Anyone picking state school over higher ranked?

[Decisions153]

Hello,

I am having a bit of a dilemma (actually a pretty good situation to be in). I have received more interviews than expected and have been doing some thinking lately.

I have been accepted to my non-ranked state school, which I would be more than happy to attend.

On the other hand, I have received some interviews across the country at prestigiously ranked institutions (example, Ivy League). I am having doubts about going. I don't know if I could see myself moving that far away. I don’t want to waste money/time interviewing if I know that I’m not going to attend.

My two main reasons for staying home would be closeness to family / friends, and the tuition would be 1/4 to 1/5 (a big difference). About 10k vs 35+ a year.

The only motivation I would have to leave would be if a higher ranked school gave me better residency options. I think I would be happier at home, but I could suck it up for 4 years if it meant it opened more options for me.

Am I crazy wanting to stay home? Anyone else in this situation?

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[pillowhead]

Am I crazy wanting to stay home? Anyone else in this situation?

Absolutely not. Medical school is very stressful, and for some people, being in a city they are already familiar with and being close to family and friends are extremely important. Location is (almost) everything. I chose to go into a huge amount of debt to stay at a private school near my family and now husband. It has been worth every penny. For you, giving up some of the prestige may be very well worth it, especially if it means coming out with substantially less debt.

 

[thinknofu3]

I'm a chicagoan - and I got accepted to UIC and Medical College of Wisconsin, and just turned down an interview at Penn (ranked #4 in the country), because I want to stay close to home. You're absolutely not crazy - everybody has different criteria they want their schools to meet, and for me geography is a big one because I want to make sure my family stays a part of my life while I'm in med school. The way I see it, there's too many people in the world who believe that things like family can wait for later - I say, life is too short. You'll be an MD wherever you go, and whether or not you're successful depends more on you than the school you attend. Besides, if you're happier with your surroundings, you should theoretically be less stressed and ergo do better in med school, which will help you more in the future.

So long story short, I'm doing the same thing as you - and I've found even in interviews that schools respect that tremendously, and take it into consideration when reviewing you (in terms of maturity, etc).

Oh yeah, and there's the debt thing - in terms of chicago, $22,000 a year is a *lot* less than $40,000 - which will help you financially in the long run. I've often heard from physicians that you should try and get the best bang for your buck.

 

[Hurricane95]

You're not crazy at all Decisions. I'm in the same situation. I rank my schools close to home higher than the reach schools I applied to...harvard, washU, mayo, etc. I am very thankful to be accepted close to home and am on the verge of emailing the high end schools to cancel my interviews. For me it's not worth it. I would rather attend a lower tier med school and be close to my family and girlfriend (aka be real happy in my personal life) than go off for four years and be pretty damn miserable. Sure, Ill get a top-end education but I will not be happy in my personal life and that will really bear down on me with time. I stayed home for undergrad and moving out now and going through the whole adaptation thing during one of the most stressful times in life (med school) would suck terribly and be tough. We are accepted to med school, you know how many premeds out there would give anything to get one acceptance? My philosophy is you can get a great education at just about any US school. Its all about you and what you are willing to put into your schooling. As for residencies, I plan on going all out on step1 and beating it to death to get good placement come match time in year 4. I didn't need to attend harvard undergrad to smash the mcat, and I plan on doing the same for the steps. Go where you will be happy, and best of luck!

 

[Messerschmitts]

Just do what feels right. And it's okay to be politically incorrect too. Certainly stay in your state school if it feels more comfortable. However, allow me to play devil's advocate. If you feel like you would be happier 10 years down the line knowing you are a graduate of [blank] Ivy league school, then by all means go there. You're not being shallow or "un-noble", you're maxmising your potential.

That said, I'm a Californian, so this question is completely inapplicable to me! Our best schools are the state schools! Is it a blessing or a curse?

 

[BKN]

HelloThe only motivation I would have to leave would be if a higher ranked school gave me better residency options. I think I would be happier at home, but I could suck it up for 4 years if it meant it opened more options for me.

Am I crazy wanting to stay home? Anyone else in this situation?

Nice dilemma to have. I did the best school and the best residency I could get into. After many years as faculty at a residency, I know two things about this:

1. There is cream (and curds) at every school.

2. A good residency director is far more interested in your record than your medical school.

 

[MrBurns10]

I know exactly how you feel. I loved one of my state schools when I visited (although it's private with an in-state preference, but with a partial scholarship would be about $20K/year), but I've fallen in love with a couple top 20 schools as well- I've actually wanted to go to one of them since I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, so the idea of hoping for a certain school for 7 years, getting in, and then turning it down is kinda scary. Honestly, financial reasons aren't going to completely decide things for me as I think stretched over the entire length of your practice, a difference in $60,000 really isn't much at all (it just feels like it right now). But it does enter into the equation when I ask myself if it would it be better to go to a school that's cheaper, is closer to home, and is in a cool city with great weather than it would be to go to one of these expensive private schools where it's freezing 5 months out of the year. Luckily we have until May to decide because honestly, I don't know what I should do.

 

[Overeducated]

That said, I'm a Californian, so this question is completely inapplicable to me! Our best schools are the state schools! Is it a blessing or a curse?

...a curse! damnit, I can't score a Cali interview if my life depended on it.

 

[LT2]

...a curse! damnit, I can't score a Cali interview if my life depended on it.

seconded. i'm trying to stay in "good spirits" but it's kinda hard when no one will even give you a shot...

 

[Orthodoc40]

Hello,

I am having a bit of a dilemma (actually a pretty good situation to be in). I have received more interviews than expected and have been doing some thinking lately.

I have been accepted to my non-ranked state school, which I would be more than happy to attend.

On the other hand, I have received some interviews across the country at prestigiously ranked institutions (example, Ivy League). I am having doubts about going. I don't know if I could see myself moving that far away. I don’t want to waste money/time interviewing if I know that I’m not going to attend.

My two main reasons for staying home would be closeness to family / friends, and the tuition would be 1/4 to 1/5 (a big difference). About 10k vs 35+ a year.

The only motivation I would have to leave would be if a higher ranked school gave me better residency options. I think I would be happier at home, but I could suck it up for 4 years if it meant it opened more options for me.

Am I crazy wanting to stay home? Anyone else in this situation?

So far your reasons to go to your state school are much more persuasive than your reasons for going to a "prestigious" school. You would be saving a LOT of money, and be under far less stress being closer to friends and family and an area you're comfortable in. All that, vs. a name??

My state school is UMass but if I had to choose between my state school and Harvard (also in MA) I would take UMass without blinking. Names mean nothing. Your colleagues won't care where you went to school - they'll care if you're a good doctor or not.

 

[CTG]

just go where you feel comfortable...whatever gives you the right feeling...you know what the right decision is....you just have to follow your instincts. if you do that, you can't go wrong

 

[Deanmonster]

Hello,

My two main reasons for staying home would be closeness to family / friends, and the tuition would be 1/4 to 1/5 (a big difference). About 10k vs 35+ a year.

It's nice to be from Texas