Albert Einstein versus Feinberg (Northwestern)

[yoloswag123]

Hello! I am having trouble deciding between two schools (Einstein & Feinberg), and the deadline for choosing is fast approaching! My dilemma is that I want to go to Einstein because it is close to my family and where I grew up (and also because I just like it), but some people have advised me that it is a bad decision to turn down the opportunity to go to a top 20 school.

So my underlying question is, how much does ranking/prestige matter for my future medical career? By going to a lower ranked school, am I giving up on having a better chance of matching into top residency programs in the future? Another component of this question is, if I know I want to do residency in NY, is it actually smarter to go to Einstein because it is in the area? Some say it is easier to match in a city if you went to medical school in that city, but others say going to a top 20 school would have more of an impact.

Some possibly relevant background info is that I know I won't want to go into a super competitive specialty like derm or ortho...I'm pretty set on pursuing psychiatry. Also, I do like research but am definitely more focused on practicing medicine and less interested in going into academia. These are some of the reasons I feel that going to the most prestigious school possible isn't necessarily the most important thing for me (?)

Any advice on what I should be factoring into this decision-making process would be greatly appreciated!

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[deev04]

Wrote a similar response in a Pitt vs. Hofstra thread. There's a much bigger diff there than NW vs AE, but thought this might be helpful.

For competitive specialties, or for the top-tier of just about every specialty, name of your medical school is going to matter. The opportunities and connections at top-tier medical schools (NW is obviously in this category) further imbalance the playing field and result in the drool worthy match lists you see coming out of these schools. Of course, just about every MD school in the country turns out some top matches and the match lists at most schools are all over the map reflecting both the idiosyncrasies of this process and the control of students (strong performance overcoming lower-tier school, location preferences, etc.).

I'd normally suggest that if you have access to a top-tier medical school (and there's no overpowering factor like 300k extra debt, insurmountable family challenges), maybe you should be thinking about the doors that would be opened by NW vs. AE. Medical school is only 4/5 years and will be a very busy time, so being away from family, working hard and then having your choice of residencies back near families/friends might not be so bad. You might also fall in love with a competitive speciality (interests change all the time) or academic research and be glad you have more options open to you at the tippity top (altho these opportunities are never a given, even to those in schools at the top).

But, if you're the person who is considering AE over NW now for personal reasons, putting prestige aside, I'm inclined to think you'll be the person making your residency decisions with personal/family decisions at the forefront. Match lists are hard to interpret because of the degree of personal preference that goes into rank lists and you sound exactly like the type person who cares less about getting into the absolute best X residency in the country, so much as the best one that is also close to family/friends. People from lower ranked MD schools still match into all the most competitive specialties, they just don't necessarily match as often to the Harvard/Hopkins/UCSF residencies in these specialties (although there are exceptions). If AE's location is good for you, going to AE will not shut you out of any competitive specialty (and gives you a great shot shot at AE/local residencies). AE is a great school and research powerhouse and seems to punch above its "ranking" with a lot of its matches (especially in NYC/NE), so there won't be any door closed to you there. Perhaps an easier path to the most "prestigious" residencies at NW, but you seem less concerned with that (and top tier academic pay sucks).

tl;dr medicine is tough and burnout is real, so I don't think valuing other things sounds silly.

 

[yoloswag123]

Thank you for this incredibly thoughtful response! This advice clarified a lot of things and definitely made me feel a lot better about my situation.