Contrary to what I believed, the NAME of your med school matters...

[chef]

I always believed that even if you go to a non USNews ranked school, if you work hard you'll land a dream residency in derm, ophthy, neuro surg at UCSF, Harvard, Hopkins, etc.

But going through some websites of residency programs at these places, I realized that the name of your medical school matters. It seems like you'll have to be one of the best students ever at a low ranked school to get into top programs. I hope I'm wrong!!

Example:
NYU Dermatology
1st yrs
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
New York University School of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Yale University School of Medicine

2nd yrs
Stanford University School of Medicine
John Hopkins University
Yale University School of Medicine
USC School of Medicine
NYU School of Medicine
UC San Diego

3rd yrs
New York University
Harvard Medical School
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Yale University
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Cornell University Medical College

Hopkins Neurosurgery
1st yrs
Duke University School of Medicine
Gibbon Scholars MD/PhD Program Jefferson Medical College
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

2nd yrs
Yale University School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

3rd yrs
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
MDPhD-Northwestern University School of Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine

4th
Harvard Medical School
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine

You get the idea.... <img border="0" alt="[Wowie]" title="" src="graemlins/wowie.gif" />

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[ValleyGal]

The top schools will open doors that the absolute super stars of those lower schools will have to force their way through. Anything is achievable, just easier from different locations. Judging from those programs, the doctors in those residencies were probably the superstars of their classes as well.

 

[THE instiGATOR]

I'm looking at the 2001 match list for USA (the school I will attend). It's not the strongest I've seen, but it has some good matches. There are only 64 people on it, mind you. Some good ones are:

UCLA, Los Angeles, CA....Pediatrics
Carraway Methodist-Birmingham, AL....Surgery
Georgetown University-Washington, DC....Medicine/Pediatrics
University of Kentucky-Lexington, KY....Radiology
University of Kentucky-Lexington, KY....Orthopedics
University of Alabama-Birmingham, AL....Otolaryngology
Medical College of Georgia-Augusta, GA....Radiology
USA....Radiology
USA....Radiology
Cedars Sinai Medical Center-Los Angeles, CA....Surgery
University of Cincinnati-Cincinnati, OH....Urology
USA....Radiology
Baylor COM-Houston, TX....Surgery
USA....Radiology
Carraway Methodist-Birmingham, AL....Surgery
Johns Hopkins....Fellowship (???)
USA....Surgery
University of Cincinnati-Cincinnati, OH....OB/GYN

Ok, so I'm not the best at evaluating match lists. For a class of 64, though, this looks pretty good! Lots of surgery matches, a Hopkins fellowship (don't know how impressive this is), lots of radiology matches (is radiology tough?), etc...

I agree that the name of one's school can help, but I think one can get where they want with added work.

 

[oldman]

what is USA?

 

[THE instiGATOR]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by oldman:
•what is USA?••••• University of South Alabama

<img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[BlackPuma]

lol

oh my....I thought he meant I am going to go to a medical school in USA...as in United States of America <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

I was like, at least it is not carribean :wink:

 

[Cdc28p]

I think the name of your med school is really important because there are so few factors for the residency directors to select applicants on. We undergrads have GPAs, MCATs, lots of ECs, letters of rec,... but the 4th-year med students mainly have Step 1 scores, letters, and some ECs. There is not a big gradation in grades due to the prevalence of P/F. A lot of the 4th-years therefore look very similar on paper. So facing with two seemingly equally competent applicants, the residency director will probably go with the one from a better-known school. In other words, compared to the undergrad case, it's more difficult to distinguish oneself from the rest in med school. Therefore, the school name will probably carry more weight.

 

[yunfat]

"What's USA?"
OUCH! that's tough, Oldman! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[nyskindr]

In choosing NYU Dermatology,You picked the most competitive program in the most competitive spcialty in the US as an example.This is not a typical situation.The residency programs of the top hospitals are filled with grads of average med schools.If you go to this site you can look up Derm matches from abroad range of med schools <a href="http://pub50.ezboard.com/bdermatology" target="_blank">http://pub50.ezboard.com/bdermatology</a> ButYes if you want NYU derm...Hopkins is a good idea!

 

[Papa Smurf]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by SwampMan:
•
Ok, so I'm not the best at evaluating match lists. For a class of 64, though, this looks pretty good! Lots of surgery matches, a Hopkins fellowship (don't know how impressive this is), lots of radiology matches (is radiology tough?), etc...•••••Sorry SwampMan, but surgery matches are nothing special anymore. Surgery has one of the highest % of slots going unfilled lately. Almost 25% of all surgery slots went unfilled in this year's match. Surgery has dropped big time in terms of competitiveness, and will soon be filled with FMG's who aren't given first dibbs when it comes to match like US grads are. Rads is very impressive, as is derm, ENT, optho, etc. Looks like med students are just sick of the typical surgeon's lifestyle these days. Not to mention the ridiculous residency!

 

[LizardKing]

Damn Hopkins takes the cake!