For those of you who interviewed here, what are your thoughts of their System, happiness of students, New Haven, advantages/drawbacks of going there...
appreciate your feedback.
-O.
appreciate your feedback.
-O.
Impressions of Yale Med
- Thread starter Oceandust
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I personally loved what I saw. The students were incredibly down to earth (all that I met in the dorms as well as those during the interview day). I got the impression that most of them were very thoughtful, that is, they really care about other people and what's going on in the world.
Their system seems ideal for learning. The students love the freedom and the low-stress atmosphere.
As one of my friends who is a first year there said, "If you can't be happy at Yale, you can't be happy anywhere."
(Of course, it really depends on personal preferences, but I ended up feeling the same way.)
Their system seems ideal for learning. The students love the freedom and the low-stress atmosphere.
As one of my friends who is a first year there said, "If you can't be happy at Yale, you can't be happy anywhere."
(Of course, it really depends on personal preferences, but I ended up feeling the same way.)
Z
zb
No grades and low stress during classes = super high stress come boards time = residency programs judge you almost entirely on your boards scores since they have nothing else to go by. Do you really want that kind of emphasis on the boards? These things made me completely uninterested in Yale.
Just my perspective.
Just my perspective.
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I interviewed last year at Yale and had conflicting views about the system. Personally, I don't think it would work for me since it requires an extreme amount of self-motivation. Many people think the freedom at Yale is an excuse/opportunity to goof off, which would lead to a poor foundation that definitely would lead to extra pre-USMLE stress.
Z
zb
You make a good point about not underestimating yourself, but you also shouldn't underestimate the incredible amounts of material covered in the first 2 years.
It can be VERY overwhelming and even the most self motivated individual can succumb to the temptation not to push quite as hard as you might without the added motivation a test (that counts) gives. My medical school had frequent quizzes and even 1-2 weeks of sometimes material seemed almost insurmountable -- and even with all of those tests and grades, I was a wreck studying for USMLE part I.
I CAN NOT imagine how stressed out I'd have been if it had been 2 years with no tests that counted and then I was faced with the prospect of one test on all of that material. And to know that that grade would represent the sum total of the info residencies had about my first 2 years? No thanks.
[This message has been edited by zb (edited 01-23-2001).]
It can be VERY overwhelming and even the most self motivated individual can succumb to the temptation not to push quite as hard as you might without the added motivation a test (that counts) gives. My medical school had frequent quizzes and even 1-2 weeks of sometimes material seemed almost insurmountable -- and even with all of those tests and grades, I was a wreck studying for USMLE part I.
I CAN NOT imagine how stressed out I'd have been if it had been 2 years with no tests that counted and then I was faced with the prospect of one test on all of that material. And to know that that grade would represent the sum total of the info residencies had about my first 2 years? No thanks.
[This message has been edited by zb (edited 01-23-2001).]
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I like how you think, zb. Please see my comments on grades at Hopkins under "Impressions of Hopkins". Now all systems are not right for all people, but I think there's some truth to the notion that you WILL slack if you are ALLOWED to slack... I know I would. And I know I don't want to be a slack doctor.
That being said, I worked with a surgery intern from Yale med school last year, and he was great. I asked him how the Yale system could possibly work, and I honestly can't recall what his reply, but I guess it didn't make a huge impression, or it wasn't convincing.
Wherever you go, you will get out of your education what you put into it. Being at a big name school does not guarantee you'll be a great doctor. Studying hard and learning the material well is still no guarantee, because you also need common sense and clinical sense.
Good luck to everyone.
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Linie
That being said, I worked with a surgery intern from Yale med school last year, and he was great. I asked him how the Yale system could possibly work, and I honestly can't recall what his reply, but I guess it didn't make a huge impression, or it wasn't convincing.
Wherever you go, you will get out of your education what you put into it. Being at a big name school does not guarantee you'll be a great doctor. Studying hard and learning the material well is still no guarantee, because you also need common sense and clinical sense.
Good luck to everyone.
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Linie
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What I'd like to know is: how well do Yale students do on the Step 1? How successful are they in the match?
Tim W. of N.Y.C.
Tim W. of N.Y.C.
At the interview, the Yale students said they have the 3rd highest mean scores (of all med schools) on Step I, with a match rate allegedly at 95% for top three choices. The match list they provided seem to include some very distinguished places, for easily the majority of the class.
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I am a Yale undergrad and visited (down the street) at the medical school earlier this year. Let me tell you one thing no one has mentioned:
NEW HAVEN HAS NOTHING TO OFFER.
Not only that but the medical school is in an even more drab part of down than the college. All that's around is Subway and Dunkin Donuts. I couldn't possibly imagine spending 8 years there!
NEW HAVEN HAS NOTHING TO OFFER.
Not only that but the medical school is in an even more drab part of down than the college. All that's around is Subway and Dunkin Donuts. I couldn't possibly imagine spending 8 years there!
"No grades and low stress during classes = super high stress come boards time = residency programs judge you almost entirely on your boards scores since they have nothing else to go by. Do you really want that kind of emphasis on the boards? These things made me completely uninterested in Yale."
Zb,
I don't mean to start an argument, but have you seen Yale's match list? Although boards are one factor in matching, residency directors put a great deal of stock into what school you go to. Even though Harvard and Yale students have lower board scores, they have no problem getting amazing residency placements because of school reputation. For some reason, Yale's is comparable to Harvard's and UCSF's. In contrast, if you only looked at board scores, you will notice that Chicago Med and NYMC have some of the highest mean step I scores in the nation, but their students don't do as well in the match.
Zb,
I don't mean to start an argument, but have you seen Yale's match list? Although boards are one factor in matching, residency directors put a great deal of stock into what school you go to. Even though Harvard and Yale students have lower board scores, they have no problem getting amazing residency placements because of school reputation. For some reason, Yale's is comparable to Harvard's and UCSF's. In contrast, if you only looked at board scores, you will notice that Chicago Med and NYMC have some of the highest mean step I scores in the nation, but their students don't do as well in the match.
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As a sort of aside...
What about recieving numerical or letter grades aids/drives you to understand the material in your courses better? Is it fear of failure, the competition, the constant evaluations or something else?
What about recieving numerical or letter grades aids/drives you to understand the material in your courses better? Is it fear of failure, the competition, the constant evaluations or something else?
Z
zb
I'm basing my opinion on much experience. I'm a 4th year med student and have consistently seen myself and others "slack" when we know a class/test/etc. is pass/fail.
With such a huge workload, everyone I know (and these are some of the most highly qualified students in the country) tends to slack under these circumstances ... they say, "All I have to do is pass!" and then don't study quite as hard.
This attitude was perhaps best summed up in a poster I saw at Yale when I was back in the interviewing stage. The poster was for one of their class shows and it said: "We came in wanting to excel, we leave wanting to be minimally competent!!!"
I don't claim to have all of the answers as to why it is that this is the case, but it IS the case that the pressure of a graded test is sometimes necessary to motivate exhausted, overworked med students. I wish we were all superhumans who could be motivated to work our hardest only by high ideals and the love of learning, but that ain't how it works in the real world.
With such a huge workload, everyone I know (and these are some of the most highly qualified students in the country) tends to slack under these circumstances ... they say, "All I have to do is pass!" and then don't study quite as hard.
This attitude was perhaps best summed up in a poster I saw at Yale when I was back in the interviewing stage. The poster was for one of their class shows and it said: "We came in wanting to excel, we leave wanting to be minimally competent!!!"
I don't claim to have all of the answers as to why it is that this is the case, but it IS the case that the pressure of a graded test is sometimes necessary to motivate exhausted, overworked med students. I wish we were all superhumans who could be motivated to work our hardest only by high ideals and the love of learning, but that ain't how it works in the real world.
