H/P/F & P/F question

[degoo_]

Let's say we have two schools, X and Y, former with HPF and latter with just PF. When applying for residency positions, will having a P from school X count for less than a P from school Y? Or, are the P's equivalent, and the H would just be a little extra bonus that applicant would have?

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[The Buff]

I think both P's are the same. It seems more than ridiculous to split hairs any thinner. Maybe an applicant with a ton of H's all over would get a little boost, but beyond that I think the given application will have so much more wieght in other areas(read: usmle, LORs, etc), it won't matter for bunk what your 'P' in biochem from SW Hawai'i Tech SOM means compared to any other school.

 

[Critical Mass]

Let's say we have two schools, X and Y, former with HPF and latter with just PF. When applying for residency positions, will having a P from school X count for less than a P from school Y? Or, are the P's equivalent, and the H would just be a little extra bonus that applicant would have?

No. With applications from so many different schools, programs will look at your USMLE I as a measure of your acumen. They may look at a grade that stands out as bad relative to the specialty of interest, but I can't find a reason why a High Pass would ever trump a superior board score.

 

[HopkinsOne]

Let's say we have two schools, X and Y, former with HPF and latter with just PF. When applying for residency positions, will having a P from school X count for less than a P from school Y? Or, are the P's equivalent, and the H would just be a little extra bonus that applicant would have?

As someone at an H/HP/P/F school, I agree with the above posters. There doesn't seem to be a demonstrable difference between H/HP/P/F and P/F when you get down to it. No harm, and no benefit.

 

[degoo_]

thanks. Of my 2 top choices, one is HPF and the other is PF. Now that this is a non-issue, its even more difficult to decide between them!

 

[willow18]

Stop worrying about these things. This is like (not as silly though) worrying about the anatomy lab and such. Your major factors should be location, finances, maybe curriculum, and the overall "will I be happy here" scale. Do NOT think about the Match now. Easy easy.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

thanks. Of my 2 top choices, one is HPF and the other is PF. Now that this is a non-issue, its even more difficult to decide between them!

Actually, it's a significant issue. Not from the perspective of residency, but from the perspective of how much you enjoy the first two years of med school. First off, are you likely to have the degree of anality and motivation to out-anal your classmates and get Honors during the preclinical years (depending on the school, meaning ending up in the top 10-20% of individual courses)? If yes, then maybe the H/P/F is better. However, if you are like most entering med students, you will enjoy the first two years of med school much, much more at the school graded P/F than the one graded H/P/F, just because you won't have to stress as much about the minutiae. You'll still stress, but it will be much less painful.

From the perspective of residency, the sytem won't matter, just because the clinical evals and Step 1 are much, much, much greater than pre-clinical grades in importance to residencies.