Does it matter where you apply ?

[Docta Rod]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Honestly, i think it does matter where you apply to medical school. Everyone tells me that once you become a doctor, people arent going to ask you whhat school you went to. But that is b/s because many of the doctors and scientist that I shadow and work with "brag" deeply about their alma mater and people ask what schools they trained from. Also, they really talk about all the RESOURCES you get from certain medical schools have that others dont. Plus, they also told me about the oppritunities people get from going to a top school such as working with top scientists and leading doctors.

But what do you guys think ?

 

[PinkIvy08]

I think (and this is just my opinion) it only matters to a certain extent - and even still, that depends on what you want to do with your career. If you want to go more so towards academic medicine and research then it matters more than if you want to go into primary care. Even still, I doubt it matters that much...if you do well where ever you go, doors will open and you will be connected to people and resources that will help you succeed.

Plus, people can brag about where they went to school all they want...imo, I think your residency is far more important than the school you attended, and that is based on merit (i.e. grades/ranking, USMLE scores, LORs). Sure, certain schools may set you up to be more prepared for USMLE steps, but in the end, it's all about your performance on standardized exams.

 

[njbmd]

Honestly, i think it does matter where you apply to medical school. Everyone tells me that once you become a doctor, people arent going to ask you whhat school you went to. But that is b/s because many of the doctors and scientist that I shadow and work with "brag" deeply about their alma mater and people ask what schools they trained from. Also, they really talk about all the RESOURCES you get from certain medical schools have that others dont. Plus, they also told me about the oppritunities people get from going to a top school such as working with top scientists and leading doctors.

But what do you guys think ?

As long as you attended an LCME-accredited school in this country, for most things, it does not matter where you graduate as long as you do well and graduate. Some people have more school spirit than others and if bragging helps you to pay that $3,000/month loan payment, then by all means brag about where you attended medical school.

Contrary to popular belief, your training is your residency and your residency will have the most impact on your manner of practice. Medical school is just the prep for residency. As for those "top" scientists, you won't get anywhere near them as a medical student. As a resident, you might hear them speak at grand rounds or be able to work in their lab during your research years (if you have this type of residency).

Your medical school doesn't prepare you for USMLE, you do the prep yourself. Performance on these exams are very individual-dependent and not characteristic of the school. You can bust a huge USMLE Step I score from any LCME-accredited school in this country. Medical school provides the coursework but by the very nature of the volume of coursework, you are either going to master it or you don't.

 

[DoctaJay]

I agree with all that has been posted. Decide what is more important to you...academia....or just the practice of medicine. If you prefer academia, then you simply need to seek out attendings or professors who are doing research and work on a project with them. My school doesn't even send info into USNews, but we have plenty of people to get into high-powered academic residencies BECAUSE they sought out research, presented at national conferences, made connections, etc. And even if your school isn't known for research, i highly doubt that it will be dificult to find one attending doing research who has connections to other attendings in his field at other institutions.

People love to brag about where they came from, but that doesn't mean that you have to come from those places in order to make it in academia. I love to brag that brian mcknight went to my college, but that doesn't mean anything really. You can come from ANY medical school, and if you have the board scores, the 3rd year evals and good letters from doing away rotations your 4th year then the sky is the limit. And truly, where you do your residency has alot to do with where you practice and the connections that you make for the rest of your career. Don't get caught up in the hype. If you are smart and motivated, you can suceed from anywhere.

 

[pedronavaja2005]

Ok here are my 2 cents now that I've been there done that sort of speak...Where you go to medical school as no impact on whether you end up pursuing an academic career, primary care or subspecialty. Where you go for residency and fellowship will likely have a greater impact on your final career goals. As an example where I went to residency there were people who went to med school at Harvard, Hopkins, Yale Penn, WashU as well as those who went to schools like Downstate, University of Mass, Drexel, Jefferson, Upstate, Rosalind Franklin, RWJ and NJMS...etc. Some of those who went to schools like Hopkins, Penn pursued primary care carriers and some others that went to "lowered tiered med schools" ended up going for fellowships at UCSF, Columbia, Sinai, Harvard...just to name a few places. Ultimately, it will depend on your personal preferences re: location, family, personal career goals...etc.
Even now where I'm working as a Hospitalist (Major Academic Center in the NE), I have colleagues that have gone to UCSF, Uwashington, Uchicago, Yale, Sinai, Penn, Downstate, Einstein, Columbia, NJ Med, RWJ and everybody interacts with no problems. One of your big department chiefs went to school at Downstate....the other at Albany Med......bottom line is that where you go to medical school does not define your career path. Be financially savvy these days when making a choice about what medical school to attend...I wished I hadn't declined to go to a perfectly fine state school that offered me a full scholarship to attend a more expensive private "better ranked" school that left me with a hole in my pocket