MGH/McLean vs. Columbia

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Which program has a better reputation?

  • MGH/McLean

    Votes: 7 70.0%
  • Columbia

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .

annarexy

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I just recently found these forums and wish I had heard about them earlier. You all are very friendly and helpful. I am in the process of finalizing my rank list and am considering many factors, including reputation. I am curious to hear your opinions on the reputations of these two programs. I know both are excellent and that I would be fortunate to end up at either of them, but am curious to hear the thoughts of my peers as well. I know reputation can be difficult to measure, but I figured this would be as good a place as any to ask this question.


Good luck to everyone in deciding on their lists and ending up where they would like. Thanks for all of your help.

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Hey, thanks for posting this poll! I am also very interested to hear opinions on this topic. The two schools are obviously both great places!

I have a hard time even voting . . . they both seem so similar in regard to reputation . . .

Anyone else have any thoughts?
 
i would like to know this one as well since i interviewed at harvard south shore and harlem hosp - columbia. of course mine r lower tier choices related to the above poll.
 
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annarexy said:
I just recently found these forums and wish I had heard about them earlier. You all are very friendly and helpful. I am in the process of finalizing my rank list and am considering many factors, including reputation. I am curious to hear your opinions on the reputations of these two programs. I know both are excellent and that I would be fortunate to end up at either of them, but am curious to hear the thoughts of my peers as well. I know reputation can be difficult to measure, but I figured this would be as good a place as any to ask this question.


Good luck to everyone in deciding on their lists and ending up where they would like. Thanks for all of your help.
That's a tough one. My take is that once you start considering the tier of programs that are widely considered to be "good places to be from" (two of which are Columbia and MGH), the confidence intervals around your estimates of their "reputation" are bound to overlap substantially, and so you would be better served by weighting more heavily other factors in your ranking decision.

Cheers,
-AT.
 
There are a few differences between the programs that come to mind, though I think the similiarities outweigh the differences.

Columbia has the cohesiveness that comes from having everyone in one place, while MGH-McLean has the diversity of two very different campuses. The patient population may be slightly different. Columbia has the community unit with a large percentage of Spanish-speaking patients, and several research units (eating disorders, schizophrenia) which may have longer lengths of stay. Both schools have excellent consult services (though one is in the 3rd year and one in the 4th year) and flexible fourth year schedules. As far as schedules, I've heard that MGH-McLean may have more call, but I don't really know.

Both programs are known to provide excellent training and to be affiliated with outstanding clinicians and researchers. Great, happy residents at both places. In my mind, the biggest difference is New York vs. Boston...

Tough choice, though. Best of luck.
 
I'm trying to decide between these two programs as well and having a tough time! As has been discussed above, the reputation part is really a moot point.
 
Hey all, thanks so much for your thoughts! I am too am having a difficult time deciding between these two programs on my rank list . . . but I know I would be fortunate to end up at either! I agree with the above comment that the decision essentially seems to comes down to Boston vs NY.

rp2860, from others I've talked to (both in our year and previous years), we are apparently in the process of making a common decision, as people who like one of these two programs are often drawn to the other as well.

Does anyone make anything out of the fact that more Harvard med students end up at Columbia than at MGH/McLean (if you look at the current four years of residents)? Or do you think this is just a function of individuals' personal lives and personal choices over the past several years?

Thanks again! Please keep the thoughts coming! Good luck everyone!

rp2860 said:
I'm trying to decide between these two programs as well and having a tough time! As has been discussed above, the reputation part is really a moot point.
 
annarexy said:
Does anyone make anything out of the fact that more Harvard med students end up at Columbia than at MGH/McLean (if you look at the current four years of residents)? Or do you think this is just a function of individuals' personal lives and personal choices over the past several years?
My guess is that the HMS students are just ready to leave Boston and try something different (like NYC). You would be hard pressed to draw any global inferences about the quality of PS vs. HMS students..

Cheers
-AT.
 
Hey AT,

Thanks for your response! Rather than inferring as to the quality of the PS or HMS students, I actually was more curious if this balance reflected that students on the inside at MGH/McLean knew something that outsiders, like me, did not, which would cause them to look elsewhere. However, I tend to agree with you that it is more a question of NY vs. Boston. In any case, I can tell you that the Columbia PD takes pride in the fact that more HMS students end up in his program than at the Boston ones.

Have a great day! And thanks again for your input!



atsai3 said:
My guess is that the HMS students are just ready to leave Boston and try something different (like NYC). You would be hard pressed to draw any global inferences about the quality of PS vs. HMS students..

Cheers
-AT.
 
how does every1 here feel about the columbia affiliated harlem program and harvard's southshore?? also i feel southshore is more so a full fledged harvard program but also tied to the VA and harlem is a tru affiliate. i feel southshore has a stronger tie then.
 
annarexy said:
I actually was more curious if this balance reflected that students on the inside at MGH/McLean knew something that outsiders, like me, did not, which would cause them to look elsewhere.

Interesting thought. You could always email current residents at Columbia or MGH/McLean who are from HMS and get an answer straight from the "horse's mouth".
 
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