Point to Ponder

[ChubbyChaser]

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I have heard and read many times, that one of the most important things to get into your residency of choice (besides Step 1 of course) is class rank. So my question is wouldn't it make more sense to go to a school with less than stellar stats as opposed to one with ridiculous stats?? this would make it easier to get a good class rank

For example say medical school X's average student has a MCAT of 36 and UG gpa of 3.9, and Medical school Y's average student has a MCAT of 30 and a UG gpa of 3.6. Obviously, due to the slightly less caliber (although still very bright!!) students at School Y, would make it much easier to place in the top 15% of the CLass as opposed to School X. So would it not make sense to choose school Y over school X, so as to improve your chances for success.??? what do yall think??

 

[etf]

I have heard and read many times, that one of the most important things to get into your residency of choice (besides Step 1 of course) is class rank. So my question is wouldn't it make more sense to go to a school with less than stellar stats as opposed to one with ridiculous stats?? this would make it easier to get a good class rank

For example say medical school X's average student has a MCAT of 36 and UG gpa of 3.9, and Medical school Y's average student has a MCAT of 30 and a UG gpa of 3.6. Obviously, due to the slightly less caliber (although still very bright!!) students at School Y, would make it much easier to place in the top 15% of the CLass as opposed to School X. So would it not make sense to choose school Y over school X, so as to improve your chances for success.??? what do yall think??

well, if you have the ability to get into a school with avg gpa of 3.9 and mcat of 36 (i.e. harvard, hopkins, and the like) then you're a. likely to be able to rank high in any class and b. have the resources of schools that will likely be able to get you any residency you desire.

 

[frickonastick]

I imagine that being in the top 15% at school X would carrry a lot more weight than being in the top 15% at school Y (if, in fact, board scores correlate with the MCAT/GPA scores of the two classes). But that's just a guess...

 

[ChubbyChaser]

well, if you have the ability to get into a school with avg gpa of 3.9 and mcat of 36 (i.e. harvard, hopkins, and the like) then you're a. likely to be able to rank high in any class and b. have the resources of schools that will likely be able to get you any residency you desire.

Correct but if you have a 3.9 and a 36 you would most likely be a top 10% student at one, and an average student at the other.

 

[jochi1543]

Correct but if you have a 3.9 and a 36 you would most likely be a top 10% student at one, and an average student at the other.

Yeah, but the name of the school will give you a bit more credibility even if your rank is somewhere towards the middle.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I just felt it was an interesting thought thats all.

 

[jochi1543]

I just felt it was an interesting thought thats all.

Yeah, I understand where you're coming from, but I just really don't think it would make a difference given other factors.

 

[BigRedPremed]

The school you will do the best in will be the school that you fit in well at. This means that you like the curriculum, get along with the students, take advantage of the location and resources, etc. Choosing a school simply because you think you'll have a better class rank won't help you when you're miserable all the time. Med school is tough enough as it is.

 

[TheRealMD]

Because you can never make the assumption that you will do better at a "lower" ranked school. The biggest problem with that is you assume the school doesn't play a factor in your education, when it definitely does.

There's also the silly "residency director ratings" that rank the schools themselves. That has some part in choosing applicants.

 

[167649]

The school you will do the best in will be the school that you fit in well at. This means that you like the curriculum, get along with the students, take advantage of the location and resources, etc. Choosing a school simply because you think you'll have a better class rank won't help you when you're miserable all the time. Med school is tough enough as it is.

I agree. It is not as simple as "Is being in the middle of the pack at school X better or worse than being in the top 10 at school y?" It is more important to think about which school you would be happy at so you can take advantage of the opportunities there and get the most out of your education.

 

[167649]

Because you can never make the assumption that you will do better at a "lower" ranked school. The biggest problem with that is you assume the school doesn't play a factor in your education, when it definitely does.

Also agree. You could go to school x which has higher matriculant stats and graduate top in the class because you loved it there, but if you went to school y where there are lower admittance stats you could graduate bottom in the class because you hated it, or vice versa. These are extremes but the principle of the "student-school" fit certianly applies to everybody to some extent.

 

[hermit]

Yeah, but the name of the school will give you a bit more credibility even if your rank is somewhere towards the middle.

Why is it that I ONLY read this on pre-med message boards and NEVER hear this from real, live, newly minted doctors? I have been told time and time again BY ACTUAL, SUCCESSFUL docs (under 35 years of age, not talking fossils here) that your med school doesn't matter in this regard.

 

[OCallag]

it does make sense, but there are sooo many med students that will talk about how the people that got in last/had the worst stats coming in end up doing really well in med school. hell, i know a couple people at a top 25 who said they have two people from harvard in their class failing. and it's a pass/fail system! you may think you can dominate podunk u med school with your 40/4.0, but when you get there you might be really surprised. people respond to med school differently.