How are you making your decision?

[DGCT00]

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For many of us, decision time may only be a few short weeks away. For some it has already passed! My motivation for posting this threat is admittedly selfish -- I'm having a super hard time deciding where to go. What criteria are you using to ultimately pick which school you'll be attending?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

My motivation for posting this threat is admittedly selfish -- I'm having a super hard time deciding where to go. What criteria are you using to ultimately pick which school you'll be attending?

Stop threatening me! 😛


On a serious note, I sort of view med school as a spring board for residency, and if I feel the school will get me there then that is the main motivator. So......

1. Fit. when you speak to people on interview day that aren't the ones interviewing you, do they want to talk to you? are they condescending? This applies to everyone you meet that day that is affiliated with the school. If they are obnoxious to you on a vulnerable day like the interview day, that will really wear on you when you're stressed out.

2. the surrounding area, stress relief, will you get it?

3. curriculum pass/fail? secret ranking? is A,B,C,D/F just renamed to high pass, pass, fail, etc? I prefer pass/fail w/no ranking because of the gunner factors and friendliness it is for board studies. On the other hand, I have heard that many programs like their DO applicants to have rankings to know what type of students they are getting.

4. how much board study time will they give?

5. how are the rotation sites?

6. opportunity for research?

7. tuition/COA

In the end you need board scores, LOR's and KNOWLEDGE (from pre-clinical AND from the rotation sites), this must always be evaluated when you are judging the school (at the same time they are judging you). Getting those requires you to be able to have a way to deal with the stresses and (god forbid any horrors) you may see in the hospitals.


Note, these are listed in order that I thought of them, not in order of importance. Some may place #3 as #1 and #1 at #7, for example. Some may place #6 at #1.

 

[Elevencents]

Clerkship sites were one of my top priorities. I want to do my core rotations at a site where I can gain exposure to a competitive specialty I am interested in. Hopefully getting early face time will give me a leg up when it comes to residency application.

Curriculum, board study, extracurriculars, etc. were all pretty standard at all of my interviews and it came down to splitting hairs. So those were all pretty much a wash.

I also wanted to find an area that my GF could find a job in her field. Unfortunately, I ended up choosing the worst possible location for her, haha. But we both agreed because of a significant tuition difference so if she takes a pay cut it is a wash in the end.

Reputation also played a role. Not in how others perceive the school, but in how the students reflected on their experience. I also spoke with several residency directors and heard that the students from the school I ended up choosing appeared the most prepared compared to students from other schools.

So for me my choice came down to what school will prepare me best for 3rd year and will give me the best chance at the residency of my choice.

 

[Path hall]

I'd base it on clerkship sites, and the size and quality of the school's residency OPTI. These 2 factors are typically strongly related. Then cost and location.