Residency views on medical school

[moisne]

Question regarding residency. I'm applying to Medical School and from what I read here, residency is competitive mainly on the Step1 score and ability to work hard. I also hear Step 1 is mostly dependent on the individual rather than the school. I was wondering if this strategy would work:

1. Apply to a lower ranked school - such as Meharry or Howard. Become an "outstanding" student with honors in each class
2. Score well on Step 1 (Now is step 1 more about pass/fail or is the score competitive as long as it meets the cut off?)
3. Demonstrate hard working attitude

I was hoping this would not backfire and resident programs do not decline me for attending a very low ranked medical school?

Also if I go to DO school, can I do an allopathic (MD) residency?

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[eastcoastdr]

Regardless of what medical school you go to, you should ALWAYS aim for a high Step score & grades and display a hard working attitude. Residencies are getting more and more competitive each year. That being said, I do not think a lowly ranked medical school would hurt your chances of getting a residency. But why aim for only lower ranked places? Apply broadly and see where you get interviews. Don't pick a school based on strategies like this and rankings.. just pick the one thats best for YOU (Geographically, financially, quality of academics, availability of opportunities/extracurriculars) and study hard. Good luck!

also I believe you posted in the wrong subforum..hopefully the mods will move this for you

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to the premed forums. This form is for the posting of open positions and prepositions looking for a position.

 

[Mad Jack]

Those schools are historically black, so I wouldn't assume they are a walk in the park to get into because their admission stats are lower. They just heavily recruit from URMs. DOs can do MD residencies, but there is an upcoming crunch, so go MD if you can to open as many doors as possible. Both routes will give you a great education, but the MD path will give you a lot more opportunities. School rank doesn't matter much in the MD world. It's just a list some publisher makes up that is mostly arbitrary and does not necessarily reflect the values of all medical school applicants or of the medical field in general. Go to the place where you can see yourself being happiest, if you are fortunate enough to have such a choice.

 

[Lost Vagus]

Those schools are historically black, so I wouldn't assume they are a walk in the park to get into because their admission stats are lower. They just heavily recruit from URMs. DOs can do MD residencies, but there is an upcoming crunch, so go MD if you can to open as many doors as possible. Both routes will give you a great education, but the MD path will give you a lot more opportunities. School rank doesn't matter much in the MD world. It's just a list some publisher makes up that is mostly arbitrary and does not necessarily reflect the values of all medical school applicants or of the medical field in general. Go to the place where you can see yourself being happiest, if you are fortunate enough to have such a choice.

This is pretty much spot on. School "rankings" don't really matter very much unless you want to be in acadamia. Patients don't ask where you went to school, and it really doesn't matter as long as you do well. Pick a school based on where you will be happy and where you will succeed. Look at curriculum and grading (pass fail vs grades). Do your best to get into a MD school in the states, if not go to an osteopathic school. They provide the same quality of education but MD will be less of a headache and will probably provide more of an opportunity to specialize.

 

[Wonton Soup]

This is pretty much spot on. School "rankings" don't really matter very much unless you want to be in acadamia. Patients don't ask where you went to school, and it really doesn't matter as long as you do well. Pick a school based on where you will be happy and where you will succeed. Look at curriculum and grading (pass fail vs grades). Do your best to get into a MD school in the states, if not go to an osteopathic school. They provide the same quality of education but MD will be less of a headache and will probably provide more of an opportunity to specialize.

+1, keep in mind that DO's mainly specialize in primary care fields, so if you're thinking of doing something more specialized like derm or radiology, MD is your best bet. Also keep in mind that your state schools (if you have them) will look upon your app relatively favorably even if your numbers and/or EC's aren't as competitive. Whatever you do, just don't go Carribean.

 

[mcloaf]

Expecting to get honors in all your classes by applying to lower ranked schools is goofy.

 

[thefritz]

Go to the highest ranked school you can get into. PERIOD. I cannot tell you how much my school's reputation has helped me get interviews. It's invaluable. Paradoxically, the classes will be easier and you'll be more likely to have a P/F curriculum at a higher ranked school. They expect a higher caliber of student and things are more self-directed. If you slack off because of the lack of direction, you'll do worse on the boards. The reputation of the school doesn't help you get a good boards score. In my opinion, all other things equal, the student with a 230 step 1 from a top 10 school will do at least as well and maybe little better than the student with a 250 step 1 from a bottom end MD school, and no question from a DO school.