Stanford or Guaranteed Medical Program?

SacKings · 03-29-2008, 12:21 PM

Got in both, which should i attend? please post your advice. i got in the gw medical program for high school seniors, but you can't lose with Stanford University! what do u think?

mercruz · 03-29-2008, 05:51 PM

I actually seriously thought about applying to GWU, but I finally decided on Stanford for different reasons.

Hamman · 03-29-2008, 06:29 PM

hmm yeah, stanford is great, I'm trying to decide where I should attend next year also. However, after stanford, you're probably going to be applying to medical school, so why don't you just take the guaranteed medical program? I don't think it makes a big difference where you get your medical license, as compared to like an MBA or something. I would go with the sure thing, but I know how hard it is to pass up stanford too

all605 · 03-29-2008, 07:02 PM

I'm not going to stanford and I'm not pre-med lol (I'm pre-vet, and the two are very similiar), but here's some advice:

I'm pretty sure med schools are like vet schools where they care much, much more about your gpa than about where you went to school for undergrad. Now, considering the rigor of stanford (which I assume it's difficult due to its prestige), do you think you will be able to maintain a really high gpa that you're gonna need to get into med school? I'm not saying its impossible or anything, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

On the other hand, are you 100% on becoming a doctor? Obviously, if you're not, then standford would probably be the better choice.

googol123 · 03-30-2008, 02:36 AM

As others said, if you're 90%+ sure you want to be a doctor, take the guaranteed med program. Pre-med at Stanford is a hard, long track that probably is more stressful than a med only track.

Sequoia · 03-30-2008, 01:08 PM

I know a student who chose the UCSD guaranteed medical track over Stanford. It was a tough decision, but he has absolutely no regrets. These programs are very selective as is. As others said, if you are sure of your motivation to become a doc, I'd seriously consider GWU.

Sly Si · 03-30-2008, 01:26 PM

On the flip side of Sequoia's last sentence, keep in mind that many premeds change their mind about their future career during undergrad. There's a lot more out there than becoming a doctor, and if you decide the med school track is not for you, you'll regret turning down Stanford.

Princess'Dad · 04-06-2008, 04:33 PM

Go to Stanford.
As an alum and a surgeon and a Professor on medical school admission committee (my third school now), I can tell you that your education will be second to none at Stanford. No TAs teach except for labs. The best part of the school is the interactions with other bright kids. The LSJUMB is of its own kind.
For medical schools, we like people who are well rounded.

ps: Almost every Stanford person attends a Stanford-in-"foreign country". This alone is worth your education there.

Sly Si · 04-08-2008, 08:24 PM

Not "every Stanford person" attends an abroad program. It just seems that way. In fact, I'm writing from such a program now.

Johnny Bear · 05-08-2008, 11:23 AM

Prestige doesn't make a school's courses harder. That's up to individual professors. You should go to Stanford. You will have the experience of a lifetime, and it's a guaranteed med program in one sense; if you can get into Stanford you probably have the work ethic to get into med school. No need to hold onto a safety. A pre-med shouldn't be looking for easy exits anyway.

SacKings · 05-13-2008, 10:05 AM

thanks Johnny Bear for your concrete advice. I have decided to attend Stanford because I am sure that I will be able to get into GW Med School ro a better, top medical school with my Stanford degree. what do u think?