Should a school's prestige or cost be the bigger selection factor?

[coffeelover347]

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Hello. I am deciding between 2 medical schools- my public, in-state school and an OOS private school that is higher ranked and more prestigious. If I want to go into a competitive specialty, what should be my biggest factor in choosing a school- the cheapest COA or the school's ranking and prestige? Thank you!

 

[pdidd3]

Depends what ur goals are and what schools you are talking about. If you want to keep ur options open with regards to academia and research, then the more prestigious the better. Doesn’t matter for private practice. Of course research and resources also help with matching competitive specialties. Many state schools aren’t super “prestigious” but match a bunch of their graduates into very competitive specialities.

Biggest differentiator in residency success I feel is yourself. Put in the work to network, publish well, kill step 2/preclinicals and honor as many clerkships as you can, then your school won’t matter that much.

 

[coffeelover347]

Depends what ur goals are and what schools you are talking about. If you want to keep ur options open with regards to academia and research, then the more prestigious the better. Doesn’t matter for private practice. Of course research and resources also help with matching competitive specialties. Many state schools aren’t super “prestigious” but match a bunch of their graduates into very competitive specialities.

Biggest differentiator in residency success I feel is yourself. Put in the work to network, publish well, kill step 2/preclinicals and honor as many clerkships as you can, then your school won’t matter that much.

Thank you! I appreciate your response. So pretty much it is how you perform individually for the most part, and then if you want to do something extremely competitive then prestige would play a role. Thanks!

 

[soapapple]

Even though how you perform individually is very important, statistically there are some structural advantages going to a higher prestigious school. It would be easy for the people to give you feedback if you name those schools. You may want to post in "Help Me Decide: X vs Y Medical School" thread.

 

[coffeelover347]

Even though how you perform individually is very important, statistically there are some structural advantages going to a higher prestigious school. It would be easy for the people to give you feedback if you name those schools. You may want to post in "Help Me Decide: X vs Y Medical School" thread.

Ok I will do that, thank you!

 

[Hollow Knight]

I would post the schools. It’s hard to weigh in without knowing that

 

[LunaOri]

You should consider factors other than cost, such as class size, clerkships, and opportunities gor research. Often, getting to know your faculty to get LOR is easier at a smaller school.

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

Are the schools Wake Forest (Charlotte) and Tennesee (instate)? I think going to your state school is a really smart idea, given its cost benefits. Also, the difference in ranking between these two is negligible (64 vs 82 on on the admit.org ranking, which I believe is accurate for these schools).

 

[Hollow Knight]

Are the schools Wake Forest (Charlotte) and Tennesee (instate)? I think going to your state school is a really smart idea, given its cost benefits. Also, the difference in ranking between these two is negligible (64 vs 82 on on the admit.org ranking, which I believe is accurate for these schools).

If these are indeed the schools I second Tennessee by far. The extra money for Wake Forest will be in no way worth it

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Three C's: cost, curriculum, and culture. Start there.