Yale Vs Madison

College Search & Selection
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Okay, @manyloyalties makes some strong points (BTW, did you go to medical school? Not being argumentative. If not, it sounds like you still know a lot, much more than an English major like me :slight_smile: ).

But shouldn’t we bring up the unmentioned (or it probably is mentioned, but there are so many posts in this thread!)? We all know that the ground is littered with the bones of once-hopeful pre-med students. We all personally know friends, family members, and classmates who started out pre-med but switched to another “major” (pre-med, of course, is not a major). One friend of mine who attended UIUC became pre-law. My roommate in college went to dental school.

Clearly, the OP is bright; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been admitted to Yale. Any idea how many Yalies get weeded out? I’m not questioning the OP’s devotion or desire, but if medical school at some point is not an option, what should he do? Is Yale still worth the 60K (plus his family’s substantial payment) because it can open doors? If the OP’s plan is to immediately enter the job market, maybe? The starting salaries from top schools are higher (don’t worry, people, the other grads from other schools catch up over time). Also, there’s the trend (disturbing, IMO) of how Wall Street poaches all sorts of Ivy grads (not just economics grads) for two years of grueling but well-paid work. These students get run through the mill, working 80+ hours per week, and essentially lose two years of their lives and often regret the decision after. But they do get paid a bundle.

If med school does not pan out, Madison is perhaps the stronger choice if the OP plans to go to grad school, which is far less dependent on the name of the undergrad institution. He can get into a top STEM grad school program via Madison or New Haven.

Thoughts?

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I did not go to medical school, but several family members did, and applied recently, and so I learned all about the frenzy of medical school admissions, which continue to be absurdly brutally competitive in ways that make college admissions seem like child’s play. Twenty or more applications to schools with 3% admissions, costs of 80,000 a year and rising. Paying for medical school is no joke and by then family resources are long gone, even though medical schools require consideration of those same resources. And, as with undergraduate, the best medical schools have the most need and merit aid, so getting into the top schools is a cheaper option in many cases, which makes those schools even harder to get into. That being said, who knows about switching careers. No choices are that simple but you can’t go wrong with either Madison or Yale on an absolute scale. Yale is better if you wanted to go to Wall Street and Madison is better for a lower paid career, I assume. The Poster is in good shape. I guess my point overall is that the 60,000 can’t be considered without also considering the impact on medical school admissions and cost.

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@DecisionHelp - what did you decide? Good luck wherever you go – I’m sure you’ll do great!