<p>I got my acceptance letter from Oxford as an international student today and Yale a while back. Now I don't know which to go for. I plan on studying Medicine. I am also waiting for Harvard to reply back. </p>
<p>Anyone have any idea where I should go to.</p>
<p>That really depends what kind of experience you’re looking for. I will try to summarize the major differences between the experiences you’d have at Yale and Oxford:</p>
<p>– You would do 4 years for undergrad at Yale, then 4 years for medical school = 8 years total. At Oxford, you would get the whole thing done in (I think) 5 years. </p>
<p>–You could major in anything at Yale (even, say, Philosophy) and still apply to medical school so long as you get your requirements done. At Oxford, you would just “read” medicine.</p>
<p>–At Yale, you would take classes in a wide variety of subjects (which is why undergrad takes so much longer). At Oxford, you would just study medicine. </p>
<p>–Yale stresses extracurricular and campus life much more than Oxford does. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to do at Oxford, but there isn’t the same sense of the “college experience” that there is in the US. For example, at Yale, a lot of professors celebrate and even participate in extracurricular activities. My friends at Oxford tell me, however, that professors there tend to be skeptical of non-academic pursuits. </p>
<p>So I think it boils down to:</p>
<p>At Oxford, you finish your education in substantially less time and get to move on with your life. Your education will be excellent, but very focused and somewhat narrow. You will have a somewhat active campus life.</p>
<p>At Yale, it will take you three extra years (compared to Oxford) to finish college and medical school, but you can major in whatever you’d like and take a wide variety of classes. You would enjoy a very active campus life.</p>
<p>You can’t go wrong either way, it just depends on what you’d prefer.</p>
<p>Yeah, I not that sure yet about Oxford because I would love to pursue music in college. Out of curiosity which school has better medicine program? Yale, Oxford, or Harvard?</p>
<p>They are great options, but one thing you have to remember is that after medical school you still have residency and your practice. If you want to practice in the United States, your going to have to take the USMLE (the Boards) after medical school no matter where you study and the international passing rate is significantly lower than the domestic rate. Thats one downside to the Oxford program.</p>
<p>I am a US citizen, If I studied over sea will be consider as a foreign student when I come back to the states?</p>
<p>If you love music as well, Yale is the standout option among the three. If you are 100% sure you want to do medicine (and Oxford has accepted you to read med), you should definitely go there cos it’s way shorter and going to Y/H doesn’t guarantee you a spot in a prestigious med school. </p>
<p>That said, you should look into the liberal arts pedagogy of US universities. Many of my friends enter college as pre-meds but were so taken by other fields that they quickly changed their majors.</p>
<p>If you get into Harvard, then go there! Otherwise, perhaps do Yale undergrad, and then Oxford Medical.</p>
<p>Looks like i have to wait till I get Harvard’s decision.</p>
<p>Harvard has wonderful music options as well. Also Berkeley School of Music and New England Conservatory are nearby. Although I suspect Yale is better for accapella groups, but no personal knowledge. Harvard is in Cambridge/Boston which is a wonderful city…truly the best college town…New Haven as a city just doesn’t compare. Yale as a result is more insular although campus is incredibly beautiful. Yalies seem very happy. Although ask about housing at Yale as there is a good chance you won’t be able to live on campus all 4 years. I don’t know how the (mostly) juniors who live in apartments in New Haven feel about it. Its a nice choice to have. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Your best way of making this decision (once you have heard from Harvard) is to visit the campuses.</p>
<p>That said, as you have mentioned music, I do think Yale may be the strongest of the three schools with regards to performance. There are provisions for Oxford students to study at RCM or RAM, and Harvard has a special program allowing for lessons with New England Conservatory of music but it is highly selective. The disadvantage in both cases is in splitting your time between two campuses.</p>
<p>There are many student ensembles at Yale, and vastly more a capella groups than any other campus (including the famed Whiffenpoofs). Because of the School of Drama and the School of Music, the context for the performing arts is extraordinary. </p>
<p>You didn’t mention what instrument you play or whether you are contemplating a music major, but there are several Yalie musicians and their parents on these threads. Please PM me if you like for all the info I can give.</p>
<p>Another way to look at this issue is to consider whether you are absolutely committed to spending the rest of your life in the United States. You may want to take a look at the recent Op-Ed charts in the New York Times by Charles Blow - e.g., "Empire at the End of Decadence: in the February 19, 2011 issue.</p>
<p>Yale is hands-down the best of the three in terms of music, especially if you are premed. Yale and Harvard are equally good for premed, but Yale has the edge in music, since it has a top-ranked music program in the school itself. At H or Oxford, in order to have access to an excellent music school, you’d be doing your music on a different campus. At Yale it’s all right there; the music school buildings are literally across the street from many of the main undergrad classroom buildings. </p>
<p>HarvardBoundNY: Sorry, but I don’t think you understand how medical school works abroad. Going to Oxford for medical school after doing your undergrad at H or Y would be silly. Med school is an undergraduate degree in the UK, so you’d basically be doing your bachelor’s all over again, with a few extra years on top. Plus, as another poster mentioned, it’s hard to get approval to practice in the US if you didn’t go to med school here. If you’re planning on living in the US, it’s probably easier to do your medical education here.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, there’s an extensive Yale Daily News article comparing Yale and Oxford, particularly with regard to academic approaches, and some elements of social life:<br>
[What?s</a> better: Oxford?s depth or Yale?s breadth? | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/apr/23/whats-better-oxfords-depth-or-yales-breadth/]What?s”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/apr/23/whats-better-oxfords-depth-or-yales-breadth/)</p>
<p>Interesting article that…</p>
<p>I guess the primary question to ask yourself is what you would like out of a college. I believe that Oxford prides itself on pushing students to get the most out of their major by eliminating general ed. requirements to completely focus upon one academic area, while Yale is typically more lenient in regards to exploring various academic avenues. Personally, I would choose Yale. For me, college is about more than gaining an exceptional education. I hope to discover what I am truly passionate about during my four years by taking varied classes. You could feel completely opposite. Either way, kudos to for getting accepted, both schools are amazing!</p>
<p>I would choose Yale for undergraduate - don’t worry about medicial school just yet. You can always go someplace else (i.e. Harvard) for your graduate degree.</p>
<p>I think you will need to consider whether you would like to practice in the U.S. or elsewhere around the world as a physician. If you went to Oxford, you would complete your medicine school and also do a houseman year (general internship) before going on further with your clinical training. You may want to do the same before applying to internship/residency programs in the U.S. If you do apply to programs in the U.S., you would be considered a foreign medical graduate (albeit from a prestigious medical school) and need to take the ECFMG exams. If you did well, it is likely you could enter into a top internship/residency program in the U.S. If you plan to practice in Britain, then going to Oxford would be the way to go, as it is nearly impossible for an American medical graduate to fit into the training program in Britain as the houseman year is generally required. Also, for an American it would make no sense, as most states require you to do two-three years of post-graduate clinical training in a U.S. accredited program before you can be licensed.</p>
<p>One thing to consider is whether you are interested in a career in academic medicine. The British system will provide excellent clinical training; however, due to the shortened period for medical school, students will not have as strong a background in general sciences. Moreover, it would be very difficult to have time off to do research. Thus, an academic career generally focuses more on clinical proficiency, and less on basic or even translational research. In the States, one would have ample opportunity to do medical research as an undergrad, particularly at a school like Yale. Additionally, one would have opportunities in medical school as well. Going to Oxford would prepare you well as a clinician whereas going to Yale and then a top U.S. medical school, would prepare you well as a clinician-scientist if you wanted to pursue that pathway. Of course, one can be a 100% clinician from either pathway.</p>
<p>i think you would need to take the ECFMG exam regardless of your citizenship if you go to Oxford. The posters above are absolutely correct in that one “reads” just a single subject at Oxbridge. That being said the amount of free time is much higher in the UK (my S just finished Eton and is coming back to the US for university so I am familiar with both systems) and so the extracurricular life can take more prominent role in one’s life–His former girlfriend when to China in the middle of term time by getting her tutorials on a Monday and then the next Friday…the tutor was none the wiser…) Now medicine, especially as one moves into the clinical years doesn’t have the same flexibility as other papers, but still more than in the American system. </p>
<p>Living for five years in the UK is an incredible opportunity. Again my S had it at Eton and feels as if he has two homes–here and abroad. </p>
<p>Music? Depends on the type-- choral? Oxbridge. There are great opportunities at both H and Y to make and study music. the YSMus is the best in the country, but I have heard that there is a great divide between undergrads and graduate students. H has Boston in addition to a great internal music scene. In short-- anywhere will work-- but a nod to Oxford if you are a chorister.</p>
<p>If you are an American and you want to practice medicine in the US, then go to Yale, not Oxford. </p>
<p>It does take longer in the US–8 vs. 6. The whole course is very different. If you want to come back to the US to do a residency, you have to take 3 exams. I’m not an expert by any means. However, as I understand it, most Americans take Step 1 after 2 years of med school. This exam, which is about the basic sciences–again, that’s just my understanding–is the toughest of the 3 exams. Most people take it after they have just finished the relevant course work. The British system isn’t structured the same way, so there’s not the same sort of “natural” time to take the exam. Getting a high score on this exam is crucial for getting a good residency. </p>
<p>You also have to take Step 2 and Step 3. As i understand it, you can take Step 1 and 2 in the UK, but # 3 must be taken in the US. It’s the easiest of the 3, but you still have to study for it. </p>
<p>Then you’ll have to apply for a residency. Now, the Brit system for applying to be a houseman and the US system are not in sync time wise. So, you may want to apply for both. </p>
<p>Applying for a residency requires interviews. This means you’ll be flying back to the states multiple times. While profs at US med schools understand what you are going through, you won’t get the same flexibility from Oxford or the hospital you are working for in the UK about this. Residency programs don’t pay the cost of getting to the interview. So, realize that, in addition to the application fees, you’ll be paying round trip airfare from the UK for your interviews. </p>
<p>Residency programs vary a great deal in their willingness to accept foreign med grads. The fact that you are a US citizen and that the degree is from Oxford will help. Still, there will be some residency programs that won’t want to gamble on you. </p>
<p>I hasten to add this is all second hand information. I’m not a doctor. I’d suggest you go to the med board and ask some questions there before making a final choice.</p>
<p>I 've been to England my best friend actually studies there. If you are looking for a real college experience go to Yale. Live in a University in UK is just like living in UK, not being a college student. Where are you from really? I am from Greece and rain is really frustrated for me!!! And the party scene on England just not Good! (Or not as good as Greek is). I would choose Yale. And you can spent a summer in England with a Yale program…</p>