UCLA (full COA) vs Columbia (full tuition) vs Harvard vs Stanford vs Hopkins vs UCSF vs UPenn

[ppr2796]

I am very lucky and thankful to be in this position, but I am very conflicted/overwhelmed. I have not taken the time to compile a detailed written list of pros/cons, so I'm just going to list the few things that come to mind about each school. I do not qualify for financial aid and would like to keep doors open for both getting involved in research/academic medicine or public policy. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

UCLA
Pros

• Full COA merit scholarship
  
• Close to long-term boyfriend
• New med school building
  
• LA (nice city/weather)

Cons

• It is not very satisfying to give money so much power over my decision
  
• Large class size
• Older curriculum? (Take Step 1 before clinical years)
• Public - Funding might be at risk?

Columbia
Pros

• Full tuition merit scholarship
• Large diversity in class
• New? curriculum
• New med school building
• Surrounded by underserved populations

Cons

• NYC scares me a little (but open to the adventure)
• Far from boyfriend/friends

Harvard
Pros

• 1 year pre-clinical curriculum (that I am familiar with and will fit my learning style)
• lots of friends in the Boston Area
• Prestige
• Great Hospitals
  
• Huge number of faculty

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Far from boyfriend

Stanford
Pros

• "One-campus" seems to actually work
• lots of TA/RA opportunities ($)

Cons

• Expensive

Hopkins
Pros

• Prestige
• Cheaper COL?

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Baltimore
  
• Far from boyfriend

UCSF
Pros

• Really liked SF
  
• Great Hospitals

Cons

• Expensive
• Public - Funding might be at risk?

UPenn
Pros

• Med school on top floors of hospital (also new)
• Could potentially get a merit scholarship?

Cons

• Not P/F after first semester

Update: UCLA (Full COA) vs. Columbia (Full tuition) vs. UPenn (Full tuition) vs. UCSF (40k).... feeling very conflicted and have to decide soon. Any specific pros and cons about each school would be greatly appreciated!

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[theokapi]

Go where your family/boyfriend is closer if that is a concern. Also keep in mind the cost

 

[aalamruad]

Good lord...

 

[aalamruad]

I'd choose UCLA or P&S if I were you. Probably UCLA.

 

[deev04]

1. Holy s*** .

2. I agree that if I were you (a person can dream), I would be choosing between Columbia and UCLA. Columbia and UCLA are top-notch and I don't think the slight difference in ranking warrants consideration of the other schools on your list over full-COA and full-tuition scholarships. I think if the money differentials were smaller, there might be more to consider but full-COA and full tuition are freeing luxuries that few people have the opportunity to take advantage of. More importantly, there is no door that would be opened by going to any of the other schools on your list that is not wide open to you at Columbia or UCLA.

3. Medical school is hard. Really hard and having a support system should not be understated. If your SO is extra significant and you think the stress of being away for 4 (maybe 5 years) would have a negative effect on you and your happiness, I think UCLA would be the way to go.

4. I don't think the difference between Full COA vs. Full Tuition is often enough to make it THE deciding factor, but NYC is expensive so that might be worth taking an extra hard look at. Also, if LA is where you are happiest (and especially if it's where you want to end up), UCLA seems to have the clear advantage.

5. I have not heard anyone mention UCLA's SOM funding being in any jeopardy, so I don't think this should be taken into account without some sort of very reliable sourcing.

6. I agree that giving money the power to influence decisions is not very satisfying. I know this from talking to my many med school friends who are 200-500k in debt and having to make difficult decisions about specialty/where to practice/happiness/lifestyle/family etc. Take dat money and ruuuuuuuuun.

 

[libertyyne]

There is no wrong choice here. What are your specific career goals? Are you interested in a particular type of research? does one of these schools have a research group that you would love to get involved with? Congrats on this achievement.

 

[Fortyfive]

you win at life.

 

[JJRousseau]

Another fun way to think about your fortunate situation: six individuals will be very happy in the near future once you've made your decision. Pretty cool.

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

Congrats OP you totally killed it this cycle! I'd try to attend as many revisit weekends as you can, compare financial aid packages, and think about which school is the best fit for you. If that turns out to be UCLA, then awesome - but don't feel too much pressure to go there based purely on the money, especially since I bet other schools will offer fairly generous financial aid. Congrats again!

 

[ppr2796]

There is no wrong choice here. What are your specific career goals? Are you interested in a particular type of research? does one of these schools have a research group that you would love to get involved with? Congrats on this achievement.

I am currently doing research on 'organ-on-chip' devices but could also be potentially interested in medical devices. I'm also open to exploring clinical research. Although I have not looked into specific labs, working at the Wyss Institute (Harvard) would be cool. As a longer term goal, I am also interested in getting involved in public policy and addressing healthcare disparities.

Congrats OP you totally killed it this cycle! I'd try to attend as many revisit weekends as you can, compare financial aid packages, and think about which school is the best fit for you. If that turns out to be UCLA, then awesome - but don't feel too much pressure to go there based purely on the money, especially since I bet other schools will offer fairly generous financial aid. Congrats again!

Thanks! Unfortunately due to personal circumstances I cannot apply to financial aid, so I depend completely on merit scholarships to lessen the debt burden.

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

Thanks! Unfortunately due to personal circumstances I cannot apply to financial aid, so I depend completely on merit scholarships to lessen the debt burden.

Oh, wow, if that's the case it sounds like your choice should probably be between UCLA and Columbia. IMO, going to a place you prefer is worth a little extra debt, but not ~400k, which would be the total CoA for some of those schools. Both UCLA and Columbia are awesome, but if I were you I'd probably take the Geffen and graduate debt free!

 

[To be MD]

I am very lucky and thankful to be in this position, but I am very conflicted/overwhelmed. I have not taken the time to compile a detailed written list of pros/cons, so I'm just going to list the few things that come to mind about each school. I do not qualify for financial aid and would like to keep doors open for both getting involved in research/academic medicine or public policy. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

UCLA
Pros

• Full COA merit scholarship
  
• Close to long-term boyfriend
• New med school building
  
• LA (nice city/weather)

Cons

• It is not very satisfying to give money so much power over my decision
  
• Large class size
• Older curriculum? (Take Step 1 before clinical years)
• Public - Funding might be at risk?

Columbia
Pros

• Full tuition merit scholarship
• Large diversity in class
• New? curriculum
• New med school building
• Surrounded by underserved populations

Cons

• NYC scares me a little (but open to the adventure)
• Far from boyfriend/friends

Harvard
Pros

• 1 year pre-clinical curriculum (that I am familiar with and will fit my learning style)
• lots of friends in the Boston Area
• Prestige
• Great Hospitals
  
• Huge number of faculty

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Far from boyfriend

Stanford
Pros

• "One-campus" seems to actually work
• lots of TA/RA opportunities ($)

Cons

• Expensive

Hopkins
Pros

• Prestige
• Cheaper COL?

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Baltimore
  
• Far from boyfriend

UCSF
Pros

• Really liked SF
  
• Great Hospitals

Cons

• Expensive
• Public - Funding might be at risk?

UPenn
Pros

• Med school on top floors of hospital (also new)
• Could potentially get a merit scholarship?

Cons

• Not P/F after first semester

Hey OP,

These are the best schools in the country. You cannot go wrong going to any of these schools.

The only real difference to you is going to come down to finances and being close to your SO. I would thus suggest you have to choose between Columbia & UCLA. Is a few rankings worth long-distance with your SO for 4 years? If you're planning on marrying the guy, probably not.

If you want to shun my economic advice and just ride the debt pony, then go Harvard or Stanford. But... again, a few rankings are not worth $200-$300 thousand dollars.

 

[libertyyne]

I am currently doing research on 'organ-on-chip' devices but could also be potentially interested in medical devices. I'm also open to exploring clinical research. Although I have not looked into specific labs, working at the Wyss Institute (Harvard) would be cool. As a longer term goal, I am also interested in getting involved in public policy and addressing healthcare disparities.



Thanks! Unfortunately due to personal circumstances I cannot apply to financial aid, so I depend completely on merit scholarships to lessen the debt burden.

Stanford for the tech stuff, Hopkins for the underserved pop / public health stuff.

 

[grillonator]

follow ur dreams

 

[Lawpy]

UCLA. It's free and you're close to your SO. And it's a great school and you can do anything you want in the long term.

 

[To be MD]

I am very lucky and thankful to be in this position, but I am very conflicted/overwhelmed. I have not taken the time to compile a detailed written list of pros/cons, so I'm just going to list the few things that come to mind about each school. I do not qualify for financial aid and would like to keep doors open for both getting involved in research/academic medicine or public policy. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

UCLA
Pros

• Full COA merit scholarship
  
• Close to long-term boyfriend
• New med school building
  
• LA (nice city/weather)

Cons

• It is not very satisfying to give money so much power over my decision
  
• Large class size
• Older curriculum? (Take Step 1 before clinical years)
• Public - Funding might be at risk?

Columbia
Pros

• Full tuition merit scholarship
• Large diversity in class
• New? curriculum
• New med school building
• Surrounded by underserved populations

Cons

• NYC scares me a little (but open to the adventure)
• Far from boyfriend/friends

Harvard
Pros

• 1 year pre-clinical curriculum (that I am familiar with and will fit my learning style)
• lots of friends in the Boston Area
• Prestige
• Great Hospitals
  
• Huge number of faculty

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Far from boyfriend

Stanford
Pros

• "One-campus" seems to actually work
• lots of TA/RA opportunities ($)

Cons

• Expensive

Hopkins
Pros

• Prestige
• Cheaper COL?

Cons

• Expensive
  
• Baltimore
  
• Far from boyfriend

UCSF
Pros

• Really liked SF
  
• Great Hospitals

Cons

• Expensive
• Public - Funding might be at risk?

UPenn
Pros

• Med school on top floors of hospital (also new)
• Could potentially get a merit scholarship?

Cons

• Not P/F after first semester

Can you please fill out an MDApps by the way.... so the youngins can have something to strive towards or at least read about in the papers?

 

[cranialLOOP]

UCLA.





I hope this decision haunts you.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I can answer any questions about Columbia you might have (either here or via PM). There are absolutely no wrong choices here, as has been said, but if you have questions, please let me know.

 

[redsox93]

UCLA. Also wow

 

[mwsapphire]

.........how did you get this many acceptances? HOly crap!
You're so fortunate, OP!

 

[ppr2796]

Can you please fill out an MDApps by the way.... so the youngins can have something to strive towards or at least read about in the papers?

What is MDApps/how do I do it?

I can answer any questions about Columbia you might have (either here or via PM). There are absolutely no wrong choices here, as has been said, but if you have questions, please let me know.

Thanks! I'm visiting Columbia next week, so hopefully I will get many of my questions answered then.

 

[To be MD]

What is MDApps/how do I do it?



Thanks! I'm visiting Columbia next week, so hopefully I will get many of my questions answered then.

MDApps = http://mdapplicants.com/

It's a website someone made from SDN way back when, to let you write out your stats & experiences/what schools you applied to anonymously so that future generations of dorky premeds can know how good they have to be to get into X, Y, or Z school.

In your case, we all assume already that you are some sort of reincarnation of Sagan, the Buddha, or Ghengis Khan... but we're just not that informed of what your story is in this life.

 

[efle]

I don't recall ever seeing a Top 5 sweep before. Jesus, ****ing, christ.

I'd be choosing between UCLA/Columbia for financials, and probably using location to decide between them, but I don't know your own situation! If you come from millions then it becomes a very different discussion.

 

[mwsapphire]

^ OP and Efle have the best acceptances I have ever seen.
What do you guys do that us mere mortals can't achieve?

 

[redsox93]

^ OP and Efle have the best acceptances I have ever seen.
What do you guys do that us mere mortals can't achieve?

Probably ate a poop hotdog

 

[efle]

I am not even on the short list of SDN badasses, believe me. I have seen people get a few at the top before...but even narmerguy got one waitlist.

LA and NYC are very, very different types of places. OP you really don't have a huge preference there?

 

[mwsapphire]

Probably ate a poop hotdog

Oh shut up.
I'm genuinely curious
C"mon guys what's your secret

 

[nonamesleft]

Public - Funding might be at risk

What % of school funding actually comes from state? (it may be less than you think)

New? curriculum

Guinea pig?

lots of TA/RA opportunities ($)

Will you actually have time for this?

Other things: Have you considered talking to the schools where you don't have scholarships and asking them to match the scholarships that you do have?
Med school is tough. IMO, outside support is good for your mental (and maybe physical) well-being. Depending on what state your relationship is with your bf (seems strong as he got factored into all your pro/cons), how would you feel if things didn't work out between you? (some of my classmates came in engaged, stayed local to be with the person, and once med school got busy/no time for SO, the SO/collegue ended up cheating on each other and breaking up...)

It sucks to have to make a decision, but you're in a great place, and I don't think there's a wrong decision here. Congratulations, and good luck!

 

[ppr2796]

MDApps = http://mdapplicants.com/

It's a website someone made from SDN way back when, to let you write out your stats & experiences/what schools you applied to anonymously so that future generations of dorky premeds can know how good they have to be to get into X, Y, or Z school.

In your case, we all assume already that you are some sort of reincarnation of Sagan, the Buddha, or Ghengis Khan... but we're just not that informed of what your story is in this life.

Thanks! Will try to make a profile whenever I get the chance.

I am not even on the short list of SDN badasses, believe me. I have seen people get a few at the top before...but even narmerguy got one waitlist.

LA and NYC are very, very different types of places. OP you really don't have a huge preference there?

In terms of weather/life-style I would probably enjoy living in LA more, but living in a mostly Hispanic undeserved area is also appealing in terms of outreach opportunities.

What % of school funding actually comes from state? (it may be less than you think)


Guinea pig?


Will you actually have time for this?

Other things: Have you considered talking to the schools where you don't have scholarships and asking them to match the scholarships that you do have?
Med school is tough. IMO, outside support is good for your mental (and maybe physical) well-being. Depending on what state your relationship is with your bf (seems strong as he got factored into all your pro/cons), how would you feel if things didn't work out between you? (some of my classmates came in engaged, stayed local to be with the person, and once med school got busy/no time for SO, the SO/collegue ended up cheating on each other and breaking up...)

It sucks to have to make a decision, but you're in a great place, and I don't think there's a wrong decision here. Congratulations, and good luck!

I can't say I will have time for sure, but many of the students I have talked to have taken advantage of these opportunities, so it is possible I will be able to do so too. In terms of matching scholarships, Harvard, Stanford, Hopkins and UCSF seems to have strong need-base only policies (or I am not talking to the right people), so it seems unlikely I will get any scholarships there. Thanks for the rest of the advice!

 

[mwsapphire]

Thanks! Will try to make a profile whenever I get the chance.




In terms of weather/life-style I would probably enjoy living in LA more, but living in a mostly Hispanic undeserved area is also appealing in terms of outreach opportunities.




I can't say I will have time for sure, but many of the students I have talked to have taken advantage of these opportunities, so it is possible I will be able to do so too. In terms of matching scholarships, Harvard, Stanford, Hopkins and UCSF seems to have strong need-base only policies (or I am not talking to the right people), so it seems unlikely I will get any scholarships there. Thanks for the rest of the advice!

Please do an MDApps. I'm so happy for you ( even though your a total stranger)

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

UCLA seems like the most practical choice.

Congratulations!!!!

 

[Radiata20]

Happy to chat @ppr2796 about UCLA and the Geffen Scholarship if you have any questions, and I can also arrange for you to come "shadow" a student here for a day if you were unable to attend Second Look this past weekend and would like to revisit

I've posted my thoughts on the Geffen Scholarship in a few other threads, and I don't want to spam the forum so I won't repost again. But I agree with above posters, there is no wrong decision here. Hope to see you in my anatomy TA sessions here next year!

 

[onceawolverine]

P&S or UCLA

I remember comparing those two schools (similar financial situation at both, though your offers are way awesome-r than mine were):
My logic: NYC >> LA, student life/general happiness at columbia > ucla, faculty strength in very specific departments of personal interest at columbia > ucla. There were a few other factors but those were the biggies.

**Long-term relationship proximity is going to be super important. I know that a lot of people entering med school with partners break up, but if this is a LT thing that you think is a lock-4-lyfe, then that's gonna have to weigh very heavily. That being said, the part of me that loves columbia says you should just get your partner to uproot their life and come to the greatest city ever ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Happy to answer any questions about P&S (current 2nd/3rd year student).

 

[mwsapphire]

^ Dude
I haven't seen a post from you in forever.
( You always post when Wedgedawg does but that stopped)

 

[Astra]

bruh

 

[WedgeDawg]

^ Dude
I haven't seen a post from you in forever.
( You always post when Wedgedawg does but that stopped)

That's my alt account

 

[mwsapphire]

That's my alt account

@Mods
Delete
no sock puppeting

 

[onceawolverine]

^ Dude
I haven't seen a post from you in forever.
( You always post when Wedgedawg does but that stopped)

<3
I try to condition-recondition people every few months or so. Gotta stay on the periphery of almost-relevant.

That's my alt account

Outrageous claim. Reporting to moderators as we speak.

 

[mwsapphire]

<3
I try to condition-recondition people every few months or so. Gotta stay on the periphery of almost-relevant.


Outrageous claim. Reporting to moderators as we speak.

if you posted more often you'd be more relevant
And you're reporting him , too?Good.
Justice will be served

 

[redsox93]

.

 

[ppr2796]

Update: UCLA (Full COA) vs. Columbia (Full tuition) vs. UPenn (Full tuition) vs. UCSF (40k).... feeling very conflicted and have to decide soon. Any specific pros and cons about each school would be greatly appreciated!

 

[WedgeDawg]

Update: UCLA (Full COA) vs. Columbia (Full tuition) vs. UPenn (Full tuition) vs. UCSF (40k).... feeling very conflicted and have to decide soon. Any specific pros and cons about each school would be greatly appreciated!

I think this should be a Columbia vs. Penn conversation

as before, happy to answer any questions about Columbia

 

[onceawolverine]

Update: UCLA (Full COA) vs. Columbia (Full tuition) vs. UPenn (Full tuition) vs. UCSF (40k).... feeling very conflicted and have to decide soon. Any specific pros and cons about each school would be greatly appreciated!

Still feeling that its UCLA vs. Columbia, and the only thing making it a hard decision is long-term/long-distance relationship.
How's bf feel about all this?

 

[deev04]

Penn vs Columbia (vs UCLA). Think Penn and Columbia have enough of a prestige bump to warrant taking on COL in loans. COL is also typically not enough to make it the deciding factor. But, UCLA is right there in terms of prestige, so if there are aspects of the school/curriculum that you prefer or if being near your SO is something that you value (which should definitely factor into your decision if it is), then I think UCLA maybe has the edge. Probably even more so if you are fairly confident that matching in CA is going to be your goal (although UCLA would definitely not lock you out of going elsewhere).

 

[efle]

It's a little confusing how the financial aid is described for each

Can you just give a ballpark amount of loans you would have to take for each?

 

[efle]

Also please post a rundown of your app! I want to see the Top 5 sweep badassness in all its glory

 

[Radiata20]

Haha I think you can see from the immediately above posts that it's not clear-cut which schools this should be between.

Have you consulted all the attending mentors you have yet? Flipped a (four-sided) coin and thought about what face you wanted it to land on before looking at it? Reflected on how you felt when you saw which face it actually did land on?

Happy to answer any specific questions about UCLA as always.

 

[ppr2796]

Still feeling that its UCLA vs. Columbia, and the only thing making it a hard decision is long-term/long-distance relationship.
How's bf feel about all this?

He would love to have me nearby, but does not want me to make any decisions I could possibly regret. He is supportive of whatever decision I make.

Penn vs Columbia (vs UCLA). Think Penn and Columbia have enough of a prestige bump to warrant taking on COL in loans. COL is also typically not enough to make it the deciding factor. But, UCLA is right there in terms of prestige, so if there are aspects of the school/curriculum that you prefer or if being near your SO is something that you value (which should definitely factor into your decision if it is), then I think UCLA maybe has the edge. Probably even more so if you are fairly confident that matching in CA is going to be your goal (although UCLA would definitely not lock you out of going elsewhere).

I'm thinking that UCSF might also have a nice balance between prestige and location (still be on the same coast as SO), but I'm not sure if it is worth the financial difference.

It's a little confusing how the financial aid is described for each

Can you just give a ballpark amount of loans you would have to take for each?

It is unclear how many loans I would have to take because my parents will contribute a portion of COL, but the rundown of how much it would cost me to attend each school is:

• UCLA - $0 (maybe I can save up money)
  
• Columbia - $26,343
  
• UPenn - $26,730
  
• UCSF - $43,404 (1st year), ~$31,158 (2nd-4th year)

Also please post a rundown of your app! I want to see the Top 5 sweep badassness in all its glory

MDapplicants.com

Will likely post more details later.

 

[ppr2796]

Haha I think you can see from the immediately above posts that it's not clear-cut which schools this should be between.

Have you consulted all the attending mentors you have yet? Talked it Flipped a (four-sided) coin and thought about what face you wanted it to land on before looking at it? Reflected on how you felt when you saw which face it actually did land on?

Happy to answer any specific questions about UCLA as always.

I have talked with my academic advisor (MD PhD), and a couple of professors/mentors. It usually goes something along the lines of 'l'm sorry, I wish I had the answer for you. I can appreciate the difficulty of the decision though!'

 

[efle]

Those are the per-year costs right, so really it is UCLA for free vs Columbia/Penn $100k vs UCSF $140k ?

In my opinion it is absurd to consider unnecessary long-distance relationship out of perceived lack of name status for UCLA. You are never ever ever going to be denied a residency interview because you "only" went to UCLA instead of UCSF. Being significantly cheaper is just icing on the cake.

Will likely post more details later.

Please do, getting all of these insane options with a 37 MCAT has me extremely curious !