Private schools vs state school

[premed316]

Hey all, I wanted to get some of your opinions....
Do you think it is worth it to go to a better (Einstein or Sinai) vrs a lower ranked but MUCH cheaper state school (downstate).

I have been thinking about this a lot lately and am not sure if its worth the extra 80 thousand dollars more you would in debt.

Do you think the school u come from makes a difference in your match or is it primarly based on board scores??

Please post especially if you are graduating from med school and really know the answer.
gluck to all!

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[hardy]

Please post especially if you are graduating from med school and really know the answer.

Since there is just one right answer, right?

 

[premed316]

Since there is just one right answer, right?

good point... but i do feel people who actually experienced applying for residencies from lower ranked schools would have a better idea if it makes a difference.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Hey all, I wanted to get some of your opinions....
Do you think it is worth it to go to a better (Einstein or Sinai) vrs a lower ranked but MUCH cheaper state school (downstate).

I have been thinking about this a lot lately and am not sure if its worth the extra 80 thousand dollars more you would in debt.

Do you think the school u come from makes a difference in your match or is it primarly based on board scores??

Please post especially if you are graduating from med school and really know the answer.
gluck to all!

honestly, my opinion has to do with money and the school itself. I would go with the ones that have good sound clinical experience and preparation for boards. Match lists are good at every school but when it comes down to it ... the match list is really how good YOU are. If you play your cards right, you should match where you want regardless of school in an optimal world. If you are worried about a competitive specialty then you need to do what is right for you regardless of cost.

i'd go to the cheaper school most likely because after med school, doesn't matter where you went 20 years down the road unless you're in research.

 

[Centinel]

Then maybe you should have asked a "Highly ranked vs. Lowly ranked" question instead. The title of this thread just opens a huge can of worms.

 

[hardy]

good point... but i do feel people who actually experienced applying for residencies from lower ranked schools would have a better idea if it makes a difference.

Yes, but it is also very dependent on your goals and circumstances. While larger debt might be an issue for one person the other might not care.
If you just want to know which school has better residency placement this question might be easier to answer. But if you ask whether it is worth the extra money the question becomes way too personal and complex.

 

[rugirlie]

Go where you'll be happiest period... I do not recommend picking on tuition prices or ranking... Its been said time and time again that you'll do the best where you're happiest.. if thats the state school, then go for it regardless of ranking and you get a cost bonus.. if its the private, then go for that regardless of cost...... Its simple really. The only hard part is if you're impartial to all... but usually you get a feeling for what school you like best. Good luck with your decision!

 

[doublepeak]

I worked at a residency training program, applying the applicants folders as they came to interview for residents. One of the best prospective residents they had went to University of Puerto Rico - amazingly high USMLE (the program director had actually never seen a score that high). Some people from Harvard, Hopkins, and other "prestigious" medical schools applicants to this program didn't do as well in med school so they were put very low on their list (so didn't get matched there). Medical school is what you put into it.

I just checked with US News and Puerto Rico didn't fill out a survey so they don't have rankings available, but I've never heard it considered to be way up there.

 

[DrBowtie]

If you are interested in primary care, I would be more inclined to pick the cheaper school since it isn't competitive so name won't matter and since your salary will be in general lower than a specialist I'd save the loan money.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey all, I wanted to get some of your opinions....
Do you think it is worth it to go to a better (Einstein or Sinai) vrs a lower ranked but MUCH cheaper state school (downstate).

Given your use of the term "better", it's pretty clear what you think the answer should be. And the fact that you are only soliciting responses from people who "really know the answer", yet post it on the pre-allo board, suggests that you are just looking for a confirmation of your own thought. (FYI, there aren't a whole lot of people graduating from med school who regularly frequent the pre-allo board.) So fine - I say go to Sinai.

 

[Gut Shot]

Hey all, I wanted to get some of your opinions....
Do you think it is worth it to go to a better (Einstein or Sinai) vrs a lower ranked but MUCH cheaper state school (downstate).

I have been thinking about this a lot lately and am not sure if its worth the extra 80 thousand dollars more you would in debt.

Do you think the school u come from makes a difference in your match or is it primarly based on board scores??

The school you come from can certainly make a difference, but with all respect to Einstein and Sinai (which are both fine institutions), it's not like you're talking Harvard, Hopkins or Wash U.

With that in mind, personally I'd want a bloody good reason to spend an extra 80K plus interest. For the most part med school is med school. You spend two years jamming the same wad of info into your head no matter where you are. You sit around in some hospitals for a year and then apply to residency. State schools tend to attract homebodies who gravitate towards primary care, and that is reflected in their match lists.

I will admit some bias, as I went to a state school. We had excellent instruction our first two years (99% Step 1 pass rate in my class), and our urban campus serves 98% of the state's indigent population. I challenge anyone to find a sicker, and therefore cooler, group of patients. The vast majority of my classmates matched at one of their top three programs, although you could clearly detect the lean towards peds, psych, IM, and FP. Most of the top people in my class went into primary care. Still, we sent people into optho, ortho, plastics, ENT (one to Harvard), etc. 100% of our nine rads applicants matched. Go figure.

The happiness issue is difficult to address. Some folks are happy anywhere and some are happy nowhere (believe me, you will meet some of the latter no matter where you matriculate). Unless Downstate really made your skin crawl, you'd need a crystal ball to forsee your future level of personal joy.

Oh, and before I forget, let me recount the exact moment that solidified my med school choice.

Financial aid lecture at state school: "Listed here is the amount of tuition and fees, and the amount you will receive to live on each year."

Financial aid lecture at private school: "You will begin by taking the maxium Federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Then you will take out these loans, then these. Then this one. That leaves you with only about $8,000 each year to cover with private loans of your choosing."

I thank my luck stars ever time I get a statement from Direct Loans.

Sincerely,

Havarti666, MD, PhD, PGY-1

 

[gujuDoc]

Then maybe you should have asked a "Highly ranked vs. Lowly ranked" question instead. The title of this thread just opens a huge can of worms.

Agreed. I think these threads are getting old real fast. First Amnesia posts these every time he creates a new thread about where he should go to undergrad. now you.

Honestly, go to a school that you think you'll enjoy spending four years at and do well there. Do well on the MCAT and do the necessary research, clinical experience, and whatever else you enjoy. if you want to go to a top research school, get a very strong GPA and MCAT, do some undergrad research and clinical stuff, etc..........

You'll get in somewhere very good. School name may matter to an extent, but not to as big of an extent as some people make it out to be.

 

[gujuDoc]

Oh and in regards to state school vs. private school.........

Some of the best ranked med schools are not private institutions but rather state institutions.........

Let me give you some idea to be exact.........

UCSF, UW, UMich, UCLA, UCSD, UNC are just some of the state schools that do rank as top tier med schools. So don't assume that even if a school is a state school, that that means it isn't as great as private school.

I hate how people get so caught up in the whole rankings are everything bull.