Residency Placements from UCSF vs. Harvard-MIT HST

[newbieMS1]

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Hi. I know I am a bit young for posting this in the Radiology forum, but I am currently trying to decide between UCSF and the Harvard-MIT HST MD programs. I am originally from CA and want to return there for residency (probably) and to practice (definitely). I was just wondering what y'all's opinion is on how people match from these two MD programs into Radiology. For example, if I really wanted to be at UCSF for a Radiology residency, would it be very helpful for me to go there for my MD (networking and what not) or do you think my chances would be comparable from these two programs? I certainly will not pick an MD program completely based on match results, but I do want to make sure that my final decision will not significantly affect my chances for coming back to CA later.

Thanks.

 

[bosky]

A lot of residency and fellowship positions take "internal" candidates. It is generally easier to stay at the same place (or geographical area) for the next aspect of your training because you are a known entity - versus someone from elsewhere with great stats who could turn out pyscho or unreliable, etc....

 

[juicyfruit]

As a whole, Harvard students matched much better than UCSF students in radiology. I know that this year at UCSF, there was one that matched at Hopkins, on at MGH (Harvard), one at UCSF out of about 15-20 applicants. Several UCSF students matched at places like UCLA Harbor or Santa Clara Valley, which are community programs. At Harvard, out of 20 applicants, about 75% matched at top places like MGH (Harvard), BID (Harvard), Stanford, University of Washington, UCLA, etc... That being said, if your heart is set on matching at UCSF or Stanford for radiology, you would probably have a better shot if you were at UCSF because of the local ties and connections that you could form. However, your overall chances of matching at a top program is probably better coming out of Harvard. I hope this helps.

 

[doepug]

If I'm not mistaken, Harvard had 5 radiology applicants who did not match this year...

Honestly, your chances at a top rads residency would be excellent from either of these institutions.

 

[salamander]

harvard and ucsf both have outstanding matches, which is the bottom line, but it is not accurate to say that they are exactly the same. the harvard brand is better, and opens more doors. if you want to stay in california, then the two are probably equivalent. but if you want to do a residency outside of the west coast you'll get more pull. that said, it's kind of like comparing a salutatorian to the valedictorian; they both help out your resume, they both are achievements to be proud of, and neither would ever hold you back. now is the education any better at harvard? probably not. are the students smarter? probably not. will you end up being a better doctor there? who knows. ucsf has going for it that it's in a better city (i'm a new yorker, btw, who thinks new york is the center of the universe, but still think sf is a better city than boston b/c there's more to do in sf and the climate more friendly, though the culture in boston is probably a little more intellectual, with more history, so if that's your gig you may prefer it there.) the harvard hst program is also supposed to be particularly good. anyway, bottom line is the ucsf name will be a (very strong) positive factor whererever you apply for radiology in the country. it will be a (slightly less) positive factor than graduating from harvard. by all means, though, graduating from ucsf will always help you out, so choose btwn the two not out of desperation but for positive reasons. at this rate you may be posting on this site 10 years hence asking if your neighbors will like you more if you buy a mercedes or a lexus. oh how americans strive...

 

[radiojimi]

There appears to be a consensus opinion that regional ties play a big role in the match process. If your goal is to remain in Cali, then your choice seems clear-cut; remain in Cali.

You will need to work hard wherever you go in order to match in Rads, so the nuances of personal familiarity (both between you and the faculty of the institution you want to train at, and between the faculty at the local institutions) may be the final discrimminator.

Good luck.

 

[mellantro]

If I'm not mistaken, Harvard had 5 radiology applicants who did not match this year...

Honestly, your chances at a top rads residency would be excellent from either of these institutions.

this has to be self-selecting, right? (i.e. they all applied to top 5 programs, versus across the board programs)