JHU v HMS v UCSF?

[pinkfluffyunicorn]

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[writeinvestigatorred]

All great choices - congratulations on your hard work! From a financial standpoint, I think you should eliminate HMS (no reason to take on another 100k of debt). Outside of that, UCSF seems to have your support system and your concern about match lists for competitive specialty don't really apply to pediatrics (or the other ones you're interested in outside of UCSF). Also something to be said about regionality bias with residency match (though JHU/HMS won't hold you back but it's easier to "network" with residency directors in CA when you are there). JHU would be another great option if you do want to get outside of CA - I would talk to current students (outside of admissions-assigned tour guides) as I think mentors have outdated information on student culture.

 

[riv_jordan]

I implore you to disregard the first comment here. These are collectively considered the best medical schools in the country, and there's nothing HMS could offer you over these other options that's worth $400k in debt, especially considering the fact that you are currently interested in a relatively low earning academic specialty. This really should be between UCSF and JHU.

I don't stay up to date on prestige games, but I'm honestly extremely skeptical of the claim that UCSF has "lost its edge." I'd be very wary of looking at one match list in one year to assess how well students do in matching into competitive specialties. This year UCSF matched 19 students into "DOPEN" + similarly competitive specialties such as I6 CT surg or urology (this number is already way higher than the vast majority of schools in the country). But just last year, the number was 33. Does that suggest that in just one year UCSF's ability to match competitive specialties has decreased by 40%? I imagine you're too smart to believe that. Preferences fluctuate by class and one thing that has certainly not changed is the caliber of the programs that UCSF students match into, regardless of which specialties they choose. I can't speak to the funding concern, but I imagine lots of schools are facing similar pressures under our current administration.

EDIT: Very contradictory typo, corrected now

 

[YellowSalamander]

UCSF has not "lost its edge".. It's one of the best medical schools in the US. People really need to stop using match lists to gauge the reputation of a school and its ability to match students into competitive specialties. There are so many factors that contribute to match success (geographical preference, applicant interests, USMLE scores, networking, clinical evaluations, research, etc.) and NOBODY is held back by the reputation or pedigree of UCSF.

Funding is tight at all institutions in the US right now between inflation and funding cuts. Certainly also the case at JHU and HMS.

Don't pay 120k more (likely private loans) to attend HMS over UCSF. There is no scenario where this makes sense.

 

[pinkfluffyunicorn]

I implore you to disregard the first comment here. These are collectively considered the best medical schools in the country, and there's nothing HMS could offer you over these other options that's worth $400k in debt, especially considering the fact that you are currently interested in a relatively low earning academic specialty. This really should be between HMS and JHU.

I don't stay up to date on prestige games, but I'm honestly extremely skeptical of the claim that UCSF has "lost its edge." I'd be very wary of looking at one match list in one year to assess how well students do in matching into competitive specialties. This year UCSF matched 19 students into "DOPEN" + similarly competitive specialties such as I6 CT surg or urology (this number is already way higher than the vast majority of schools in the country). But just last year, the number was 33. Does that suggest that in just one year UCSF's ability to match competitive specialties has decreased by 40%? I imagine you're too smart to believe that. Preferences fluctuate by class and one thing that has certainly not changed is the caliber of the programs that UCSF students match into, regardless of which specialties they choose. I can't speak to the funding concern, but I imagine lots of schools are facing similar pressures under our current administration.

This is super helpful, thank you! I just wanted to check - do you mean between UCSF and JHU, or HMS and JHU? I think my heart wants to go to UCSF, even apart from the finances, but I've been getting such mixed signals from mentors/those I talk to that it's all become a bit muddled in my head.

 

[writeinvestigatorred]

This is super helpful, thank you! I just wanted to check - do you mean between UCSF and JHU, or HMS and JHU? I think my heart wants to go to UCSF, even apart from the finances, but I've been getting such mixed signals from mentors/those I talk to that it's all become a bit muddled in my head.

Two things: how old are the mentors and where do YOU think you would thrive best? I ask the former because I think a lot of older mentors remember the reputation of schools from when they went through training and it does not always translate to current-day. For the latter, I think the prestige of some of these schools can get into your head and instead of focusing on what is best for YOU, it is easy to focus on what other people think is the most prestigious or best. You are the one who has to go there and take advantage of the opportunities. Go with your gut on which school you feel you could thrive best in.

 

[riv_jordan]

This is super helpful, thank you! I just wanted to check - do you mean between UCSF and JHU, or HMS and JHU? I think my heart wants to go to UCSF, even apart from the finances, but I've been getting such mixed signals from mentors/those I talk to that it's all become a bit muddled in my head.

Apologies I got my words mixed up and ended up with a very confusing typo! It should be between UCSF and JHU. If your heart is saying UCSF and it's the cheaper option, the winner is very clear here. Truly every opportunity within the medical world will be available to you there, congrats!

 

[pulsus_parvus]

I was in a similar boat a year ago! Full rides to all 3 places and felt super torn. Happy to chat through your decision with you.