Med school’s prestige: double edged sword?

[LadyJubilee8_18]

Ok, I just interviewed at UTMB and I REALLY liked their school. I liked the curriculum and the opportunities for student involvement. Also, the students were VERY helpful and it seemed they supported each other instead of being overly competitive. The living expense can be really low if you live in the phrat houses and they even have a few completely student run clinics for people in Galveston and in Brownsville who do not have medical insurance. I really think I would fit with the student body and I liked the Docs that interviewed me. The problem is, they are unranked. I have visited Southwestern (the best school on the match) though I have not had my interview there yet. The people there are MUCH more competitive and seemed to lack compassion. My sister went to an OB clinic at southwestern during her pregnancy, and the residents there were very unaccommodating, cold, and mean. If I feel I fit better at a less prestigious school, should I rank it over the more prestigious one? UTMB is unranked and Southwestern is number 17 I think. That’s a huge jump. Does the ranking really matter much when you are looking at residencies? What would you guys do?

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[Centinel]

Assuming I get accepted at more than one school, I will go to the school where I think I'm going to be happiest. That will be partially a function of my impression of 'school quality', but I will also factor in geography, student quality (niceness, etc.), faculty quality (engaged-ness), and just how happy I think I will be.

Don't discount it just because it's competitive, but don't feel like you need to go there if it's the top-ranked school you get into.

 

[Karim]

She brings up a great point...what effect will that have when you're looking at residencies?

 

[ROOwala06]

Ok, I just interviewed at UTMB and I REALLY liked their school. I liked the curriculum and the opportunities for student involvement. Also, the students were VERY helpful and it seemed they supported each other instead of being overly competitive. The living expense can be really low if you live in the phrat houses and they even have a few completely student run clinics for people in Galveston and in Brownsville who do not have medical insurance. I really think I would fit with the student body and I liked the Docs that interviewed me. The problem is, they are unranked. I have visited Southwestern (the best school on the match) though I have not had my interview there yet. The people there are MUCH more competitive and seemed to lack compassion. My sister went to an OB clinic at southwestern during her pregnancy, and the residents there were very unaccommodating, cold, and mean. If I feel I fit better at a less prestigious school, should I rank it over the more prestigious one? UTMB is unranked and Southwestern is number 17 I think. That’s a huge jump. Does the ranking really matter much when you are looking at residencies? What would you guys do?

I'm a Texas resident too. As you have seen, no school can MAKE a good doctor. It is what you make of it. No matter what kind of medical education you receive, in the end its what you do with it. COMPASSION is a large part of medicine. If you do not have this, the quality of care you give patients is greatly compromised. The competitive nature at UTSW tends to make people forget why they are there. People are so used to feeling as if someone is trying to take their residency spot that the development of a cold nature is inevitable. These are the same people you will be working with. Talking to one of my friends there who is a first year, i have come to find out that the competition just got worse. HE said that he made in the 90's on his first exam. The next part shocked me: that was only 40th percentile!!! Just this year, they have started to do distribution curves there, meaning only a certain number of people can make A's, B's, etc. Its like taking already competitive people and putting them in a even MORE competitive situation. Who will help who when the difference b/w an A and a B is literally a few points on an exam. Supposedly, the dean there felt the grades were too high last year so the policy was changed this year. There is talk of a petition from what i hear.
THE POINT IS...You will be a good doctor whether you go to UTMB, UTH, or anywhere else for that matter. Its not like UTSW has some secret cirriculum (in fact its very traditional). In the end, the medical school environment you are in really affects your personal skills. You have witnessed this first hand. Hope this helps. GOOD LUCK. TRUST ME, i felt the same way after intv. at UTSA and UTH this year. I have UTSW, UTMB and baylor coming up so I will have to see it all for myself.

 

[DrBowtie]

Just like undergrad school in comparison it is taken into account but how much is unknown. Boards, grades, research, LOR's comprise the major components.

 

[LadyJubilee8_18]

Just like undergrad school in comparison it is taken into account but how much is unknown. Boards, grades, research, LOR's comprise the major components.

Yeah, it would not be such a problem if it weren't for the match system in Tx. At the end of interviews, I'll have to rank the schools so if I got into UTMB and I rank them first, I will never know if I could have gone to Southwestern. I guess I'll see if the interviews change my mind. Or I'll just PRAY that I hear something from Baylor, then the problem will be solved

 

[synapse lapse]

I'm a Texas resident too. As you have seen, no school can MAKE a good doctor. It is what you make of it. No matter what kind of medical education you receive, in the end its what you do with it. COMPASSION is a large part of medicine. If you do not have this, the quality of care you give patients is greatly compromised. The competitive nature at UTSW tends to make people forget why they are there. People are so used to feeling as if someone is trying to take their residency spot that the development of a cold nature is inevitable. These are the same people you will be working with. Talking to one of my friends there who is a first year, i have come to find out that the competition just got worse. HE said that he made in the 90's on his first exam. The next part shocked me: that was only 40th percentile!!! Just this year, they have started to do distribution curves there, meaning only a certain number of people can make A's, B's, etc. Its like taking already competitive people and putting them in a even MORE competitive situation. Who will help who when the difference b/w an A and a B is literally a few points on an exam. Supposedly, the dean there felt the grades were too high last year so the policy was changed this year. There is talk of a petition from what i hear.
THE POINT IS...You will be a good doctor whether you go to UTMB, UTH, or anywhere else for that matter. Its not like UTSW has some secret cirriculum (in fact its very traditional). In the end, the medical school environment you are in really affects your personal skills. You have witnessed this first hand. Hope this helps. GOOD LUCK. TRUST ME, i felt the same way after intv. at UTSA and UTH this year. I have UTSW, UTMB and baylor coming up so I will have to see it all for myself.

Some of what your friend told you is true, some of it is not. Yes, the first test had very high scores, but it was also basically review for most of the class. The dean specifically stated that we will not have a curve, but that he did want a more even distribution of grades. We are all first years who have only been here for a little more than 3 weeks, so its not like we know anything anyhow. The petition was some absurd idea of imature, idiotic, frankly irrational people in our class who are unwilling to deal with things in any reasonable matter, and it isn't going to happen. In addition, UTSW is not competitive at all, I can personally atest to this. Yes, like other schools you have people who are gunners and are insane, but most of the class isn't represented by those people. We all heard the same rumors when we were applying last year, and they were discounted by the now 2nd -4th years. You know what, they were right. There is certainly no cut throat competition here, it is actually the opposite. People constantly email out review sheets they put together, or helpful sites they know about, and we have a shared class hard drive where people post helpful information. We have organized stuy groups and didactic teaching sessions by students of all years, and really a great class. I can assure you that it is no more competitive here than it is anywhere else, we just take heat about it b/c of our ranking (as do most top schools). But you don't have to take my word for it, I encourage you when you interview to talk with a range of students, not just your friend, about their take on what is going on with grades, tests, and the general atmosphere of the school, and come back and discuss it here. I promise you will have a more complete picture of how it really is than by listening to one person who may or may not be in touch with reality. You will meet students who have good and bad things to say about UTSW (myself included) but I can tell you that I am very happy with my choice to attend here, and I think that all schools have downsides (I hate letter grades for instance, which we have, and I like PBL which we don't have much of) but the benefits really do outweigh the detriments. To the OP, I also really enjoyed UTMB, and I thought it was an excellent institution. All of my friends actually felt the same way. I went in sold on wanting to go to Baylor, and yet by the end of the app process I was happier here at UTSW. Our administration is top notch, and they truly do care about the students, you will realize this when you meet Dr. Wagner, Dr. Parker, Dr. Wright, and possibly even our dean, Dr. Gilman. The only advice I can give is to not believe stupid rumors or individual sources, and come with an open mind to experience for yourself how things are. Anecdotal evidence is no substitution for research and multiple experiences.

 

[riceman04]

Ok, I just interviewed at UTMB and I REALLY liked their school. I liked the curriculum and the opportunities for student involvement. Also, the students were VERY helpful and it seemed they supported each other instead of being overly competitive. The living expense can be really low if you live in the phrat houses and they even have a few completely student run clinics for people in Galveston and in Brownsville who do not have medical insurance. I really think I would fit with the student body and I liked the Docs that interviewed me. The problem is, they are unranked. I have visited Southwestern (the best school on the match) though I have not had my interview there yet. The people there are MUCH more competitive and seemed to lack compassion. My sister went to an OB clinic at southwestern during her pregnancy, and the residents there were very unaccommodating, cold, and mean. If I feel I fit better at a less prestigious school, should I rank it over the more prestigious one? UTMB is unranked and Southwestern is number 17 I think. That’s a huge jump. Does the ranking really matter much when you are looking at residencies? What would you guys do?

You have to find the place where you will be the happiest! I would not worry about ranking either b/c the last thing you want to worry about is being miserable while part of an extremely demanding professional program. People from the "lower-tiered" schools get into great residencies and make significant contributions to the medical field all the time....Attend the school that fits you best!

 

[BaylorGuy]

Ok, I just interviewed at UTMB and I REALLY liked their school. I liked the curriculum and the opportunities for student involvement. Also, the students were VERY helpful and it seemed they supported each other instead of being overly competitive. The living expense can be really low if you live in the phrat houses and they even have a few completely student run clinics for people in Galveston and in Brownsville who do not have medical insurance. I really think I would fit with the student body and I liked the Docs that interviewed me. The problem is, they are unranked. I have visited Southwestern (the best school on the match) though I have not had my interview there yet. The people there are MUCH more competitive and seemed to lack compassion. My sister went to an OB clinic at southwestern during her pregnancy, and the residents there were very unaccommodating, cold, and mean. If I feel I fit better at a less prestigious school, should I rank it over the more prestigious one? UTMB is unranked and Southwestern is number 17 I think. That’s a huge jump. Does the ranking really matter much when you are looking at residencies? What would you guys do?

Depending on what you want to do as a physician will totally influence this decision. If you just want to work in a private clinic, group, or hospital, then i think that most, if not all, schools will prepare you for this. HOWEVER, if you plan on doing a bunch of research and are shooting for head of the hospital or surgeon general, then i would take southwestern. The ranking will definitely and the research you do there will help. But you want to be a doctor trying to get a nut in the world, then you should be fine with either choice.

I work at UTMB and i can attest that everything is really laid back there. All the docs, residents, students, etc. that i work with know their stuff and are very collaborative. Its your choice.

To speak on another reply...UTMB is very PBL based. It will help on USLME...UTMB has a mean score of 225-230

 

[A-non-y-mous]

The problem is, they are unranked. I have visited Southwestern (the best school on the match) though I have not had my interview there yet. The people there are MUCH more competitive and seemed to lack compassion. My sister went to an OB clinic at southwestern during her pregnancy, and the residents there were very unaccommodating, cold, and mean.

You should go where you feel comfortable, study your butt off, and live your life. Ranking is not the only factor you should consider.

That being said, please remember that the hospital and the medical school are separate entities. Those residents are ppl who graduated from UTSW, UTMB, and many other med schools around the country. If they were cold and mean that is a reflection of their own character and educational experience. I'm an MS here, never felt the backstabbing that ppl on SDN report about. If you get an interview, come with an open mind, speak to several students and then make your decision.

Good Luck.