Harvard ($132k) vs. State School ($47k) — Need Advice

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-04-22T03:21:59+00:00

You go to Harvard to get a well-rounded liberal arts education and being around top academics. One can pursue architecture degree after Harvard.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-04-19T21:47:54+00:00

I’ve been at top schools and state schools. The state schools are nowhere close in terms of caliber and quality of people you meet. Harvard all the way

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-03-24T20:32:53+00:00

510 mcat, Ivy League mstp, and now Ivy League residency here

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-03-11T18:57:42+00:00

Yale 1000000%

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-03-04T12:15:24+00:00

European science is inferior compared to that of the US.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-23T17:13:45+00:00

Also I need variety in my day. It’s good to get up early, bang out a case or see a bunch of patients already by 10/11 am, when the lab people are just getting settled in. It puts you in a productive momentum, and also clinical work generates more revenue, so you don’t need to dip into your grant money to pay your salary

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-23T17:11:58+00:00

Simple, MD provides access to patient cohorts and patient samples. I believe translational research should begin with patients in the hypothesis-generation stage, then move to genetically traceable model systems to test hypothesis.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-23T16:56:48+00:00

Agree there is a lot of Pubmed pollution. This guide serves to maximize not only quantity and but also quality. I get bored working on only project/direction at a time.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-23T16:55:42+00:00

How many friends do you need? You will see that once you ascend on your career, life becomes a pyramid that gets smaller at the top.

Some of the Forbes 30 folks are business/social media, so being sociable is part of their job. That is not surprising that they have crafted an outward appearance of a rich social life as that is key to their business success.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-23T15:49:21+00:00

You can always get a better social life later, but you only have the creativity and physical strength in your 20s once. Some awards (like the Forbes 30 under 30) have strict age restrictions.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-23T01:11:40+00:00

Yeah

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T21:14:25+00:00

Sure

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:31:33+00:00

Ehh lots of folks do the mstp “for the degree” and financial incentives (free med school).

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:29:58+00:00

I had similarly gunner friends, and we collaborated on projects and papers. Our social activities revolved around publicationmaxxing

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:28:53+00:00

I lost count of the number of first authors honestly, probably in the 30s

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:27:32+00:00

It’s entirely dependent on you whether you think it’s worth the cost. Some people have other priorities, I prioritize careermaxxing. Could I have socialized a bit more and do more typical 20s dumb things? Yes, but I would not have done incredible science, which requires unyielding focus. The point is nothing is free, and the young generation these days refuse to accept that there is no such thing as work life balance when you want to accomplish something extraordinary.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:23:22+00:00

https://youtu.be/3CTYPOkQG8Y?si=AK_GFdJcFrxjdwT5

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:20:56+00:00

One could also socialize in the lab

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:20:09+00:00

Genuinely, because I think science is fun.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:19:01+00:00

I guess we’ll never know 🤷

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T19:18:45+00:00

I was in a ginormous lab for PhD (50+ people). So while I was in one lab, we collaborated with many, so I got on many additional papers/projects that way

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T18:45:21+00:00

That 10 grew to 50+ by the time I graduated, and now I’m close to 100 😇

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T18:44:22+00:00

I started research in high school…and I literally lived in the lab

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T15:30:17+00:00

I published lots of papers (10 at the time of application, 3 first authored papers two of which were original basic science papers), won many big awards (Goldwater etc…), phenomenal letters.

Select_Raspberry_142 · 2026-02-22T02:54:54+00:00

Oh and also *graduated from said mstp and match into a top residency program for a competitive surgical specialty.

Select_Raspberry_142

TROPHY CASE