I chose my doctor (internist, specifically) on the basis of the practice advertising that they spoke English. That was just after I arrived and there was no way my beginner Japanese was going to be adequate for something you really need full communication on...like doctor/patient conversations. So when I got around to looking at my doctor's bio on the clinic website, it turns out that while her medical degree is from Sapporo Medical University (a well-regarded school), she did her residency at Massachusetts General, under the auspices of Harvard Medical School. Jackpot! She's excellent...

I didn't apply to Harvard, either. Nothing against the school, but I have relatives in Boston...and I don't like them. Didn't apply to Yale, either...because at that point in my life, I wasn't interested in small city living, and New Haven wasn't for me. Columbia was always my first choice...and so it went. Funny how life goes, though: while I loved my time in NYC at that point in my life, I wouldn't move back on a bet. As far as mega-cities go, Tokyo destroys it in every way (except by-the-slice pizza shops...but there's a good one of those in Sapporo, of all places). Tokyo is how you do big cities right.

IMO, you made a great call with Vanderbilt. Outstanding school.