Low Tier Medical Schools?

[adam64897]

So I have been a member of this site for a while now and I am just wondering what constitutes a low tier med. school? I am from Michigan and our state schools are MSU, Wayne State, and the University of Michigan. I am pretty sure U-M is a pretty good med. school but what about the other two? How about Temple, New York Medical College, Albany Medical College, Rush, UIC, University of Minnesota, etc. I wouldn't think where one went to medical school (as long as it is a US school) wouldn't really matter since everyone has the same "M.D." after their name.

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[Robizzle]

yes if you do well during medical school then you should end up the same but some medical schools train you slightgly differently and this is what distinguishes them from others. and yes the majority, if not all the schools, you listed are lower tier. i'll say it before the other 500 people do: buy an MSAR it's very helpful.

 

[EUGENIC1]

So I have been a member of this site for a while now and I am just wondering what constitutes a low tier med. school? I am from Michigan and our state schools are MSU, Wayne State, and the University of Michigan. I am pretty sure U-M is a pretty good med. school but what about the other two? How about Temple, New York Medical College, Albany Medical College, Rush, UIC, University of Minnesota, etc. I wouldn't think where one went to medical school (as long as it is a US school) wouldn't really matter since everyone has the same "M.D." after their name.

the only difference is that higher tier schools get better residency and get better scores on their board exams....

 

[ChymeChancellor]

the only difference is that higher tier schools get better residency and get better scores on their board exams....

Get better scores on their board exams? Give me a break EUGENIC. Those at top med schools get better scores but it's not because of the school they went to, its probably because those students are the best at taking tests anyway. Most of med school is just studying on your own.

 

[adam64897]

the only difference is that higher tier schools get better residency and get better scores on their board exams....

I am a very dedicated student and will probably do very well on my board exams however mistakes in my earlier college years will likely keep me from attending Hopkins or Michigan which I regret but I'll certainly get in somewhere and I just don't see how because I might be forced to get my M.D. from MSU, Wayne, Temple, etc. that my board scores are going to be necessarily lower? And I would hope that going to a lower tier school because of mistakes earlier in college won't prevent me from getting into a good residency program due to the school I went to. Sounds riddiculous to me.

 

[ChymeChancellor]

I am a very dedicated student and will probably do very well on my board exams however mistakes in my earlier college years will likely keep me from attending Hopkins or Michigan which I regret but I'll certainly get in somewhere and I just don't see how because I might be forced to get my M.D. from MSU, Wayne, Temple, etc. that my board scores are going to be necessarily lower? And I would hope that going to a lower tier school because of mistakes earlier in college won't prevent me from getting into a good residency program due to the school I went to. Sounds riddiculous to me.

Wayne and MSU are great schools if you live in Michigan. You will do fine... don't worry about it so much.

 

[NonTradMed]

Going to a higher tiered school gives you a legs up in residency matching. Look at the matchlist at the top schools and compare that to all the other med schools, you get far more 'prestigeous' residencies at the top schools. Some may say that's because the student quality is better and the cream naturally rises to the top, and I'm sure student quality have something to do with it, but medicine is an academic game and in academia, school name helps too.

Also, just because attending a top school helps you, doesn't mean attending one of the 'lower tiered' med school locks you out of the competition. I'm not sure why some people on these forums assume that if going to Harvard med helps you to get into a competitive residency, that means attending a less prestige med school will prevent you from achieving the same thing. All med schools have send kids into the top residencies, the top specialities, some are just better at it than others, and yes, the top schools seems to send more kids into the top residencies/specialities than the bottom most schools. That doesn't mean YOU can't get into the neurosurgery residency of your choice b/c you went to X school. Statistics does not define individuals, only populations.

 

[Aurora013]

I am a very dedicated student and will probably do very well on my board exams however mistakes in my earlier college years will likely keep me from attending Hopkins or Michigan which I regret but I'll certainly get in somewhere and I just don't see how because I might be forced to get my M.D. from MSU, Wayne, Temple, etc. that my board scores are going to be necessarily lower? And I would hope that going to a lower tier school because of mistakes earlier in college won't prevent me from getting into a good residency program due to the school I went to. Sounds riddiculous to me.

We're talking average board scores here- even at the top schools there will be students will lower scores, and at middle to lower tier schools there will be students with exceptional scores. So just because you're not going to one of the top schools doesn't mean you won't do well, it just means you'll be higher above the average of your school. Residencies aren't just based on board scores either- they also take into account your class rank and LORs (for more information on what goes into it, talk to somebody who's been through/is going through it, as they would know the specifics better than I).

 

[MiniNMD]

So called "higher tier" medical schools, especially the private ones, tend to have smaller classes than "lower tier" schools.

 

[deleted109597]

Half the kids at any "higher tier" school are below average for their own school. I don't think the 3.0 from Harvard with the 196 Step I score will match better than the 3.8 from BFE with a 245 Step I. You make your own road. When I go to conferences, people ask me if my school is a D.O. school, because it has a cardinal direction and the word "State" in the title. We put someone in Plastics last year (couples match at that), and there has been derm and radiology every year for the last 5.

 

[adam64897]

Half the kids at any "higher tier" school are below average for their own school. I don't think the 3.0 from Harvard with the 196 Step I score will match better than the 3.8 from BFE with a 245 Step I. You make your own road. When I go to conferences, people ask me if my school is a D.O. school, because it has a cardinal direction and the word "State" in the title. We put someone in Plastics last year (couples match at that), and there has been derm and radiology every year for the last 5.

And where is it that you go to school?

 

[Law2Doc]

the only difference is that higher tier schools get better residency and get better scores on their board exams....

I don't think the data supports the board scores part of your claim, although no definitive data exists and the info is kept private. It's a pretty good mix of schools which boast "above average" scores, though.

At any rate, all schools teach the same courses, most teach them reasonably well, and everyone uses the same board review books (First Aid, Step Up, BRS), so your board score will be pretty independent of what school you go to. And your board scores will play a huge role in where you end up, probably moreso than what "tier" school you go to. So study like a maniac whereever you end up, and you will do fine.

 

[honker]

Believe it or not, how you do in medicine is up to you, not what school you go to. If academia is your ultimate goal, then there is definitely a big advantage to being a "prestige *****", as pedigree is a big deal to those in the academic community. That being said, you can also become a prominent academician going to a "lower tier school", it just requires hard work. Outstanding students are recognized at their school no matter what level the school is perceived to be. Getting awards such as AOA, magna cum laude graduation status, etc. will distinguish those students as outstanding future doctors no matter what school it is. Getting such honors will get you into an outstanding residency program no matter what school you go to. Get over the "lower tier" mentality. It's a loser.

 

[1SwtWrld]

the only difference is that higher tier schools get better residency and get better scores on their board exams....

Better Residency.....probably b/c you will have the name and will be more likely to get LORs from well respected faculty

Better board Scores........Debatable, and if it does happen it's not due to the teaching. All med schools teach the same thing, you just have to find one that teaches the way you like.

 

[mlcal06]

you just have to find one that teaches the way you like.

and one to let you in!

 

[RokChalkJayhawk]

Every doctor I've talked to has said what medical school you go to essentially doesn't matter unless you want to go into academic medicine. A top school may help you get into a residency, but a lower ranked school won't exclude you from anything.