What is a "top" school?

[Mithril]

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I'm a Canadian, so please forgive my ignorance of American standards, but I see people around these forums separating American schools into tiers; low tier, mid tier, and top tier. What exactly determines what school gets placed in which tier? In Canada, all of the med schools are more or less on the same level in my opinion, and I'd be happy to just go about anywhere in Canada and that would probably be true of American schools. As long as I can get my degree and start working with patients, I'm content.

Enlighten me, SDN.

 

[chman]

I would tell you what a top school is, but I would probably be banned. 🙂


But seriously, most of the time people are just referring to the US News rankings of schools or to well known ivy league schools.

 

[namethatsmell]

Most of the time people are referring to the big name research powerhouses (since research funding is the primary metric that the US News magazine uses to rank them). What you gotta realize is that big research schools do not necessarily offer a superior education/experience to the medical student--I used to work at the hospital of a top 5 school and the residents there would complain about the clinical abilities of their med students all the time (note: my own school has tons of research so I'm not out to start a war).

Every US MD school has to meet certain (very high) standards to stay accredited, so there really isn't THAT wide of a wide variation in terms of the educational offerings available. Schools may package what they offer in different ways (lecture vs PBL for example), but at the end of the day you can come out of practically any school with a very strong foundation for residency.

 

[rhodesman]

Top 3 in my opinion

1) Howard University School of Medicine

2) Meharry Medical College

3) Morehouse School of Medicine

 

[ILikeDrugs]

The 3 community colleges that I'm currently attending.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Top 3 in my opinion

1) Howard University School of Medicine

2) Meharry Medical College

3) Morehouse School of Medicine

You have something against schools that have a predominately black population?

 

[Electronegative]

The rankings are based on research here's the link

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings

 

[rhodesman]

You have something against schools that have a predominately black population?

I'm part black myself 🙂

 

[chman]

I'm part black myself 🙂

That strawman won't hold up here sir. haha

 

[Playa]

I'm a Canadian, so please forgive my ignorance of American standards, but I see people around these forums separating American schools into tiers; low tier, mid tier, and top tier. What exactly determines what school gets placed in which tier? In Canada, all of the med schools are more or less on the same level in my opinion, and I'd be happy to just go about anywhere in Canada and that would probably be true of American schools. As long as I can get my degree and start working with patients, I'm content.

Enlighten me, SDN.

Top 20 US News Ranked Med Schools. For you, the "top" schools are probably the ones which provide the easiest access to maple syrup, which im not sure of the top of my head, you know what im talking aboot?

 

[mmmcdowe]

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "An institute of higher medical learning that one would eat a poop hot dog to attend"

 

[Playa]

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "An institute of higher medical learning that one would eat a poop hot dog to attend"

hahaha.

 

[tweek125]

US news has top 10 for both research AND primary care. but generally when people think "top 10" they have research in mind for some reason

 

[Pons Asinorum]

generally when people think "top 10" they have research in mind for some reason

That reason being that those schools pull in much more in research funding, which allows more research to happen, which allow more med students to be involved with research projects, which allows them to compete for more-selective residencies, which makes those medical schools look better to applicants, which draws applications from better applicants, which allows the school to select stronger applicants, which feeds more motivated and talented medical students into the system to get inserted back into the front end of this incredible run on sentence.

 

[Catalystik]

Top 20 US News Ranked Med Schools.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "An institute of higher medical learning that one would eat a poop hot dog to attend"

Others define "Top Schools by their selectivity (highest median GPA and MCAT score).

But the real truth is that a Top School when all is said and done, is the one accepts you.




(good one, mmmcdowe!)

 

[tweek125]

That reason being that those schools pull in much more in research funding, which allows more research to happen, which allow more med students to be involved with research projects, which allows them to compete for more-selective residencies, which makes those medical schools look better to applicants, which draws applications from better applicants, which allows the school to select stronger applicants, which feeds more motivated and talented medical students into the system to get inserted back into the front end of this incredible run on sentence.

do you hear that? it's the sound of my old English teacher spinning in her grave.

but i see your point.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

do you hear that? it's the sound of my old English teacher spinning in her grave.

but i see your point.

Another definition would be those schools that the collective navel-gazing community on SDN has anointed as "top." Kind of like how "top public university in California" is a secret codeword for UCLA or Berkeley, while somehow maintaining the anonymity of the poster. Whatever. The school you get into, just as Cat said, is the only "top" school.

 

[mac_kin]

🙂

 

[boaz]

My school 😀

 

[chman]

My school 😀

Well guess what? My school is actually ranked number #1.















Out of all the community colleges in Washington state that is. So there.

 

[tweek125]

My school 😀

well my school is close at #5




that is, #5 party school in the nation according to playboy.

 

[Mithril]

As a fellow Canuck I can understand that chances in Canada are sadly low due to the overwhelming numbers of applicants, but make sure you apply broadly across the country. US schools will put you hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

I'm applying to 8 Canadian schools and I'm both a resident of QC and BC, so I have a good shot at UBC and McGill.

I figured if I don't get into any Canadian schools for 2011, I will apply to American and Australian schools, too, for next year's cycle.