US NEWS rankings
Started by jackbnimble
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I found that to be pretty interesting too, although I am sure those rankings are pretty subjective. 26 v 44 is pretty significant, no?
I think I am more concerned about the facilities/campus/professors. That's what I would base my decision on. I've yet to visit either campuses, but can anyone provide some insight on how they stack up? I know BU is located slightly afar from the main campus, but not too bad. GU has a more integrated campus with ugrad and grad right?
I think I am more concerned about the facilities/campus/professors. That's what I would base my decision on. I've yet to visit either campuses, but can anyone provide some insight on how they stack up? I know BU is located slightly afar from the main campus, but not too bad. GU has a more integrated campus with ugrad and grad right?
keep in mind that this is the first year BU is ranked in the 20's. for the past few years, BU and G'Town were both in the 40's. there's no way to know whether this year was just a fluke or whether BU will stay in the 20's.
also remember that the rankings are generally not very useful unless you plan to do a lot of research. the rankings put a heavy emphasis on research funding, so the schools with more money will be ranked higher. not necessarily a reflection of their medical education overall.
also remember that the rankings are generally not very useful unless you plan to do a lot of research. the rankings put a heavy emphasis on research funding, so the schools with more money will be ranked higher. not necessarily a reflection of their medical education overall.
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Actually, there is a way to tell that BU's 28 rank is a fluke. They recieved NIH funding to construct a BSL-4 to the tune of ~$100 million. That year (grant) will be factored into the NIH grant funding average for two years on the rankings and then their funding is likely to drop back to the level it was when they were ranking around 40.lightnk102 said:
lightnk102 said:
True, although there are probably more benefits to a school with a strong research program even if you aren't planning on significant research. I would think (and I am really just speculating, so feel free to disagree) that schools with stronger research programs are able to attract some of the bigger named academic docs and professors. This in turn should result in a better and more dynamic teaching faculty and more prestigious names signing the student's LORs, and the improved faculty and good research ranking leads to improvement in the general perception of the calibre of the school. These factors in turn may tend to help students in matching into other prestigous programs when applying to residency. And good match lists help the school in recruiting more competitively for the next batch of med school matriculants. I suspect this "vicious cycle" is how the big names on the USNews research list continue to be so well regarded and prestigious year after year.
Law2Doc said:
I agree 🙂 . I couldn't have put it better. In fact, the point you brought up is the point I've been chewing over everyday as May 15th approaches.
the smp at GTU is also the oldest of its kind (just celebrated 30 year anniversary i think), very reputable, and places their graduates in top tier med schools.
gintien said:
That's neither here nor there. As far as I am aware, BU doesn't offer ANY MS degrees--they're all MAs. e.g. MA in Pharmacology, MA in Chemistry, etc.
It's just semantics. I've never had anyone look at my AB in Chemistry and complain that it wasn't a BS. Just that I was full of BS. 'cept about this.
Singing Devil said:
Seconded. I (will) have a B.A. in Biology and no one has ever told me they can't hire me because it isn't a B.S. And I'd be willing to test my degree against a B.S. in terms of quality any day.
If anything, the BU M.A. is "better" than the GU M.S. in that it has a thesis option, which is more respectable in research.
silverdime said:
How substantial is that research option? Are they published in peer-reviewed journals? That said, I do agree that in general a research option is more highly revered than a library lit review. However, for those with a med school goal, is that really so important? A few MD/PhD applicants, excepted of course.
Jackb
jackbnimble said:
I don't know about the specifics of the research option, except for how the two kinds are perceived.
But you're right--ultimately, the type of master's degree is unimportant to getting into med school. I mentioned it because some people like to look at the larger picture: which, in the long, term, will look more respectable on their resume? You know. The Harvard factor. There'll always be someone looking for the name-brand.
That's definitely *not* my personal opinion. I want to get into med school, and will do what I have to in order to get there. I think that either BU or GU will give me roughly the same chance.
I'd like to think that the focus would be on what classes you've taken (in either MS or MA). Yeah it's a masters program, but I'd rather talk about that fact that I got what it takes to handle med school classes (just my lil rant)
