Hello, all! I’ve been fortunate enough to have received EA admission to Yale and likely letters to Stanford, Columbia, and Penn. In addition, I just returned from the interview weekend for URochester’s REMS program (will hear about final admission decision Mar. 15). I still have yet to hear from various other schools and medical programs, but I would greatly appreciate some insight as I continue to receive other admissions decisions. I will update this discussion as more information becomes available. With all that said, I’m well aware that these are all fantastic options for an aspiring physician. I have visited all of these schools and have found ways to feel at home at each and every one. Which of these schools would you choose, and why? Please let me know! Thank you all for your help!
Update: I have also been accepted to Duke as an AB Duke Scholarship Finalist!
All of those are amazing choices! If you are interested in medical school you may want to consider price. Other than that, try and figure how you “fit” with all these schools. The only people who care about the difference in prestige from Yale vs Penn are people from CC.
Rochester is generally considered on a lower level than the other schools you mentioned, but I’m not at all familiar with the benefits of their 8 year program, and it’s possible you may enjoy being in a smaller program like that than just being one of many at one of the other schools you mentioned.
Once again, congratulations.
Congratulations.
As a parent of Columbia student, with another who has been accepted via likely letter to Yale, these are both terrific schools.
I am curious as to why you applied early to Yale vs the others.
Does financial aid matter to you?
Have you had an opprtunity to visit any/all of them?
@MrDoctor and @3puppies , thank you both so much for your thoughtful replies.
@3puppies, I applied early to Yale because it offered EA, thus allowing me to compare all my options come springtime. The issue here is that I’ve visited all of these schools and found ways to build a home every one. I am a flexible person – I can envision myself learning peacefully, happily, and effectively at each of these schools. With regard to money, I unfortunately don’t qualify for much financial aid, but since I have three younger sisters, I do need to consider the most financially responsible option. The AB Duke Scholarship would completely cover all four years (and throw in a trip to Oxford and a research stipend, for good measure). I should be hearing from the REMS medical program in a few days – if I’m accepted there, I’ll have to pay half of undergrad tuition, but I was offered a free MD/PhD for the next 8 years after that (any thoughts, @MrDoctor ?)
As you can probably tell, this decision is not easy by any means. Thank you for helping me figure it out.
As a resident of the Philadelphia area, and daughter of a physician, I think Penn Medicine is the best, period. Second would be Duke. There is just so much exciting stuff happening at both of those schools in medicine and their facilities are unbelievable. Penn is doing amazing stuff in cancer treatment.
Go with the best offers, you are clearly a really good student and success will lie within.
@jzuss8 Uh. I’m honestly just a high school senior like yourself. If you really want my opinion though, I would think it’s between Duke and Rochester. Considering finances and med school, I would take Duke AB scholarship over any of the other tippy top universities you applied to. Your offer from URochester on the other hand, is going to be a completely different beast. Someone else is going to have to give input because I’m not interested in med school at all, so I don’t know any of the finer advantages/disadvantages.
Hey, I just heard back from Rochester today! Hope you got good news as well!
@alee29 , congratulations! Was that for REMS?
@jzuss8 Yup! They called my house and told me I would be receiving an email with some info
Wow! Great! Congratulations again!
@honestmom , what makes the medical scenes at Penn and Duke so unique? Does anyone know what medical opportunities are available for undergraduates at these schools? What sort of access might an undergrad have to the medical school and hospital?
Follow the money. Try to come out of undergrad with minimal debt.
The medical opportunities will not be any different at Penn and Duke versus your other choices.
Does anybody know if the call last night was the only time they would notify people of acceptances? I was under the impression that they were releasing the decisions today.
Looks like Rochester REMS isn’t in the cards for me. That’s okay!
@green678 , I agree that I should make a financially responsible decision – if the merit scholarship with Duke works out, that’ll likely be my decision. @MrDoctor , I totally agree that the AB Duke Scholarship is an awesome, awesome opportunity.
Are there any Duke students (specifically AB scholars) who can weigh in on the program?
@jzuss8 wow these are amazing options! you must be a very impressive applicant.
a major selling point for Penn is that not only the research Penn Med produces is second to none (and arguably Penn Med is better than the med schools of all of your other choices) but also undergrads have very easy access to research opportunities. i have many friends who even as early as their freshman year were able to get involved in actual research supervised by some of the biggest names in their field who are in Penn Med. Penn Med is renowned for its research. also penn is well known for its interdisciplinary character and if you are also interested in healthcare management and/or policy (as an increasing number of physicians are nowadays…) there is no better place to be than penn. (just one example we have ezekiel emanuel and i know undergrads who are actually involved in research projects with him)
even if you are not interested in the business or policy side of healthcare, taking a few hcmg classes as an undergrad at Penn along with your chosen major will give you a very valuable understanding of the healthcare industry and your future role as a physician which gives you a certain edge over other potential med students. i think this is pretty cool.
oh and also i forgot to mention that Penn has a very nice and fun social life which of course as a pre med you wont be able to experience to the fullest but it will keep you from going crazy and will provide an occasional outlet from the demanding life as a pre med…one of the things i like about penn is that I am surrounded by people who are very smart and motivated but also know how to socialize and have fun from time to time, they are not one-sided nerds.
Yale, Columbia, Penn, Stanford and Duke are all amazing schools that will all prepare you quite well for medical school. The differences in prestige/ranking are completely insignificant at this level… go with (1) money, and (2) personal fit. The only way you could go wrong is taking on a lot of loan debt.
@jzuss8 I totally agree with @Penn95. I am a student in Argentina and I studied a year abroad at penn last year and I was able to get a research position in HUP in the radiology department. So it is definitely true that there is easy access to research opportunities with Penn Med/HUP. And I was not the only visitng student who was able to get a research position. And Of course it is even easier for regular full time pre med students at penn. If you are committed to it and reach out early to professors etc it is extremely likely that will get a position. And of course needless to say the research and the doctors there are really top notch. I really learned soo much. Def an amazing experience. Hope to return there for residency but it is really competitive so I can only hope.
What I liked about Penn other than its great medical school and hospital is that it is very diverse and accepting.
But obviously try to researchall the amazing schools you got into and determine which fits best for you.
Best of luck with everything!!
Hello, all! Thank you so much for reaching out to me and helping me out with this decision. I will most likely be attending Duke next year, as I was awarded the AB Duke Scholarship.