ger1atric
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- Joined
- May 27, 2024
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Having these options to choose from for medical school seems like a dream come true and I know I really can't go wrong with any option. With that being said, was hoping to hear from some others on which option makes the most sense.
I aim to do academic medicine where I work in a medical school as an attending and do research. I also am interested in pursuing more competitive specialties (interested in Derm, IM subspecialty, ENT) and was planning on taking a fifth research year at MD-only programs. With that being said, here are my pros and cons:
Johns Hopkins - MD ($80,000*):
(+++++) Close to home and family/friends/support system
(++) Clerkships are pass/fail, so reduced competition on clinical rotations
(++) Strong academic medicine training with great research results even within only four years as an MD.
(+) Has the most diverse patient population of these three schools being in the Baltimore community.
(+) Really like the college system to build a small camaraderie of student within a larger class size.
(+) Support for fifth years and additional degrees is quite strong.
(0) Has AOA, but selection occurs after residency match
(-) More rigid curriculum compared to Stanford or Mayo.
(-) I don’t hate Baltimore, but I would like to explore more of the country.
(-) Vibes seemed more competitive, and students did not seem as excited on interview day compared to other options. However, after getting in, the students seem a lot more excited and nicer to work with.
(---) Recently changed the pre-clerkship curriculum structure, and some students have said it is disorganized.
*In a weird situation with funding now where I do not qualify for the Bloomberg scholarship as of today but may qualify for full COA by the start of either M1 or M2 so it could be free after some further discussion with financial aid, or as high as nearly full tuition price.
Mayo Clinic (MN) - MD ($80,000)
(+++) Very strong home hospital program (best in the world) with significant amounts of self-match.
(++) Attendings (consultants) appear to be the nicest and most pleasant to work with out of all the other schools with a strong focus on teaching and mentorship.
(++) Selectives make the curriculum super flexible and there is a lot of time to pursue personal interests and activities during medical school.
(+) More shielded from political volatility given there is no undergraduate campus and the vast majority of money comes from a private endowment.
(+) No AOA or internal rank.
(+) Opportunity to rotate at the Florida and Arizona campuses for free.
(+) 70% tuition scholarship and COA is relatively low being in Rochester. But cost still doesn’t beat some of the other options.
(0) Very small class size means I have access to essentially any faculty/clinical mentors without competing against peers. At the same time, the class is so small that it may be difficult to find people I vibe with.
(0) Barely any students take fifth year which is a pro and con because it shows the match outcomes are still great but also research output is more clinical in nature.
(--) Graded clerkships so rotations will likely be far more stressful.
(--) Located in Rochester, MN which is much colder than I prefer and far from family.
(---) Research is less prioritized and the opportunity for interdisciplinary learning is more limited compared to other schools.
Stanford - MD/PhD ($0)
(+++) Full COA is covered due to MSTP funding
(+++) Weather and location are both, in my opinion, best in the country.
(++) Research program is one of the strongest in the country, doing extremely innovative research that is highly multidisciplinary.
(++) Research from the PhD side of the program would give a strong competitive leg up in the match.
(++) Exceptionally flexible curriculum
(+) Relatively small class size (~90 people)
(+) No AOA or internal rank
(0) Administration seemed to be not very enthusiastic at the interview with current students acknowledging. However, students also say it gets much better once you are actually in the program. Not sure how supportive admin will be which is important in this political climate. Will update after second look.
(-) Across the country and far from home.
(--) Clinical immersion during the PhD is on the weak end and has a worse structure relative to other MSTPs I am also admitted to.
(--) Clerkships have returned to a tiered system.
(---) Current political volatility makes finding a research lab for the PhD and funding potentially uncertain.
(---) Gain the additional PhD degree, but it adds 3-4 additional years. I am committed to this path, but at the same time, the added degree comes at the significant opportunity cost of attending salary that begins compounding earlier.
I aim to do academic medicine where I work in a medical school as an attending and do research. I also am interested in pursuing more competitive specialties (interested in Derm, IM subspecialty, ENT) and was planning on taking a fifth research year at MD-only programs. With that being said, here are my pros and cons:
Johns Hopkins - MD ($80,000*):
(+++++) Close to home and family/friends/support system
(++) Clerkships are pass/fail, so reduced competition on clinical rotations
(++) Strong academic medicine training with great research results even within only four years as an MD.
(+) Has the most diverse patient population of these three schools being in the Baltimore community.
(+) Really like the college system to build a small camaraderie of student within a larger class size.
(+) Support for fifth years and additional degrees is quite strong.
(0) Has AOA, but selection occurs after residency match
(-) More rigid curriculum compared to Stanford or Mayo.
(-) I don’t hate Baltimore, but I would like to explore more of the country.
(-) Vibes seemed more competitive, and students did not seem as excited on interview day compared to other options. However, after getting in, the students seem a lot more excited and nicer to work with.
(---) Recently changed the pre-clerkship curriculum structure, and some students have said it is disorganized.
*In a weird situation with funding now where I do not qualify for the Bloomberg scholarship as of today but may qualify for full COA by the start of either M1 or M2 so it could be free after some further discussion with financial aid, or as high as nearly full tuition price.
Mayo Clinic (MN) - MD ($80,000)
(+++) Very strong home hospital program (best in the world) with significant amounts of self-match.
(++) Attendings (consultants) appear to be the nicest and most pleasant to work with out of all the other schools with a strong focus on teaching and mentorship.
(++) Selectives make the curriculum super flexible and there is a lot of time to pursue personal interests and activities during medical school.
(+) More shielded from political volatility given there is no undergraduate campus and the vast majority of money comes from a private endowment.
(+) No AOA or internal rank.
(+) Opportunity to rotate at the Florida and Arizona campuses for free.
(+) 70% tuition scholarship and COA is relatively low being in Rochester. But cost still doesn’t beat some of the other options.
(0) Very small class size means I have access to essentially any faculty/clinical mentors without competing against peers. At the same time, the class is so small that it may be difficult to find people I vibe with.
(0) Barely any students take fifth year which is a pro and con because it shows the match outcomes are still great but also research output is more clinical in nature.
(--) Graded clerkships so rotations will likely be far more stressful.
(--) Located in Rochester, MN which is much colder than I prefer and far from family.
(---) Research is less prioritized and the opportunity for interdisciplinary learning is more limited compared to other schools.
Stanford - MD/PhD ($0)
(+++) Full COA is covered due to MSTP funding
(+++) Weather and location are both, in my opinion, best in the country.
(++) Research program is one of the strongest in the country, doing extremely innovative research that is highly multidisciplinary.
(++) Research from the PhD side of the program would give a strong competitive leg up in the match.
(++) Exceptionally flexible curriculum
(+) Relatively small class size (~90 people)
(+) No AOA or internal rank
(0) Administration seemed to be not very enthusiastic at the interview with current students acknowledging. However, students also say it gets much better once you are actually in the program. Not sure how supportive admin will be which is important in this political climate. Will update after second look.
(-) Across the country and far from home.
(--) Clinical immersion during the PhD is on the weak end and has a worse structure relative to other MSTPs I am also admitted to.
(--) Clerkships have returned to a tiered system.
(---) Current political volatility makes finding a research lab for the PhD and funding potentially uncertain.
(---) Gain the additional PhD degree, but it adds 3-4 additional years. I am committed to this path, but at the same time, the added degree comes at the significant opportunity cost of attending salary that begins compounding earlier.
