Low ranked Ivy League schools

[Cambrian]

I was browsing through the USNews rankings and I noticed that both Dartmouth and Brown are ranked low (34 and 40 for research, respectively). If I am not mistaken, both of these schools are ivy leagues. Why are they ranked so low? And this is not even due to the subjectivity of the USNews ranking. I mean I haven't seen any SDNer spilling their heart over these 2 schools (no posts about "official dartmouth countdown" for example). Even many unknown public schools are higher ranked than these two schools. The reason I ask is that I regret not applying to these schools. I got into UCSD, which is ranked alot higher than these schools. Maybe I could have gotten into Dartmouth or Brown? I'm kind of tired of the California scenery and wonder about what my life would be like in the New England lifestyle.

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[THE instiGATOR]

The title "Ivy" doesn't bestow greatness.

I would have loved to attend Dartmouth. It was tied with Emory on my list of desirable schools; and, as many SDNers know, Emory was at the top of my list...above Vandy, Duke (didn't finish the application), and other quality schools.

 

[vyc]

i don't know about Brown except that they don't take any incoming first-year med students bc their class is entirely made up of those in the 8-year BA/MD program and then some from the Dartmouth-Brown program. so you can't regret not having applied to Brown bc you couldn't.

as for Dartmouth, i think the reason why they are ranked low (i said this in another thread too) is because they are not big on research. the us news and world report is based on RESEARCH. if you look, there are two rankings: research med school and primary care med schools. granted, there's been some debate on here already on how they rank the primary care schools but still i think it's important to understand that if a school gets a ton of NIH money, then they'll likely be higher up on the list.

that said, dartmouth does in fact get quite a bit of research money. they're just TINY though... their class size is really small, they're out in the middle of BFE, it's going to be hard for them to achieve the same sort of prestige that say harvard has bc they're just not geared for that.

i think it is true though that just the NAME of an ivy league will carry a lot of weight in the real world. people haven't memorized the rankings. only we have. real people don't know. so they hear the ivy league name and "oooh ahhh"

 

[none]

Don't ever confuse undergrad reputation with the quality of a med school. They are immensely different things and very often do not go together.

 

[TommyGunn04]

I'm not a huge fan of Brown's medical school. The above poster is correct in that most of their class is made up of students in their 8-year PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) program. The rest of the class is largely composed of students from schools Brown has deals with, being the only medical school in RI. So every class has a handful of the top students from Providence College, URI, etc. I imagine it's hard to just enter Brown as a medical student, as much of the med school curriculum is integrated throughout the undergraduate years, especially the ethical stuff.

Anyway, while it's surely not a BAD medical school, if there even is such a thing, it's definitely no Duke, Penn, Yale, etc. Like another poster said though, much of those USNews rankings are based on research $. Seeing as Brown is so small, especially in terms of its graduate programs, it's expected that we won't come out very high on their list. However, I recall that Brown IS ranked higher in the USNews Primary Care Rankings. So perhaps clinical training here is quite good. Anyway, there's my two cents.

 

[Legend]

There is no Dartmouth countdown because they send out acceptances every week.

 

[edmadison]

Two interesting points...

In addition to the other students at brown, it has a number of slots each year for the Bryn Mawr Post-Bacc program. I am unsure whether or not Columbia post backs can get in as well.

Also, Dartmouth is consistanty one of the schools receiving high number of applicantions. I have no idea why.

Ed

 

[trout]

You are also probably looking at the research rankings versus the primary care or any of the other rankings...if you look both brown and dartmouth have considerably low research dollars, however, I *think* Dartmouth is pretty high for primary care rankings?

 

[panda01]

Again, the uselessness of rankings except for ego. I think there are less tangible attributes to a school that make it perfect for some people. If you want a huge research school, then don't go to Brown or Dartmouth. But I do know Brown and Dartmouth are highly esteemed (have you seen their match lists?? all top 10 or 20 schools) and also have different educational philosophies than say Duke or Yale. In the end, as with most things, it's just where you feel you'll be happy, fit in, and do well.

 

[The Fly]

Ivy league can also be synonymous with:

MEDIOCRE HOSPITALS

Hence the lower-than-expected rankings. You still probably get a better residency placement than you otherwise would, however.