I know, I know - the standard line on SDN is that it's your performance that matters, not the school. And I agree that stellar performance at a lower tier school probably beats being at the bottom of your class at a top 10 school.
But here is a true story:
A close relative of mine is currently a neurosurgery resident at a competitive California program. She got into neurosurgery by the skin of her teeth, so to speak. She worked reasonably hard but wasn't a gunner, and partied much of the time. However, she went to University of Washington - ranked #1 in primary care and #6 in research. It took her two years of applying after college to get in there - she turned down an acceptance at a mid-tier med school to keep trying for Washington, and finally got in after two years of working at OHSU doing research.
After med school she didn't immediately match into neurosurgery - the first year post-med school she spent doing a general surgery internship at UCSF, then matched into a program in Texas the next year when a spot opened up at the last minute. She wanted to return to Cali and when a spot opened up at a program here she transferred to this program in California after doing one year in Texas.
So my question is - given how darn competitive it is to get neuro - did coming from U-Dub (as Washington is often called) - likely help her significantly? Since she barely got into neurosurgery after coming out of the middle of her class at the University of Washington, would she likely have never matched into neuro at all if she had been in the same position at the mid-tier school (make the assumption that she would have had identical USMLE scores at both schools)? Her scores, she claims, were merely "high average" in her words.
Okay, enough procrastination. Back to anatomy study. . .
But here is a true story:
A close relative of mine is currently a neurosurgery resident at a competitive California program. She got into neurosurgery by the skin of her teeth, so to speak. She worked reasonably hard but wasn't a gunner, and partied much of the time. However, she went to University of Washington - ranked #1 in primary care and #6 in research. It took her two years of applying after college to get in there - she turned down an acceptance at a mid-tier med school to keep trying for Washington, and finally got in after two years of working at OHSU doing research.
After med school she didn't immediately match into neurosurgery - the first year post-med school she spent doing a general surgery internship at UCSF, then matched into a program in Texas the next year when a spot opened up at the last minute. She wanted to return to Cali and when a spot opened up at a program here she transferred to this program in California after doing one year in Texas.
So my question is - given how darn competitive it is to get neuro - did coming from U-Dub (as Washington is often called) - likely help her significantly? Since she barely got into neurosurgery after coming out of the middle of her class at the University of Washington, would she likely have never matched into neuro at all if she had been in the same position at the mid-tier school (make the assumption that she would have had identical USMLE scores at both schools)? Her scores, she claims, were merely "high average" in her words.
Okay, enough procrastination. Back to anatomy study. . .
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