New MD schools on the residency interview trail

[pageantry]

So, I heard from an M4 friend at a new MD school that residency program directors straight up said to her, "You look great on paper, but we simply don't know what kind of residents your school produces."

From another at a different school I heard, "Your school has been a great teaching hospital for years. Why not stay there?"

I'm curious if anyone else has heard reports like this? Any other details people can offer? How bad is the upward climb from schools without an established reputation? What residency interview experience should incoming students expect?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Pacna]

Check out the NBME Program Director Survey. You'll find that the school's prestige/rank does play a role in the decision. Of course, new schools have unknown ranks, so I think it's fair to say that directors (consciously or not) conservatively assume an average or below average score for that variable.

So it doesn't help to be from a new program, but school rank is fairly low on the hierarchy. Get a 275 on step 1, and you'll get no such questions.

 

[Rekt]

Check out the NBME Program Director Survey. You'll find that the school's prestige/rank does play a role in the decision. Of course, new schools have unknown ranks, so I think it's fair to say that directors (consciously or not) conservatively assume an average or below average score for that variable.

So it doesn't help to be from a new program, but school rank is fairly low on the hierarchy. Get a 275 on step 1, and you'll get no such questions.

Yeah bro so easy.

 

[Pacna]

Yeah bro so easy.

 

[pageantry]

Check out the NBME Program Director Survey. You'll find that the school's prestige/rank does play a role in the decision. Of course, new schools have unknown ranks, so I think it's fair to say that directors (consciously or not) conservatively assume an average or below average score for that variable.

So it doesn't help to be from a new program, but school rank is fairly low on the hierarchy. Get a 275 on step 1, and you'll get no such questions.

See I'm not asking about prestige/rank. That question's been done to death. I'm talking about new schools that have nothing. Zero *reputation* except maybe for their teaching hospitals.

This matters now more than it has in a long time with all these new schools opening up. Maybe I should have posted this in pre-allo, but I was really hoping to hear thoughts and opinions about the residency interviewing experience from people who have recently dealt with it. Maybe they have other comments to make about how they overcame the obstacle of reputation--comments that are not, "crank out an unlikely step score and you'll be fine."

Maybe I should have waited til after the 18th tho.

 

[Pacna]

See I'm not asking about prestige/rank. That question's been done to death. I'm talking about new schools that have nothing. Zero *reputation* except maybe for their teaching hospitals.

That's the question I addressed. They're conservatively assumed an average or poor reputation until proven otherwise.

 

[pageantry]

That's the question I addressed. They're conservatively assumed an average or poor reputation until proven otherwise.

Fair enough, but not really helpful. I'd accept an average reputation. Poor is a totally different animal. Any personal experiences?

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

Maybe they have other comments to make about how they overcame the obstacle of reputation--comments that are not, "crank out an unlikely step score and you'll be fine."

Actually, that's a really really good way to get past the reputation of your school.

 

[pageantry]

Actually, that's a really really good way to get past the reputation of your school.

An extremely high Step 1 score?
Yes, I've heard that a couple times.

I have looked through that linked report. But I'm skeptical about its ability to describe PD's reactions to this whole growing beast of zero-reputation schools. Everyone else here just takes it as given?

 

[Rekt]

An extremely high Step 1 score?
Yes, I've heard that a couple times.

I have looked through that linked report. But I'm skeptical about its ability to describe PD's reactions to this whole growing beast of zero-reputation schools. Everyone else here just takes it as given?

Just chill out. Be happy you even got in somewhere. If you're not completely ******ed you'll pass, at least pass the step, go through rotations, and you'll be a normal medical student applying to residencies. The only time it would matter is if you're applying to top academic programs, which they're pretty inbred anyway.

 

[pageantry]

My issue is I got into much more highly ranked schools in vastly preferred locations, but the new school is throwing me a crapton of $$$$.

 

[Rekt]

My issue is I got into much more highly ranked schools in vastly preferred locations, but the new school is throwing me a crapton of $$$$.

N=1, it would highly depend on the debt burden. I'd take the vastly preferred location over saving some money, unless it really was a significant amount.
Some people get a hard on over prestige, but that's for you to decide.

 

[pageantry]

I'm actually on the road right now for a two week "vacation" to the deeply not-preferred location of the unknown-school, because the saving is, as I say, a crapton.

I also have a cousin who dropped out of medical school because he was so bored and understimulated in his location. That's a heck of a cautionary tale.

Thanks for the vote tho. I appreciate them rn.

 

[operaman]

Can only offer some second hand info. I met a few folks on the trail who came from new schools and they definitely had an uphill climb but managed to overcome it. In addition to a strong step 1, they did some early away rotations at well known programs and got good letters. Others took a year off and did a year of research at a well known program to accomplish much the same thing. I know a couple others applying this year with similar stories though I guess they won't know until tomorrow whether they matched or not.

I think new schools will be a hindrance only insofar as you may not have really well known letter writers, which for competitive fields are arguably more important than your step scores (because once everyone has stellar numbers, other things become more important). As mentioned above, there are ways to overcome this.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

I also have a cousin who dropped out of medical school because he was so bored and understimulated in his location. That's a heck of a cautionary tale.

Wut

 

[Dr. Death]

I'm actually on the road right now for a two week "vacation" to the deeply not-preferred location of the unknown-school, because the saving is, as I say, a crapton.

I also have a cousin who dropped out of medical school because he was so bored and understimulated in his location. That's a heck of a cautionary tale.

Thanks for the vote tho. I appreciate them rn.

Your cousin is an idiot. Take the money and run.

 

[Dr.Smexy]

Seriously doubt high Step 1 score alone would make the PD rank you high enough to match there...the only thing it'll do for an applicant from a new school is get the person an interview. When you have a UCLA med student with a 240 vs a 260 Quinnipiac student...if both have an interview at the same program and not socially inept, my money is on the UCLA applicant being ranked much higher. Established school have strong rotations, research, and connections...all thing that are critical for PD. Not to mention, their residents' quality are known through past experiences and not just empty words. The PD can be assured that his intern next year will at least minimize the amount of time he or she being a pain in the ass...and that's important!

 

[Pacna]

I didn't realize this was the choice. The fact that you're on the fence means that this new school made an appropriate offer. Personally, I would go with more debt + proven school. Student loans aren't that big of a deal. Many physicians choose to pay their mortgage off before their student loans because of the difference in interest rates.

 

[POW16]

I'm from one of such schools and had no problem matching at a top program in gas. People have been to Ivy Leagues, UCLA, Pitt, Wash U and specialities have included the competitive ones like ophto, urology, ortho, etc. At the end of the day it's all about the candidate. School matters very little.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[username456789]

Student loans aren't that big of a deal. Many physicians choose to pay their mortgage off before their student loans because of the difference in interest rates.

Only physicians who took out loans at like 1-2% 15+ years ago are doing this. Student loans are a huge deal, and getting more huge every year.

 

[pageantry]

Only physicians who took out loans at like 1-2% 15+ years ago are doing this. Student loans are a huge deal, and getting more huge every year.

Even then I wouldn't be so worried if it weren't for forgiveageddon.

 

[Pacna]

Only physicians who took out loans at like 1-2% 15+ years ago are doing this. Student loans are a huge deal, and getting more huge every year.

Bank on a dollar crisis?

 

[maxxor]

I didn't realize this was the choice. The fact that you're on the fence means that this new school made an appropriate offer. Personally, I would go with more debt + proven school. Student loans aren't that big of a deal. Many physicians choose to pay their mortgage off before their student loans because of the difference in interest rates.

Are you seriously out of touch and/or have no experience with modern student loans / mortgages? Not since 2008 has a student loan been charged an interest rate less than a mortgage.

Since '12
No more subsidized loans
Loans average APR is around 6.5%. There were a few years when it was lower but consistently now above 6%.
No more deferment in residency


Average mortgage APR? <4% this quarter.

 

[Med Ed]

My issue is I got into much more highly ranked schools in vastly preferred locations, but the new school is throwing me a crapton of $$$$.

It's a little misleading to post this question without pointing out that 1.) you would be in the sixth graduating class of this "new" medical school, and 2.) the school is affiliated with a healthcare system that has eight hospitals, 5,000 physicians, and about 87 residency/fellowship programs.

 

[pageantry]

It's a little misleading to post this question without pointing out that 1.) you would be in the sixth graduating class of this "new" medical school, and 2.) the school is affiliated with a healthcare system that has eight hospitals, 5,000 physicians, and about 87 residency/fellowship programs.

I do think those points create a significant difference in my personal issue, although that's not what this thread is supposed to be about (I would really like to hear from medical students about this, because older docs are sending me a lot of scary opinions).

And I'm really looking forward to seeing how things go with this school on Friday. Heck, I might even be on campus, since I'm in the area now.

 

[Pacna]

Are you seriously out of touch and/or have no experience with modern student loans / mortgages? Not since 2008 has a student loan been charged an interest rate less than a mortgage.

Since '12
No more subsidized loans
Loans average APR is around 6.5%. There were a few years when it was lower but consistently now above 6%.
No more deferment in residency


Average mortgage APR? <4% this quarter.

The first one.

 

[MilkIsGood]

Just successfully matched into a competitive specialty. I'm in the bottom third of the class, but from a top 10 school. For the competitive specialties, i absolutely believe school name matters.

 

[Med Ed]

I do think those points create a significant difference in my personal issue, although that's not what this thread is supposed to be about (I would really like to hear from medical students about this, because older docs are sending me a lot of scary opinions)

What is this thread supposed to be about? Starting with FSU the new medical schools have all had perfectly respectable match outcomes, at the very least. The students at these schools tend to be over-prepared for Step 1, for clerkships, and they make good use of audition rotations.

 

[ski89]

So, I heard from an M4 friend at a new MD school that residency program directors straight up said to her, "You look great on paper, but we simply don't know what kind of residents your school produces."

From another at a different school I heard, "Your school has been a great teaching hospital for years. Why not stay there?"

I'm curious if anyone else has heard reports like this? Any other details people can offer? How bad is the upward climb from schools without an established reputation? What residency interview experience should incoming students expect?

Hi OP, I was in a similar situation last year. Got a bunch of money at Quinnipiac and also had acceptances from other more established schools. I have been very happy so far with my choice here at Quinnipiac. I have every opportunity to pursue any specialty I want. I think Quinnipiac is somewhat unique in the fact that Yale is only 10 min away and many of us have taken advantage of research opportunities, networking, shadowing, etc at Yale, which is going to really come in handy for us come match day. Hell, I'm more involved in one of the yale departments than most of their own students lol. I only mention that because it highlights the point that you should be able to seek out opportunities, experiences, and connections for yourself no matter what MD school you go to.

For your particular situation, the only reason I would even consider the established schools is if one of them is a top 10 program AND you are interested in a competitive specialty. As others have mentioned letters are very important for these specialties and while the prestige factor will only count for a small bonus, you need all the help you can get for the most competitive fields. In addition, I would also highly advise that you seriously consider schools that are pass/fail. Not having to stress over honors in every class in the preclinical years frees you up to pursue research, networking, etc.. all activities that are much more useful in terms of matching.

Seriously doubt high Step 1 score alone would make the PD rank you high enough to match there...the only thing it'll do for an applicant from a new school is get the person an interview. When you have a UCLA med student with a 240 vs a 260 Quinnipiac student...if both have an interview at the same program and not socially inept, my money is on the UCLA applicant being ranked much higher. Established school have strong rotations, research, and connections...all thing that are critical for PD. Not to mention, their residents' quality are known through past experiences and not just empty words. The PD can be assured that his intern next year will at least minimize the amount of time he or she being a pain in the ass...and that's important!

You are making a lot baseless assumptions here. A 240 step puts you below the average for the 5 or so most competitive specialties, while a 260 puts you way above the average. You really think that all other things equal, the UCLA applicant is ranked significantly higher? Lol, check charting outcomes, I seriously doubt that PDs are lying when they say school name matters little - it's the MD that matters.

Now you could say I have a chip on my shoulder because I happen to go the Quinnipiac, but I would still argue the Quinnipiac student gets ranked higher. Why? Well for one an entire standard deviation difference is step score makes these applicants very different. I would argue that even if both applicants had a 250 step, the school's reputation (or lack of one) would not be the deciding factor, no two applicants are so similar. Now if they both had a 220 step, I think you could make a better argument for reputation playing a limited role.

Furthermore, you make the assumption that only the established school can provide research, strong rotations, and connections. Sure, ill concede that the top med schools provide an environment that make it easier to get experiences, connections, etc. But the bottom line is that MD accredited schools will pass the smell test for the vast majority of PDs and if the student at Quinnipiac or wherever is able obtain the necessary connections, research, scores, etc, the school name wont matter.

 

[ski89]

Just successfully matched into a competitive specialty. I'm in the bottom third of the class, but from a top 10 school. For the competitive specialties, i absolutely believe school name matters.

Lol, you're assuming PDs care about class rank. They dont (again, charting outcomes). Ill bet you have a high step score, good rotation grades where you needed them, some good letters, and research?

 

[Dr.Smexy]

...Now you could say I have a chip on my shoulder because I happen to go the Quinnipiac, but I would still argue the Quinnipiac student gets ranked higher. Why? Well for one an entire standard deviation difference is step score makes these applicants very different. I would argue that even if both applicants had a 250 step, the school's reputation (or lack of one) would not be the deciding factor, no two applicants are so similar. Now if they both had a 220 step, I think you could make a better argument for reputation playing a limited role.

Furthermore, you make the assumption that only the established school can provide research, strong rotations, and connections. Sure, ill concede that the top med schools provide an environment that make it easier to get experiences, connections, etc. But the bottom line is that MD accredited schools will pass the smell test for the vast majority of PDs and if the student at Quinnipiac or wherever is able obtain the necessary connections, research, scores, etc, the school name wont matter.

You do and if you don't think pedigree along with the enormous resources or the well-known/famous physicians that well established schools offer matter then we can agree to disagree.

 

[ski89]

You do and if you don't think pedigree along with the enormous resources or the well-known/famous physicians that well established schools offer matter then we can agree to disagree.

See that's just it. Your argument for the importance of pedigree is actually just an argument for the importance of getting research and great letters - both points I agree with you on. Is it more difficult to get research and great connections from less prestigious universities? Perhaps, but there is actually no evidence supporting this. The bottom line for the OP is whether this potential advantage is worth upwards of 100k (which I assume is in the ball park of what the school is offering him). The evidence best supports that his increased level of prestige is not worth 100k in his case.

 

[Señor S]

Lol, you're assuming PDs care about class rank. They dont (again, charting outcomes). Ill bet you have a high step score, good rotation grades where you needed them, some good letters, and research?

From someone that's read the charting out comes: where does it say PDs "dont" care about class rank?

 

[ski89]

From someone that's read the charting out comes: where does it say PDs "dont" care about class rank?

thats from otolaryngology.. I would say thats pretty close to not caring in this context

edit: sorry I said charting outcomes, I meant PD survey

 

[Señor S]

I would say thats pretty close to not caring in this context

I would say it's not at all close to "not caring" in this context. Come on now. Do you really think, barring extreme cases on both ends, that ENT PDs care more about "interpersonal skills" than Step 1 score?

 

[MilkIsGood]

Lol, you're assuming PDs care about class rank. They dont (again, charting outcomes). Ill bet you have a high step score, good rotation grades where you needed them, some good letters, and research?

I have an average step score for my specialty, more HP and H for 3rd year grades (which determines our class standing, so not great since im in the bottom third), ok research with some pubs, and good letters. theres no way i would have gotten as many interviews as i did if i didnt go to a great school. Not one interviewer brought up my clinical grades, whereas Ive heard it being brought up from other interviewees. you are naive to think that school name doesnt play a role in residency apps. its not the most important, but it's a part of it.

that graph you posted also doesnt show how important connections can be, especially in a small field like ent.

 

[ski89]

I would say it's not at all close to "not caring" in this context. Come on now. Do you really think, barring extreme cases on both ends, that ENT PDs care more about "interpersonal skills" than Step 1 score?

Yes I do believe it, since those are actual statements from PDs. What, do you think they are lying? Those statistics are based on how applicants are ranked. So yes, apparently interpersonal skills are very important for getting ranked high on a match list. Class rank is just a bad metric for ranking students for many obvious reasons.

I have an average step score for my specialty, more HP and H for 3rd year grades (which determines our class standing, so not great since im in the bottom third), ok research with some pubs, and good letters. theres no way i would have gotten as many interviews as i did if i didnt go to a great school. Not one interviewer brought up my clinical grades, whereas Ive heard it being brought up from other interviewees. you are naive to think that school name doesnt play a role in residency apps. its not the most important, but it's a part of it.

that graph you posted also doesnt show how important connections can be, especially in a small field like ent.

An average score for your competitive specialty? So 240+ then right? I would say thats a very good score.

And yes obviously connections are extremely important, perhaps the most important for ENT. Yet school prestige is one of the least important according to the survey. Is it a factor? Of course it is, I never disputed that point. Is it dwarfed in comparison to step score, research, clinical grades, LORs, interview skills, dedication to specialty, clinical grades? Yeah, and it's pretty obvious.

 

[Señor S]

Yes I do believe it, since those are actual statements from PDs. What, do you think they are lying? Those statistics are based on how applicants are ranked. So yes, apparently interpersonal skills are very important for getting ranked high on a match list. Class rank is just a bad metric for ranking students for many obvious reasons.

It's not that they're lying, it's that (imo) you're misinterpreting what the graph says. If memory serves the scores just correlate to things like "extremely important" "very important" and "somewhat important," so an average of 3.5 could mean that half ranked it "very important" and half ranked it "somewhat important." So it's still "important" to a lot of people. Class rank can also be important inasmuch as it correlates with things like AOA. It may also be less important for graduates of more competitive ("everyone there is really smart") vs. less competitive ("you'd better excel at a place like that") schools. Finally, while certain things (e.g., interpersonal skills) might be weighted higher than other things like class rank, there's a restriction of range effect: a few charmers and a few personality disorders aside, most people will probably get scored pretty similar on their interpersonal skills, whereas with, say, Step 1, you could get a 210 or a 260. There's a big range in other words, and it's easy to discriminate between applicants. Something similar often happens in third year: shelf exams may "only" be a quarter of your grade, but most people may get similar marks for evaluations, OSCE etc whereas with the shelf you could get a 70 or a 100. So despite accounting for only 25% of your grade, the shelf more than anything will determine what grade you get.

 

[ski89]

Fair points, but I think your own argument about restriction of range applies very nicely to my point. Very very few PDs are going to give a ranking of 1 or 2 on something like class rank - meaning, "not important at all". For example, when I take surveys at the end of each block about the quality of class content I never rank anything "not helpful at all" even if it was by far the least helpful part of the curriculum. Instead, I reserve 5/5s (or whatever the metric) for elements of the curriculum that were by far most important and everything else gets a 3 or 4 since they are certainly of some value and obviously not deserving of a "not helpful at all" characterization. I think it's similar for rank lists and residency interviews. There are a number of factors that are far and away the most important. The rest rarely come into play... That's it for me tonight. Good discussion.

 

[Moko]

Multiple threads have previously discussed the importance of prestige (worth the read as there are great arguments on both sides). The main take-away for me was that while individual performance is certainly the most important factor, prestige also plays a large but often underestimated role. Looking at the HMS 2015 IM match, the "worst" graduate still matched to UChicago (a great IM program), and presumably not everyone in that cohort was "above average" by IM standards. I would say that prestige matters most for those aiming for very competitive positions, and for those not at the top of their class.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ram-from-a-non-top-25-medical-school.1073026/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tier-competitive-specialty-residency.1179264/

 

[pageantry]

What is this thread supposed to be about? Starting with FSU the new medical schools have all had perfectly respectable match outcomes, at the very least. The students at these schools tend to be over-prepared for Step 1, for clerkships, and they make good use of audition rotations.

To get this thread back on track, I just wanted to hear real students from these schools describe their experience on the residency trail. The "value of prestige" thread has been done to death, obviously. And how that information relates to me personally is another thing. It would just be nice to hear from students directly.

Thanks to those who have contributed thoughts.

 

[operaman]

Ah yes, the joys of a 5-pt Likert scale! Given the number of threads on residency selection and how frequently one of the PD survey articles gets cited, I wish the mods could install some sort of mandatory quiz to determine if the poster has 1) actually read the article and 2) understands the methods. In a nutshell, they're a terrible tool for distinguishing relative importance of different factors. The biggest takeaway is that all the factors averaged at least a 3 (important) and that a number of PDs must have scored those items as a 4 or 5 as well in order to nudge the average to >3.

The hardest thing about evaluating the impact of prestige is the inability to separate it from everything else. Add to that people looking at things like Match lists which are not only useless, but don't even begin to answer the question.

Maybe that's the sticking point for so many; two different questions:

1) Do students at more prestigious schools do better than those at less prestigious schools?
or
2) Will a particular student benefit significantly by going to a more prestigious school?

I think we frequently answer #1 when attempting to answer #2.

Sure would make an interesting study to prospectively follow a cohort of people who were accepted to a Top 5 school but elected to go somewhere far less prestigious for financial or other reasons. Do they have worse match outcomes or a harder match process with fewer interviews or fewer publications or slower career advancement as a result when compared to students who ultimately matriculated at the top schools? To my knowledge this hasn't been done, but it would be interesting to see because it would start to get at the real question being asked in this and many other threads.

 

[MDaspiration]

When people post "competitive specialities" which specialities are they generally referring to? ROAD?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[gyngyn]

When people post "competitive specialities" which specialities are they generally referring to? ROAD?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Radiology and Anesthesia are two of the non-primary care specialties with the greatest number of unfilled positions in this year's match (after surg prelim, of course). They are therefore not the most "competitive."

 

[WedgeDawg]

When people post "competitive specialities" which specialities are they generally referring to? ROAD?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

All of the surgical subspecialties, derm, and (somewhat) rad onc. These are the ones with the lowest match %.

 

[Tenk]

Here you go:

If you are trying to match into a low competitive specialty such as family practice, OB/GYN, psych, etc: Go to the cheapest school. End of discussion.

If you are trying to match into a moderately competitive specialty such as rads, EM, surgery, etc: Go to a balanced school, one that has a decent reputation but isn't insane on tuition. Example: paying $50,000-100,000 over 4 years for a well known school versus a new school would be worth it. Paying $50,000-100,000 for school ranked #25 versus school ranked #29 is not.

If you are trying to match into an extremely competitive specialty such as plastics or derm, etc: Go to the most ivory tower, prestigious, expensive school you can find and never look back.

If you have no idea but know you aren't plastics or derm, etc: Go for the middle.

Bonus: if you know faculty at any school in a specialty you want to match into and they really like you: Go there.

 

[pageantry]

Ah yes, the joys of a 5-pt Likert scale! Given the number of threads on residency selection and how frequently one of the PD survey articles gets cited, I wish the mods could install some sort of mandatory quiz to determine if the poster has 1) actually read the article and 2) understands the methods. In a nutshell, they're a terrible tool for distinguishing relative importance of different factors. The biggest takeaway is that all the factors averaged at least a 3 (important) and that a number of PDs must have scored those items as a 4 or 5 as well in order to nudge the average to >3.

The hardest thing about evaluating the impact of prestige is the inability to separate it from everything else. Add to that people looking at things like Match lists which are not only useless, but don't even begin to answer the question.

Maybe that's the sticking point for so many; two different questions:

1) Do students at more prestigious schools do better than those at less prestigious schools?
or
2) Will a particular student benefit significantly by going to a more prestigious school?

I think we frequently answer #1 when attempting to answer #2.

Sure would make an interesting study to prospectively follow a cohort of people who were accepted to a Top 5 school but elected to go somewhere far less prestigious for financial or other reasons. Do they have worse match outcomes or a harder match process with fewer interviews or fewer publications or slower career advancement as a result when compared to students who ultimately matriculated at the top schools? To my knowledge this hasn't been done, but it would be interesting to see because it would start to get at the real question being asked in this and many other threads.

Yes, this. Exactly this. I want to hear from posters like the above Quinnipiac person who are at the end of the road and are still like, "You know what? This was good for me." And I want to hear from the people who are like, "I feel like I undercut my whole career with this choice." I want to feel feelings, by God. Because the results of that survey don't tell me a thing about how I'll *feel* about my choice four years from now, two days before Match Day.

^^Future psychiatrist, obvs. (Who secretly wants to go into gastroenterology.)

 

[LLCoolK]

What about a new MD school vs an old established DO school?

 

[alpinism]

Here you go:

If you are trying to match into a low competitive specialty such as family practice, OB/GYN, psych, etc: Go to the cheapest school. End of discussion.

If you are trying to match into a moderately competitive specialty such as rads, EM, surgery, etc: Go to a balanced school, one that has a decent reputation but isn't insane on tuition. Example: paying $50,000-100,000 over 4 years for a well known school versus a new school would be worth it. Paying $50,000-100,000 for school ranked #25 versus school ranked #29 is not.

If you are trying to match into an extremely competitive specialty such as plastics or derm, etc: Go to the most ivory tower, prestigious, expensive school you can find and never look back.

If you have no idea but know you aren't plastics or derm, etc: Go for the middle.

Bonus: if you know faculty at any school in a specialty you want to match into and they really like you: Go there.

Solid Advice.

A big caveat would be if you really want to stay in a certain region of the country for med school/residency/attendinghood (ex. California) = try to go to a local school.

 

[alpinism]

What about a new MD school vs an old established DO school?

At baseline MD always beats DO in terms of residency matching.