Mayo Clinic (MN) Vs. Johns Hopkins

[JustAJumbo]

Posting on behalf of my SDN-less girlfriend:

"Mayo vs Hopkins - help me decide. I have the same amount of aid from both schools, so I am really deciding based on non-financial aspects.

Pros of Mayo
-The people I have interacted with seem really friendly
-I really admire their genuine focus on patient care and the overall mission of the Mayo Clinic
-Students I've talked to seem relatively relaxed, and there seems to be a sense of community built around having a smaller class size (55 students)

Cons
-It's extremely cold (I'm from Boston, but MN seems even colder!)
-It doesn't look like there are that many things to do in Rochester (and the drive to Minneapolis is long enough that I don't think I'd make it on a weekly basis)

Pros of Hopkins
-I feel like Hopkins is more prestigious, which may help when it comes to getting into competitive specialties on the east coast.
-Baltimore is a city, and the weather is nicer.
-Students have also talked a lot about how collaborative and motivating it is to be there

Cons
-The crime rate of Baltimore is concerning; overall safety when not on the Hopkins campus
-Generally, the students I've talked to seem to be a little more stressed than those at Mayo

Any feedback at all would be appreciated! I realize I am so lucky to be picking between these two amazing institutions, and that I can't really make a wrong choice here. Thank you!"

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[Banco]

Just go with Hopkins and call it a day.

 

[Arsartium]

Congrats to your SDN-less girlfriend! Great choices. Either will likely get you to where you want to be. No doubt both are giants in the history of medicine. A key difference between the two is atmosphere -- which it seems like you picked up on. Mayo is one of the few institutions where physicians are salaried (at 70th percentile for their specialty) and so the physicians can really focus on what is best for the patient. This creates a rich environment for student learning that is quite unlike other institutions (heard this repeatedly from previous visiting medical students and Mayo residents who trained elsewhere). That said, it might be helpful to know where your priorities stand with regard to the proximity of your social network. If you're coming from the East Coast and want to be closer to loved ones, then perhaps Hopkins would be a better choice.

To address a few of your cons:

Mayo
Cold: Not gonna lie Rochester can get COLD haha But honestly, once you get 20 degrees F what another 20 degrees colder? Get a coat rated to -30F and keep it moving. Not much different from Boston except your wear a better coat. We've got Boston's hot, humid summers here too!

Rochester: Meh, depends on what you like to do. Don't forget you're in medical school. You can still have fun but I've found I need to be intentional with my time. In fact, some people are still manage to hit up Minneapolis nearly every weekend and still do well. As someone who has spent 1/4 of my life in traffic, it's a pretty easy drive. Summertime: outdoor activities galore. I ride horses, hike, kayak, rock climb. Strong brewery scene if that interests you. Plenty to do around Rochester along with the occasional hanging out with world renowned surgeons at their mansions as you're served gourmet catered food.

Hopkins
Safety: Hopkins has many measures in place to ensure the safety of its staff and trainees. You will need to have situational awareness, just like you needed to have in Boston.

Stress: I wouldn't judge the stress of the students based on any one time point. Some parts of medical school are more stressful than others at different times. As long as they were still kind to you and each other, I wouldn't worry too much. Medical school is stressful at some point no matter where you go -- especially for M1s.

TLDR: What are your priorities? Where do you envision your career? What kind of physician do you seek to be? The answers to these questions might help guide you to what is right for you. While I know more about Mayo, I'm happy to answer any further questions.

Godspeed.

 

[DermResidentYear3]

Mayo 100%. Are you kidding me?! Mayo's curriculum is insanely unique because you get to customize it and really tailor it to your own interests (selectives). They will go out of THEIR way to find you any research lab you want. They're at your service. Their student:faculty ratio is absolutely insane. You can travel across MCASOM campuses. They have dual degree opportunities. They have insane mentoring and connections

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

Mayo 100%. Are you kidding me?! Mayo's curriculum is insanely unique because you get to customize it and really tailor it to your own interests (selectives). They will go out of THEIR way to find you any research lab you want. They're at your service. Their student:faculty ratio is absolutely insane. You can travel across MCASOM campuses. They have dual degree opportunities. They have insane mentoring and connections

Anyone else think this person's advice is very biased? It usually doesn't go with what the OPs are talking about, and there's a clear pattern. Mayo, UCSF, Case, Vanderbilt, Harvard are good Stanford, JHU are not. Honestly, it sounds like you're going off of the schools that showed you love during residency interviews lol.

If so, please don't use this platform as a medium for you to prop up schools that you like and put down schools that you don't.