Need help choosing between programs

[Timewinders]

I've been accepted to two Will they provide an advantage in terms of residency matching?

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[Tatiana3325]

I've been accepted to two BS/MD programs and am trying to choose between them.
RPI/AMC is a program with a focus on research. RPI does some amazing research and the research opportunities there are very good. People in this Physician-Scientist program graduate with an MD with Distinction in Research. RPI undergrad is more expensive than Drexel undergrad, though, and I'll end up with about $90,000 of debt from undergrad. Drexel is cheaper with scholarships, and I wouldn't have any debt from Drexel undergrad. I'm trying to get Rensselaer to provide more aid, but I'm not optimistic that I will get any more. Both Drexel University College of Medicine and Albany College of Medicine are mid-tier. I like the RPI program better, but I don't know if the MDDR and better research opportunities are worth the extra cost. Will they provide an advantage in terms of residency matching?

Congrats!

Try finding their match lists from this year and last. There might be one in the med student forum. Then you can compare the lists. Hopefully some med students will reply to this with further wisdom in what to look for....

 

[Timewinders]

I can't seem to find Albany's match lists past 2009 for some reason. 2009 seemed like a good year, though; they got 7 people into orthopaedic surgery, 4 into radiology, 4 into anesthesiology, and 1 into dermatology of 137 medical students.

 

[IlDestriero]

I interviewed in Albany, it was horrible. City, school, climate, everything. That was 20 years ago, maybe the school got a facelift. Doesn't chance the rest. Philly is no prize pig, but at least it's a major north east city with all that offers. No lake effect snow blowing in from Buffalo either.

 

[aSagacious]

Moving to hSDN.

 

[Hermeneutics]

Albany's match list is not good. The statistics you mentioned are not impressive.

 

[Timewinders]

Albany's match list is not good. The statistics you mentioned are not impressive.

I see. I'm not very knowledgeable about what makes a good match list, but I was under the impression that grades, board scores, and research matter more than rank. I've also heard that Physician-Scientist students tend to do better. I don't mind the cold or the location either. Can anyone tell me about whether the MDDR makes a significant difference?

 

[IlDestriero]

I see. I'm not very knowledgeable about what makes a good match list, but I was under the impression that grades, board scores, and research matter more than rank. I've also heard that Physician-Scientist students tend to do better. I don't mind the cold or the location either. Can anyone tell me about whether the MDDR makes a significant difference?

This is a good match list from a good state school:
http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/handbook/residency/match/12/match12a.cfm
Compare that to Albany:
http://www.amc.edu/academic/Undergraduate/MatchResults.html
how may went into competitive surgical specialties(urology, plastics, neuro, ent)? Anesthesia? Rads? Derm? Rad onc? Em?
There are some problems analyzing schools this way, but Albany doesn't seem to compete with UVA for the competitive specialties, comparing the latest data I could find.
You can also look at where people matched, but you probably don't know which programs are elite for any given field.
Now go look at Harvard or Stanford.