Scholarship dilemma question

[bobob]

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I have a dilemma.

Option 1: $80k (=full ride, including basic living) to an unranked state school that doesn't match people into anes/derm/ortho/ENT/etc. Pros: $$, accessible/friendly faculty and students; Cons: less competitive for residency, full-day traditional curriculum with ABCD grading, location.

Option 2: Top 30 state school that does match into competitive fields but isn't offering much in the way of scholarship $$. Pros: more competitive for residency, half-day block schedule for basic sciences; Cons: $$, less accessible faculty and less congenial environment overall (?)

Please don't hate. I feel very fortunate to have this dilemma, but I keep oscillating between my choices and I have very little time to make a decision. Obviously it's a very personal decision, but insight from my peers couldn't hurt. Btw, I don't know what field I will want to go into in 4 years..maybe IM, maybe neurology, maybe something I've never even thought of at this point. Maybe I'm crazy to even consider passing up a full ride, if so feel free to tell me that too.

 

[FuchaDoc]

Take the full ride, work your butt off in school and earn your spot in a competitve residency don't worry about the school.

 

[TypeA]

I would go for the full ride as well. Just be cause they don't typically match doesn't mean it is impossible. Be the exception not the rule.

Good luck.

 

[MollyMalone]

Go to the school that you think you'll do best at. Your performance is much more important in determining your success in the match than your school.

 

[MN81]

Go to the school that you think you'll do best at. Your performance is much more important in determining your success in the match than your school.

I was going to say 'so true'

but really I don't know since I have not completed Med School. However, this seems to be the consensus opinion.

It is the reason I am choosing a private out-of-state school over my state school. I want to go where I will be happy.

Don't over-stress about the low ranking. Many doctors (one residency director in particular) have told me that the top students in each class usually get their top choice of residency no matter where they went to med school.

 

[bobob]

I would go for the full ride as well. Just be cause they don't typically match doesn't mean it is impossible. Be the exception not the rule.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice you guys. Wherever I go, I will definitely buckle down and do my best. If money weren't in the picture, I would undoubtedly choose the one with the more progressive basic sciences curriculum and better match list. But, there is something to be said for coming out of medical school with no debt.

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

go with the full ride. preclinical curriculum not so important, and match list isn't fate.

 

[Centinel]

Full ride. I mean, it can only help you come residency time to be able to say "I went here because I got a full ride, then I rocked the **** out of this school without even being a gunner because I'm just that good."

Or something like that in a more humble and sincere way.

 

[bobob]

Full ride. I mean, it can only help you come residency time to be able to say "I went here because I got a full ride, then I rocked the **** out of this school without even being a gunner because I'm just that good."

Or something like that in a more humble and sincere way.

 

[ShyRem]

full ride.

 

[Wahina]

I don't mean to hijack the thread at all, but would your advice change if it was full-ride to unranked state school vs. top 5?

 

[LucidSplash]

That's definitely tough. I think full ride though. But I might be bold enough to try telling Option 2 that they are your top choice and wondering if they can do anything in the way of matching the scholarship. But be ready to accept a no way in hell. But I think that if I even got a half scholarship at the school of choice that might sway me.

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

That's definitely tough. I think full ride though. But I might be bold enough to try telling Option 2 that they are your top choice and wondering if they can do anything in the way of matching the scholarship. But be ready to accept a no way in hell. But I think that if I even got a half scholarship at the school of choice that might sway me.

good point. try this.

 

[Labslave]

I have a similar dilemma between a top 10 school and my state school (UMD - ranked in the top 50 I think), and I'm still having a (relatively) hard time deciding. Right now I'm leaning towards the top 10 school (maybe 70:30, top ten:state school) because I heavily favor the curriculum. In my opinion, you really shouldn't worry about money as much as whether or not you think the school is going to allow you to reach your goals and maximize the probability that you will reach those goals. Good luck with your choice 👍

 

[Camel]

I'm struggling with a similar decision between a state school and Duke or WashU. Overall, advice from physicians is always take the scholarship with one caveat: if you are planning to go into research/academic medicine where you will be publishing. In that case, a name brand is quite useful. My state school focuses on training clinicians, and that is what I want to be... so I will most likely end up there, methinks. Good luck, it's a hefty bit of weight (though, as you say, I feel blessed to have the decision to make, and don't want to sound like I'm complaining). Peace.

 

[bobob]

That's definitely tough. I think full ride though. But I might be bold enough to try telling Option 2 that they are your top choice and wondering if they can do anything in the way of matching the scholarship. But be ready to accept a no way in hell. But I think that if I even got a half scholarship at the school of choice that might sway me.

I had already done this but wasn't banking on hearing back or hearing favorably. Definitely will go with Option 2 if I get half the amount 1 offered. I'm going to go make a decision tree, business statistics style 🙂