Should I read much into this match list?

[md-2020]

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The school I am pretty much set on attending has always been my top choice and is an excellent excellent program. But, I have a few other choices and before fully committing I wanted to run this by you guys. Their c/o 2016 match list was remarkably unbalanced, as in multiple students entering consulting/VC rather than a residency, a massive lean towards psych/peds/IM/public health, and very very few surgical subspecialties. Everything else (board scores, hospital/residency "prestige", etc) is excellent.

I'm not even sure I won't end up wanting one of those fields (and I am quite interested in business, just not to the point of not doing a residency at all), but is this something I should take into account before making a final decision? I've gotten very conflicting responses from docs that I'm working with, research mentors, doc relatives, etc.

 

[22031 Alum]

No.

 

[mordac21]

Clearly you aren't going to be deterred from going into whatever specialty you want to, provided your academic performance is up to par. It seems like this is more of a culture issue than anything else. Are you OK with going to a school where the students seem (to you) disproportionately taken with consulting/VC?

 

[tantacles]

The school I am pretty much set on attending has always been my top choice and is an excellent excellent program. But, I have a few other choices and before fully committing I wanted to run this by you guys. Their c/o 2016 match list was remarkably unbalanced, as in multiple students entering consulting/VC rather than a residency, a massive lean towards psych/peds/IM/public health, and very very few surgical subspecialties. Everything else (board scores, hospital/residency "prestige", etc) is excellent.

I'm not even sure I won't end up wanting one of those fields (and I am quite interested in business, just not to the point of not doing a residency at all), but is this something I should take into account before making a final decision? I've gotten very conflicting responses from docs that I'm working with, research mentors, doc relatives, etc.

The graduating students at medical schools largely go into the fields they want to go into. If someone went into consulting, that just means that the medical school combined with their expertise allowed them to get that position, not that they couldn't find a residency spot.

In addition, please tell us what a "balanced" match list looks like. I would love to know.

 

[deleted763299]

A match list like that really could mean 1 of 2 things:
1. The students at the school in question just didn't want to pursue competitive specialties (distinctly possible, especially if institutional culture sways people toward consulting, etc.)
OR
2. Students tried for competitive fields and failed to match, then scrambled into other things (not an impossibility)

You indicate that this is your "top choice and an excellent program". Therefore it is probably #1.

 

[md-2020]

In addition, please tell us what a "balanced" match list looks like. I would love to know.

Some of the lists I got this cycle were a nice grab bag of pretty much a spectrum of specialties--is this not the norm?

Edit: deadlines do funny things to people. I figured this probably wasn't an issue. Thanks guys!

 

[tantacles]

Some of the lists I got this cycle were a nice grab bag of pretty much a spectrum of specialties--is this not the norm?

Edit: deadlines do funny things to people. I figured this probably wasn't an issue. Thanks guys!

That doesn't sound balanced. It sounds like a grab bag! There is no "normal" match list.

 

[tantacles]

Some of the lists I got this cycle were a nice grab bag of pretty much a spectrum of specialties--is this not the norm?

Edit: deadlines do funny things to people. I figured this probably wasn't an issue. Thanks guys!

Also, if you think going to Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, or any of the other schools you've been accepted to per your MDapps will impede your career in any way, you're being ridiculous.

 

[deleted763299]

That doesn't sound balanced. It sounds like a grab bag! There is no "normal" match list.

Institutional culture does a lot to shape a school's match list. If a med school has a stated mission to produce primary care docs (just as an example), and that school succeeds, then when you look at the match list there will be lots of primary care specialties.

 

[md-2020]

Also, if you think going to Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, or any of the other schools you've been accepted to per your MDapps will impede your career in any way, you're being ridiculous.

Not at all. It was more of a "will this school push me towards said directions." I went to a similarly niche focused UG program, and they actively corralled students towards certain professions.

 

[tantacles]

Institutional culture does a lot to shape a school's match list. If a med school has a stated mission to produce primary care docs (just as an example), and that school succeeds, then when you look at the match list there will be lots of primary care specialties.

Yes, but this doesn't really address the point. There's no such thing as a "balanced" or "normal" match list, and if the school is trying to get more people to go to primary care, it will tend to do so by choosing students who want to go into primary care, not by forcing them to like it.

 

[tantacles]

Not at all. It was more of a "will this school push me towards said directions." I went to a similarly niche focused UG program, and they actively corralled students towards certain professions.

Your medical school can not force you to choose a specialty you do not like. Many medical schools have a large preponderance of people going into certain specialties because the mentors are excellent, but that shouldn't make you think any medical school will force you into a certain specialty.

 

[md-2020]

Your medical school can not force you to choose a specialty you do not like. Many medical schools have a large preponderance of people going into certain specialties because the mentors are excellent, but that shouldn't make you think any medical school will force you into a certain specialty.

Terrific. Last minute pre-med neuroticism assuaged.

 

[Pastamahn]

The school I am pretty much set on attending has always been my top choice and is an excellent excellent program. But, I have a few other choices and before fully committing I wanted to run this by you guys. Their c/o 2016 match list was remarkably unbalanced, as in multiple students entering consulting/VC rather than a residency, a massive lean towards psych/peds/IM/public health, and very very few surgical subspecialties. Everything else (board scores, hospital/residency "prestige", etc) is excellent.

I'm not even sure I won't end up wanting one of those fields (and I am quite interested in business, just not to the point of not doing a residency at all), but is this something I should take into account before making a final decision? I've gotten very conflicting responses from docs that I'm working with, research mentors, doc relatives, etc.

Definitely Harvard.

 

[md-2020]

Definitely Harvard.

Actually, nope. They decided not to give me a match list on interview day, and I only got off the waitlist after second look had already passed. I have no idea where HMS students are going, but I'd assume MGH/BWH in disproportionate amounts lol

 

[Pastamahn]

Actually, nope. They decided not to give me a match list on interview day, and I only got off the waitlist after second look had already passed. I have no idea where HMS students are going, but I'd assume MGH/BWH in disproportionate amounts lol

Huh, I remember HMS having multiple students forgo residency and go into consulting and I figured this wasn't very common. Guess I was wrong!

 

[WedgeDawg]

The specific school you're going to will set you up beautifully for whatever it is you want to do. Don't read into it at all.

 

[Toutie]

The problem with trying to "read" match lists is they show only show you WHERE the student's ended up. Not WHY they ended up there. Maybe they didn't want to apply to surgery sub-specialties.

Huh, I remember HMS having multiple students forgo residency and go into consulting and I figured this wasn't very common. Guess I was wrong!

Forgoing residency for VC/consulting has Stanford written all over it.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I echo @WedgeDawg's remarks. Stanford will give you the best possible opportunities. Enjoy the Palo Alto weather!

 

[justadream]

The school I am pretty much set on attending has always been my top choice and is an excellent excellent program. But, I have a few other choices and before fully committing I wanted to run this by you guys. Their c/o 2016 match list was remarkably unbalanced, as in multiple students entering consulting/VC rather than a residency, a massive lean towards psych/peds/IM/public health, and very very few surgical subspecialties. Everything else (board scores, hospital/residency "prestige", etc) is excellent.

I'm not even sure I won't end up wanting one of those fields (and I am quite interested in business, just not to the point of not doing a residency at all), but is this something I should take into account before making a final decision? I've gotten very conflicting responses from docs that I'm working with, research mentors, doc relatives, etc.

How many people went into VC? I'm curious because I heard it's very hard to break into VC directly after med school (even coming from Stanford).

Also, how many people did business in general?

 

[md-2020]

How many people went into VC? I'm curious because I heard it's very hard to break into VC directly after med school (even coming from Stanford).
Also, how many people did business in general?

Class size 77. 6 went into business. It just says "Business (6)." I got the consulting/VC details from my host, who said most went into VC with one or 2 healthcare consultings.

They have summer programs/partnerships with various firms that allow med students to be analyst interns during med school, which is how I assume they landed gigs straight out.

 

[Toutie]

Class size 77. 6 went into business. It just says "Business (6)." I got the consulting/VC details from my host, who said most went into VC with one or 2 healthcare consultings.

They have summer programs/partnerships with various firms that allow med students to be analyst interns during med school, which is how I assume they landed gigs straight out.

There was an article I read recently about Bay Area (Stanford and UCSF) med students skipping residency for lucrative business opportunities. Let me see if I can find it for you.

edit: Here you go. According to the update at the end, this seems to be more common at Stanford than UCSF.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...-of-tech-lures-new-doctors-away-from-medicine

 

[justadream]

Class size 77. 6 went into business. It just says "Business (6)." I got the consulting/VC details from my host, who said most went into VC with one or 2 healthcare consultings.

They have summer programs/partnerships with various firms that allow med students to be analyst interns during med school, which is how I assume they landed gigs straight out.

Interesting. Are these programs/partnerships like formal things (i.e., structured program where the school sets you up) or more organic (i.e., you go find it yourself) in nature?

 

[md-2020]

There was an article I read recently about Bay Area (Stanford and UCSF) med students skipping residency for lucrative business opportunities. Let me see if I can find it for you.

edit: Here you go. According to the update at the end, this seems to be more common at Stanford than UCSF.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...-of-tech-lures-new-doctors-away-from-medicine

Wow, looks like the rate was even higher a few years ago: "Stanford ranked 117th among 123 U.S. medical schools with just 68 percent of students going on to residencies in 2011."

I have no problem with this, and it's honestly really cool, I was just making sure that the school itself wouldn't actively push students a certain way (@tantacles thanks again).

Interesting. Are these programs/partnerships like formal things (i.e., structured program where the school sets you up) or more organic (i.e., you go find it yourself) in nature?

Formal. Check this out: http://med.stanford.edu/careercenter/partners-affiliates/

 

[Psai]

Bra every single program you applied to will set you up well
You can't read anything into the match list
But my thoughts are that the people who are getting out of medicine are likely the smartest ones.

 

[Goro]

Try to interpret match list is like trying to interpret one of these:

 

[terra330]

A family friend of mine went to Stanford. He told me he got the impression that there was a pretty decent chunk of students who were there because they were groomed to get into a top med school, and not because they really wanted to be doctors. Don't know how true that impression is.

Either way, as others have said, if you want to be a doctor, Stanford will give you great opportunities.