How to decide between schools?

[Delta Gee]

What things do you suggest I use to compare schools? Besides location and rank (they're both ranked relatively the same). My dream school is unfortunately almost 100k more expensive than my state school (209 vs. 295 if I just add all 4 COA's).

Should the fact that my state school has more residency programs than the other school factor into my decision? I felt maybe this was important because I am eyeing some competitive specialties, which are available at my state school, but not at my dream school. Do schools tend to favor their own when it comes to residencies?

Another difference is one is graded and the other is H/P/F. What are the pros and cons of each? How do residency programs evaluate your grades when some schools are graded and others are P/F? Does it really look that much better if you got a P instead of a B?

I'd really appreciate some help! Thanks!

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[flatearth22]

Name the schools and post it in the school specific forum. Otherwise you're just going to get a bunch of generalized answers that won't really be helpful. You only have one post so I doubt the adcoms of the schools are going to track you down or anything...

 

[unhappytnt]

Another difference is one is graded and the other is H/P/F. What are the pros and cons of each? How do residency programs evaluate your grades when some schools are graded and others are P/F? Does it really look that much better if you got a P instead of a B?

I am wondering about this too

 

[Ismet]

Another difference is one is graded and the other is H/P/F. What are the pros and cons of each? How do residency programs evaluate your grades when some schools are graded and others are P/F? Does it really look that much better if you got a P instead of a B?

I am wondering about this too

H/P/F is usually only for the first 2 years ("pre-clinical"). At all the schools I interviewed at, 3rd and 4th years (clinical) are letter graded. Residencies see that, your H/P/F from pre-clinical, and, of course, your STEP-1 score.

The school I will be matriculating at just changed from H/P/F to P/F after an overwhelming vote to do so by the students. It reduces competition between students, no one's trying to throw you under the bus so they can get Honors. Although I haven't experienced it yet, my two cents would be H/P/F > graded. You don't want to have the mentality of "all I have to do is pass" because you want to learn and retain the information to do well on the STEP, but I'm sure that when you're really stressed, it's nice to know that you just need a P.

As for residency match, you should be looking at the match list for the schools, not necessarily what residency programs that school offers.

 

[NinersFan0]

As for residency match, you should be looking at the match list for the schools, not necessarily what residency programs that school offers.

Just wanted to chime in and say this is a bit of misconception. It might be nice to look into residency match lists, but the match lists tell you nothing about what a particular student actually wanted vs. what he/she was matched into.

Some schools have data on the USNews website as to what % of graduates matched into their first choice program, which is a much more informative piece of information

 

[Delta Gee]

Does anyone else have an opinion on my question about the residencies? Should I be taking into account that one school provides substantially more residencies than the other school?

Also, anymore opinions on graded vs. P/F?

 

[Freigeist]

make sure the P/F is truly pass fail and doesn't have a ranking system for the pass/fail years

to make the decision you have to balance how happy do you think you'd be at school A vs B and how much the price difference is between the two. Personally, for 205k vs 295k I'd go to the state school unless I knew I would be depressed all 4 years at the state school and on top of the world at the dream school. This is probably not the case and I would suggest going to the state school

 

[Shakespeare37]

What things do you suggest I use to compare schools? Besides location and rank (they're both ranked relatively the same). My dream school is unfortunately almost 100k more expensive than my state school (209 vs. 295 if I just add all 4 COA's).

Should the fact that my state school has more residency programs than the other school factor into my decision? I felt maybe this was important because I am eyeing some competitive specialties, which are available at my state school, but not at my dream school. Do schools tend to favor their own when it comes to residencies?

Another difference is one is graded and the other is H/P/F. What are the pros and cons of each? How do residency programs evaluate your grades when some schools are graded and others are P/F? Does it really look that much better if you got a P instead of a B?

I'd really appreciate some help! Thanks!

Wait until you actually get your financial aid package to stress about $$. I agree with what other posters said about match lists. % Matched to top choice is more informative than match lists outright. As for residency programs associated with the school, I would only factor it in if you think you know what you want to specialize in. What I mean by this is if you want to go into Derm, and your state school has a prestigious program in Derm, and the other school doesn't, then it matters. And vice versa. If you don't have any idea what specialty you want, then residency programs associated with each school matter very little, if at all. Keep in mind that most people who think they know what they want to specialize in change their minds anyway (according to Iserson's Guide to Getting a Residency, upwards of 80% of people change their mind about specialties in medical school.)

 

[luckyducky87]

On a related question, is there an accesible place where we can find out the % of med students who got into their top 1 (or 3, or whatever) choice residency position? I thought this would be useful as well, but couldn't find it anywhere...

 

[ppfizenm]

On a related question, is there an accesible place where we can find out the % of med students who got into their top 1 (or 3, or whatever) choice residency position? I thought this would be useful as well, but couldn't find it anywhere...

I think the only place you'll find that is straight from the med students themselves. I don't think any schools publish that data.

 

[NickNaylor]

My tips (somewhat in order of importance):

1) Cost
2) P/F, curriculum considerations
3) Location
10) Everything else

 

[drizzt3117]

On a related question, is there an accesible place where we can find out the % of med students who got into their top 1 (or 3, or whatever) choice residency position? I thought this would be useful as well, but couldn't find it anywhere...

That's really not that useful; a student's rank list only consists of programs they've interviewed at; not ones they applied to. They may have wanted to go to programs but not gotten an interview.