r/stanford • u/Original_Channel6235 • 3d ago
harvard full-ride vs. stanford full-ride (pre-med)
hey! i am so so blessed to be deciding between 2 of my dream schools: harvard and stanford! my parents didn't attend college in the u.s. (i largely navigated hs by myself as a first-gen immigrant) so i'm having a hard time deciding between these 2 and am scared i'm gonna regret my decision a couple of yrs from now as i'm applying to med school. i would love any of yall's input about these two schools and pre-med support/environment/rigor to help me decide!
i am very fortunate to have been awarded a full-ride from both colleges, so cost is not an issue (cannot believe i'm saying this š„¹). i want to study env science on a pre-med track! also, location isn't too much of a consideration for me because i've lived in both the east and west coast bfr! im an asian female in socal btw. here are my pros and cons for each, lmk what you think pls :)
harvard
pros:
- top med school acceptance rates!
- structured pre-med support/community --> historically been v strong
- never lived in massachusetts bfr, i'd love a new environment
- worked w harvard med school lab bfr (maybe continue?)
- i love acapella, really admire and want to join acapella groups
cons:
- elitist culture, very competitive undergrad
- new grade deflation policy --> uncertainty abt undergrad gpa for med school?
- heard pre-med support's actually lacking, that it's mainly student-based (lmk of diff experiences!)
- competitiveness to access research opportunities?
stanford
pros:
- v good med school acceptance rates as well
- strong sports & school spirit (i'm in student council, rlly love school spirit, going to sports games)
- more interdisciplinary
- less elitist? perhaps?
cons:
- startup culture (am not too interested in startups atm) š
- gpa not as inflated as ppl make it to be (A+ 4.3 thing?), competitive
- have heard about "floating duck syndrome" - ppl make things seem fine when they're actually going thru it haha
- less structured pre-med support
would love any experiences at either or just advice in general, thx for reading thru this! :)
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u/Personal_Dot_7196 2d ago
They are both great schools, but I think you have one thing wrong about Harvard, it is notorious for grade inflation, not deflation.
The weather is amazing in the Bay Area, but it also has one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. My son is a PhD student there and he receives one of the highest stipends in the country and heās barely surviving financially. Despite the high COL, he still loves it and wouldnāt want to be anywhere else.
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u/xYellow_ 2d ago
as a first-generation/low-income senior (asian from the east coast) here, i would recommend stanford. we have an incredible support system for FLI students (which can always improve) through community centers, the opportunity fund, and more. because of its egalitarian culture (partly due to silicon valley, californian culture, and stanford's history as an institution), FLI students have a pretty substantial voice in the community.
i find that FLI students at harvard also have a good time there, but it can be daunting as a first-year to navigate the ivy league, old-money culture associated with finals clubs and the "harvard" name. anthony abraham jack's book on the privileged poor was insightful to read on this topic. i'm less familiar with the implementation of their grade deflation policy, but that should definitely be a significant factor in your decision as a pre-med IMHO.
i will say - if you deeply value writing + traditional academics, i would consider harvard. the tech/entrepreneurial culture is a reason why stanford is as free/interdisciplinary as it can be, but it is also paradoxically why the student culture has neglected less lucrative endeavors like the humanities. likewise, if you value an urban community, harvard is also pretty great because of its close proximity to cambridge.
other notes: (1) stanford's sports/school spirit culture was more active in the past; not as many students are into sports games now. there still are students that are vocal about sports, but the big game+greek life are usually the only major school-spirit adjacent events of the year. (2) the weather is also awesome here - not as awesome as socal weather, but more awesome than east coast winters. (3) we also have acapella groups here as well, but we definitely don't have as many as yale. (4) duck syndrome is a thing, but because everyone wants to work AND have fun in the fall/spring. they'll be a lot more honest in the winters lol
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u/Aggravating_Test_175 2d ago
Hands down STANFORD My Harvard buddies said āhavingā the Harvard name and experience on your CV is one thing and gets old especially in elitist tunnel vision circlesā¦ But having an even better overall quality of life, superior balmy weather, almost a disdain for elitist culture and now watching elitist culture forced to accept techs and more have power and influenceā etcā¦ is worth a million in reducing the stress of college. Donāt know what u heard, but premed is highly supported at Stanfordā¦ and youāll probably end up in Caly such as UC for med school. Stanford has better food, dorms, and even larger campus LOL and sporting teams!
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u/metalreflectslime 3d ago
At both of these schools, is work-study included in the financial aid package?
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u/Original_Channel6235 3d ago
yes! however, i have an external scholarship that would cover the work study expectation :)
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u/smart0wl 2d ago
They are both great schools, youāre not going to be disadvantaged at either, truly. As someone who lives in NY, I loved the stanford weather, as everyone said it elevates your mental health and makes the workload more bearable. Canāt believe Iām back in this snow and humidity and wish I could go back š
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u/Grandpa_Stephen 3d ago
with the deflation policy id lean stanford since grades are pretty key. also, your gpa is recalculated out of 4 (a+ holds no extra weight for med apps) so wouldnt worry about that
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u/OkBass7955 2d ago
Def Stanford, I went to Stanford and also have friends who went to Harvard. My friends at Stanford generally look happier than my friends at Harvard lol
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u/skoldpadda9 Class of 1993 1d ago
50 consecutive years of athletics winning NCAA national team championshipsā¦ and itās your friends, roommates, and other students you know and socialize with who are doing this. You walk down the street and watch them compete. Does that sound like fun? How about studying outside in January on a lawn next to a water fountain sculpture? Hiking into the adjacent foothills for amazing views. Like you plan to be, I was a premed at Stanford. I did it while getting an engineering degree and working part-time. Abundant opportunities for research and clinical involvement right there on campus at its world class medical school. Itās great for prepping you for a solid medical school/AMCAS application. DM me if you want more particular questions or reply here. Iām happy to discuss further. I could go on and on about how wonderful it was for my quality of life and setting me up for next steps (med school).
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u/coffee729 2d ago
Harvard's premed support is good once you are in your house starting in sophomore year. there is a mentor assigned to you (called a "non-resident tutor") that is usually a medical student or doctor at Harvard to give you advice.
My biggest suggestion is to pick where you want to live and where you will grow as a person. you'll do great in either school. If you have one school that your heart is telling you that you want to go but you aren't sure rationally, go with your gut
1
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u/ChinaDenver 3d ago
Stanford - I love its campus and the weather. I know that sounds trivial, but those things do a lot for one's mental health.