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Hi All,
I know I am posting this a little early given that I haven’t even received an interview invitation for this cycle, but I fear that I may have to make a tough decision regarding where I attend medical school.
My fiancee, whom I will be marrying before I start medical school, will be attending graduate school at University X from January 2021 to December 2023. University X also has an MD program, and I would like to attend this program for obvious personal reasons, but I fear that doing so may limit my career options. University X’s MD program is ranked outside the top 100, and they have limited research opportunities available for their students. They don’t generally have a problem matching graduates into good IM programs, but surgical subspecialties are a different story. University X lacks many departments in smaller specialties (no neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastics, etc. departments). I do NOT have an interest in academic medicine, so I don’t need prestige, but I’m not yet sure where my interests lie in terms of specialty.
There are a number of schools to which I have applied that do not present any of these issues, some of them as close as 3 to 4 hours from University X. In fact, four of these nearby schools are T20. So, my question is, would it be wiser of me to attend one of these other schools that are 3-4 hours away (assuming I get accepted to one of them) instead of University X, with its limited resources? What if I get accepted to a different T20 school that is 10 hours away? Or even a T10 school that’s 10 hours away?
If this post is too hypothetical, I understand. If I do end up being faced with this dilemma, I’ll post again in several months with more specifics. I just wanted to hear some expert opinions now because the idea of having to make this decision has been weighing on me pretty heavily.
Unfortunately, this isn't really a question we can answer in any concrete capacity, even with specifics. Students from MD programs have the option to go into any specialty they choose, and their performance generally dictates which specialties are open to them. The change of USMLE Step 1 to p/f changes that a bit as many programs used that as their initial screening tool.
So the overall answer: Your school choice may affect your career path, but no one can say for sure how much. In addition, only you can determine the priorities that dictate how you choose a medical school. Family struggles and location preferences, for many, weigh far more than prestige of school and breadth of potential career options. I've even known applicants who applied to only 3-4 schools because their family was of a higher priority than their schooling.
Ultimately, the choices you make need to be based on your priorities. So for now, apply broadly, and make the decision when you have more information.