaking out!

I feel like the two schools are practically the same in these areas: global health, amazingness of student body, and research. I am interested in surgery and global development, therefore global surgical capacity development. Do you think one school is better than the other for this?

They differ here:
- Philly versus New Haven............I love large cities, and Philly as well as Penn Med's campus are fantastic. New Haven for 4 years? That makes me nervous PLUS I'm single and I am afraid I won't find anyone there, lol..I want to pick up Yale and put it in JMEC in Philly.
- Yale System (tests less often and no rankings)............As an undergrad, I wasted so much time getting that extra 5% of knowledge just to get the best score I could. I ignored my creative side for numbers, and I don't want to be doing that in med school. I feel like with the Yale System, I would be less stressed, create more art, and still do well on my boards. But what if I'm still stressed at Yale? Or what if I go to Penn and am able to balance everything with ease? Both are possibilities.
- I guiltily admit this, but name............I want to go into global development and take my art to the next level. I feel like the name Yale has advantages unbeknownst.

Whether I am in New Haven or taking tests more often at Penn, I know I will be happy. Can I just go to Pale?

ADDENDUM: Just to make this decision a little easier, 4 days before decision deadline, Columbia pulled through with money, making it the same price as Yale. Thoughts anyone? Great city, great in surgery...Can I go to...Yolumenn?

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[KungFuPanda123]

Hahah Philly sounds like so much more fun - plus, I feel like you can date a much more diverse group of people. Everything else about Yale sounds more appealing though. I ultimately chose Penn, because I feel like meeting that special someone + being closer to a bigger city is more up my alley. Graded scale does sound horrid though..

 

[Lawpy]

I would go for the cheaper option

 

[Mad Jack]

Meh, I'd go Yale myself, but I'm biased. There may not be as wide of a dating pool in New Haven, but the Yale graduate and medical schook community, in addition to the many other university and hospital systems in the city, make for a very high quality local dating pool. Basically I wouldn't worry on that front. I've heard nothing but good things from Yale medical students over the years, all of whom have highly recommended their school due to its excellent academic and extracurricular activities, in addition to having an environment that genuinely encourages you to grow as a person and a physician.

Philly is better than New Haven, but I'd bite the bullet and go with Yale based on everything else.

 

[Bethany555]

I went to Yale undergrad and am now at Penn (chose Penn over Yale), if you have any questions. New Haven isn't terrible, especially the area around Yale, but from personal experience, Philly is much better in every regard. If you are concerned about dating, you will be largely confined to Yale affiliates (students/staff) in New Haven. Both are great schools, so you can't go wrong. Some of the reasons I chose Penn:

a. Philadelphia >> New Haven
b. Penn generally has better residency programs, particularly ones like medicine, surgery, and pediatrics (far easier to match into your home program; I wouldn't mind staying in Philly for residency/fellowship but wouldn't want to stay in New Haven for another however many years)
c. Only 25% of Yale students graduate in 4 years (by choice but may be self-selection or a cultural thing)
d. I didn't want a thesis requirement.
e. Going along with the above, I felt there was greater emphasis on research compared to clinical training at Yale (could be good or bad)
f. Penn has a slightly stronger reputation in medicine (splitting hairs at this point)

Did you receive any financial aid or scholarships from either?

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I would go for the cheaper option

Nah, prestige ftw! Therefore the OP should

Spoiler

flip a coin.

 

[Lisha]

I went to Yale undergrad and am now at Penn (chose Penn over Yale), if you have any questions. New Haven isn't terrible, especially the area around Yale, but from personal experience, Philly is much better in every regard. If you are concerned about dating, you will be largely confined to Yale affiliates (students/staff) in New Haven. Both are great schools, so you can't go wrong. Some of the reasons I chose Penn:

a. Philadelphia >> New Haven
b. Penn generally has better residency programs, particularly ones like medicine, surgery, and pediatrics (far easier to match into your home program; I wouldn't mind staying in Philly for residency/fellowship but wouldn't want to stay in New Haven for another however many years)
c. Only 25% of Yale students graduate in 4 years (by choice but may be self-selection or a cultural thing)
d. I didn't want a thesis requirement.
e. Going along with the above, I felt there was greater emphasis on research compared to clinical training at Yale (could be good or bad)
f. Penn has a slightly stronger reputation in medicine (splitting hairs at this point)

Did you receive any financial aid or scholarships from either?

Awesome, thank you for this - it's always good to hear why people choose their schools. Your (a) is really the only thing that speaks to me though. Yale gave me a fancy "Dean's Scholarship" that I can slap on my resume er whatever, but Penn ultimately gave me more in straight up need-based aid. The difference is actually more like 30 grand over 4 years.

 

[Lisha]

Meh, I'd go Yale myself, but I'm biased. There may not be as wide of a dating pool in New Haven, but the Yale graduate and medical schook community, in addition to the many other university and hospital systems in the city, make for a very high quality local dating pool. Basically I wouldn't worry on that front. I've heard nothing but good things from Yale medical students over the years, all of whom have highly recommended their school due to its excellent academic and extracurricular activities, in addition to having an environment that genuinely encourages you to grow as a person and a physician.

Philly is better than New Haven, but I'd bite the bullet and go with Yale based on everything else.

Yea, I believe that once a person moves to a place, that becomes their home and the glories of living anywhere else blot out. I can't see myself ever hating the city I'm in no matter how many other better cities there are. New Haven can't be all that bad...

I do love this that I felt about Yale: "an environment that genuinely encourages you to grow as a person and a physician" - but for argument's sake, does Penn not offer this?

 

[Lisha]

Nah, prestige ftw! Therefore the OP should

Spoiler

flip a coin.

Haha that spoiler bit literally made me laugh out loud.

This is actually the website I used to make many of my decisions: http://www.beventure.com/ (Until I downloaded a phone app)

 

[Mad Jack]

Nah, prestige ftw! Therefore the OP should

Spoiler

flip a coin.

I flipped a coin. Best. Decision. Ever.

 

[DocSami]

To be honest both schools will get you far with their name so your choice should just come down to where you prefer to be for 4 years. I'd pick the school where I would feel the most comfortable. Did you like the students at Penn or Yale better? How about moving to Philly/New Haven? Curriculum? How did you feel about the respective administrations? Personally, assuming all else equal, I would pick Penn but that's because I'm more of a big city type of person.

Bonus: for the single thing, just remember that you still gotta go through residency and it could turn out you won't find an SO during med school anyway Or maybe you end up liking someone from Yale/Penn med while you're there. To be honest, this should be an insignificant motivator when determining where you'd go for 4 years.

 

[QuantumFlame]

Penn first year here, who also was choosing between these two schools. Honestly, you can't go wrong. I chose Penn because I thought the culture and the environment suited me better. The curriculum at Penn is well designed and time-tested (the 1.5 year pre-clinical is awesome, by the time you get near the end of first year, the thought of only 6 more months of basic science is glorious!), the students aren't stressed and the administration is very supportive. My sense was that whatever I wanted to do in life, professionally or otherwise, Penn was going to do its utmost to make it happen. And it was that mix of research & clinical powerhouse coupled with a family-like environment that makes me feel so fortunate every day to be here for my training. As has been said before, Philly is an absolutely phenomenal city. Nuff said.

 

[trynahelp]

Hey, first of all you're an absolute all star, and with acceptances like these, it's clear you're going to doing amazingly well anywhere! Congratulations on killing it this cycle! Generally, I think happy students are good students. You sound like you'll be less stressed at Yale, and I think without tests or having to worry so much you can explore your interests that might have been neglected in the pursuit of numbers. But I'll break this down the way you did, and maybe that'll help:

• Philly vs. New Haven: Philly is the clear winner, no question. Lots of stuff to do. NH has a direct train to NYC, and has plenty to do what with it being a decent size city and college town, so I'm sure you can still meet someone there! But no question, Philly wins
• No Grades vs. Grades: Yale is the clear winner here. No AOA, no grades/rankings, no tests. You've already proven yourself to be a formidable student, as evidenced by your admissions success, so I know you can succeed in the Yale system. Plus the amazing school reputation means that you don't need that stuff to fluff your residency application. Penn, by contrast, has a chill first year, but grades, AOA, and all the other rankings. I think it works well, but if you want to explore more other stuff, I don't think Penn is the best. Not saying it can't be done though.
• Name: Depends. Yale is definitely more known the world over, and so for people outside of medicine it definitely will help to have the Yale name. Penn is pretty well known amongst medical types, but even doing research abroad in well known institutions, most people didn't know what it was. Honestly though, I think this is a moot point. Two top tier schools, Ivy leagues, aren't gonna hurt you at all.

Overall, I vote Yale. You said it yourself, you want to pick up Yale and bring it somewhere else, but since Philly isn't some sort of cosmopolitan powerhouse and you seem to genuinely LOVE the way Yale's curriculum works, you gotta go bulldog. Stop worrying so much about location: New Haven isn't rural, it's got one of the top research institutions in the world there, plenty of exciting things to do, and is equidistant from Boston and NYC (I have friends there that go to both very often!).

Most of all though, know that whatever decision you make is the right one! You're making a dream choice, you worked hard, and you're gonna do well anywhere!

 

[Willy38]

Come to Yale. I'm single .

Edit: If you're interested in why I chose Yale, PM me.

 

[Lisha]

Hey all! On the day of the decision deadline, Penn ended pulling through with a massive scholarship making Penn approximately $160,000 cheaper over 4 years than Yale. At that point it was an easy decision, but I can't say I didn't cry a little bit when I withdrew from Yale. I went with my second choice, but it was definitely the right choice, no regrets!

Thanks so much for all your input!