Choosing a better school but paying more???

[Jalby]

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I'm just curous about all of you guys who choose to go to a better school that costed more but you liked over a cheaper school that wasn't as good. Do you feel it helped you enough to outweigh the costs???

I'm alos interested in the converse, the people who choose to go to the cheaper school even though they may have liked the better school.

 

[Jalby]

PS, I put this here so I could get people almost finished with school, not ones who just started so could you please leave it here.

 

[Celiac Plexus]

I am days from graduating from a ranked private school and I am looking at around 100K worth of debt. So this issue has been floating around in my head.

Also, my brother is a senior in college right now and is just about wrapping up the whole interview process.

I advised him to pick his med school based on 2 criteria. First, go where you will be happiest. It's no use picking a cheaper school if you are gonna be miserable ther for four years. But, the second criteria is cost. Frankly I advised him to go to cheaper schools over more expensive ranked ones.

The cost is just ridiculous to attend a private med school right now. If you consider that the average tuition is around 30-35K, and living expenses + books etc is easily 15K, that's 50K+ per year. Times 4 years that's 200K. I had the luxury of having my parents pick up some of the cost, and I had no undergrad debt so I was able to do it with only 100K of borrowing.

Right now my brother is holding an acceptance to very good state school which will be relatively cheaper than my school by a lot. He is also on the waitlist for Harvard, Duke, and Yale. I think that if he gets accepted to Harvard, Yale, or Duke then it is worth the extra money just for the prestige. However, he did withdraw from a few waitlists at mid-ranked private schools that he felt just weren't worth the extra cash. I, of course, agree with him. There is no good reason to go to a school ranked 25 just because it's "ranked". Unless of course you really love it, and feel strongly that you would be very happy there.

For me, I am going to graduate from a well-known, upper mid-ranked, private school with as I stated 100K of debt. If I had attended one of my state schools I would have had far less debt (could have lived in a house that my parents own and rent to med students lol), and probably would have done just as well in the match. I also would have been pretty happy there since some of my good friends from undergrad went there (and lived in the aforementioned parents' house lol). I do think that I would have received the same education, and would have been just as qualified as I am now even though the school I go to is ranked higher. In the end there were some compelling personal reasons to go to the medical school where I am now. In retrospect I am not sure that I made the correct choice. If I had it to do over again I would have probably picked the state school option... It would have been cheaper, I would have been closer to my friends from childhood/HS/college, and I would have been able to go home and have home cooking whenever I wanted to. Plus, the weather would have been a hell of a lot nicer... It sucks having no tan, being pasty white most of the time, and having to listen to people root for sports teams that are your arch rivals!

Good luck choosing!

 

[maxheadroom]

Had the exit interview with my school's financial aid guy the other day, so the money thing is fresh in my mind. I go to a fairly well-respected State school, but we're no UCLA/UCSF. That being said, my friends who went to the expensive mid-level privates are all about 50-100K more in debt than me. If you have the opportunity for Hopkins, Harvard, Duke, WashU, the money is worth it. If it's SLU, Creighton, Boston U, Tufts, Loyola, I'd say go State.

 

[anonymousEM]

In the end, every school prepares you for the boards and practice as a physician. Some come with more prestige and perhaps opportunity for research. It's obvious that a well-known name may help you get your foot in the door for interviews and that the more prestigious schools also have more well-known people to write letters. BUT that being said, I am about to graduate from a state school known only regionally and my classmates will be going all over the country in everything from Derm to FP. Last year 5 people matched in Plastics and we don't even have a residency. Clearly ancedotal, but encouragement for those who can't see themselves paying their way out of 200K of debt!

One word of caution: Consider whether you'd rather do your clerkships at a university or community hospital. I didn't factor that into my decision but probably should have.

 

[hamburgler]

i agree with the above medical students (soon to be doctors!). I think attending a top 10 med school is worth paying extra, and there certainly is a big difference between the match lists at say Columbia and Harvard vs any state school (one exception obviously being UCSF). But outside the top 10-15 med schools, in my opinion, I don't think it makes a big difference at all. Board scores I think are heavily weighted in virtually all specialties as a kind of common ground to compare med students - and I think the bottom line is - if you're good, you're good. You don't need to attend a top 10 med school to be considered great. When you finally make it to residency and then subsequently start your own practice, no one cares where you went to med school, they just care how good you are clinically - and I think that's a more indivual thing than where you went to med school. If you took someone with a mind like Albert Einsten and put him at the worst med school, he still would have been enormously successful.

In sum, my advice to you, is if you get into a top 10 med school, you should definitely attend (although this is definitely very debatable, and just my opinion). Otherwise, go to your state school and save tons of money - you'll be glad you did 10 years down the road. Being a poor resident and having 150-200K debt really sucks!

Best of luck!!

 

[path1]

I agree with above med students. I come from a state school, not that well known, but had interviews for residency at top 10 schools, so just being at at top 10 school does not necessarily equate with greatness. I believe it doesn't really matter which school you go to, after all all are accredited. I think as long as you have the will, desire and perseverence then you will achieve your goals no matter the school. That being said, being at a top school like UCSF does make it easier, but you can also boast that you did it all on your own the hard way and worked yourself up!
I agree that your ultimate goal is if your to be a clinican, patients will not care where you went to med school or residency, that's purly an academic issue, but rather you bedside manners/clinical skills and compassion. That sells.

 

[Flipchick]

I agree with the posts above. I'm close to the end of my medical education at a ranked state school, which I chose above a ranked private school. I don't regret my decision at all--I think that my education is at par with everybody else's, and the fact that my debt will be less than half of what it would have been if I went to a private school is something that I will be thankful for for the rest of my life (when I'm paying it off!). Remember, $200K with interest is a LOT more than, say, $75 K with interest!

 

[duramaterdoc]

I'm an intern and I totally agree. I went to a very expensive med school w/little fin aid (200k in debt!)

With doctors' salaries decreasing, cost is a big issue.

Go to a big 10 school if you get accepted and then go where it makes you happy. If you can be almost as happy at a cheaper school...go for it! It will save you headache and worry in the end (esp. throughout residency which can be longer than med school).

🙂

 

[mightymo]

It's nice to hear some of this advice from people at the other end of the med school spectrum. I don't know if any of you are UMich graduates but I was wondering how Michigan's reputation holds up against the Hopkins, WashUs, Yales, ect within the world of residency placement. USCF seems to be the state school of state schools in these threads, but is michigan's 'prestige factor' comparable? I guess I'm asking this: is Michigan's reputation worth the money for an out of stater interested in a competitive residency? Their match list suggest that it is (lots of optho, rads matches) but maybe these were just exceptional students to begin with. Thanks!

 

[Foxxy Cleopatra]

I have kind of a different view about this... I went to an average, unranked state school and matched at my #2 (a large state university general surgery program.) If you work hard, you can find the resources available to succeed at about any school. For example, we did not receive any preparation for Step 1 or 2 at my school (we all studied on our own), yet many people did very well (above a 240.) Most people who desire competitive residencies or institutions are able to obtain them.

On the other hand, you have to work harder to prove yourself and perhaps get to know some more influential people. Also, there tend to be less of an interest in academics, didactics, and more of an interest in everyone doing the necessary work and getting out of work as quickly as possible. This can be nice when you've had a rotten day but, in my opinion, can be detrimental when students are denied procedural opportunites because no one wants to spend extra time to teach. If you are still in the porcess of deciding on a school, I'd ask about these things. Then again, if the choice is between places like Michigan, UCSF, Yale or Hopkins, they're all large academic centers and my points would probably not be as much of an issue.

good luck

 

[md03]

I am under the impression that procedure opportunites are probably better at non-top schools. I go to a state school, and have done tons of procedures. Plus the students are always an important part of the team. I did an elective at a bigger name school nearby (though not a top 25 school) and students were more observers than active participants.

When I started clinical rotations, was poking around the web and stumbled across an online student guide for internal medicine service at a big name school (if I recall it was Yale) and I was stunned....from the description, it seemed like the students weren highly coddled and I wondered how they would ever learn to function effectively on the wards. Examples include: "call" ended at 11pm and each student was to admit ONE patient each call (vs 2-3 each we would admit on overnight call for medicine, 4-5 for peds). They are to write the H&P to hand in to attending, not to go on the chart (vs our H&P after we get a rotation under our belt is THE H&P, with addendum as necessary by resident). The student notes were discussed in advance and reviewed with resident before it goes on the chart (vs ours having to be first on the chart without any input from anyone).

Anyone interviewing for med school now should ask the 3rd and 4 th year students they meet what the clinical exposure is like.

But I dont' think any school, no matter how highly ranked or how expensive, will prevent the "Oh S**T, I don't know anywhere near enough to function as an intern!" feeling that is looming large for those of us about to graduate!

All in all, while i feel there were certain deficiencies in my education, I'm glad I went to a fairly cheap school. (I bet anyone can look back and find faults with their schools curriculum) I'll be doing residency at a bigger name school with about double the tution. It will be interesting to compare.

 

[oldandtired]

Maybe pay the cash for the top ten schools (It would suck though if you chose family practice, psych, etc). It will be worth it if you choose to pursue a competitive specialty.

After about two-three months of internship, you can not tell the difference between those who attended Harvard and Jack's medical school of antigua. Remember you ALWAYS have backup from more senior residents. You will never be blamed for asking for help and not doing something. But if you do something and you screw up, you are ****ed.