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Baylor vs. Southwestern
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Probably UTSW due to proximity to family. Also been hearing a lot of stuff about Baylor's financial issues & split with Methodist? Besides, Dallas >>> Houston 😉
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What don't you like about Houston?
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I know, how awful would it be to have those stupid UTH students right across the street from you? I mean the Texas Medical Center isn't big enough to share with those *****s.
moving to SSD
Baylor. UTSW is great in its own right, I just like BCM better.
I'm just wondering if Baylor is on rivalary with southwestern or with UThouston? lol
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No worries, there are 5 school on the same street(Main Street)
University Of Houston DW
Houston Community College
Rice University
UT Houston
Baylor
UTH students being embraced by Baylor, can move to Rice, the latter to HCC and so on...
I am just kidding, nothing against UTH just sharing information.
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Utsw
This is a very good question, and I've been thinking about it a lot. Granted, my interview at Baylor is this coming week so that may change how I feel. It just seems like Baylor is going through a lot (financially, losing Methodist), but this supposed merger with Rice should help a lot. I just don't know if the positive effects of the merger would happen soon enough to help me (class of 2014).
I will say that I liked UTSW a LOT, and that a lot of the negative rumors and stereotypes that I've heard about it seem to have been blown out of proportion. The students are friendly and the level of competitiveness is not that bad because of some recent changes they have implemented.
I know it's slightly biased, but I'd have to say UTSW right now. I'll let you know if my interview changes how I feel 😛
I will say that I liked UTSW a LOT, and that a lot of the negative rumors and stereotypes that I've heard about it seem to have been blown out of proportion. The students are friendly and the level of competitiveness is not that bad because of some recent changes they have implemented.
I know it's slightly biased, but I'd have to say UTSW right now. I'll let you know if my interview changes how I feel 😛
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I am biased, but one word: Hurricanes.... we do not really get them here in Dallas.😛
So far seems like people like Southwestern more.
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ignore
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whats wrong?
anyway, my interview day impression in sw wasnt that good tooo. A little bit boring presentations. And the hospitals seemed like very old. The campus looked kinda old too.
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can't say i've ever fallen in love with a school until i did an internship at utsw two years ago. amazing facilities and really friendly people is the only way i would describe it. as an OOS, i would love to go to school here. granted, i've only been in dallas and haven't seen the rest of texas yet.
the biggest difference, if you believe that all else is equal, is that baylor accepts a lot more OOS compared to utsw. thus, it really depends on what kind of student body you are looking for, mostly texans or a larger range of students from all over the US.
the biggest difference, if you believe that all else is equal, is that baylor accepts a lot more OOS compared to utsw. thus, it really depends on what kind of student body you are looking for, mostly texans or a larger range of students from all over the US.
Howdy all,
I am a second year at Baylor, and there seems to be a lot of confused rumors spreading about Baylor as of late so let me clear some things up.
1.) Baylor vs. Methodist: Firstly, this split happened a 5 years ago. It is quite sad that it happened, but it will not majorly affect your education. We now rotate through St. Luke's & the Baylor clinic for our private hospital experience, and the revenue the school lost through the Methodist association has been more than recouped via the Baylor Clinic. This is Old News
2.) Baylor Rank Dropped: It is true that we have gone from 11-17 according to USNEWS. Ironically UTSW may be to blame for this. Baylor currently shares significant reasearch funding and faculty with M.D. Anderson (#1 cancer hospital country), but anderson is principally affiliated with the UT system schools. Now, According to our current president UTSW made a big stink about Baylor reporting this money for USNEWS rankning (Don't ask me why UTSW cares and not UTH 🙄). So Baylor conceded and didn't report the money, and our rank slipped. Ironically our research collaboration with Anderson has since increased, and according to USNEWS's algorithm would put us back into the top 10.
3.) Baylor's Financial Situation: This is where the rubber really meets the road. Baylor decided to build a hospital (see Methodist split) the cost estimates undershot the project by 200 million dollars. Then to make matters worse the financial markets collapsed last year, and like many prominent institutions we have been limping along trying to recover. This is where the merger talks with Rice University comes in. They can give us a stable financial footing, while we enhance their prestige and research ranking. Win-win right? So far things seem to be going well, but Rice does not want be in the business of running a hospital. So Baylor now needs to find a clinical partner to help manage the new Baylor hospital, and this is where the negotiations are today. If the merger is to go through a final decision should be made by this January (and should give you ample time to decide if you wish to attend next year).
4.) The Questions You Really Should be Asking: All of the above issues will have a major impact on Baylor as an institution, but will unlikely affect your experiences while at med school. If you really want to compare BCM to UTSW you should look at where they differ and how it will affect your experience. Baylor is now straight pass-fail. UTSW last I looked is on the ABCDF system. Baylor does not curve exams. Again, last I checked, UTSW does bell curve some exams. BCM has 1.5 years of basic sci. UTSW has 2. BCM gives you 50 weeks of unallocated (elective/vacation/research) time during your clinical rotations. BCM is in the Texas f'ing Med Center, which gives you access to some of the most unique clinical experiences you'll find in the country (Fetal Surgery etc.). Ultimately, what comes down to is go to the school where you feel like you would fit in. The personality of a given program, and how well you mesh with it will have a major impact on well you enjoy medical school.
I am a second year at Baylor, and there seems to be a lot of confused rumors spreading about Baylor as of late so let me clear some things up.
1.) Baylor vs. Methodist: Firstly, this split happened a 5 years ago. It is quite sad that it happened, but it will not majorly affect your education. We now rotate through St. Luke's & the Baylor clinic for our private hospital experience, and the revenue the school lost through the Methodist association has been more than recouped via the Baylor Clinic. This is Old News
2.) Baylor Rank Dropped: It is true that we have gone from 11-17 according to USNEWS. Ironically UTSW may be to blame for this. Baylor currently shares significant reasearch funding and faculty with M.D. Anderson (#1 cancer hospital country), but anderson is principally affiliated with the UT system schools. Now, According to our current president UTSW made a big stink about Baylor reporting this money for USNEWS rankning (Don't ask me why UTSW cares and not UTH 🙄). So Baylor conceded and didn't report the money, and our rank slipped. Ironically our research collaboration with Anderson has since increased, and according to USNEWS's algorithm would put us back into the top 10.
3.) Baylor's Financial Situation: This is where the rubber really meets the road. Baylor decided to build a hospital (see Methodist split) the cost estimates undershot the project by 200 million dollars. Then to make matters worse the financial markets collapsed last year, and like many prominent institutions we have been limping along trying to recover. This is where the merger talks with Rice University comes in. They can give us a stable financial footing, while we enhance their prestige and research ranking. Win-win right? So far things seem to be going well, but Rice does not want be in the business of running a hospital. So Baylor now needs to find a clinical partner to help manage the new Baylor hospital, and this is where the negotiations are today. If the merger is to go through a final decision should be made by this January (and should give you ample time to decide if you wish to attend next year).
4.) The Questions You Really Should be Asking: All of the above issues will have a major impact on Baylor as an institution, but will unlikely affect your experiences while at med school. If you really want to compare BCM to UTSW you should look at where they differ and how it will affect your experience. Baylor is now straight pass-fail. UTSW last I looked is on the ABCDF system. Baylor does not curve exams. Again, last I checked, UTSW does bell curve some exams. BCM has 1.5 years of basic sci. UTSW has 2. BCM gives you 50 weeks of unallocated (elective/vacation/research) time during your clinical rotations. BCM is in the Texas f'ing Med Center, which gives you access to some of the most unique clinical experiences you'll find in the country (Fetal Surgery etc.). Ultimately, what comes down to is go to the school where you feel like you would fit in. The personality of a given program, and how well you mesh with it will have a major impact on well you enjoy medical school.
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I was considering both schools last year and I basically got the same feeling. If the Rice/Baylor merger does go through, it really would be amazing for both schools.
UTSW recently made a few changes to their grading system, but in my opinion it's still not what it should be. The first half of the first year is P/F. Starting in January of the 1st year, they switch to A/B+/B/C/F until the end of the 3rd year. The 4th year is P/F. They also instituted a fixed cutoff policy, so no curving. I think that this whole preclinical grading thing is silly. Most of the top schools in the country have gone primarily P/F for preclinicals.
Now that I've started med school at a school that is basically P/F, I can't overemphasize the value of P/F. It takes so much of the stress out of med school.
Finally, I think the 1.5 year preclinical curriculum is the best thing since sliced bread. I don't go to Baylor, but my school is also that way, and it has lots of advantages. First of all, the traditional first year of medical school is dragged out and can really be taught in a couple of months. Also, I am an MD/PhD student, and it means that it gives me a better shot at finishing med school in 7 or 8 years. Finally, it's just really nice to get into the clinics early!
If I had to choose between the two schools, I'd pick Baylor and pray that the Rice/Baylor merger goes through. As a medical student, go to a school that gives you the best education while keeping you sane. P/F and shorter preclinical curriculum can do that!
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As a first year, I can corroborate many of these points. Rumors of Baylor's slippage have been greatly exaggerated. Just to expound a little bit:
1) Furthermore, from my understanding, Methodist was never really our "main" teaching hospital in the sense that we had some overwhelming amount of rotations there. Part of what makes Baylor awesome is that, as part of the Texas Medical Center, you rotate through a bunch of different hospitals, and Methodist was just one of the great hospitals we got to go through. Between St. Luke's, Baylor Clinic, Texas Children's, Ben Taub, etc. etc... the clinical rotations that have made Baylor one of the best med schools in the country for hands-on learning are all still there at your fingertips.
2) If you want to rank highly in the USNEWS, you can do that pretty easily by playing the game; if you don't play the game, it's easy to slip. Honestly, I kind of have to believe that the truth of the story lies somewhere between what UTSW and Baylor are each saying about this story. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter you can't put the things that make Baylor great (condensed preclinical curriculum, 8-noon basic science lecture, flexible clinical elective scheduling, block exam schedules, P/F, and of course most importantly, the TMC) into a tidy little formula. That the USNEWS rankings are flawed should not be shocking to anyone at this point.
3) This is about right. Baylor is going through a difficult financial situation right now, as is every other school in the country. Fortunately, at this point, I think the merger with Rice has enough support on both sides that it seems pretty likely that the dream win-win situation will materialize.
Truly, I have nothing against UT Southwestern; having spent two summers doing research there as an undergrad, I know that it's an excellent, excellent school that anyone would be very fortunate to attend. From my time there, I don't believe that they're the gunners everyone always tries to make them out to be; most of them seem reasonably happy to me. But I truly believe that Baylor exists in an environment that makes it unique amongst all of the other medical schools in the country. If anyone has any questions about Baylor, please feel free to PM me; I prefer not to directly compare Baylor to other specific schools, but I will tell you why Baylor is so awesome and why I'm a big believer in all of the things we have going on down here 🙂
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It's Baylor for me. Utsw spends a lot of time and energy to dispel the rumors of a very competitive and cut throat program. Must be something to it if that have to continually defend the school. I think the interview days were too long should have been done one day only. Bcm on the other hand had a nice presentation and how could you miss when your standing in the largest med center in the free world.
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I had a quick question regarding Baylor's P/F policy. According to their release,
"While a grade of Honors is no longer given in individual courses in the pre-clinical curriculum, scores will be tracked throughout the first 18 months of medical school. Those students who have truly exceptional performance throughout the preclinical curriculum may receive formal acknowledgement with Honors in Basic Sciences. The exam scores will be maintained and used to determine who will be designated as completing Basic Sciences with Honors and in the AOA selection process."
Doesn't this mean it's technically Honors, Pass, Fail for the first 18 months? They say scores are still tracked too for AOA, so is it truly a P/F? It seems like if you miss the cutoff for overall honors by maybe 1%, you're stuck having the same grade as the guy who just barely passed the pre clinical curriculum.
Anyone know how many people can get the Honors designation?
"While a grade of Honors is no longer given in individual courses in the pre-clinical curriculum, scores will be tracked throughout the first 18 months of medical school. Those students who have truly exceptional performance throughout the preclinical curriculum may receive formal acknowledgement with Honors in Basic Sciences. The exam scores will be maintained and used to determine who will be designated as completing Basic Sciences with Honors and in the AOA selection process."
Doesn't this mean it's technically Honors, Pass, Fail for the first 18 months? They say scores are still tracked too for AOA, so is it truly a P/F? It seems like if you miss the cutoff for overall honors by maybe 1%, you're stuck having the same grade as the guy who just barely passed the pre clinical curriculum.
Anyone know how many people can get the Honors designation?
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If grades are kept internally at BCM for AOA, doesn't that eliminate the point of a true P/F? Won't there still be competition among peers to do well? From the med students I've talked to, I gathered that grading systems among med schools don't matter at all, rather performance on step 1. Isn't the USMLE all that program directors look at when judging performance over the basic science yrs? I can maybe see how a med student might get down on themselves if they get a B/C instead of an A, but i feel that's more of a personal issue and not something that necessarily stresses everyone out. I'm just have a hard time believing the stress in med school magically disappears or lessens a great degree b/c of P/F grading. Maybe someone can correct me or add to this?
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It really boils down to thinking like this for many Texans - very few Texans love both cities - it is an either / or kind of thing.
Having spent a ton of time in both, I think Houston >>> Dallas...but I am not sure my decision between these 2 schools, if I had to make it, would really come down to this.
FWIW, I applied to neither.
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It's true; it sounds nicer, though, knowing that your transcript will just say "P." A couple might have the designation of "Honors for Basic Sciences," but they won't have a designation next to the individual classes.
So functionally, there's no real difference, but for whatever reason it seems to psychologically relax people. Step 1 is still >>>>>>>>>>>> important than preclinical grades. But for what it's worth, I know that every school says their class is really helpful about sending out study guides and stuff, but that is definitely true at Baylor. There will always be gunners at every school, but I truly think they are in the extremely distinct minority here.
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I'm talking about AOA and class rank-- don't the grades for the first two years count at BCM or no?
Personally, I'd take solace in the fact that grades don't matter at all in comparison to step 1. In some ways, P/F could even hurt certain students-- for ex, if you get a 70 on a test, and then you think all's good because you're getting a 'P' for the course grade, you could be shooting yourself in the foot by being less prepared for the step, no?
Regardless of grading systems, I feel step 1 is the common factor that stresses med students out, rather than a P or a C on the grade report. Of course, my assumption is that grades do not matter AT ALL for the first 2 yrs-- is this true?? Say someone gets straight C's but manages to do well on the step. Would their grades be held against them? What if someone does horribly on the step-- can their grades save them?
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You're right, scores are tracked internally for class rank and AOA. If you care about AOA, I suppose you would want to still score near the top.
I haven't gone nearly far enough in the process to know firsthand, but I know an article we ran on here recently rated step 1 as one of the most important factors in matching along with grades on your clinicals--and Baylor still gives grades there, as you're going to want to Honors the roation for the specialty you're actually interested in. Basic science grades were way less important than clinical grades--again, according to the article and everything I've heard around here. I'll let you know my own experience in a few years 🙂
Honestly, I would rank P/F as one of the lesser reasons to pick Baylor; it sounds nice to have just everyone get a "pass" rather than feel bad if you didn't "Honors" everything, but it's honesty just semantics. There are plenty of other reasons that Baylor is a great school, and P/F is just a nice little garnish on top that I happen to like, but it's not a huge deal.
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Does the ranking system still exist? From what I understand, now grades are absolute through 3rd yr w/ the exception of a couple classes? Is the rank reported to residency programs just the quartile the student is in?
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Grades are absolute still. What I meant is a cumulative GPA based on your final letter grades (A/B+/B/C/F) is used to rank you, and your quartile placement (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) is what is actually reported in your dean's letter not your actual rank.
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Do you have any idea what the average is for the top quartile cutoff? Is it a straight 4.0? Maybe a 3.5?
After speaking with numerous program directors and going through the residency application process, the general consensus is that STEP 1 is second. AOA, and even more important junior AOA, is the single most important factor in obtaining the residency of your choice. STEP 1 is considered the great equalizer to compare students from various schools but if you can manage AOA at even East Tennessee State Univ (random example) you will match well. Schools just like to brag about how many AOA kids they have.
http://www.vandydreamteam.com/2009_resident_match_complete
http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2009v3.pdf
The two aren't mutually exclusive however because if you're in the top 15% of your class (AOA), you probably did okay on STEP 1 as well. The explanation cited most often is that AOA represents a larger body of work. While STEP 1 = ability, AOA = ability + hard work.
3.6. This will probably go back up to 3.75 which is what it was before the bell curve was instituted. The curve sucked, very glad they got rid of that.
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You're right, this is one of the reasons why I am really happy I chose UT Southwestern. If you are an all-star, you will be rewarded by both grading systems = AOA. If you think you will probably be 4th quarter, then the P/F system will be most beneficial to you. However, if you're in the middle, then you definitely want residency program directors to know that you got a 91.9 and not a 70.1.
For instance, PD for Radiology said today that when considering applicants, they equate 2nd quarter UTMB students with 3rd quarter Southwestern students (based on past experience). If you switch to P/F, you lose that advantage.
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Thanks for all the info. 👍
In your experience, did you find that program directors out of state regard a UTSW student more highly than a Baylor student, or vice versa (given everything is more or less equal b/w the two students)?
Thanksfor everyone's contribution! Now I have the answer in my mind, and now its the schools' turn to make the decision (not me)
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Thanksfor everyone's contribution! Now I have the answer in my mind, and now its the schools' turn to make the decision (not me)
What school you leaning towards, and what's your rationale if you don't mind?
I don't want to write it down here. Let me pm you.
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Baylor's Pass/Fail and 8-12 schedule is appealing...along with there 1 huge exam per block rather than separate individual ones that last for 4 days in a row...
Does anyone know if Southwestern is pass/fail? and what there schedule is? Is it 8-12 or 8-5....also whats the exam setup?
it might have been asked before so sorry for any annoyance
Does anyone know if Southwestern is pass/fail? and what there schedule is? Is it 8-12 or 8-5....also whats the exam setup?
it might have been asked before so sorry for any annoyance
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UTSW is pass/fail for the first half of first semester to help ease the transition into med school. It switches to letter grading after that, but the exams are not graded on a bell curve any more. The grade cutoffs are set in advance, and they won't be raised. The professors do reserve the right to lower the cutoffs, which is only to your advantage.
So far for first year, class was 9-12 for biochem, 5 days a week, then 1-5 for anatomy, 3 days a week. Except for small-group once a week, none of the other classes are required. Lectures are available on .mp3 (audio and video for 2nd year), and you have 24/7 access to the anatomy lab to review the dissections on your own time (except the professors and TAs are only there during regular class hours). Exams are every 2-3 weeks, which I prefer. Med school comes at you fast and hard, so I'd much rather take an exam every couple of weeks than double the amount of material I need to cover for a single exam. Some people prefer the opposite, but it's a very personal choice. I think the MS2s take a block exam every few weeks, and they're always on Fridays.
I don't personally know anybody at Baylor, but from the way you describe it, there are probably more total class hours at UTSW than Baylor. Like I said though, only 1.5 of those hours at UTSW are technically required. Also, we're all learning the same material in preparation for the same licensing exams to do the same jobs. Baylor might have fewer total classroom hours, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that if you count the time outside of the classroom, they study just as much as any other med student in the country.
We do seem to spend some time each week addressing the "cutthroat" rumor, but it's not always by choice. To be quite honest with you, we've talked about whether or not we should bring it up, at the risk of giving more attention to what's essentially an "I heard from my friend's roommate's cousin's next-door-neighbor" rumor. If I had to make a list of the 3 most common questions we get asked at the Friday dinner or Saturday lunch, it'd probably be "why did you choose Southwestern?" "what don't you like about UTSW?" and "I hear the students are super competitive." They're all great questions, but realize that while you pass through here once, we see 50-60 applicants every week, and that last one gets asked often enough that odds are someone at the table is thinking about asking it.
As for the feeling that the interview days are too long, I'll pass that on to the administration. For those of you who haven't yet interviewed at UTSW, only the Saturday interview is required. The Friday stuff is just a chance to go on rounds, hear a bit about the school, and score some free food. It has no bearing on your chances of getting accepted, and you're not going to miss out on anything absolutely crucial if you only go on Saturday.
Exactly. Go with your gut, and you won't be disappointed. Southwestern won't be the right fit for some people, while others might feel the same about Baylor. Think about what's important to you and then make that decision when the time comes.
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I thought Baylor's blocks were 5 wks for classes and 1 wk for tests, rather than just one big test. Can anyone add to this?
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Great post SXSW.
With all the rumors that go around, I think the resulting scare is that UTSW kids are mostly unhappy while Baylor kids aren't. This is very inaccurate, as I've heard of and know happy and unhappy ppl at both schools. Like SXSW was saying, medical education is standardized for the most part and it's probably unwise to make a decision b/w BCM and UTSW solely on perceived reputation.
With all the rumors that go around, I think the resulting scare is that UTSW kids are mostly unhappy while Baylor kids aren't. This is very inaccurate, as I've heard of and know happy and unhappy ppl at both schools. Like SXSW was saying, medical education is standardized for the most part and it's probably unwise to make a decision b/w BCM and UTSW solely on perceived reputation.
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No, it is in fact 5-6 weeks of class, then one big day of exams (new for our class this year). So for example, we have our next exam next Tuesday, and then we have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off for a long weekend.
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Ahh ic. So the anatomy practical is also on the same day as the test over lectures?
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I like the idea of having the rest of the week off after a big exam day. How often does this happen as early as Tuesday? What day do these exam days usually happen?
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This year, it's supposed to happen for 3 of our exams (blocks 1, 2, and 5) and those exams are on Tuesday. Obviously after blocks 3 and 6 we go on Christmas and summer break. The only one where we jump right back in is block 4, where we just get a weekend off.
I should let you know, though, that now that we're here some of my classmates wish we would spread the exams over 2 days because we're here from 8:30-4:30 doing exams on the exam day. Personally I like it better that way to just get it over with and go on vacation and I think most of my class likes it that way, but it's not a universal opinion.
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When you get into the second semester, it will be 6 weeks then 2-3 tests on different days. At that point, we actually do have different "classes." Fall of 2nd year is also different. We'll have 3-4 weeks of classes then 2 tests the following week.
This year is good because we definitely have a few days vacation post tests, which wasn't always the case in first year.
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I wish we did it like Baylor, but a lot of my classmates like having 1 exam/day over a week.
the grass is always greener, I guess
Sorry I took so long to reply to your PM, I was off studying for STEP 2 and then interview season started up.
Answer to your question: I have no idea. I imagine both have stellar match lists and the top students can go wherever they want. However, UT Southwestern students definitely have a strong bias towards staying home. First, most of them are from Texas and second, UT Southwestern is extremely strong clinically.
As students, you have access to see who was AOA in previous classes and where they matched. A very large proportion of them stay at UT Southwestern; those who don't, tend to go to Johns Hopkins, UCSF, etc. For instance, 3 AOA students are applying for anesthesia this year and all have expressed their desire to stay (all are engaged/married). I bet they could easily go to Brigham, Stanford, Duke, etc if they wanted to because I am no where near AOA and even I am getting those types of interviews.
Personally, I was 99.9% sure I was leaving. I even told the Chair I wanted to leave. Now, after interviewing at UChicago, Northwestern, insert big name here and Columbia, Yale coming up, I am beginning to strongly reconsider. Most programs simply don't have the breadth and volume that UT Southwestern offers and I was literally shocked to see how malignant some top programs are. You certainly pay a hefty price for the name. In addition, the decision for residency is greatly different from choosing medical school. You have to take into consideration that where you do your residency will strongly impact where you practice. Texas is one of the best states for medical practice due to high salaries, tort reform, etc and breaking into markets like Dallas and Austin requires heavy networking. Hence, UT Southwestern becomes a great asset.
That said, at an advisory meeting, we were told that even 4th quarter students last year were getting interviews in IM from Duke, WashU, Northwestern. Also, the Chief Residents in Medicine at Duke, Wash U, and a couple of other top IM programs this year are former UT Southwestern students, so you will definitely be well-connected if you choose to leave.
Hope that helps, good luck!
Answer to your question: I have no idea. I imagine both have stellar match lists and the top students can go wherever they want. However, UT Southwestern students definitely have a strong bias towards staying home. First, most of them are from Texas and second, UT Southwestern is extremely strong clinically.
As students, you have access to see who was AOA in previous classes and where they matched. A very large proportion of them stay at UT Southwestern; those who don't, tend to go to Johns Hopkins, UCSF, etc. For instance, 3 AOA students are applying for anesthesia this year and all have expressed their desire to stay (all are engaged/married). I bet they could easily go to Brigham, Stanford, Duke, etc if they wanted to because I am no where near AOA and even I am getting those types of interviews.
Personally, I was 99.9% sure I was leaving. I even told the Chair I wanted to leave. Now, after interviewing at UChicago, Northwestern, insert big name here and Columbia, Yale coming up, I am beginning to strongly reconsider. Most programs simply don't have the breadth and volume that UT Southwestern offers and I was literally shocked to see how malignant some top programs are. You certainly pay a hefty price for the name. In addition, the decision for residency is greatly different from choosing medical school. You have to take into consideration that where you do your residency will strongly impact where you practice. Texas is one of the best states for medical practice due to high salaries, tort reform, etc and breaking into markets like Dallas and Austin requires heavy networking. Hence, UT Southwestern becomes a great asset.
That said, at an advisory meeting, we were told that even 4th quarter students last year were getting interviews in IM from Duke, WashU, Northwestern. Also, the Chief Residents in Medicine at Duke, Wash U, and a couple of other top IM programs this year are former UT Southwestern students, so you will definitely be well-connected if you choose to leave.
Hope that helps, good luck!
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Speaking of residencies, a few weeks ago I read on wiki that Baylor had the worst match rate (not sure how it was worded, but basically it said that more people went unmatched) of all top 20 schools. That part has since been removed from wiki (or at least I can't see it anywhere) so I'm doubting the truth behind that statement. Anyone know if that's true? I'm thinking that data about entire classes doesn't mean much to each individual student, but I just got curious.
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Yeah that's partly why I was surprised to read that on wiki and why I had a hard time believing the claim.
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