Hey Jessica, long time no talk!
I sense that you might be leaning toward Hopkins and I think it's definitely with good reason. First, no matter which of these schools you go to, you'll be in a great spot to get the residency of your choice. I don't see a significant difference between each school in this respect. Also, each school's location has its pros and cons...but I'll admit, LA and SF are probably more fun to experience outside of school. But like me, you're probably looking for a different experience than strictly CA.
So I think the best factor to weigh in this decision is which school will train you to be the best doc. Some people are gonna flame me about this, but I truly believe after talking with doctors across the country and seeing it for myself that Hopkins has the best clinical training. Probably in the world. I don't know of any other hospital where so many people flock to with such strange diseases.
I know you're interested in critical care medicine, and if you're set on this field, I think you shouldn't look anywhere else. Hopkins will expose you to that much more and that much earlier. The patient population at SF, LA, and Harvard hospitals is not quite as diverse--this I can say for certain.
I think Hopkins is one place that really earned its reputation without depending on its name (see Stanford, Harvard, etc. and I know this will perturb some people!!). It was the first major medical school, and I think it will continue to set standards.
Anyway, I'm on the upper waitlist there right now, so hopefully we'll end up being classmates!
-LK
•••quote:•••Originally posted by lilycat:
•I forgot to give you a rationale.
If it was my choice to make, I'd probably go with Hopkins. Here's my thinking:
First off, the pros and cons of each school are going to be very similar. There are fairly minor differences between each school (PBL vs. traditional lecture, etc.), but ultimately the end result is the same -- each of those schools will provide you with an excellent education and training. All the schools you mentioned are known for having fairly responsive administrations to student needs/concerns. As far as the student body at each school, some people will disagree with me, but honestly I think you will find them all very similar -- those schools all attract the same caliber of student -- you will find gunners and mellow, easy-going types at each place.
If you are adamently pro-California, absolutely love the state and never want to leave it, I would say go with UCSF. However, since you bothered applying on the East coast and are now seriously considering two schools there, my guess is that you are open to relocating. If I remember correctly, you have grown up in California and went to college in California. This was the case for me, and in many ways, I felt that med school would be a perfect opportunity to experience living outside of CA for a few years. While residencies can be fairly inbred in terms of taking their own med students, from my personal observation this trend only seems to increase when it comes time to apply for fellowships and full-time positions after residency. If you think there's a good chance you want to ultimately practice in California, you probably should do your residency in California. Thus, med school may be your best opportunity to try living outside of the state for a while. Coming from Harvard or Hopkins, you should not have a significant problem trying to get a CA residency if you so desire.
As for Hopkins vs. Harvard -- I went with Hopkins mainly because I think Hopkins has a slight edge in clinical training (this is a very subjective opinion and obviously can differ depending on whom you talk to), and Baltimore has a much more reasonable cost of living than Boston. Obviously Boston is a much nicer location, but if you're really strapped for cash, you may not be able to enjoy it as much as you hoped.
Anyways, I hope some of this helps.•••••
