Those Who Turned Down Much Higher Ranked Schools for "Fit"/Location

[cobster817]

I recently spoke with a med student who turned down multiple higher ranked schools (including several top 10's) for a much less "prestigious" institution (30+ ranks lower) due to strong personal preferences (being near family/liking the location), DESPITE financial packages being approximately the same. I have now found myself in a similar situation, but everyone I talk to seems to think I'm crazy for even considering turning down a "dream" (though not necessarily my dream) school. Is there anyone else who went through this? And is it really that uncommon?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DrHart]

There have been other posts discussing this. You have a chance to choose happiness. Take it


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[DoctorSwagger]

Maybe brain storm the pros and cons for both sides and consider your plans after med school


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[purplefrog13]

I think the key is something you already said...everyone else's dream school though not necessarily your dream school.

I turned down offers from some really great schools to attend one that is going to be a great fit for me and best aligns with my career goals. I think your focus needs to be on what's best for you, not the rankings of schools that everyone else is looking at. I.e. research vs primary care. Yes if you want to focus on research...a more prestigious university would likely open more doors. But smaller and less well known schools can also have good research partnerships. I think a lot of it is based off how you felt at the school. Did you feel more at home at one place vs another?

 

[sliceofbread136]

Location=yes very important

Perceived fit=stupid reason to not go to better school imo

 

[Goro]

My pal @Affiche has some valuable I sight of this.

BTW, I think that the input from actual matriculants and acceptees will be most useful here.

 

[Stagg737]

Turned down an MD interview to attend a DO school for a whole list of reasons (money, location, fit, etc). Haven't regretted it thus far. Feel free to PM if you've got questions.

 

[Affiche]

My pal @Affiche has some valuable I sight of this.

BTW, I think that the input from actual matriculants and acceptees will be most useful here.

Ehhh I'm not sure my situation applies very well to OP's.

I chose a lesser ranked school because of money. I'm happy with the financial aspect (and will be even happier in 3 years), but I'm really unhappy with my school specifically. I like medical school (material, research, patients), I like my classmates, but I tremendously dislike the way my school is run. I'm fairly confident I would be happier and more successful if I had chosen differently, and that's a hard thing to swallow.

If the two schools are similar, choose the cheaper one. If the two are similar in cost, choose the one where you'll be happiest.
If one is cheaper/you think you'll "fit" better, but has a weird curriculum with something like all TBL/PBL, some new guinea pig intersession thing, or anything abnormal, I wouldn't recommend going there, regardless of what they're offering.

 

[cobster817]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

I think the key is something you already said...everyone else's dream school though not necessarily your dream school.

I turned down offers from some really great schools to attend one that is going to be a great fit for me and best aligns with my career goals. I think your focus needs to be on what's best for you, not the rankings of schools that everyone else is looking at. I.e. research vs primary care. Yes if you want to focus on research...a more prestigious university would likely open more doors. But smaller and less well known schools can also have good research partnerships. I think a lot of it is based off how you felt at the school. Did you feel more at home at one place vs another?

Both schools have good research and clinical training, and will likely help me achieve my goal of being a clinician in the geographical area near the lower ranked school. The phrase "open more doors" that is thrown around makes me hesitate a bit, especially should I decide to go into a competitive specialty. And yes, I did feel more at home at the lower ranked one. Though I attribute it partially to distance (1.5hrs vs 8hrs drive), I think it was the overall vibe (faculty, students, physical environment) that helped me feel more calm and relaxed.

Although I didn't get into any top tier schools, I chose a newer/lesser known one over more established ones that are well-respected in the region because of a combination of fit, being close to family, and cost. I felt like the newer school gave me a lot of unique opportunities to grow in the aspects of medicine and patient care that are important to me, and I felt like I fit in well with the student body and it was just a really positive, strong community. Haven't looked back once - I'm really, really glad I ended up here. And I'm saying this the week of my step 1 exam so you know I'm serious lol.

This helps put things in perspective a lot. My experience was similar to yours (positive, welcoming community at the lower school). I think it's just a psychological thing, since it seems like no matter where I look or who I talk to, the prestigious school is constantly praised for education and location. It sometimes makes me think that I am missing something, or that if I just spent enough time there I'd start to like it more. The greater the disparity in prestige, the more the whole "gut feeling" factor seems to be blurred.

Ehhh I'm not sure my situation applies very well to OP's.

I chose a lesser ranked school because of money. I'm happy with the financial aspect (and will be even happier in 3 years), but I'm really unhappy with my school specifically. I like medical school (material, research, patients), I like my classmates, but I tremendously dislike the way my school is run. I'm fairly confident I would be happier and more successful if I had chosen differently, and that's a hard thing to swallow.

If the two schools are similar, choose the cheaper one. If the two are similar in cost, choose the one where you'll be happiest.
If one is cheaper/you think you'll "fit" better, but has a weird curriculum with something like all TBL/PBL, some new guinea pig intersession thing, or anything abnormal, I wouldn't recommend going there, regardless of what they're offering.

Thank you for the honesty, it helps a lot. It's hard (especially not online) to find people who are open about the negatives/cons of their school choice, though that's understandable. A large cost difference would have made this choice easy, but in the end they are pretty close. Admittedly the more prestigious school actually has a new type of curriculum that they are using, which I'm not too sure about (though current students basically said "don't worry about it").