Prestige

[SocialistMD]

Ok, I am going to say this once more; An MD is an MD.
Everyone should get over this prestige thing. If you bust your ass at whatever school you attend, you can get whatever residency you want. Simple as that. The school is not applying for a residency, the student is. It pains me to see all of these bright individuals whining about wanting to go to a school for the sake of its name. Grow up and realize it does not really matter. All you are trying to do is play the same game as you did in Elementary school where you had to be the first person to get the new Air Jordans so everyone else would think you were cool. Take pride in yourself and realize that it is not the names with which you associate but the person you are that makes you "cool."

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[Amitha726]

Right on!



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Amy
University of Rochester, class of 2001

 

[gel1]

I think it is hard for pre-meds to get out of the mind-set that they have to be the best, even if they think being the best means coming from a certain top-ranked school. If I have learned anything this year from friends who are applying, it is that the applications process is one of the most random, chaotic processes around. If offered the chance to get an MD, regardless of the school, hopefully in the end people will be thankful, proud, and appreciate what they have.

 

[coop]

I agree with the above posters, but would like to say that sometimes this argument gets out of hand. It gets generalized to the point where things are said like "everyone who applies to a top 10 school is in medicine for the wrong reasons," or that it is unfair for someone to think about which of multiple acceptances they will take, since they are all the same, all give you a MD. Programs are different, and it is narrowminded to say the only goal of medical school is to get an MD. Justifying 4 years of life with just two letters is a sad thing. While medical school is tough, it is life for 4 years, and you should do your best to ensure you can enjoy your time spent there.

This is in no way a direct opposition of what has been said in this thread, so I hope it is not recieved as such.

 

[SocialistMD]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by coop:
I agree with the above posters, but would like to say that sometimes this argument gets out of hand. It gets generalized to the point where things are said like "everyone who applies to a top 10 school is in medicine for the wrong reasons," or that it is unfair for someone to think about which of multiple acceptances they will take, since they are all the same, all give you a MD. Programs are different, and it is narrowminded to say the only goal of medical school is to get an MD.

I agree. I am saying that considering a school because of prestige is wrong. There are some schools (top 10 included) that have really interesting programs. Some people have families to consider. I have no problem with that. It is the fact that some people try to justify taking one school over another because of prestige. I have seen several people on SDN who have been offered great deals at one institution, but because another has more of a "name," they are considering throwing away a great opportunity.

Justifying 4 years of life with just two letters is a sad thing. While medical school is tough, it is life for 4 years, and you should do your best to ensure you can enjoy your time spent there.

Is it really? That is your goal, isn't it? To gain the experience and to obtain your DO or MD?
I do agree that you should enjoy the time there. I do not think that the satisfaction of knowing you are at a top 10 school will make you happy for four years.

This is in no way a direct opposition of what has been said in this thread, so I hope it is not recieved as such. •

I did not take it as such. I just wanted you to know that I agree with you and I am not trying to say the only motive people have for looking at schools with "prestige" is the name. I think it should be a non-factor. Never will there be a case where everything is equal and you can look at the name as a tie-breaker because no two programs are exactly the same.

 

[jawkma]

Well, unfortunately, I'm teetering on the brink of being one of those (hopefully) "bright individuals whining about wanting to go to a school for the sake of its name. "

I have to say, one of the toughest things for me right now is evaluating two programs which are very different, each offering different experiences with opposing strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, one school is 'ranked' and one isn't. Because I think I might be interested in specializing, the rank question clouds the issue.
On one hand I feel sort of guilty, knowing that there are many out there just hoping I'll make up my mind so they can get off the waitlist. On the other hand, I think my questions and concerns are valid - since it is the next step in my future and I have to be comfortable with my decision.

It is a thin line between trying to fortell the future and with it the 'right' choice and trying to make an informed and less biased decision about what is right for me.
I agree, an MD is an MD - how I do in med school will be a VERY important factor - recs and board scores and the like....but then there's that sticky question, if I were to emerge from these two schools with similar stats, would one put me in better stead when it comes to residency? I've had the experience that someone tempered my GPA with an understanding of the 'prestige' or 'image' of the undergrad school I went to. (oh, that GPA is great because that was a good/hard school... I'd compare that with a 4.0 from Joe Schmoe U) That bias does exist out there. I walk the line of trying not to be ruled by it and trying to not shoot myself in the foot.

SocialistMD... your point is well made though, and one I try to remember in all of this - an MD is an MD - neither of the schools is *bad*, even if one may not be *ranked*, and there isn't a wrong decision.

Too bad I still have to make one!

 

[PSimmons]

Medical school is just a trade school. It is no more or less prestigious than plumbing. To think otherwise would be arrogant and pompous in the extreme.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Medical school is just a trade school. It is no more or less prestigious than plumbing. To think otherwise would be arrogant and pompous in the extreme.

Why did you bump a 9 year old thread? Seriously?

 

[Narmerguy]

Medical school is just a trade school. It is no more or less prestigious than plumbing. To think otherwise would be arrogant and pompous in the extreme.

Can we ban people for bumping 9 year old threads for no reason? I was in middle school when this came out.

 

[Ischemic]

Medical school is just a trade school. It is no more or less prestigious than plumbing. To think otherwise would be arrogant and pompous in the extreme.

way to bump the **** out of this thread. But no, medical school IS more prestigious than plumbing, that is just fact. It requires a certain amount of intellectual capacity and it carries with it the weight of life and death. Patients tell you their life story because of that trust between physicians and patients. You tell your story to a plumber? You think a plumber cares if they do a half ass job someone might care? Are there 10000+ applicants clamoring and hoping every night to be a plumber. To think otherwise is ignorant.

 

[PSimmons]

way to bump the **** out of this thread. But no, medical school IS more prestigious than plumbing, that is just fact. It requires a certain amount of intellectual capacity and it carries with it the weight of life and death. Patients tell you their life story because of that trust between physicians and patients. You tell your story to a plumber? You think a plumber cares if they do a half ass job someone might care? Are there 10000+ applicants clamoring and hoping every night to be a plumber. To think otherwise is ignorant.

You seem to have some sort of resentment for people with more profane jobs than you. This is normal for people who grew up with very priviliged backgrounds. I also wouldn't be surprised if you harbored some sort of dislike for Italians, seeing how they are the stereotypical face of plumbers.

This leads me to believe that your narrow definition of prestige is nothing more than an artifact of your deep seated ethnic prejudices. This is something to keep in mind for the future. I am not judging, btw. I am merely informing.

 

[marble30]

What is with all the 10 year old thread bumps these days?

 

[PSimmons]

I did a search for prestigious medical schools and this came up.

 

[b2sun]

trollololol

 

[echolalia16]

Didn't a 100 year old thread just get bumped on ignoring trolls? Am I ignoring my own subtle advice on ignoring trolls by posting this?? WILL PEOPLE WISH THEY WERE ME WHEN I GET MY MD???

 

[Ischemic]

You seem to have some sort of resentment for people with more profane jobs than you. This is normal for people who grew up with very priviliged backgrounds. I also wouldn't be surprised if you harbored some sort of dislike for Italians, seeing how they are the stereotypical face of plumbers.

This leads me to believe that your narrow definition of prestige is nothing more than an artifact of your deep seated ethnic prejudices. This is something to keep in mind for the future. I am not judging, btw. I am merely informing.

Alright troll, whatever you say. I'm not going to get into an argument with you except to say all your assessments are wrong. The only person I find profane is you. Go back under a bridge. Yes, I hate bridges too.

 

[111111111111111]

Err being average at JHU and getting a 230 on the Step 1 is going to give you a significantly higher chance of matching into something such as Rad Onc than someone who's average at SGU.

 

[Stewie32]

What is with all the 10 year old thread bumps these days?

I've been wondering the same thing. I don't know which is worse: having a 10 year old thread bumped or having a new thread on the same worn out topics.