Looking for Help!!

[kas44]

I have a dilemma on my hands. I have been accepted to two schools; one of them a SUNY school and one of them in Ann Arbor. As you can see, I am comparing a top ten school and an unranked school (according to USNews). Anyone can see the advantages of attending the school in Ann Arbor and see how it may open up doors in the future. In the future I would like to go into academic medicine, researching a certain disease, we will call it disease X. However, at my state school, I have been offered a chance to do research on an idea to treat disease X. I am the one who originally came up with the idea and a PhD I am currently working with wrote it up, shipped it off to the NIH and it is going to be funded $100,000 for 6-12 months. He has told me that he is going to work on this project whether I am at my state school or not through his private company. It is a truly revolutionary idea that probably with be in the clinics within 5 years. He has also offered to pay for my entire medical school if I stay to work on the project. Do I "sell out" and go to the top ten and not do the research that I would love to do in hopes that the name will help me out in the future? Or do I go to the school that has considerably less prestige, do my research, get some quality publications, and graduate debt free?

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[yes]

If it was me, I'd stick with the state school. Wouldn't you regret it if your huge idea took off in a few years and you weren't a part of it? Besides, my sib's getting an MD in May and is going to be paying off her debt till like 2030-- graduating debt-free from med school is a rare luxury. You should weigh out other factors too (curriculum, how you liked the hospitals and the cities, etc) but that's my feel for your situation.

v.

 

[pcl]

Could you defer for a year to work on the research? Could you link up with someone at Umich to continue doing similar research there?

Just thoughts. Good Luck.

 

[twister]

I don't (obviously) know what "disease X" is.. however, if your idea is truly great and revolutionary and there is a very good chance that things are going work out extremely well...

In that case, this will show up when you apply for residency and you (I'm guessing) will really stand out. The doors that you think UMich will open may be opened just as well by the research/clinical trials.

Of course, there are no guarantees, but I don't think you can lose either way. Also, just as in previous posts, are you sure you won't regret being part of the idea that you thought up?

 

[SocialistMD]

In four years, you will have an MD from either school just as I will have one from my school just as everyone else accepted into an MD program this year will have. What you do at each school is up to you. If you go to your state school and help research some medical revolution, do you think any experience at a top-10 school will compare? Plus, it will be free.
Do whatever your heart desires. If the prestige of a school is so alluring to you that you would even contemplate passing on a research opportunity like this (Mr/s. academic medicine), chances are you have no interest in what I have to say anyway.

 

[kas44]

I am not totally hung up on the prestige thing, or else I would not even bother thinking about which school to go to. However, the research I am thinking about doing is a novel drug delivery system that will deliver a novel drug directly to the gut mucosa, thus limiting the invasiveness and side-effect assoctiated with many therapies. This idea has been thought of before, but it has never been effective and I am about 80% my approach may be effective. It received a very high score from the NIH to be funded. This approach could be applied to many diseases, but I am looking to apply it only to one. However, there stands the chance of this system not working and then I will find myself at that school that was not my top choice. I may be wondering what it would have been like to go to UMich. I do not want to place all my eggs in one basket and be later scorned. As for deferring, has anyone ever taken two straight years off? I have already taken one year off (a non-deferal year).

 

[SocialistMD]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by kas44:
I am not totally hung up on the prestige thing, or else I would not even bother thinking about which school to go to. However, the research I am thinking about doing is a novel drug delivery system that will deliver a novel drug directly to the gut mucosa, thus limiting the invasiveness and side-effect assoctiated with many therapies. This idea has been thought of before, but it has never been effective and I am about 80% my approach may be effective. It received a very high score from the NIH to be funded. This approach could be applied to many diseases, but I am looking to apply it only to one. However, there stands the chance of this system not working and then I will find myself at that school that was not my top choice. I may be wondering what it would have been like to go to UMich. I do not want to place all my eggs in one basket and be later scorned. As for deferring, has anyone ever taken two straight years off? I have already taken one year off (a non-deferal year).•

So, let's say you go to UMich and you do not get your dream residency. Now you are ~100k in debt and wondering what could have been at SUNY. Also, let's assume this PhD gets your method to fly. Then what? You did not participate.
There will be "could have beens" regardless of where you go if you allow them. They exist in every decision ever made. Do not second guess yourself down the road and do not look back. I told you what I would do.

 

[docuw]

Not only is not having to pay for medical school a wonderful luxury, UMich is a GREAT medical school. USNews... blah blah blah. Stay there, do some research, go to med school for free. No doubt in my mind.

[This message has been edited by docuw (edited April 13, 2001).]

 

[kas44]

You seemed to have misunderstood me. I would not be going to UMich for free. I would be attending the SUNY for free. In all likelihood, I will be paying an arm and a leg to go to UMich.

 

[pcl]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">
I do not want to place all my eggs in one basket and be later scorned. As for deferring, has anyone ever taken two straight years off? I have already taken one year off (a non-deferal year).[/B]•

So you took a year off to apply, but you didn't have a place in the class of 2004, right? I don't know why that would matter. A lot of people take a year off, or are coming from other careers, do a stint in peace corps or the NIH, etc...

I would call the umich admission office and ask about a deferral, why they are granted, for how long.

From the umich admissions brochure:
http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/bulletin/admission.html

A student offered a position in the next entering class is required to accept or decline the offer within a specified period, by returning official forms to the Admissions Office. No enrollment deposit is required until May of the entering year. Accepted applicants are given financial aid information and forms in January, and a packet of housing, immunization, and other information in early May. Deferrals may be granted at the discretion of the Assistant Dean for Admissions. Individuals who have been given alternate status may be offered a spot in the class at any time there is a vacancy, until the first day of orientation in mid-August.

Good Luck.

 

[Winged Scapula]

From the viewpoint of one who has just been through the residency matching process, IMHO having publications will help you considerably more at an academic program than will the admittedly prestigious name of Michigan. If you are fairly certain that your work will result in publications in your name and it is something that you also believe in and enjoy, my vote would be to continue in that vein.

On a more suspicious or cynical note, do you have an agreement for tuition payment IN WRITING? Does this gentleman honestly have the funds to pay for tuition and living expenses x 4 years? I only mention getting this in writing if the issue of being debt free is SIGNIFICANT to you - if he welches out on the deal, will you regret going to SUNY over Michigan? If not, then it probably doesn't make any difference.

Best of luck to you and remember us little people when you become rich and famous!