fencing1738
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deleted1065184
Wrt Yale cons:
(1) You don't have to take a 5th year, and choosing not to do so won't put you behind your classmates. If you want to do a competitive surgical specialty/subspecialty, it will benefit you to take a year regardless (but again, you don't have to).
(2) There are in-person classes for the master courses, you just don't have to go to them and each course only has 1 required, summative exam.
(3) You think having too relaxed of a structure won't work for you because you're not used to it. I get it, I had the same reservations. But what you'll find is that most medical students end up primarily learning via 3rd party resources on their own time anyway, and you'll appreciate not having to go to class or have tons of tests/assignments when you're studying for standardized exams. And the truth of the matter is that if you were driven enough to do this entire process and got into multiple Ivy League schools, structure is not something you'll need to worry about. Plus you won't always have structure. Adults have to manage their time and figure out ways to get things done. I don't know you but I'm confident you can do that.
(4) Can't really say much about campus, agree that it isn't really nice lol. But not sure that's a *real* con.
The mental benefits of having P/F clerkship just cannot be understated. And for every medical school, community work is largely a self-driven activity. At a place like Yale, all of the extra free time allows you to become very involved in the community and make a difference without having to worry about failing tests.
It sounds like you have a bit of a preference for Columbia and it seems mostly based on vibes, but your Yale "cons" are not really cons, whereas your Columbia cons absolutely are.
I vote Yale, but you'll be fine either way. Good luck!
(1) You don't have to take a 5th year, and choosing not to do so won't put you behind your classmates. If you want to do a competitive surgical specialty/subspecialty, it will benefit you to take a year regardless (but again, you don't have to).
(2) There are in-person classes for the master courses, you just don't have to go to them and each course only has 1 required, summative exam.
(3) You think having too relaxed of a structure won't work for you because you're not used to it. I get it, I had the same reservations. But what you'll find is that most medical students end up primarily learning via 3rd party resources on their own time anyway, and you'll appreciate not having to go to class or have tons of tests/assignments when you're studying for standardized exams. And the truth of the matter is that if you were driven enough to do this entire process and got into multiple Ivy League schools, structure is not something you'll need to worry about. Plus you won't always have structure. Adults have to manage their time and figure out ways to get things done. I don't know you but I'm confident you can do that.
(4) Can't really say much about campus, agree that it isn't really nice lol. But not sure that's a *real* con.
The mental benefits of having P/F clerkship just cannot be understated. And for every medical school, community work is largely a self-driven activity. At a place like Yale, all of the extra free time allows you to become very involved in the community and make a difference without having to worry about failing tests.
It sounds like you have a bit of a preference for Columbia and it seems mostly based on vibes, but your Yale "cons" are not really cons, whereas your Columbia cons absolutely are.
I vote Yale, but you'll be fine either way. Good luck!
islandturtle4519
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Congrats on the acceptances! You honestly can't really go wrong with these two options, so at the end of the day go with your gut and what feels right because either will offer every opportunity for success in whatever field you decide to pursue.
That said, I know a couple of people who attend Yale, and they've both told me that everybody absolutely loves the P/F grading and the Yale System and the student community/culture is apparently quite positive. I don't have any personal or anecdotal experience with Columbia, though from what I've read on this forum it seems that there is more of a reputation for competitiveness in general, but especially given the grading in the clinical years. I also don't think you should worry about the 5th year concerns too much either way, as many of your peers at either school will be taking a 5th year (just the nature of those kind of elite academic institutions), but whether you take one or not it will not affect your ability to be incredibly successful coming out of either school. Personally, I'd lean Yale given that the lifestyle really sounds ideal for both work/life balance and pursuing your individual interests, but again you cant go wrong either way.
Not sure how much that helps, and its a very tough decision but a good problem to have!
That said, I know a couple of people who attend Yale, and they've both told me that everybody absolutely loves the P/F grading and the Yale System and the student community/culture is apparently quite positive. I don't have any personal or anecdotal experience with Columbia, though from what I've read on this forum it seems that there is more of a reputation for competitiveness in general, but especially given the grading in the clinical years. I also don't think you should worry about the 5th year concerns too much either way, as many of your peers at either school will be taking a 5th year (just the nature of those kind of elite academic institutions), but whether you take one or not it will not affect your ability to be incredibly successful coming out of either school. Personally, I'd lean Yale given that the lifestyle really sounds ideal for both work/life balance and pursuing your individual interests, but again you cant go wrong either way.
Not sure how much that helps, and its a very tough decision but a good problem to have!
MercifulCamper
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I’d go to Yale for the curriculum alone. You’re gonna be busy enough in medical school that New Haven will have just enough for you to do. The 5th year is optional and from second look they told us that it wasn’t pushed on the med students.
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deleted1065184
Heavy on this part lol