does med school name matter?

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All that matters is your GPA, class rank, and board scores.
 
toofache32 said:
All that matters is your GPA, class rank, and board scores.
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and school name helps.
 
toofache32 said:
All that matters is your GPA, class rank, and board scores.
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school name definitely helps!!!
 
toofache32 said:
All that matters is your GPA, class rank, and board scores.
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This sounds like a walgreens commercial in the town of Perfect.
 
toofache32 said:
huh? I don't get it.
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He/she trying to say Ros. frank. is a crappy name, but good match list. Actually a good match list. Lots of crappy location though (for me that is).
 
From what I've heard, its possible to get a good residency from even a middle to lower tiered school....and in the end, when you're a doc, people dont usually ask where you went to school, but where you trained (where you did your residency)....but im sure school name helps out too in getting a good residency
 
board scores baby. Nail that. that's the equalizer.
do you think there's a big difference between a 3.3 and 3.5 med student? the 3.5 student probably memorized more trivia 🙂
 
synapse said:
can students from a low tier med school match into competitive residencies?
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yes, but even with equivalent (and sometimes higher) board scores, they will be at some degree of a disadvantage compared with those at top schools.

nothing to worry about. in the end it doesn't really matter.
 
gerido said:
He/she trying to say Ros. frank. is a crappy name, but good match list. Actually a good match list. Lots of crappy location though (for me that is).
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crappy locations? what's a "good" location? just wondering. what are some top residencies at top locations? does that mean it's hard to match into those coming from ros. frank?
 
synapse said:
crappy locations? what's a "good" location? just wondering. what are some top residencies at top locations? does that mean it's hard to match into those coming from ros. frank?
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"good" location varies from person to person. but generally speaking, it means NY, Boston, Seattle, California.

a good location will make a program more desirble -- hence, more competitive to match at regardless of the quality of training.
 
The most important aspect of you applying to medical school is what you learn, doing well, and growing as a person. You will end up where you set yourself up to be. In the long scheme of life, a school's name will get you far less options. Just go to medical school where you can see yourself being for four years and I wish you the best of luck. The difference between this optho and that optho program really is not going to matter one bit when you are 40 years old. Unless you want to drive The FASTED CAR, have the HOTTEST wife, live in THe BIGGEST House, the you DIE, and what sort of life is that?
 
The fact that no one matched in derm doesn't mean anything...maybe no one tried for derm. Same goes for other specialties that are not represented...sometimes no one in a given class wants to do a certain specialty.
 
doc05 said:
"good" location varies from person to person. but generally speaking, it means NY, Boston, Seattle, California.

a good location will make a program more desirble -- hence, more competitive to match at regardless of the quality of training.
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It definately varies from person to person. NY and Boston are the closest places to hell for me. But I never really cared about location because I'm there to learn...I ranked based on quality of training. That's the price you pay to get good training and to then be able to live anywhere you want to live.
 
synapse said:
Does med school name matter? can students from a low tier med school match into competitive residencies?
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yes and yes
 
Oh, not this again... People from top schools will (of course) say yes. People from schools less beloved by US News will (of course) say no. It also depends on where you want to go.

Case and point, Colorado is fairly popular for residency because it's a great place to live. UCHSC is not the highest-ranked program in the nation. But essentially everyone graduating from it gets an automatic interview in Colorado residencies giving them a distinct advantage over funny-speaking people from the East Coast.

The worst anyone has done in IM match this year was their second choice. People who actually apply to top residencies (Brigham and Womens, etc.) get them.
 
I Am Wondering If There Is A Difference Between Medical College Of Georgia And Mercer With Respect To Prestige And Getting Into A Residency...just In General...i Realize Some Residencies Are Harder To Get Into! Thanks!
 
triciatmd said:
I Am Wondering If There Is A Difference Between Medical College Of Georgia And Mercer With Respect To Prestige And Getting Into A Residency...just In General...i Realize Some Residencies Are Harder To Get Into! Thanks!
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I did not go to either but I do know that you will have more traveling to do at Mercer since they farm their students to Savannah. I have never been to Mercer's campus but MCG was quite a layout.
 
Well I Actually Heard That Mcg Farms Out Their Students More For Their Rotations. Mercer Sends Half Of Their Class To Savannah But They Can Do All Of Their Rotations There...at Least From My Understanding. I Hear That At Mcg You May Have To Do One Rotation In Albany And The Next In Savannah...pretty Much Just Living Out Of A Suitcase.
 
Blue Scrub said:
From what I've heard, its possible to get a good residency from even a middle to lower tiered school....and in the end, when you're a doc, people dont usually ask where you went to school, but where you trained (where you did your residency)....but im sure school name helps out too in getting a good residency
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I'm not so sure. Read "What Your Doctor Won't (or Cannot) Tell You" by a Cardio MD in NY. In the first chapter he advises people how to safely select their physicians. The first item on the list is "Ask the physician which med school he/she attended and where he/she did residency." His proposed reason: not all doctors are the same.

If enough people start following his advice, yes, your school name will matter to people who are increasingly skeptical.

I recommend you all to read it. He has other interesting things to say.
 
Brett, this is selection bias. Someone who applies for a Harvard program is inherently a gunner. A very strong student who is not hardcore will not even consider that program because they don't want to be in that culture.
 
Mumpu said:
Oh, not this again... People from top schools will (of course) say yes. People from schools less beloved by US News will (of course) say no. It also depends on where you want to go.

Case and point, Colorado is fairly popular for residency because it's a great place to live. UCHSC is not the highest-ranked program in the nation. But essentially everyone graduating from it gets an automatic interview in Colorado residencies giving them a distinct advantage over funny-speaking people from the East Coast.

The worst anyone has done in IM match this year was their second choice. People who actually apply to top residencies (Brigham and Womens, etc.) get them.
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what is brigham and womens?!
 
That is silly to say that name matters as far as poeple on the outside world goes because other than namesm like yale, harvard, stanford, hopkins and a few other people dont know which schools are good and which arent. I went to GW the past 2 years and now transfered to a higher ranked state school but when i told people where i went to school- even the people who interviewed me for my new school and just average lay people, they thought i went to this amazing school because GWs law, undergrad and a couple business programs are liek top 10 so they assoc all the programs as being great. So i dont think people on the outside world will care where someone went to school or trained as they wont know one program from another so whoever wrote taht book your talking about is silly unless you are in the medical field or know something about schools
 
Ramoray said:
they thought i went to this amazing school because GWs law, undergrad and a couple business programs are liek top 10
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BWAHAHAHAHA :laugh: ok sure
 
Ramoray said:
because GWs law, undergrad and a couple business programs are liek top 10 so they assoc all the programs as being great.
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you're not serious, are you? In what world is GW "top 10" in anything?

people often confuse GW with Georgetown. That's probably why.
 
triciatmd said:
Well I Actually Heard That Mcg Farms Out Their Students More For Their Rotations. Mercer Sends Half Of Their Class To Savannah But They Can Do All Of Their Rotations There...at Least From My Understanding. I Hear That At Mcg You May Have To Do One Rotation In Albany And The Next In Savannah...pretty Much Just Living Out Of A Suitcase.
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Holy inappropriate capitalizations, Batman!! 😱 😱 😱
 
I dont think patients care at all. Especially these days, with the around PA's, NP's, CRNA's, IMGs, FMG's, and even DO's...i think going to an american medical school is good enough for most people. Even with the "classism" that exists at top residency programs, you often see foreign med grads at top ranked fellowships, so it name dropping won't be helping much there.

So name matters as far as bragging rights, but I dont think it matters much. The public has no idea what med schools are good. Try telling someone wash U is better than yale...

The only thing where it helps it that you can get a lower board score at a top school and get a better residency. However, something like that is easy to overcome for someone who is just as smart as the top med school applicant.

Also, applicants distinguish themselves with research and other things, and those are just as obtainable at a smaller school if you are motivated to do so.

I am picking my school more on location then on overall rep, so i guess i am putting my money where my mouth is.
 
Since class rank is very important for getting into a top residency, would it be better to attend a state school than, say, Harvard Medical School?
 
quantum said:
Since class rank is very important for getting into a top residency, would it be better to attend a state school than, say, Harvard Medical School?
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well first, harvard has to accept you. or else this comparison is pointless.
next, harvard is probably better as long as you are not a marginally passing student.
 
triciatmd said:
Well I Actually Heard That Mcg Farms Out Their Students More For Their Rotations. Mercer Sends Half Of Their Class To Savannah But They Can Do All Of Their Rotations There...at Least From My Understanding. I Hear That At Mcg You May Have To Do One Rotation In Albany And The Next In Savannah...pretty Much Just Living Out Of A Suitcase.
Click to expand...

#1 most important thing in landing a top residency: learn how to write with proper capitalizations. I recommend BRS Elementary Grammar for this, it is high-yield and really easy to follow. It really helps with the old PS!!
 
Mumpu said:
Brett, this is selection bias. Someone who applies for a Harvard program is inherently a gunner. A very strong student who is not hardcore will not even consider that program because they don't want to be in that culture.
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Totally untrue. Location might be a factor. Wanting to enter academic medicine in Boston might be a factor. By your words, any top residency program only attracts gunners. That is just not true. Why do people insist that all high-achieving people in medicine must be gunners? Maybe they're attracted to that hospital and program. It doesn't say anything about their personality 🙄
 
YouDontKnowJack said:
well first, harvard has to accept you. or else this comparison is pointless.
next, harvard is probably better as long as you are not a marginally passing student.
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Heck, if you mean marginally passing as the lowest grade you can get and still get a "Pass" on your transcript, I would take that over honoring at a non top-20 school in a heartbeat.

The reputation of top schools pays well in terms of residency and fellowship placement. Aside from that, its of little use. But then again, at this stage in our careers, isnt residency placement a pretty important thing to consider?
 
Criminallyinane, you cannot get into a competitive program unless you are a competitive applicant. It doesn't matter how much you like the city or the program -- if you are not at the top of your class, you will not get in. Hence, competitive residencies consist entirely of people who were at the top of their class. So yes, you do end up with a program full of gunners.
 
Mumpu said:
Criminallyinane, you cannot get into a competitive program unless you are a competitive applicant. It doesn't matter how much you like the city or the program -- if you are not at the top of your class, you will not get in. Hence, competitive residencies consist entirely of people who were at the top of their class. So yes, you do end up with a program full of gunners.
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Not entirely true, as many top programs will send their average students to top residencies. A lot of that has to do with the fact that top schools also have really high Step I averages, so even the average student at a top school is way above the national average still.

And just because someone is tops in his/her class doesnt mean they're a gunner. It just means they are more likely to be one.

In fact, a lot of the gunners at my school aced preclinicals only to suck at clinicals since they had little social skills. Thus, some of the top people in the class are actually pretty normal.
 
Mumpu said:
Criminallyinane, you cannot get into a competitive program unless you are a competitive applicant. It doesn't matter how much you like the city or the program -- if you are not at the top of your class, you will not get in. Hence, competitive residencies consist entirely of people who were at the top of their class. So yes, you do end up with a program full of gunners.
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Or maybe they're just ambitious, intelligent people. Why must they be labeled "gunners?" The meaning of a gunner is someone who will stop at nothing in order to succeed, often including being unhelpful or nasty to classmates. Just because someone does well, it doesn't mean they embody these attributes. It also doesn't mean they're psychotic, type-A, buttheads who are obsessed with school. Why is it so difficult to believe that someone is at the top of their class because they work hard and are smart, and that's it? Not "gunners", not "suck-ups", not "losers with no social life and an AOA obsession."

I am just so tired of people maligning others based on class rank. It seems like a way for people in the middle of the class to feel better about themselves by saying, "well, at least I'm not a gunner." Why not just not pass judgment on your classmates?

I am writing this post because I have interacted with/known very well several Harvard residents, and none of them are gunners. They are intelligent, kind, and sensitive clinicians who care deeply about their work and their patients.
 
Fantasy Sports said:
Not entirely true, as many top programs will send their average students to top residencies. A lot of that has to do with the fact that top schools also have really high Step I averages, so even the average student at a top school is way above the national average still.
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How is this different from what I said? Competitive students go to competitive schools and get into competitive residencies. The rank lists from any school show selection bias. Harvard will have a lot of star residencies because people who chose HMS will continue to pick the big names. Colorado will have a lot of Colorado because people don't want to leave the state.

Fine, not gunners. "Driven people." "Motivated." "Studious." Whatever you call it. I have friends at HMS too... not the place I would want to be.

No one is being jealous of top students. I will freely admit that I do not want to put in the work required to honor everything. Doesn't make me a better clinician, so I spend my hours doing fun things.
 
Mumpu said:
Fine, not gunners. "Driven people." "Motivated." "Studious." Whatever you call it. I have friends at HMS too... not the place I would want to be.
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That's all I'm saying.
 
BrettBatchelor said:
I think it helps more in the really competitive fields...
This is one case
www.harvardradonc.org
Check out the residents
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So what....the chief resident in rad onc at Hopkins went to a Caribbean school

Anyone can do anything they want to do as long as they succeed where they are at. Study hard, do well on your boards, and you will compete with people at the best and worst schools.
 
criminallyinane, I would wait to make comments on gunners until you are actually in med school.
The label of gunner is not passed out at least at my school out of jealousy. Some of the smartest people I know sit on the backrow and prepare well for exams without being cutthroat. The gunners austricize themselves. There is nothing wrong with hard work, but your motivations and your methods to achieve need to be examined.
 
makesomerheum said:
criminallyinane, I would wait to make comments on gunners until you are actually in med school.
The label of gunner is not passed out at least at my school out of jealousy. Some of the smartest people I know sit on the backrow and prepare well for exams without being cutthroat. The gunners austricize themselves. There is nothing wrong with hard work, but your motivations and your methods to achieve need to be examined.
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I don't think that my opinion will change much in medical school. I went to college with a bunch of eager gunnerish pre-meds. I just don't think that high achievement = gunnerism, and I don't think I need to be in medical school to speak out about it.
 
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