Specific med schools better to attend for interest in Ophtho?

[mdurfa]

Hey all,

I am currently applying to Med school and I have an interest in Ophtho -I have been pursuing research in visual science and it just seems like a really great field overall (although I just found out how competitive it is! 😳 )

I am narrowing down my list of schools and I was wondering if anyone has any input re: whether certain med schools are better "places to be" if you have an interest in Ophthalmology? Are schools with great programs even more or less competitive for their own students to secure spots? Are the residency directors of certain schools more interested in working with med students wanting to pursue Ophtho residencies?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[7ontheline]

As with anything, the more prestigious the school the better. This is certainly not the only or most important factor residencies look at but it matters. Also, better programs at the school will tend to help because it will allow you the opportunity (if you are hard-working and pro-active) to work with well-known faculty, which will pay dividends come time for recommendation letters. Also, most programs usually take at least 1 of their own, so it can't hurt to be there. (That's how I got in where I am - only 3 applicants from my class. Best of bad lot, that's me! Woohoo!)

 

[LASIKguy]

Big name school is better only if you can perform well and get a good step score. School name will not matter if you are bottom of your class and get a low step 1 (<200) score. On the other hand, even if you come from an unknown school, if you are AOA and > 250, you can easily get into a top 10 program in the country.
I don't think only the big name should be your criteria, do give a consideration to cost, location, academic and clinical training.

goodluck

 

[babyblue_39]

The only important thing, I think, is that the school should have an Ophtho department (some schools don't and the number going into Ophtho is understandably small, largely due to lack of exposure). However, since you're interested in going into Ophtho, I'm sure you will make sure you get the exposure, dept or no dept. Nevertheless, it is easier if your school actually has an Ophtho dept to support you along the way (and maybe be loyal and accept you into their program)... and even better if your school has a strong Ophtho dept to give you a shot at some big name letters.

 

[jbloggs]

My opinion is that school name does matter. Take a look at the US News rankings under the best hospitals section and look at the best ophtho programs...I think 18 or so are listed. I think going to one of these schools would be beneficial for your future career as an ophthalmologist, especially since they are all top 35 med. schools anyway. There will be more opportunities for research with well-known faculty in ophthalmology, and a better chance to work with an ophthalmologist who is prolific in the field. Do cost and location matter as well? Sure. But give yourself the best chance you possibly can. In the end I think going to school # 35 vs. 40 won't make a difference...heck it could change by the time you graduate....but school #25 vs. 40 might. just weigh it in as an important, but not deciding factor in your final decision.

 

[neutropenic]

As I suggested previously - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia is THE place to be.

There is nepotism and inbreeding at all the top schools. Check out how many Harvard kids are going to BWH and MGH for IM! I would rather have a 230 at UPENN than a 270/AOA at Podunk U SOM in terms of getting into Penn's program (or Wills for that matter). A lot of this stuff is connections and WHO writes your letters, your research, etc. and these will be better at a name school.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=285074

This year's UPENN matches

Mt Sinai Hospital-NY
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Stanford Univ Progs-CA
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor
UC San Francisco-CA
UMDNJ-NJ
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA

All this being said there is diversity in the field, it just helps to go to a "snob" school, I think.

Diversity of Wills residents

 

[babyblue_39]

Whoa... did Scheie fill entirely w/ UPenn students?? I will attest that UPenn is a powerhouse for churning out Ophtho applicants ... and they have an amazing PD. Definitely a great program to set you on your path.

With that said, if UPenn isn't among your batch of acceptance letters, don't be discouraged. Go for the best program that's available to you... at minimum it should have an Ophtho dept, and preferrably an Ophtho dept with a good academic reputation. We'd all love to be coming from a program like UPenn, but even if you don't, you can still match and match well. My school matched this year very decently at UCSF, UMich, Colorado, UIC and Rush. Good luck.

 

[Mirror Form]

While you medschool may matter somewhat, it's really your med school's ophtho department and faculty that matter. It really helps to have letters, and especially some research (even if it's just a case report) with a well known ophthalmologist.

I didn't go to a super prestigious med school, but my department had one very well known faculty member who wrote me a letter and whom i got to do some research with. On EVERY SINGLE interview, someone asked me about the professor, and talked for a long time about the tiny project we did. Some of them even displayed some a little suprise when they were like, "oh! research with Dr. so and so!" So I think that it was very helpful.

 

[rubensan]

While you medschool may matter somewhat, it's really your med school's ophtho department and faculty that matter. It really helps to have letters, and especially some research (even if it's just a case report) with a well known ophthalmologist.

I think this is excellent advice!

 

[Ophtho24]

On the other hand, even if you come from an unknown school, if you are AOA and > 250, you can easily get into a top 10 program in the country.

This is just NOT a true statement. If you go to an unknown school you will not be matching at a top ten program and I would argue that it really doesn't matter what your board score is. I don't think any of the top programs want to list that they picked up a med student from junkville state med school. You may get an interview (due only to the fluke of their screening not tossing you out due to your high board score and AOA status) but when it comes time for them to make their rank list it is going to look like:
Harvard
Hopkins
U Penn
U Mich
UCSF
And way down at interview number 70 comes... Junkville State U
The only way that you are likely to ge into a top ten program from an unknown med school is if the top ten program is in a very undesirable place to live. Isn't U Wisconsin in the top ten but on probation? Still cold winters in Wisconsin aren't really people's idea of fun, but this might be a top ten program at your disposal if you are from an unknown school. And even then you probably have to have gotten an MD/PhD. You don't need to go to a top ten school to go to a top ten ophtho program, but if you are going to like the 121st ranked school it is not at all likely you will be going to a top ten program regardless of your performance at that school and on your boards. If you look at the people on here who matched at top ten programs you will notice most of those people had board scores in the 250s AND went to well ranked med schools. If you know going in to med school that you want to enter a competetive field be it derm, ophtho, rads, etc. and you have the opportunity to go to at least a top 25 program then I would say go there. If it is in a city that you would simply hate or you just can't stomach the huge difference in tuition, then obviously just go to the lower ranked school. However if the cost difference isn't enormous and you would be reasonably happy then go to the higher ranked school I think it will at least open more doors for you when it comes time to match. Going to an unknown med school will only close doors for you. I think if you tell us the names of the schools you are considering then the people on this site can easily tell you what they feel is your best move. Good luck, I think no matter what decision you make you will be happy in the end as you will still be an M.D. and even from an unknown school you CAN get into ophtho (even a middle tier program, just top 10 is highly unlikely) as long as you perform fairly well in med school.

 

[diopter]

Hey all,

I am narrowing down my list of schools and I was wondering if anyone has any input re: whether certain med schools are better "places to be" if you have an interest in Ophthalmology? Are schools with great programs even more or less competitive for their own students to secure spots? Are the residency directors of certain schools more interested in working with med students wanting to pursue Ophtho residencies?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

I think as a med skool applicant, you can simplify things... As with all big choices... just try to predict the future as much as possible, and then work backwards to figure out how to get there...

For your specific situation, you want to end up at an ophtho residency program... so for whatever med schools are on your list, get their match results for the last year(s), and see where they matched their graduates for ophtho... (use Ophtho Times/USNWR if you don't know what the top ophtho residency programs are)

If they haven't matched anyone in the past few years... that's a bad sign... drop 'em.

If they're, say, a lesser-named midwest school, but have matched 11 people in the last 2 years at places like Jules Stein, UCSF, Mayo, U Mich etc. etc., that's a clear sign this school gets people where they want to go...

Of course, if they are a top-25 med school, their match lists will probably show great matches in ophtho... but still, get their match lists and look at where they matched their students... there tends to be trends.

So yeah... in my humble opinion, as a med school applicant, there's no point in figuring out the exact mechanism and elements needed to get you where you need to go quite yet... seeing that it's prolly the elusive "X-factor" anyways... ie. the handful of benevolent ophtho big-wigs at a school that go that extra-mile for their students... or, say, a dept chair who worked at Wilmer for a million years before moving, or who's twin brother's wife's cousin's college roommate works at a diff ophtho program, etc, etc...

Just use an outcomes-based approach (like those groovy washing machines that use fuzzy-logic, hehe). G'luck.

 

[rubensan]

I think a lot of what Ophtho24 is saying is correct re: how top ophtho programs tend to match residents from top medical schools. However, I would caution against blowing off step 1 just because you go to Harvard or Hopkins and want to match into ophthalmology. Re: OP's question: if you want to go into a competitive specialty, go to the best medical school that accepts you as long as you feel that you will be happy there (location, weather, etc).

Good Luck!

 

[speyeder]

I agree. UPenn seems to consistently have the most impressive matchlists for ophtho.

As I suggested previously - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia is THE place to be.

There is nepotism and inbreeding at all the top schools. Check out how many Harvard kids are going to BWH and MGH for IM! I would rather have a 230 at UPENN than a 270/AOA at Podunk U SOM in terms of getting into Penn's program (or Wills for that matter). A lot of this stuff is connections and WHO writes your letters, your research, etc. and these will be better at a name school.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=285074

This year's UPENN matches

Mt Sinai Hospital-NY
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Scheie Eye Inst / Univ of PA
Stanford Univ Progs-CA
U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor
UC San Francisco-CA
UMDNJ-NJ
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA
Wills Eye Hospital - PA

All this being said there is diversity in the field, it just helps to go to a "snob" school, I think.

Diversity of Wills residents