choosing schools to apply to... Tufts, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Brown, BU

[doctorious]

I've already applied to 10 schools, but I think I should be safe and apply to a few more. Here are the ones I'm considering...

Tufts - I like that it's in downtown Boston, does service in Chinatown, and has several dual degree options (MA in International Relations). Ranking is decent, but not great.

Georgetown - I like that it's in DC.

Dartmouth - No offense but seems to be catered to the outdoorsy and family types (based on browsing their website). Oh, and it's Ivy-League.

Brown - Also Ivy-League. I don't know much about Providence. And I don't totally like that +50% of its class are the younger 8-year BS/MD students.

Boston University - Heard that it's expensive and disorganized. I do like Boston though.

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Things that I look for:
Smaller class sizes.
Work with underserved populations.
Prestige/rankings.

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Please share with me your feedback/agree/disagreements on these schools. And any others you think are good to apply to! Thanks!

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[Thayer]

BU School of Medicine- I would take it off your list. The school is expensive and you're sort of like, where is all my tuition money going?!? For such a high tuition they don't put a lot back into the student body in my opinion. I'm also becoming more skeptical of the school when it says "oh yeah, we're big on community outreach and helping the community."

But the profs are great, the courses well organized. One of the redeeming factors about the school.

I don't know how to explain it there's just something about BU that makes me dislike the atmosphere. I don't know, some people seem to like it there.

Disclaimer/Full Disclosure: I was a BU SMP student taking classes with med students not an actual BUSM student and am commenting about the feeling I got while I was there. I am also on the waiting list for BUSM but have decided that NYMC is a better choice for me.

Dartmouth- Outdoorsy like you said. There's plenty of outdoor activities and it has one of the largest outing clubs. Kayaking, canoing, hiking, cycling, trailwork, building cabins, skiing, snowboarding, etc. The campus is gorgeous from late spring- early fall. It gets bitterly cold there most winters...like you can feel the snot freezing in your nose cold (I kid you not). Med students have access to all the facilities and benefits of premeds..including an amazing, newly renovated gym. Med school class is on the small side- around 80 I believe. It's a lil too small for me. Outside of the bars and restaurants on main street and a few places in the surrounding region there isn't much night life. The people there have a great attitude. It's a great undergrad scene but I don't know about grad/professional.


Brown- Was warned by my school premed advisor that if you don't have ties to Brown, Rhode Island, their special programs, etc. that your chances of being accepted are slim (unless you have a rockstar application). This tidbit came from someone on the Brown adcom.

These are the only schools I feel like I know enough to comment on. But definitely get some more opinions outside of mine too.

 

[MChitty]

I could be wrong, but I heard that the MA/MD program might be ending at Tufts? Again, it was hearsay from some current Tufts med students, but thought I'd let you know. Also, unlike their other combined programs, you can't apply through their online app, I'm pretty sure you have to apply separately to the Fletcher School (who offers the MA). Just thought I'd let you know!

 

[doctorious]

very helpful information....thanks both of you guys! you rock.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

The 5 schools you've listed here are sort of "applicant stereotype" schools... that is, places that everyone and their mother apply to. They get truckloads of apps, and so you're really not doing as much to increase your chances as you would with well-placed applications at more stragetic schools.

Why not try some places that are ranked at about the same level, but are just a little more off the beaten path?

- U of Rochester is worth a look with its P/F grading and chill atmosphere
- Ohio State is really up and coming (don't be scared of their big class size... they have 2 different tracks, so it's almost like they have 2 different medical schools in the same University)
- University of Pittsburgh is a cult favorite on these boards
- University of Alabama--Birmingham is very well ranked and has a sizeable underserved population... yet is almost ignored on these boards
- University of Cincinnati is relatively well-ranked and will give you in-state tuition after the first year

... hopefully you get the idea. But yeah, if you want to increase your chances you should put your "lottery tickets" into pots with fewer applicants!

Good luck to you.

 

[postbacker]

The 5 schools you've listed here are sort of "applicant stereotype" schools... that is, places that everyone and their mother apply to. They get truckloads of apps, and so you're really not doing as much to increase your chances as you would with well-placed applications at more stragetic schools.

Why not try some places that are ranked at about the same level, but are just a little more off the beaten path?

- U of Rochester is worth a look with its P/F grading and chill atmosphere
- Ohio State is really up and coming (don't be scared of their big class size... they have 2 different tracks, so it's almost like they have 2 different medical schools in the same University)
- University of Pittsburgh is a cult favorite on these boards
- University of Alabama--Birmingham is very well ranked and has a sizeable underserved population... yet is almost ignored on these boards
- University of Cincinnati is relatively well-ranked and will give you in-state tuition after the first year

... hopefully you get the idea. But yeah, if you want to increase your chances you should put your "lottery tickets" into pots with fewer applicants!

Good luck to you.

Isnt there a big in-state bias at UAB? Like your list, though, and agree with the reasoning...

 

[SketchLazy]

Ok. So this question will without a doubt seem ******ed, but are there any other schools besides Dartmouth that are outdoorsy? Ones that have seasonal whether where you can enjoy the sun in the summer and snow(boarding) in the winter?

 

[searun]

Ok. So this question will without a doubt seem ******ed, but are there any other schools besides Dartmouth that are outdoorsy? Ones that have seasonal whether where you can enjoy the sun in the summer and snow(boarding) in the winter?

Colorado in Denver and OHSU in Portland have great summers and access to great snowboarding the the winter. But out of state tuition in Colorado is insane. Probably OHSU is your best bet - Oregon admits about 30 percent of its class as OOS - Mt. Hood is only 90 minutes away for great winter sports. Also the Oregon coast and the Pacific Ocean is about an hour to the west from Portland. The OHSU admissions process is extremely annoying and odd but it is a very good school.

 

[Thayer]

Also, I just thought of something else I could add, Tufts tuition+ living expenses is around $60,000/year because it's a private school. It may even be higher than that. That was something I didn't know when I applied. BU is also up there. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[doctorious]

wanna_b_scutty :
thanks i will definitely look into that. i actually was considering u. of rochester too. i noticed u. of pittsburgh.... why do SDN'ers like it so much?

too bad i already submitted tufts and BU before really thinking about the tuition... oh well

 

[CTtarheel]

I interviewed at tufts and BU. Really liked Tufts atmosphere and curriculum, BU was just ok. Both schools are very expensive, but a lot of that has to do with living in boston. These schools (BU especially) get TONS of applications, so while their numbers seem to say that they are safety schools they tend to be completely random in selecting applicants, i'd bet a lot of ivy league matriculants have been straight up rejected by these schools for no good reason.

one more word of advice . . . . you don't necessarily need to apply to 15 schools. If you find 5-10 schools where your stats are above their averages you'll be fine. The only people who really need to be applying to more than 10 schools are those with borderline apps, or those applying to the most selective schools.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

wanna_b_scutty :
thanks i will definitely look into that. i actually was considering u. of rochester too. i noticed u. of pittsburgh.... why do SDN'ers like it so much?

too bad i already submitted tufts and BU before really thinking about the tuition... oh well

Regarding U of Rochester, yes, definitely check it out. I interviewed there and really liked it (choose another school in the end, but would have been happy at U of R, too). The student body is apparently so tight knit that a lot of them actually end up marrying each other!

Regarding U of Pitt, I'd suggest that you do your own search for it on this board. Their slogan is "a different kind of medical school," and it really is true. SDNers seem to either absolutely love it or totally hate it, but it makes a big impression on everyone. I interviewed there, too, and liked it a lot-- too bad I got waitlisted.

 

[moomix906]

wanna_b_scutty :
thanks i will definitely look into that. i actually was considering u. of rochester too. i noticed u. of pittsburgh.... why do SDN'ers like it so much?

too bad i already submitted tufts and BU before really thinking about the tuition... oh well

when I was considering Pitt, I felt like they were making a big effort to know me personally. Their acceptance letter even included specific facts from my application, my interviewers from there were in touch with me, the 2nd look was a lot of fun. They have an amazing simulation center, the curriculum seemed well structured, and they are the only med school in pittsburgh. Maybe even western Pennsylvania?
I ended up not choosing Pitt because I felt like they were really big on a number of areas I wasnt interested in, like transplant surgery, and because I didn't like the feel of the university in general. Current students seemed great but the overall feel of the University wasn't a good fit for me, a little too Big 10 sports, and also because the class size was on the big side for me. Although the administration was making a show of effort I got the sense that it was easy to still get left behind without doing a lot of work on your own, but I still think its a great choice and they were one of the few schools who were very open to all kinds of applications, esp. nontraditional people

 

[Law2Doc]

The 5 schools you've listed here are sort of "applicant stereotype" schools... that is, places that everyone and their mother apply to. They get truckloads of apps, and so you're really not doing as much to increase your chances as you would with well-placed applications at more stragetic schools.

Agree with this. Everyone looking east considers that it wouldn't be bad to live in DC or Boston. Some of these schools lead the pack in number of applications, so your odds don't go up much adding them to your core grouping.

I would also suggest that "Ivy League" is a meaningless concept for med schools. Princeton doesn't have a med school. The two you (OP) mentioned are not exactly that high on the rankings list. And most of the top 10 most prestigious schools are not Ivies. (I mean, most people would choose Hopkins over 5/7 of the Ivies).