Hey guys, I ended up deciding to attend USC. I was offered full tuition and housing at both, and I went to Harvard Second Look to see how I felt there. I did not see myself there at all, and I honestly did not like the culture there. I understand they are the best, but they found a need to constantly state that they were the best. They had a "cultural appreciation" showcase at the end, and instead it was all one big cultural appropriation show. Although they say they serve the underserved, there is a huge population of impoverished people in surrounding areas and there is not a focus on providing for those communities. Harvard and USC have different values and main priorities and I find my own to follow USCs. USC is where I believe I would become the type of clinician that I want to be.
I understand that lots of people on this thread were saying that I would be giving up some big thing in my career if I didn't go to Harvard, but I ask that you reevaluate that. All of the factors I mentioned and the fact that my family and SO are in CA is important to me. I'm sorry if you are able to just leave your support systems so easily for a name, but I did a lot of reflecting and the reason I did so well in college was in part because I had an excellent support system. I did not see myself having a similar support system at Harvard, I didn't even see myself hanging out with the people that I met that would be my classmates. Harvard is not the only place someone can attend for medical school to be successful. Being in med school is stressful, and if I want to choose a great school which would also allow me to be happy with my family and friends, then I should not be looked down upon. This was an incredibly difficult decision, and I have also decided to stay on the Stanford WL for now to see what happens.
So yes, my family and friends are beneficial for me, and if you can be happy being somewhere just because it's prestigious, then power to you, but I don't want to just have a name to help me when times get tough.