Medical Considering "prestige" vs cost in choosing a medical school.. What does "prestige" actually mean, and does it really matter?

[Mr.Smile12]

I am choosing between attending a T5 school and a T20. I can see myself being equally happy at both schools, so my decision comes down to cost and school ranking/prestige. T5 will cost $150k more than the T20. It seems like an easy decision as I would be in significantly less debt with T20, but a big question I have is about "prestige."

Most of the threads about T5 schools in the Help Me Decide forum vaguely mention that prestige is important and that going to a highly-ranked school would make it easier to match into top choice residencies and pursue academic careers. I'm not sure yet which specialty/residency I want to pursue... could be something more competitive or not, and I'm not really interested in academic medicine. I see comments that suggest one take on significantly more debt for these T5 schools, then pay off the difference when one begins to make more money as an attending physician. And I would be willing to do that, if it really were the case that the more expensive and higher-ranked school significantly benefitted my career.

So, what does school "prestige" really mean for a medical student, and is it worth $150k of debt? What kinds of opportunities and connections would I gain by going to a T5 and lose out on by going to less highly-ranked school? T20 is still well-regarded, so is there really even a difference in quantity/quality of opportunities?

I don't want to potentially close any doors (though, at this point, I don't even know what these doors are), but $150k is a lot of money.

I don't see much of a difference between T5 and T20. Even when it comes to residencies, then you get to specific differences between candidates from one program versus another and quality of networking among faculty, but I don't really consider it a significant difference except to the uninformed. You need to do your homework on the match statistics between the schools (if that's the argument) and what happened to those who didn't match at either school. Basically you go where your student support is greatest where you will be respected and encouraged through the trials that are to come. Whether that's worth the extra debt load though... hmm...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

For starters, there are at least 10 schools in the top five, and at least 20 in the top 15.
Prestige is something defined in the minds of pre-meds as "schools I have heard of."

The really top schools can offer you a better path into academic medicine, but not many people are actually interested in this career path.

They May also be a better path or easier path into the highly competitive Specialties at top residencies.

But here's the real truth that most pre-meds don't get: once you are an attending it doesn't matter where you got your schooling. Your salary will be the same if your surgeon who went to Harvard, or a surgeon who went to Drexel or LECOM.

That is something that most pre-meds are also extremely unfamiliar with. The amount of money you're going to be in debt to is not worth The prestige of the institution to go to med school at. So unless you are truly dying to become a professor at a medical school, and do bench research, take the cheaper tuition all the time

 

[gutonc]

That is something that most pre-meds are also extremely unfamiliar with. The amount of money you're going to be in debt to is not worth The prestige of the institution to go to med school at. So unless you are truly dying to become a professor at a medical school, and do bench research, take the cheaper tuition all the time

Just to add to this. Your options coming from a "Top 5" vs a "Top 20" school are going to be more or less identical. The only reason to spend the extra money is if your parents are paying and will disown you if you go to the "safety school".

 

[Goro]

To further the discussion, ranking are largely a product of USN & WR, a totally worthless analysis. The only people who really care about these are pre-meds and med school Deans.

 

[gutonc]

And residency directors? I saw a residency director ranking list floating around here somewhere, and the ranking on that list is similar.
Do residency directors generally care about school ranking/prestige?

Depends on the residency and the director.

But again...there is literally no difference in what YOU can achieve from a Top 20 vs a Top 5 (again, recognizing that most people's Top 5 lists have about 15 schools in them).

 

[Goro]

Everything I've seen from our wise SDN residents and attending says no. What do they care about is the quality of the students. That's they know from historical precedent.

Med schools serve as feeders to residencies in the same way that UG schools funnel people to med school. The grads are a known product. This explains why you see my students now going to a particularly highly respected university hospital program in a particular specialty. My kids have kicked open the door, so the PDs there know they're good.