lwong said:
What is important when considering which programs/schools to apply for? Did what you think was important in the school still hold true now that you're in the program? Is there anything you wish you would reconsider when you were applying?
This is a really great question. The most important thing for me was always location. There are great schools all over the country, so I first had to figure out where I did want to live, where I didn't want to live, and where I wasn't sure about because I had never tried living there. I ultimately decided that I wanted to experience the East Coast, so I moved to New York. It's a difficult adjustment, but I'll manage. I think I may have been a bit too concerned with location, because I'm sure that I would have been okay eventually no matter where I went.
Being in the program now, I think that it is important to pay attention to the students that you meet during your interviews and revisits. This will give you a lot of insight as to whether or not you will fit in at a program. For MD/PhD especially, make sure you can get along with the other prospectives during revisit because this will make up your class. Everyone I met during revisit was awesome, so it gave me a lot of confidence in coming here.
Research always has to be the deciding factor though. I'm sure you guys will all be applying to great programs, because only good schools have MD/PhD programs. When it comes down to actually making the decision, research should play a major role. Go somewhere that you can identify at least a handful of PIs doing interesting work. Of course, if you have a difficult time finding people, then that probably isn't the school for you regardless of how much you loved the location and people.
Making the final decision is going to be pretty hard because most of you will have several great choices. I would suggest taking notes on the pros and cons of the school when you are there so that you have a clear picture of each school when you are ready to make cuts.
Good Luck!!
