First, congratulations on your acceptances! My son had to choose between these three schools (and two others) last spring; though his intended major was different (computer science) and he was not a first-generation college student, some of his experiences this year (from my perspective as a parent) may be instructive.
As a high school senior, you will probably feel that this is the most difficult, life-changing decision you will ever make—one that will determine the entire course not only of the next four years but of your entire life. And in many ways, this is true; in others, though, it isn’t.
These three schools have more commonalities than differences—they’re all large, prestigious universities with exceptionally talented students and faculty, and you’ll get a first-rate education at any of them. Assuming you do well, you should have your pick of medical schools. There will be more opportunities than you could ever take advantage of at any of them to further your career as a pre-med undergraduate.
My son ended up choosing Stanford for several reasons, but the most important at the time was its reputation in computer science and location in Silicon Valley. He also preferred the weather and liked that Stanford was close to home (Southern California). The choice was very difficult for him (and for us); though he isn’t prone to regret, I am and often wondered whether he’d made the right decision.
He has now been at Stanford for four months. What we’ve found is that certain things ended up being much more important than we anticipated: location, general atmosphere, and weather. These sound like trivial things, ones that shouldn’t, for example, have the same import as a school’s reputation in a particular field. But they can be the ones that end up affecting your life the most as a college student.
There hasn’t been a single moment when any of us weren’t happy he chose Stanford on those dimensions. The location closer to home has been much more useful than we anticipated and helped ease his transition to college. Stanford’s general atmosphere is very open, laid back, friendly, and diverse—for my son, it’s been a nice continuation of a similar atmosphere he enjoyed in his very diverse public high school here. As for the weather, on numerous occasions he’s mentioned how much he likes it and how glad he is not to be trudging through snow and ice on the East Coast. Palo Alto is a bit chillier and rainier than Southern California, but he can’t really complain!
On the other hand, when it comes to his prospective computer science major and being located in the heart of Silicon Valley, that hasn’t mattered (at least not yet). For one thing, like many first-year students, he’s experiencing some doubt about his academic direction and is no longer sure it will include computer science. This was a surprise to all of us, though it really shouldn’t have been, since apparently 50 percent of incoming students in college change their minds about their choice of major.
Although there have already been countless opportunities to take advantage of Silicon Valley as a Stanford “techie,” my son has been too busy with other things (taking classes, making friends, pursuing his own nonacademic interests, etc.) to avail himself of them. That could change in the future, but it might not.
The other fields he’s currently considering majoring in have excellent reputations at Stanford, but I’m not sure these departments are any better there than at Harvard or Yale—in fact, one probably isn’t quite as good as its counterpart at Harvard. Does he care, and do we care? No. Why not? Because college is so much more than the reputation of individual programs—it’s a whole lifestyle and environment you become part of, for better or for worse, the moment you arrive in the fall.
Has he found nirvana at Stanford since arriving, just like all the brochures (not just from Stanford but from every school) seem to promise? No—he’s had his share of difficulties and unhappy moments there, like everyone. But he’s been 100 percent satisfied with his choice, and he’s very grateful that it’s more of a “fun” college atmosphere than may exist elsewhere. He’s said several times that he may well eventually end up working or going to grad school on the East Coast, but for now he’s really happy to be at Stanford and in sunny California close to home.
So I would advise you to think hard about the entire “package” each of these places offers you. Don’t worry about academic reputation in one field or another (unless it’s notably bad) or whether one school will give you a better chance of getting into med school than another. Think about what you want the next four years to be like on a day-to-day basis. Med school (or grad school) will be a grind, but college shouldn’t be—at least not completely. If weather and enjoying the outdoors is important to you, pay attention to that—try to imagine how it will be living in Palo Alto (Stanford, actually) versus Cambridge or New Haven. Think about whether you’d prefer the quarter system (Stanford) or semester system (Harvard and Yale)—there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Look more closely at the course requirements (and ways of fulfilling them) and see whether you’d find them too restrictive.
As for the frat scene at Stanford, from what my son (who definitely does not fit the frat guy stereotype) reports, it’s fine—very open and friendly, and many students, including him, take advantage of their parties every weekend. There’s no pressure to do so, though, and many other socializing options exist.
Stanford also has endless opportunities to be involved in athletics, as a participant, spectator, or both. But I’m sure that’s true of Harvard and Yale as well.
Anyway, good luck with your decision. Go to the various local receptions the schools offer, talk to alumni and current students, attend the admitted students events if you’re still undecided by then, and then make your choice. As I’ve said, in the end any one of them will be fine academically and launch you toward med school (or whatever else you decide on), but your day-to-day life will be quite different at each of them.