What does "Top Tier" mean?

[criminallyinane]

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Interested in knowing what people's opinions are about what constitutes a "top tier" school. That term is thrown around a lot here but I am sure it means different things for different people. I don't think rankings particularly matter as long as one is happy with their school but I do find them interesting.

 

[trinitrotoluene]

Top tier school offer the best opportunity to gain clinical exposure and learn skills that put you ahead of the game for residency.

 

[brothersboff]

What top tier is would probably mean something other than USNWR. But I think the rankings are inevitably what people have in mind when they talk about "top tier schools."

 

[criminallyinane]

Top tier school offer the best opportunity to gain clinical exposure and learn skills that put you ahead of the game for residency.

But is that really the case? I would imagine that at some top-tier schools, there are so many fellows/residents/junior attendings running around that want to get the best cases for themselves that students would have less opportunities for clinical stuff than at the smaller hospitals of the "mid-lower tier" schools.

 

[microman]

I've heard people refer to "top tier schools" and "second tier schools." So how many tiers are there? If there are three tiers, then each tier is comprised of 40 schools (~120 schools total). However, if most people think that the top tier is comprised of only 20 schools, then there must be 6 tiers.

 

[microman]

BTW, I'm half-joking, because I know that "tiers" are arbitrary. But I really am interested, how many tiers do you guys think exist?

 

[tigress]

hmm...this is a very interesting question. I think the whole "tier" thing comes from USNews college rankings, in which they actually do have "top tier", "second tier", and so on. Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, in my mind, a "top tier" med school would be in the top 40 or so, but it's a very ambiguous term, not black and white. For many of us with no chance for the tip top schools, though, reputation is important but of course many other things make a med school good.

 

[Homer Doughnuts]

Top tier is whoever lets me in. 👍

 

[microman]

Top tier is whoever lets me in. 👍

That's a great approach! I think I agree.

 

[UptownDoc]

Top tier school offer the best opportunity to gain clinical exposure and learn skills that put you ahead of the game for residency.

ummmm...no

 

[sunnyjohn]

Top tier is whoever lets me in. 👍

Damn good answer Homer! 👍
Have another doughnut! 😛

 

[UCLAstudent]

People are going to vote for whichever category their own future medical school fits into. 😉

 

[8744]

Top tier school offer the best opportunity to gain clinical exposure and learn skills that put you ahead of the game for residency.

I have a friend at a "Top Tier" medical school which I will not name for fear of embarrassing him (cough, cough Dartmouth cough cough) who as a third year never did a pelvic exam, never did any central lines, never intubated anybody, and hardly had any clinical responsibilty at all compared to the kind we get in little old LSU down here in Jesusland.

Oh man. There is no question that "Top Tier" schools are better from the standpoint of research and academic medicine. I'll even throw you a bone and say that the didactic instruction is better. But generally speaking you get better clinical exposure in the "badlands" than you do in civilized places.

 

[Latency]

Top Tier are the ones in the caribbeans. Harvard, hopkins and so forth fall in the second tier group.