DrJ-Bond said:
can someone compare with penn and columbia too (I know they arent as good, but they still seem to match at awesome places for different fellowships)...
JB
I interviewed at both Hopkins and Penn. I honestly don't think that Penn is inferior to Hopkins, BWH, MGH, UCSF, or Duke. You are talking top 5. There are incredilby more similarities (fellowship placement, mentorship, funding, clinical training) than there are differences. I was really really impressed with both of the programs. I have an interest in GI and was actually more impressed with Penn (for what I want to do). My interviewer at Hopkins told me that their GI program was not all that great. While the firm system was really interesting, I think I am more of a team player (UCSF and Penn are basically identical in terms of call philosophy) so I think I'd be able to be more happy on the job at Penn. The personality of the residents is also something that is really important to me. The best personality of any program I visited was my home institution, but Penn was right up there in terms of really motivated AND down to earth residents that were very well rounded. Hopkins was great too, but I just didnt' click with them as much.
Hopkins obviously carries the name factor, and personally - I think that is kind of a turn off for me b/c I think it tends to self select for people who prioritize prestige higher than I do.. Don't get me wrong, I am all about training at a program that keeps the most doors open, but there were too many residents at Hopkins that, when asked the question of why they liked Hopkins, replied by saying, "Well, it is Hopkins". That self-love kind of thing kind of weirds me out. Having said all this, I was (overall) really impressed with the program at Hopkins and had a great experience interviewing there. What was the most impressive was the passion of the program and the emphasis they put on the history of medicine. I think that makes it a really interesting place to train.
Penn rocked my world. Fantastic clinical training, great residents, awesome GI opportunities, great fellowship placement for GI, lots of passion for medicine BUT also interested in lots of things outside medicine. I just got a better feel for Penn and clicked more with the program. A lot of the decision process comes down to the whole 'gut' thing. I have no doubts that choosing Penn over Hopkins would not limit me with achieving my career goals. On top of that, Philly is a way better place to live than Baltimore (in my opinion). Neither of them are San Francisco, but if I had to choose, I'd choose Philly. What I like most about UCSF is that it is an incredibly motivating place to train AND they don't spend a lot of time talking about themselves.
Leads me to Columbia. I went to grad school at NY Presbyterian and got to interact with a lot of the medicine faculty, residents, students, etc. While it carries a great name, most of the poeple I met were not happy. Maybe things have changed, but it seemed like a place that relied on its name as a recruiting factor, rather than a well-balanced program that comes with superior clinical training. I felt like an anthropologist while I was there, and definitely left there thinking that it wouldn't be a good environment for me to train. I applied there for residency just to see if things had changed, but I was rejected by them for some reason. I'm sure things have gotten better since the 80hr work week, but most of my classmates that went to visit Columbia were more impressed Penn. It is weird, people at UCSF always really really like the Brigham the most. They generally like Penn a lot as well, but most people who are from CA don't really want to move to Philly. Boston has a bigger draw with location than Philly or Baltimore. I think UCSF folks like those programs more b/c they are more similar to UCSF than MGH, Hopkins, Duke, Columbia, UTSW, etc.
I personally think they are all fantastic and to split hairs between any of these programs is to realize how fortunate you are.
Best of luck with your decision. I didn't visit Boston so I can't comment, but I'll be ranking Penn over Hopkins.
