Does anyone know..

[hopefulM.D.]

if there is any way of finding out what residency directors as a whole think about certain schools? To be more specific, do they have a rating system that is available.

I am weighing my options on the schools I've been accepted to, and hope to get in to (off the waitlists, recent interviews, etc.).

Thanks

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[hopefulM.D.]

would anyone know what the residency directors think about schools like Tulane, Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wright State and Oregon Health Sci Univ?


This additional info would really help in my decision making well before May 15.

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

would anyone know what the residency directors think about schools like Tulane, Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wright State and Oregon Health Sci Univ?


This additional info would really help in my decision making well before May 15.

Your thinking about this too hard. Pick the place where you would be happiest living at and run with it. People do all specialities at all schools; the school you go to has very very little to do with residency application/matching. It you are looking at ultra competitive specialties, your Steps, GPA, and exposure to the field will be MUCH more important....

 

[excalibur]

The school matters very very little. What matters the most is how you performed during med school-->Step 1, Letters of Rec, Rotation grades, pre-clinical grades, away rotations, sub-I, extracurriculars, research. All of that can be done at any med school in America. So just pick the med school which you think is the best fit for you.

 

[The Buff]

For the most part I agree with everything said above. To answer your question: the best you're probably going to get is the column in the US News rankings that rate Residency Director Assessment. This is a VERY rough scale for many reasons, but at least you might get some idea. Other than that, PD's tend to hold their opinons close to the vest.

That said, go with the place where you feel the most comfortable, and you will not regret it.

 

[Biscuit799]

Agreed with above posters.

You may be miserable at Hopkins or happy and content at State. Chances are your grades will be better if you're happy.

 

[Keg]

To answer your question, it's part of the USNews rankings (although the accuracy of this measure can be debated). It's the "Assessment score by residency directors (5.0 highest)".

 

[hopefulM.D.]

all medical schools, at least those in the U.S., provide great educational opportunities. If they didn't, they probably would not be accredited. However, I am under the impression that schools that have more funding, more rotation opportunities, and good medical centers are probably best for my educational experience as an entering medical student. I know that rankings are not everything, but I really want to know, all things being equal four years from now between me and a competing applicant during the MATCH, if I'll be screwed over for going to a state school that is relatively unknown outside its region. I know that tuition is a big factor, but can I justify myself for going to a better ranked school since it has better residency director and peer assessment ratings? I just want to settle this soon, so that I can give others a chance when I decline the remaining schools I've been accepted to.

 

[Biscuit799]

all medical schools, at least those in the U.S., provide great educational opportunities. If they didn't, they probably would not be accredited. However, I am under the impression that schools that have more funding, more rotation opportunities, and good medical centers are probably best for my educational experience as an entering medical student. I know that rankings are not everything, but I really want to know, all things being equal four years from now between me and a competing applicant during the MATCH, if I'll be screwed over for going to a state school that is relatively unknown outside its region. I know that tuition is a big factor, but can I justify myself for going to a better ranked school since it has better residency director and peer assessment ratings? I just want to settle this soon, so that I can give others a chance when I decline the remaining schools I've been accepted to.

From the various research I've done into the topics (various websites, other SDN'ers, Isersons, among others) school attended is so far down the list that the chances of that being a distinguishing factor are nill. It'd be best to go somewhere you'll be happy, because the increase in performance due to being somewhere you're happy will probably outweigh the advantage of going to a more prestigious school. That being said, every school sends a couple people to ortho, derm, etc every year. So while you may not get the specific PROGRAM you want (again, probably not due to the specific school), school choice will NOT affect specialty.

 

[MD Wiggy]

would anyone know what the residency directors think about schools like Tulane, Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wright State and Oregon Health Sci Univ?


This additional info would really help in my decision making well before May 15.

Hopeful, I can tell you a little about my school UC. I can't tell you what residency directors think about us simply because I am not one. I think the comment about the US News rankings are correct. Take these for what they are worth a rough estimate of only those directors who report.

About UC, yes we are a state school, we have what I've been told is one of the "marquee" surgery residencies in the country (top 10). Our biggest assets are probably in our arguable Top 3 EM and Pediatrics programs. Cincinnati Children's is an asset that tends to get overlooked (I sure overlooked it) by applicants and certainly it isn't emphasized in the interview process. But CCHMC is a world class facility (2nd in funding and facilities, 1st in patient volume in the USA). If you are interested in peds I hear UC COM students are guaranteed an interview.

My point in mentioning these individual assets is that in the end, the small role that the school you attended is more likely going to come through the specialty you are entering and how the program at your school matches up nationally.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Your thinking about this too hard. Pick the place where you would be happiest living at and run with it. People do all specialities at all schools; the school you go to has very very little to do with residency application/matching. It you are looking at ultra competitive specialties, your Steps, GPA, and exposure to the field will be MUCH more important....

Do you work on electron microscopes or does the EM stand for something else?

Welcome to the allo threads where people can give you advice based on real experience.

To answer your question, it's part of the USNews rankings (although the accuracy of this measure can be debated). It's the "Assessment score by residency directors (5.0 highest)".

The validity and reliability are in question too.

Go where you are most comfortable with the curriculum and school. USN is a publication for lay people and bean counters, not medical students. If you can't learn the way the school you choose teaches, then the "residency director assessment score" isn't going to do any good because your board scores will eliminate you from meeting the residency directors.

What would have been much more beneficial to me as an applicant is the complete and utter lack of any sort of rank. Instead, I want to know the following (not necessarily in this order):

1. Curriculum Style (systems vs. subject, how long it's been in place)
2. Grading system (GPA vs. some variant of pass/fail)
3. Use of PBL
4. Options/choices regarding satellite clinical campuses
5. Testing style (computer vs. bubbles, exam blocks vs. rolling)
6. Clinical exposure in M1/2 (if any)
7. School cost vs. financial aid vs. living cost
8. Actual vs. phony diversity of student body (if any)

Unfortunately this is the stuff that's hardly memorialized in an MSAR or rankings system. Every US accredited school will give you the board material--they have to. It's going to be up to you to learn it. So choose the school that best fits you. Nobody here has been a student at more than one school much less two of those mentioned in your list.

 

[Winged Scapula]

They think about Harvard, Hopkins, Penn and other Ivys/top tier schools. After that, there is little thought or consideration given to the medical school you attended unless you are interviewing for residency with someone who attended your medical school or has a good friend on faculty there.

Really. Don't spend too much time worrying about what PDs will think about your school of choice 4 years from now. They will be much more concerned about your USMLEs, grades, LORs, etc. Go where you will be happiest.