Rush Medical College Prestige/Tier

[MDToBe22]

Hey SDN,

I've been lurking this site for a long time but didn't want to post until I was certain that I had been admitted somewhere. During the application process, I really just wanted to make sure I was admitted somewhere, without much mind to tier, prestige of a school, etc. And I have– I was admitted to Rush just a few weeks ago!

In years past, I noticed that Rush was never ranked by US News, but this year was ranked as 59th in research. As someone who's from the east coast, I really want to end up back on the east coast for my residency if possible. How do people view Rush outside of the Chicago area? Is it low tier/mid tier, and will attending Rush put me at a disadvantage in terms of matching at a competitive residency on the east coast since it's not an Ivy/Top 20 program?

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[Astra]

its a solid mid tier school.

 

[Coltuna]

Do you have 1500+ hours clinical experience and 500+ volunteer hours? Rush is VERY service oriented.

 

[cactusman]

Do you have 1500+ hours clinical experience and 500+ volunteer hours? Rush is VERY service oriented.

They already got in.

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

Rush is a great school, I've heard only good things about them! It may not give you the same edge as a 'top tier' program, but it has a solid reputation and if you work hard you should be able to do residency wherever you want.

 

[whatever5]

How do people view Rush outside of the Chicago area?
They've either heard "solid mid-tier program" or they haven't heard much about it at all. It's not going to turn anyone off and its not going to wow anyone.

Is it low tier/mid tier, and will attending Rush put me at a disadvantage in terms of matching at a competitive residency on the east coast since it's a not Ivy/Top 20 program?
Going to any school (top 20 aside) that is not in the east coast will put you at a disadvantage for matching in the east coast.

 

[Coltuna]

They already got in.

Oh yeah I was just wondering..................

 

[sullen-burger]

Going to any school (top 20 aside) that is not in the east coast will put you at a disadvantage for matching in the east coast.

Could you explain why that is? Is it as simple as being closer geographically to possible away rotations?

 

[cactusman]

Could you explain why that is? Is it as simple as being closer geographically to possible away rotations?

Prestige and reputation is regional.

Not sure if the poster you replied to anything other than that, but it's one thing.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

I'm a third year med student and I got into Rush but chose another school. Totally regretted it. Rush is awesome. Chicago is awesome. You will have great clinical opportunities. Cook County and Rush's hospital are amazing. I know some residents who went to Rush and they rock. Plus the cubbies are good now so head over to Wrigleyville!

Rush also has one of the best ortho programs in the country, so there's that.

 

[BigRedBeta]

In general, pretty much what everyone else has said. Outside the region you'll be doing a lot of "Rush, in Chicago" sort of clarifying. Unless you want to do Ortho, then everyone will know and if you have good letters, you'll have a leg up. Rush is so ortho-centric that I truly believe they hired their new chair for Peds almost entirely because she's a pediatric endocrinologist whose primary research interest is in bone metabolism.

 

[Goro]

I would place Rush in the Drexel/Temple class. It's a good school and you'll get a good education.

Hey SDN,

I've been lurking this site for a long time but didn't want to post until I was certain that I had been admitted somewhere. During the application process, I really just wanted to make sure I was admitted somewhere, without much mind to tier, prestige of a school, etc. And I have– I was admitted to Rush just a few weeks ago!

In years past, I noticed that Rush was never ranked by US News, but this year was ranked as 59th in research. As someone who's from the east coast, I really want to end up back on the east coast for my residency if possible. How do people view Rush outside of the Chicago area? Is it low tier/mid tier, and will attending Rush put me at a disadvantage in terms of matching at a competitive residency on the east coast since it's a not Ivy/Top 20 program?

 

[SirCardiac]

Hey SDN,

I've been lurking this site for a long time but didn't want to post until I was certain that I had been admitted somewhere. During the application process, I really just wanted to make sure I was admitted somewhere, without much mind to tier, prestige of a school, etc. And I have– I was admitted to Rush just a few weeks ago!

In years past, I noticed that Rush was never ranked by US News, but this year was ranked as 59th in research. As someone who's from the east coast, I really want to end up back on the east coast for my residency if possible. How do people view Rush outside of the Chicago area? Is it low tier/mid tier, and will attending Rush put me at a disadvantage in terms of matching at a competitive residency on the east coast since it's a not Ivy/Top 20 program?

I'm also from the Northeast and deciding between Rush and several other schools. Depending on what you want to specialize in, I would check out the school to see if they have a home program in your desired specialty. In terms of reputation, most colleagues and physicians I spoke to know someone from Rush, so the institution is pretty well received outside of Chicago. Also take into account the new curriculum and PBL to see if it is the right fit for you. Their match list for the past few years have been pretty lacking in terms of competitive matches but take this with a grain of salt because it depends on many factors including student interest. Work hard and you can match into anything.