Does rank really matter for residency?

[ingramw1202]

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Soooooo I'm trying to decide between two schools. One is more highly ranked than the other, but I actually liked the other one more on interview day. Assuming I graduate aoa at either school, get to do some exiting research at either and have great step scores, does school ranking really matter when it comes to residency matching? Is it specific to specialization? Say I wanted to specialize, would going to the school with a better research ranking on that specialization better my chances of landing a residency in that area? Advice is greatly appreciated guys. I'm sure many of you are in similar situations or have been there before. What do I do???? Ahhhh

 

[Barcu]

It does matter, but if you do those things (AOA, research, and step scores), it could become less of a factor. But doing those things is A LOT easier said than done.

I would probably go to the school you like more. But I would also ask, how different is the ranking? And how much debt are you going into?

 

[Gut Shot]

Soooooo I'm trying to decide between two schools. One is more highly ranked than the other, but I actually liked the other one more on interview day. Assuming I graduate aoa at either school, get to do some exiting research at either and have great step scores, does school ranking really matter when it comes to residency matching? Is it specific to specialization? Say I wanted to specialize, would going to the school with a better research ranking on that specialization better my chances of landing a residency in that area? Advice is greatly appreciated guys. I'm sure many of you are in similar situations or have been there before. What do I do???? Ahhhh

What is the projected cost difference? What is the gap in their rankings?

 

[notbobtrustme]

Where do you want to do your residency? If it's something competitive, then it might make sense to go to the higher ranked school. If not, then don't bother, go to the one with the lowest COA. Ranking is one of those things that really don't matter for 80% of all residency placements, so don't stress over it.

 

[music2doc]

Soooooo I'm trying to decide between two schools. One is more highly ranked than the other, but I actually liked the other one more on interview day. Assuming I graduate aoa at either school, get to do some exiting research at either and have great step scores, does school ranking really matter when it comes to residency matching? Is it specific to specialization? Say I wanted to specialize, would going to the school with a better research ranking on that specialization better my chances of landing a residency in that area? Advice is greatly appreciated guys. I'm sure many of you are in similar situations or have been there before. What do I do???? Ahhhh

Not likely to happen. You WAAAAAAY underestimate your peers.

Even at the low-tier/unranked programs, I would guess getting AOA is incredibly difficult. Here, my stats put me significantly above my school's averages (about 5 LizzyM points), yet I am in the 2nd quartile of my class so far. What I am saying is that getting AOA or even being in the top half of your class isn't exactly easy. It's not like UG. They've eliminated all of the B+/A- students. You're competing with a class full of people used to a 90+% on every single exam they have ever taken (and I wish I were exaggerating).

In other words... don't ever assume you could get AOA. Still, fit is what matters. Go where you fit best but you really have a TON of time for these decisions. Unless you're talking about DO schools, you can't have even received any offers yet. (And if you're talking about DO programs, well, it won't really matter anyway as DO programs kind of are the bottom tier.)

 

[Anathema]

Not likely to happen. You WAAAAAAY underestimate your peers.

Even at the low-tier/unranked programs, I would guess getting AOA is incredibly difficult. Here, my stats put me significantly above my school's averages (about 5 LizzyM points), yet I am in the 2nd quartile of my class so far. What I am saying is that getting AOA or even being in the top half of your class isn't exactly easy. It's not like UG. They've eliminated all of the B+/A- students. You're competing with a class full of people used to a 90+% on every single exam they have ever taken (and I wish I were exaggerating).

In other words... don't ever assume you could get AOA. Still, fit is what matters. Go where you fit best but you really have a TON of time for these decisions. Unless you're talking about DO schools, you can't have even received any offers yet. (And if you're talking about DO programs, well, it won't really matter anyway as DO programs kind of are the bottom tier.)

My gut just wrenched at that realization. So long helpful curves.

 

[sommerwing]

Not likely to happen. You WAAAAAAY underestimate your peers.

Even at the low-tier/unranked programs, I would guess getting AOA is incredibly difficult. Here, my stats put me significantly above my school's averages (about 5 LizzyM points), yet I am in the 2nd quartile of my class so far. What I am saying is that getting AOA or even being in the top half of your class isn't exactly easy. It's not like UG. They've eliminated all of the B+/A- students. You're competing with a class full of people used to a 90+% on every single exam they have ever taken (and I wish I were exaggerating).

In other words... don't ever assume you could get AOA. Still, fit is what matters. Go where you fit best but you really have a TON of time for these decisions. Unless you're talking about DO schools, you can't have even received any offers yet. (And if you're talking about DO programs, well, it won't really matter anyway as DO programs kind of are the bottom tier.)

I found this to be quite true (he's not exaggerating).

I did extremely well at a "top undergrad," scored in the top 99th percentile on my SATs, and the top 95th percentile on my MCAT. But, guess what? Medical school is filled with people like us.

No matter how hard I study, it's honestly a huge challenge to be in the top 10%, much less in the top 7%. AOA is not something that you can realistically "expect" to receive.

 

[music2doc]

I found this to be quite true (he's not exaggerating).

I did extremely well at a "top undergrad," scored in the top 99th percentile on my SATs, and the top 95th percentile on my MCAT. But, guess what? Medical school is filled with people like us.

No matter how hard I study, it's honestly a huge challenge to be in the top 10%, much less in the top 7%. AOA is not something that you can realistically "expect" to receive.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

I think it's hard for most high-achieving pre-meds to really understand what it means to be with 100-200 people all at approximately your same level of natural academic aptitude. Most of us never hit a "wall" in college (much less in HS or before), so not being #1 or at least near the top is, perhaps, a new experience. I don't think med school is challenging to pass but I would say being near the top of the competitive pool is very, very challenging and, frankly, much of it will come down to your priorities. Are you willing to consistently spend 70 hours/wk studying outside of class? I'm not but I have classmates who do. Personally, I'd rather learn it well enough to move on and focus on the goals I have set for myself without sacrificing my enjoyment of medical school in the process. That makes my priorities different from the kid at the top of my class. I also have absolutely no interest in Derm! If I wanted that kind of a job, I would have gone to Dental School! I went to Medical School for a reason...

 

[pv515]

.

 

[typicalindian]

I'm not sure I believe this guy to begin with. It's before October 15th, nobody is deciding between any schools at this point, and unless he deferred admission to two schools, he is not deciding for next year either. This seems to be a post lost in time that you'd expect to see in March or afterward...

It doesn't matter when the OP posted this. Would the answer change if he posted it next week instead of this week?
Also, all this discussion about how unrealistic it is to assume you'll get AOA in med school is completely missing the point of the topic. By saying all that the OP just wanted to essentially say "assuming my academic performance is exactly the same at both schools, would the rank of the school affect my chances a certain residency programs?" At least that's what I think OP was trying to say. Correct me if I'm wrong.

@OP: give more information about the schools. What is the difference in cost of attendance? What is the difference in rank? And anything else that sets one school apart from the other.

 

[ChiDO]

The cheaper school, which hopefully is the one you like better. 😉

 

[GoSpursGo]

I would echo what others say about "assuming" AOA. Everyone assumes going into med school thinking they'll continue to float to the top, but only ~10-15% of them will actually become AOA eligible (and even fewer will get it).

I would say the most important thing is that you go somewhere that you will be comfortable. Med school can be incredibly difficult at times, and it's important to put yourself in the environment where you feel you will be most likely to succeed, based on whatever "best fit" criteria you care about. That said, if it's close, then depending on the difference in ranking, I might take that into consideration;if you're aiming for a competitive specialty or a competitive region of the country, some residency directors may look at your application differently, and I think it has less to do with anything intrinsic about coming from a "name" school as much as they are more likely to have taken residents from that school in the past and seen them succeed. I doubt anyone really cares if the difference is between, say, a school in the 20s vs one in the 40s, but if it's between a top 10 and an unranked school, you might factor that somewhat into your decision--again, if you feel the "fit" is close enough that you'd be equally well-equipped to succeed at either school.

 

[ingramw1202]

;d

 

[yuiness]

Like others have said, it depends on the exact schools that you're talking about. Going to a higher-ranked school may be worth it if you think you might be interested in a highly competitive field in which who you know is important. Furthermore, a smaller school may not offer a med student rotation or even have a residency program in certain specialties, which would obviously limit your chances of matching in those specialties.

 

[Zyzz Brah]

what the hell is AOA?

 

[487806]

what the hell is AOA?

Apparently, it's a medical honors society.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Oh god this thread

All the B+/A- students have been eliminated.

Everyone is used to 90%+ on their tests.

Med schools are filled with people who got 95th percentile (36) on their MCAT.

Most of us aren't used to not being #1.

You people are aware that not every school is UCSF, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard, right? I mean, you guys do know that the average GPA and MCAT for accepted students is roughly 3.65 and 31, yes? Neither of those correlate to the type of student you guys are describing, nevermind the fact that this is only the average which means that half of accepted students fall under those scores (contrary to popular SDN belief, there are in fact US MD schools with average MCAT scores below 30 and average GPAs below 3.6). Furthermore, the idea that med schools are filled with people who got 36+ on their MCAT is absurd. Even Harvard's average MCAT is "only" a 35.

Yes, your competition is a lot more fierce and capable in med school, but it's not like everyone around you is going to be a super genius.

 

[jesse120]

Yes, your competition is a lot more fierce and capable in med school, but it's not like everyone around you is going to be a super genius.

You'd be surprised. The average for our anatomy exams have been mid to high 80s. And they were NOT easy exams. Yeah a few people struggled and didn't do so well, but the majority of people knew their stuff pretty damn well. Five people got 100s on the second written exam. Considering the sheer volume of material in anatomy, that's freakin' crazy. Those are the people you are competing with to get AOA.

Passing? no big deal: 😎🙂😉

Being in the top 10%: 😱😱😱

I can't imagine it being "easy" to break into that top 10% at any us med school.

 

[music2doc]

Oh god this thread

All the B+/A- students have been eliminated.

Everyone is used to 90%+ on their tests.

Med schools are filled with people who got 95th percentile (36) on their MCAT.

Most of us aren't used to not being #1.

You people are aware that not every school is UCSF, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard, right? I mean, you guys do know that the average GPA and MCAT for accepted students is roughly 3.65 and 31, yes? Neither of those correlate to the type of student you guys are describing, nevermind the fact that this is only the average which means that half of accepted students fall under those scores (contrary to popular SDN belief, there are in fact US MD schools with average MCAT scores below 30 and average GPAs below 3.6). Furthermore, the idea that med schools are filled with people who got 36+ on their MCAT is absurd. Even Harvard's average MCAT is "only" a 35.

Yes, your competition is a lot more fierce and capable in med school, but it's not like everyone around you is going to be a super genius.

GREAT post or the "dumb things pre-meds say" thread....

I am not at JHU or HMS and that was MY description you quoted. I am NOT describing the "cream of the crop" medical students. What I am saying is that US MD Medical Students, by and large, ARE a sample of the cream of the crop from college. That is, if you get in, you are going to find out that being "average" in that group takes about as much work as getting a 95-100% in your toughest UG coursework and that being in the 75th percentile or higher is significantly tougher. Sure, passing is probably about as tough as getting an A in most UG science courses. The goal of medical school is NOT to fail you out -- quite the contrary; however, they are also "protecting" patients and do not make the courses easy either. The real difficulty lies in being near the top of your class. You have to realize you're not a special little snowflake anymore and only the best students make it to medical school so the competition is fierce toward the top. (Toward the bottom are people who aren't planning to do anything more than fam med or similar and don't care so they may aim for 75-85% but that is, by far, the exception.) I don't think my school would appreciate me posting a chart of our grade distribution, but here is a rough distribution of our class's class averages for Biochemistry (which is pretty similar to our other classes' distributions):

Score Range Percent of Class (Percentiles)
95-100% Top 10% (90-99%)
90-94% Next 35% (54-89%)
85-89% Next 30% (25-54%)
75-85% Next 19% (6-24%)
68-75% (Barely Passing) Next 4% (2-5%)
<68% (FAILING) Bottom 2% (0-1%)

(Class mean is around 87%.)

You don't have to believe me, but I can tell you that friends who went to other highly regarded schools -- including all the schools CC and SDN love to ***** themselves out to -- have consistently stated that it is MUCH tougher as medical student and that they were sincerely surprised at the level of challenge inherent in this game. It's fun but really the level of competition isn't what you're used to. There's a reason kids from the Ivy League schools are turned down to schools medical school every year. Sure, a large percentage can probably make it but many can't.


EDIT: Lest you think that, perhaps, medical school classes (here or anywhere else) are "easy," the students with whom I have spoken have typically experienced a 5-10% DROP in their average scores from UG (and these were people coming from highly respected institutions), so give yourself a 5% drop in your average test score and then compare your grades to those above... that's where you would expect to stand in my class working your a** off. Reality check, I hope?

 

[Zyzz Brah]

Apparently, it's a medical honors society.

Is it important for residency? I never thought honor societies were that important in undergrad. I guess med school is just different when it comes to stuff like that.

 

[music2doc]

Is it important for residency? I never thought honor societies were that important in undergrad. I guess med school is just different when it comes to stuff like that.

Fairly. It's a bit different from your UG honor societies....

 

[IslandStyle808]

Is it important for residency? I never thought honor societies were that important in undergrad. I guess med school is just different when it comes to stuff like that.

Oh sweet merciful god... It is like better than getting on the dean's list (referring to undergrad).

Here is a link from the NRMP and here is a link for AOA

NRMP and what they value

http://www.nrmp.org/data/programresultsbyspecialty2012.pdf


AOA and what it is

http://www.alphaomegaalpha.org/


It is not as important as USMLE and MS3 grades but can be very useful in finding out how good the applicant is in comparison to his or her class.

 

[music2doc]

Oh sweet merciful god... It is like better than getting on the dean's list (referring to undergrad).

Here is a link from the NRMP and here is a link for AOA

NRMP and what they value

http://www.nrmp.org/data/programresultsbyspecialty2012.pdf


AOA and what it is

http://www.alphaomegaalpha.org/


It is not as important as USMLE and MS3 grades but can be very useful in finding out how good the applicant is in comparison to his or her class.

From what I understand, its importance really derives from the fact that due to so many P/F programs, it is often a residency program's only real look at your overall performance before M3 and gives them a better feel for your class rank at schools that do not give out your rank. (Almost all schools rank internally but many, mine included, do not give that rank out or only give it out in quartiles, making AOA status much more valuable.)

 

[Zyzz Brah]

Oh sweet merciful god... It is like better than getting on the dean's list (referring to undergrad).

Here is a link from the NRMP and here is a link for AOA

NRMP and what they value

http://www.nrmp.org/data/programresultsbyspecialty2012.pdf


AOA and what it is

http://www.alphaomegaalpha.org/


It is not as important as USMLE and MS3 grades but can be very useful in finding out how good the applicant is in comparison to his or her class.

Damn, that looks really official. Membership IDs and the whole 9 yards. Crazy. I wanna sign up. I want the serial number tattooed to my forehead so everyone can 'mire.

 

[hiyaman]

yea there's a lot of smart people in med school.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Damn, that looks really official. Membership IDs and the whole 9 yards. Crazy. I wanna sign up. I want the serial number tattooed to my forehead so everyone can 'mire.

Yep you be pimpn'. I don't really care for it though... 😎

Unless they paid for my medical school debt... and a mercedes!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Oh god this thread

All the B+/A- students have been eliminated.

Everyone is used to 90%+ on their tests.

Med schools are filled with people who got 95th percentile (36) on their MCAT.

Most of us aren't used to not being #1.

You people are aware that not every school is UCSF, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard, right? I mean, you guys do know that the average GPA and MCAT for accepted students is roughly 3.65 and 31, yes? Neither of those correlate to the type of student you guys are describing, nevermind the fact that this is only the average which means that half of accepted students fall under those scores (contrary to popular SDN belief, there are in fact US MD schools with average MCAT scores below 30 and average GPAs below 3.6). Furthermore, the idea that med schools are filled with people who got 36+ on their MCAT is absurd. Even Harvard's average MCAT is "only" a 35.

Yes, your competition is a lot more fierce and capable in med school, but it's not like everyone around you is going to be a super genius.

Were the above statements probably a bit of an exaggeration? Sure, if you want to nitpick. But the real point was that everyone will be really smart, and the people in the top 10-15% of the class will be even smarter. Getting AOA is not something that anyone should "assume."

Is it important for residency? I never thought honor societies were that important in undergrad. I guess med school is just different when it comes to stuff like that.

Depends what specialty you're applying to. For some, it's a nice feather in the cap but hardly necessary; for the really competitive ones where they're looking for ways to differentiate between a bunch of incredibly well-qualified applicants, it's important (ie, 51% of people who matched derm were AOA), though certainly you're never going to be eliminated for not having it.

 

[gasblaster]

The people that get into med school are typically the higher rung of whereever/whatever school they come from. The kids that buffer the bottom and make it easier for you to be in the top _% of the class don't exist anymore.

 

[FSU2013]

Am I the only one who went into med school having never heard of USMLEs, AOA, PBLS, (even SDN) and the rest of the alphabet soup? Well, I guess I'm obviously not the only person to not know about AOA.....but really - this stuff is crazy.

Am I the only person who at the beginning of my 3rd year of undergrad thought "well, I guess I could go to med school"? I took Orgo I/II and basically had the rest of the prereqs done for my major. I took the MCAT and applied to 3 schools, finished 2 secondaries and then went to med school. All I really knew was that med school was 4 years, you'd graduate a doctor with a decent amount of debt and the extent of my knowledge about some nebulous thing called "residency" was that it existed.....Ya'll people are crazy. Seriously, after reading SDN, it's a wonder I ever got into med school.

 

[music2doc]

The people that get into med school are typically the higher rung of whereever/whatever school they come from. The kids that buffer the bottom and make it easier for you to be in the top _% of the class don't exist anymore.

Exactly.

On a national level, as a conservative estimate, you have eliminated the bottom 30% via the MCAT prior to the application process (80k administrations/yr down to 42k applicants but with some applicants retaking the exam; I believe I have heard the figure 60k/yr for new MCAT examinees). The MD application process itself eliminates approximately 55% of that pool, leaving us with the top 45% of the top 70% or the top 32% (i.e., 1/3) of people hoping to go to medical school (who make it all the way through their junior year or whatever thinking they're going to be physicians).

The average MCAT score nationally is a 25 and the average matriculating MCAT is about 31.5 (or the 85th percentile).

Both of these estimates come to almost identical conclusions:

Namely, that someone at the 85th percentile nationally (of pre-meds) would be expected to be at the 50th percentile of a medical school class and the "average" medical school (whatever the heck that means). We can extrapolate from here that to be in the top quartile of your medical school class (which is the requirement to be AOA-eligible at least where I am and I believe nationally as well), you would expect to have to be in the 93rd or higher percentile of your class as an UG. That would mean your MCAT should be around 35+ to have a shot at AOA at an "average" medical school. Of course, so many other variables are in play that this is nothing but a thought exercise..... And one I should probably end now and get back to my regularly scheduled program of studying like a mad man, err...med student.

 

[hiyaman]

How did you figure out what your school bases AOA off of? Do you just ask administration or should I find upperclassmen to ask?

 

[FSU2013]

How did you figure out what your school bases AOA off of? Do you just ask administration or should I find upperclassmen to ask?

Ask upperclassmen. Some schools publish it and it's an algorithm, others ask you to submit a CV and they have a yay or nay vote, others do a secret ballot.

 

[music2doc]

How did you figure out what your school bases AOA off of? Do you just ask administration or should I find upperclassmen to ask?

We were told during Orientation. I think you could do either. I'd think most upperclassmen would know and any faculty member should know. My understanding is that you have to be in the top quarter of the class end of M2 (Junior AOA) to be considered and then again in M3 (Senior AOA). Here they basically take the top 8% of the class by rank at the end of M2 and then there's more complexity to the algorithm for Senior AOA, but the specifics aren't really something I've paid much attention to since I am happy being in the 2nd quartile. I know I could try for AOA but, frankly, I have no interest in any of those fields and I enjoy having free time so I'd rather let ROAD go and enjoy my 20s!

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

You'd be surprised. The average for our anatomy exams have been mid to high 80s. And they were NOT easy exams. Yeah a few people struggled and didn't do so well, but the majority of people knew their stuff pretty damn well. Five people got 100s on the second written exam. Considering the sheer volume of material in anatomy, that's freakin' crazy. Those are the people you are competing with to get AOA.

Passing? no big deal: 😎🙂😉

Being in the top 10%: 😱😱😱

I can't imagine it being "easy" to break into that top 10% at any us med school.

Ya know, I thought about adding a qualifier to the end of my post that said "unless you go to a top 20 med school" but I thought that was so obvious that it didn't need to be stated.

Also, I wasn't replying to being top 10% of your class. Obviously that's not an easy feat. I was replying to the stuff people were claiming that suggested everyone around you is an academic perfectionist when the statistics clearly show otherwise.

Really long post

I never said med school is as easy as undergrad. I don't know where you got that idea from. And again, my post wasn't talking about the difficulty of being the top 10% (which is a ridiculous goal at any level). I said that the idea that everyone who gets into med school carried an A average (not A-, but A) and a 36 MCAT is being out of touch with reality. If you're at a top school, yes, this is true, but at mid and especially low tier institutions this is not the case at all.

Were the above statements probably a bit of an exaggeration? Sure, if you want to nitpick. But the real point was that everyone will be really smart, and the people in the top 10-15% of the class will be even smarter. Getting AOA is not something that anyone should "assume."

See above.

 

[gasblaster]

How did you figure out what your school bases AOA off of? Do you just ask administration or should I find upperclassmen to ask?

Every school has there own way of selecting AOA. Ask an upper classmen. An MS4 would be the most likely one to know.

 

[music2doc]

I never said med school is as easy as undergrad. I don't know where you got that idea from. And again, my post wasn't talking about the difficulty of being the top 10% (which is a ridiculous goal at any level). I said that the idea that everyone who gets into med school carried an A average (not A-, but A) and a 36 MCAT is being out of touch with reality. If you're at a top school, yes, this is true, but at mid and especially low tier institutions this is not the case at all.

See above.

I said B+/A- students were weeded out at most schools. This is a true statement since the average is about a 3.7 or A- average. B+/A- students have a 3.5 average GPA (midway b/w B+ and A-), which puts them BELOW the average applicants GPA of 3.53 (which we know from earlier means likely elimination). Most of the students I know had 3.7+ GPAs. The ones with anything below about 3.6 in UG are most often non-trads. Sure, we all got a few Bs, but I'd say most who get in the traditional route (i.e., straight from UG to med school w/o an SMP, PB, etc.) are in the 3.6+ club.

 

[Packman2003]

If you have AOA, why are you even mentioning class rank? You aren't going to get AOA without a great class rank.

I agree with what others say about class rank - I used to breeze through hard undergrad classes (As in multiple upper level biochem classes). In med school, class AVERAGES for exams so far have been between 86 and 92...nothing is curved...ever. And the averages arent high because the material is easy. I have been out of school for 4 years before M1, but even as a biochem major I have to put in serious work to keep my average around 95. We covered an 800 page biochem syllabus, 400 pages of pop med and 400 pages of genetics in 8 weeks, on top of the clinical medicine lectures/workshops/small groups, mandatory ethics sessions, clinical correlation sessions and required community work - that is just the required stuff. I also shadow, play intramural soccer and have done a few optional workshops to learn/practice various procedures - there is waaaay more stuff that you could be involved in. Reality is going to hit you like a brick. Go somewhere that you will enjoy - if you hate it, you will not excel.

http://whatshouldwecallmedschool.tumblr.com/post/33152166437/how-the-first-exam-week-feels-in-m1

 

[music2doc]

If you have AOA, why are you even mentioning class rank? You aren't going to get AOA without a great class rank.

I agree with what others say about class rank - I used to breeze through hard undergrad classes (As in multiple upper level biochem classes). In med school, class AVERAGES for exams so far have been between 86 and 92...nothing is curved...ever. And the averages arent high because the material is easy. I have been out of school for 4 years before M1, but even as a biochem major I have to put in serious work to keep my average around 95. We covered an 800 page biochem syllabus, 400 pages of pop med and 400 pages of genetics in 8 weeks, on top of the clinical medicine lectures/workshops/small groups, mandatory ethics sessions, clinical correlation sessions and required community work - that is just the required stuff. I also shadow, play intramural soccer and have done a few optional workshops to learn/practice various procedures - there is waaaay more stuff that you could be involved in. Reality is going to hit you like a brick. Go somewhere that you will enjoy - if you hate it, you will not excel.

http://whatshouldwecallmedschool.tumblr.com/post/33152166437/how-the-first-exam-week-feels-in-m1

I have an odd suspicion we are attending the same school....

And that's awesome you're staying in the mid-90s for your average. I've been low-90s ('cept for pop med... that actually turned really well for me). Good luck Friday!

 

[gasblaster]

If you have AOA, why are you even mentioning class rank? You aren't going to get AOA without a great class rank.

Schools have different systems. No class rank, class rank, percentiles, etc.

And being in the top 10% of the class in terms of grade doesn't always guarantee AOA. If your school takes other things into account, then you could be passed over.

I have an odd suspicion we are attending the same school....

Sounds like a lot of med schools.

 

[Thego2guy]

Let's restate OP's question since the conversation has sort of drifted..

top 20 school + non AOA vs. low/unranked school AOA.

example would be Cornell vs. Downstate AOA
or, Yale vs. U of New Mexico AOA

All else being equal of course, step 1, clinicals, and recs.

Thoughts?

 

[darkjedi]

Let's restate OP's question since the conversation has sort of drifted..

top 20 school + non AOA vs. low/unranked school AOA.

example would be Cornell vs. Downstate AOA
or, Yale vs. U of New Mexico AOA

All else being equal of course, step 1, clinicals, and recs.

Thoughts?

A question like that is likely better answered in either the allo or the residency forums.

 

[Gut Shot]

Let's restate OP's question since the conversation has sort of drifted..

top 20 school + non AOA vs. low/unranked school AOA.

example would be Cornell vs. Downstate AOA
or, Yale vs. U of New Mexico AOA

All else being equal of course, step 1, clinicals, and recs.

Thoughts?

It's mental masturbation.

 

[Thego2guy]

It's mental masturbation.

Lmao, well put.