need advice about hoosing between 2 programs

[anaismd]

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so let's say, hypothetically, that there are 2 programs and call them program A and program B
program B is where i ultimately want to practice and live and where there is a faculty member who is a potential mentor
b/c his research projects almost exactly match my research interests and we get along really well personality wise. however, this program really isnt regarded as one of the best in the country and reputation is probably better than average but certainly not top 10 or 15 even
BUT program A is the #1 program in the country and going there i KNOW i will come out a really well-trained doc, BUT i definitely do not want to live there or stay after residency or even to do a fellowship
what do you think i should do?
i would really appreciate any input. ive sort of exaggerated the situation a little but its the way i see it in my mind.
please, any advice would be well-appreciated!

 

[chicagomd]

Choose Program A!!!!!
All programs should train you to be a good doctor, especially if you put your mind to it. You need to go somewhere where you will be happy with the area, make connections and do the type of research that you want.
I think it a pretty easy answer!

 

[chicagomd]

sorry sorry sorry!

I meant Choose Program B
the one where you want to live and have the good mentor with the good research.
Forget about top 10-15!!

 

[DR]

I agree. Choose B; there is nothing better than going somewhere where you will be happy, and where someone already knows you. People function better where they are happiest. You'd be most respected and appreciated where you are thriving, and you will thrive at program B.

 

[jackjinju]

B.....for sure!

 

[hamburgler]

i agree. in the end, you have to do what makes you happy. i'm in kinda the same dilemma myself. so i understand how you feel.

do yourself a favor, and choose B.

 

[anaismd]

thanks for your replies, but have I stressed just how TOP-RATED program A is? i just wonder if looking back i might regret passing up the opportunity to train with the best of the best and have a framed residency thing with such a well-known program name on it....

 

[blackcat]

****ty physicians come from all levels of programs...just because you went to a number 1 program is not going to make you any better.
if it is to get a job, the best thing is to make contacts in the area that you are looking to live. going to a program in the area that you want to live is probably the best way to do that.
happiness is the most important. will you be able to perform at your best when you aren't as happy?? if the name thing is definately important for you then that would affect happiness.

however, from your original post it seemed that at one you would be happy and at the other you would be going to a top program. stated like that - no brainer! happiness in program B.

i would still choose program B.

going to a top program/school is overrated in my mind.
i went to the #2-3 college in the world and a top tier medical school. i still believe it all comes down to happiness.
i don't need to go to the best program in the country to assure good training or continue my 'pedigree', i just want to be happy.

 

[smackdaddy]

depends on what you want to do with your life. if you are going to private practice then just go where you will be happy. however, i should stress that i have not seen that a public university hospital confers any significant benefit in terms of finding a jobs locally.

depends on how much research you want to do. no matter where you go, unless you spend a significant amount of time doing research, it likely will not benefit you much. unless your mentor in the lesser institution is hot, or in play as they say, you would be better served by working with a big name at the big place.

its only a few years, and you will be very very busy during those years. now if you absolutely hate it, that might make it impossible to survive. if you just don't like it, it will be over in a few years.

are you sure about their relative rankings? if you are going into say anesthesia, the relative strength of the anesthesia program will be much more important than the overall reputation of the whole hospital imo.

and rankings are crap anyways.
no offense to blackcat, but i bet if we polled people here and asked them what the #2-3 college in the country was we'd get at least 6 different schools, even excluding all the bozos.

 

[blackcat]

smackdaddy - you are right, many rankings are very subjective. however, overall universities in the country rankings (US News) is pretty stable, especially at the top. MIT is usually among the top 5 and is usually 3rd. In my opinion it is better than Harvard and Yale but that is just my opinion
or was it Princeton this year??

 

[smackdaddy]

us news rankings are crap too.
in any case, you and i both know your experiences are what you make them.

fwiw- i wouldn't have listed mit on my top 5 of colleges with no other specifications. even excluding value, it wouldn't have been on my list. 😉
definitely top 10 though.

 

[hotbovie]

If you'd rather be unhappy during your residency just so you can have a "Big name" pick A.

If you want to be happy during residency, pick B. Sounds like that's the place you'd rather be.

I think too many people get caught up in snobbery in the med school and residency process. On the premed forums, we see people saying things like "you can't get into a top (read: big name) residency program from you state school" BULL!!! I'm a a state school, and interviewed at several big name programs along with folks from other state schools.

Again, program A is "top rated" according to who?? Most of those ratings are based on research funding only, and often the residents are less happy at those programs. Often the administration at those programs are so full of themselves that they ignore things (like the 80 hour work rule) that make life more pleasant, figuring that people should be willing to put up with anything in order to get the big name diploma.

Program B seems to have exactly what you want...good training and research that matches your interests, as well as being in the area you want to stay. If you are thinking fellowship, unless that program just can't place their grads in fellowships at all, pick B. I seriously doubt that you need the name of program A to secure a solid fellowship.

Might want to ask yourself though, why does it bother you that program B isn't "top 15"? You don't need a "top" program to get excellent training.

I think you will regret it if you wind up at A and are unhappy during the residency.

 

[Behcet]

i'm going to guess program A is something like Mass General, Hopkins, or UCSF (if it's not, this is a moot discussion). i think i agree with everybody else on this one except for one twist - i don't know you personally, so it depends a little on your personality and your goals in life. if you want to be at the top-ranked program for the challenge of being around the best and competing with the best to prove yourself as being the best, then go for it. shouldn't look back in life and have any regrets that you passed up an opportunity. if you come from this program and is it as top-ranked as you say, you can write your own ticket as to where you want to practice, etc. but don't choose it purely based on the reputation of the program - if you're going to hate it there, then it's a waste of your time, you won't perform well anyway.

 

[blackcat]

smackdaddy, i completely agree that rankings are near pointless. my point, however, was not to brag about my undergraduate degree. just to point out that I went to a top name school and that fact can be overrrated.
just rying to say that even someone who is used to being at top name places thinks that happiness is more important than name.
for me, MIT is top in the country!!
i don;t care what anyone has to say.
it also had the advantage of being very student friendly, very intellecturally friendly, athletic friendly, and people there (except for me) were smart at sh**. go beavers!!!
even if you want to do humanities you can get top notch education with free cross registration with harvard and wellesley.
good luck all

anaismd - still choose program B, but only you can decided!

 

[Fanconi]

**I think too many people get caught up in snobbery in the med school and residency process. **


AMEN!!!

 

[mountebank]

i agree with everyone else, program B

I have a friend who's an intern at ... lets call it program ..JHU... and he's from upstate NY and really hates his current city...lets call it Yawtimore. He mentioned, if he had the chance to do it all over he'd be up at Rochester instead. Big time advice. But he's a tired angry resident so what does he know.

 

[smackdaddy]

blackcat-glad you are not taking this personally.

i don't know that asking people who are at the same point or slightly ahead gives you a complete picture. your mentor might be a good person to ask.

if you really have sincere research interests, it sounds like you are at least considering a career in academics. if so, then you should consider brand name value as well (as much as i detest that idea).

if your mentor is on fire and his area of research is hot, and your residency lets you spend adequate time with him, it may be worthwhile to sacrifice brand-name equity for a chance to build your own name. but remember there are a ton of things that happen outside his and your control. two years ago they were giving away research $$$, now it is very competitive again. if he loses his funding and moves, what are you going to do? if the department head changes, and he decides he doesn't like the new guy and moves, what are you going to do?
etc etc etc

for me, i was so busy in residency i never got a chance to see the city or whatever. of course the city was chicago. if you are interested in research during your residency, you may not get much chance to either. of course i trained before 80 hr workweek was enforced, so ymmv.

the point is that residency is only a few years, and making important decisions while you are going through difficult times is not optimal. and neither are anecdotal reports from internet strangers. residency is supposed to be busy, not the best time of your life (although fellowship for me was the best time). depends on how big a part of your life you want your career to be.

good luck

 

[Annette]

Talk with the potential mentor you would have at program B. Is HE willing to work with YOU? Besides that, he/she would be a good source of info about how important the ranking of a residency program would be.