what would you do? UCI or a top -10 private school?

[florence02]

Hi everyone,
First off, happy new year and may the new year bring all of you lots of acceptance letters. 🙂

I have a situation that I've been mulling over for a while, and I'd appreciate your input:

I've been fortunate enough to have an acceptance from University of California, Irvine pretty early in the interview season-- that was wonderful news. I visited the school and felt that I would be happy there... the students seemed genuinely happy and I felt that the school would make me a good physician. Plus you can't beat the in-state tuition and the CA weather...

I've interviewed at few other schools as well, and I'm still waiting to hear back from a few more. (at this point in the game, I 'm sure I have little chance, but I'm still hopeful...) Some of the schools I'm waiting to hear from (both pre and post-interview) are top-10 schools that are more reputable than UCI. I guess the question that has been nagging me is, if I get into a higher-ranked private school than UCI, should I go there instead? I feel like the only reason why I'm feeling a little reluctant to completely set my heart on UCI is its rankings... which is a ridiculous thing to say, I know! UCI is a great school at a great value... but maybe paying more $$ to go to a "higher-ranked" school is worth it, especially if I want to go into academic medicine, or simply for the cache that comes along with a "name" school. I went to a pretty good school for undergrad and I know how much the name of the institution (along with the connections I have made there) has opened doors for me. Maybe the name doesn't matter as much for med school and it's more about where you do your residency... but I'm still not convinced.

Anyway, I'm sure this has been discussed before, and I'm sorry for the long missive.

Thanks for your help, everyone.
Best wishes,
flo

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[zer0el]

hi florence, congrats on UCI! i've been asking various people (med students, docs, etc.) this question as well, and here is what i've gathered.

1. if ur going into academic med, then the name of ur school will matter. thus, go to the best school u get into (and will be reasonably happy at of course).

2. if u absolutely want to stay in CA for residency, then UCI may be a better choice for u (its faculty are probably well known throughout the state). however, a top 5 school like penn or hopkins should eliminate that UC advantage.

3. when all is said and done, i've heard that ur board scors are the single most important factor. next come ur grades, recs, honors (AOA), and of course, connections. the rep of ur med school DOES factor in, but not as big a factor as those.

4. location and cost are big for some people. i know of applicants who would gladly turn down a top 10 school for a UC school.

5. if u dont care about the location of ur residency and simply want to get into the most prestigious program, then go to the best school u can get into (and again, will be happy at).

 

[wolferman]

flo,

I can totally feel you on this issue! You put into words exactly what I've been feeling with University of Washington and Columbia. On the one hand, as my "state" school, UW will be tons cheaper (1/3 the cost), plus I'll get to stay in the northwest. But on the flipside, Columbia is Columbia and regardless of the fact that UW is "top-ten" I still don't think it's name is as highly regarded as Columbia's.

I've been unable to mail off my letter of intent to Columbia for exactly this reason. With my indecision, I'd be lying if I mailed the letter right now, since I may change my mind.

 

[doepug]

If you get a chance go top 10.

If you do, you'll have more opportunities. At UCI, you'll have to be at the top of your class to have access to certain fields; at the top 10, your class rank won't matter. In my opinion, choosing UCI over a top 10 will severely limit the chances you'll pursue a number of career routes.

Good luck,
doepug

 

[florence02]

thanks for your thoughts, guys. I guess the consensus is that the name of the school does matter a lot (though it's not everything, of course).
still, it's hard to turn down UCI, since I really liked the school and I know that I would be happy there...

decisions, decisions...
thanks for your help... anyone else have thoughts on this?

 

[jwin]

Originally posted by doepug
If you get a chance go top 10.

If you do, you'll have more opportunities. At UCI, you'll have to be at the top of your class to have access to certain fields; at the top 10, your class rank won't matter. In my opinion, choosing UCI over a top 10 will severely limit the chances you'll pursue a number of career routes.

Good luck,
doepug

i have had several docs tell me that your school does not really matter. could you or someone else elaborate more how you will be severely limited by attending your state school?

 

[lola]

i'd have a really hard time turning down uci if i liked it and i got into a top private school. if i absolutely *loved* the private school and thought i might want to do a competitive residency or go into academic medicine, i might turn down uci. but otherwise, i'd probably go to irvine. i don't think it matters that much where you go to med school as long as you perform well on the boards and get good evaluations. if you eventually want to come back to cali, going to irvine would not be a disadvantage. i guess if i were just out of college and hadn't been to a prestigious school outside of cali i might feel differently. but since i've done that already, i'd be more likely to want to save my money and soak up the warm weather!

 

[republicandr]

Getting into a top ten school is great, but really you will get an excellent education no matter where you go. Even people from the lowest ranked medical schools get into orthopedics, dermatology and other very competative specialties. If you want to teach or do research and you are from a low ranked medical school, then you will still be able to find many opportunities.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been accepted by a top ten (University of Washington), but I am very interested in another school that has accepted me as well (Uniformed Services). When it comes down to it, the ranking of a school means very little. Your own effort will be what gets you high USMLE Step I and II scores, good grades and good letters of recommendation.

 

[la2bos2ny]

I also got into UCI, and have two waitlists in top 10 schools. I really liked UCI a great deal, and I feel like it would be a very happy place to go to med school. Everyone seemed truly happy there. I went to a big name college, and I definitely recognize that simply saying where I went does open up a lot of doors. But I also think that I will be able to get an excellent education at UCI, and I can live on the beach.

So I am in the same quandary, and I don't know exactly what to do. Also the situation is complicated by the fact that I'm currently living on the East Coast, and I'm torn as to whether I'm ready to go back to Cali just yet. I kind of feel like I want another 2 years out here and then go back, but that clearly is not an option.

Anyway, good luck with your decision, and I'd love to hear if you have any more insights, cause I'm looking for 'em.

 

[srmonkey]

Following the theme, it depends on what you want to do. Top 10 schools have such high reputations in part because they have alot of research funding. Going to one of them will give you more opportunities to do research with some well-known people. I have found that the majority of guest speakers where I work are associated with big-name schools. Some residencies will look at the research you have done, so going to a school where it is encouraged is a plus. It will also help you in making connections that will help you get into competitive residencies. You can get into top residencies from lower ranked schools, but the proportion is smaller, which means you have to do more to set yourself apart.
As for cost, you might be able to use UCI to your advantage and swing some more financial aide.

After that it really comes down to where you like to live. There's no point in going to a top-teir school if you will be miserable living in the midwest.

 

[aznwangsta]

I am at that place where I am still waiting to hear from all these different schools, including UCI and top ten/twenty schools, so the hypothetical games are flipping back and forth in my mind.

My take is this: get into the best possible school you can. The med school process has been punishing to say the least, and out of our control for most of it. Now is the time to reap the rewards you deserve. Going to a more reputable med school means down the road, your work is going to have a slightly different stamp. Yes, every med school requires hard-working, intelligent people. But a more reputable med school will carry you that much further, and stand out later on, beyond these next four years. See, I'm not bagging on schools not ranked. It's just that you need to be at a place where you can give yourself the best shot possible. The other factors, location, weather, etc. that's really nominal in comparison to the quality and training of the institution you come from. Even money shouldn't be an issue, you can find the loans and money to pay it off, unless you are very poor. I doubt most premeds are in that place, given that this whole process essentially eliminates that population.
Bottom line: Life is too short to settle for less than the best for yourself. And hey, there's always someone else on wait list who's best school they can get into is UCI. Doesn't that person deserve the best as well as you do?
🙂

 

[rebaj]

If life's too short to give yourself anything but the best, it might also be too short to pay off up to $200,000 in medical school debt.

I disagree with most of these folks. When I got into SUNY I pulled apps at alot of other places, the only places I'm still under consideration is maybe Cornell (if they are still inviting) and Mt Sinai (interviewed two weeks ago). Even if I get into Sinai, it would be hard for me to justify paying more than twice as much ($31K vs $14K). If I have to work a little harder to distinguish myself as a candidate from a lesser school, so be it. For me, the lack of crushing debt upon graduation will make me happier than being at a name school.

-rebaj

 

[starryeye81]

I'm currently at UCI for undergrad, got admitted to the med school and was considering it against a big-name school. I think that weather, location, money, and atmosphere are actually very relevant considerations. You're going to be there for four years so might as well choose a place that you're going to be happy and comfortable with. Although UCI is not a highly ranked school, it still offers good clinical training and a very laid back, non-competitive atmosphere, which is a big plus for me. Like others have said, money is an issue. The more debt you have, the more stressed out you're going to be. I guess the thing to ask is whether the school's name is worth the additional 50-60K in debt. On the other hand, if the big name school gives you great fin aid (like stanford) then the decision is less agonizing. In any case, I think whatever you decide, you should not regret your decision afterward, e.g. wishing you had gone to a more famous school, or freaking out over the big debt at the end with the big-name school. Just be sure you're satisfied with your own choice. Good luck!

 

[UCLAstudent]

I would pick UCI. The reasons I would choose it don't really have much to do with how its med school is ranked, etc. The tuition is certainly a bargain. It's in a nice location. The campus is nice, clean, and spread out. Personally, I would go there in a heartbeat because I am so familiar with the school (I spent a summer doing research there).

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

I would pick UCI, you can?t bet the price of the UC system. The only reason to pick a high ranking private school over UCI is if you?re going into academia. I?ll give you stories of people in my family who have gone to unranked schools and have still gotten into good residencies. First of all my sister went to SLU, and did her res in pediatrics at UCLA. Okay peds is not that hard to get into but her husband who also went to SLU did his surgery residency at UCLA too. SLU in my mind is a pretty decent school, so why wouldn?t they get good residencies right. Okay here are some stories about people who went to really low ranking schools. I have a cousin who went to Finch and he ended up with ear noise and throat at Mayo. And lastly I have another cousin who went to Ponce in Puerto Rico, and now he is doing optho at NYU. These people in my family would?ve loved to gone to a UC and saved all that cash. They tell me all the time how lucky I?m going to be not having such a huge debt burden when I?m done. It just goes to show you that if you?re dedicated going to an unranked or lower ranking school won?t prevent you from getting a good residency. But going to a high ranking expensive school well prevent you from the bling blinging sooner. The difference in price is IMO just not worth it.

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by Deuce 007 MD
I would pick UCI, you can?t bet the price of the UC system. The only reason to pick a high ranking private school over UCI is if you?re going into academia. I?ll give you stories of people in my family who have gone to unranked schools and have still gotten into good residencies. First of all my sister went to SLU, and did her res in pediatrics at UCLA. Okay peds is not that hard to get into but her husband who also went to SLU did his surgery residency at UCLA too. SLU in my mind is a pretty decent school, so why wouldn?t they get good residencies right. Okay here are some stories about people who went to really low ranking schools. I have a cousin who went to Finch and he ended up with ear noise and throat at Mayo. And lastly I have another cousin who went to Ponce in Puerto Rico, and now he is doing optho at NYU. These people in my family would?ve loved to gone to a UC and saved all that cash. They tell me all the time how lucky I?m going to be not having such a huge debt burden when I?m done. It just goes to show you that if you?re dedicated going to an unranked or lower ranking school won?t prevent you from getting a good residency. But going to a high ranking expensive school well prevent you from the bling blinging sooner. The difference in price is IMO just not worth it.

Yeah but the only med school that patients like is Harvard so if you dont go to med school there they wont like you and think that you're subpar

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Originally posted by MacGyver
Yeah but the only med school that patients like is Harvard so if you dont go to med school there they wont like you and think that you're subpar

You got beef w/me or something macgyver, or did you forget to put a smilely face in your post? In the Harvard vs UCSF post I was just pointing out that there are some advantages to impressing the lay person, if you are going into "boutique medicine" like plastics and derm. Other than that I personally would choose UCSF over Harvard mainly due to tuition and location, and UCI over the more expensive higher ranking private schools for the same reason. So chill out dude.

 

[md_student2b]

Florence02,

I got accepted to UCI last year while waiting for other schools to pull me of their waitlist. To be frank, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of going down to OC, and waited the entire summer hoping and praying that I'd get in at SF, LA, or SD. Didn't happen. I'm happy to be at the College of Medicine if for no other reason I wouldn't want to undergo the application process again. But if I got in at any other UC or a US News top 10 ranked school, I'd probably be happier there. The name of the game after you get in is residency, and if you've already scanned through your acceptance packet, you know that the majority of the grads matched in Irvine or somewhere in SoCal. I wasn't impressed by the USMLE pass stats, nor the precentage of grads who got into their #1 residency pick. I agree the price is in UCI's favor, but anyway you cut it you're probably going to have to incur some debt to finance medical school. I'd have gladly accepted an additional 50 to 100K more in debt if I knew I had a good shot at a Harvard, Hopkins of UCSF residency. The curriculum is good and the school itself is kind of nice, but the sheer number of research and clinical opportunities are greater at much larger schools. If you came here, you'd also have to get used to the the really close-knit nature of the class, which was personally difficult for me since I'm a rather private person. UCI is a good school, but like all things, there's always something better.

 

[yaoming]

I PMed and posted and read various posts from sdners currently on their residencies years, and here is what I collected:

1) UCI's medical research reputation is not high. However, the students who attend UCI COM are top-notch, and almost all students there gave up at least one "USNews high research ranked (UPitt, northwestern, duke, hopkins, mt sinai, vandy, ie)" for UCI's price and location. Residency directors know this, and will take into account the competence of "UCI students," ignoring the research ranking.

2) Because UCI "students" are top-notch, and the curriculum parallels topics on the boards exam (unlike UCSD and harvard, whose curriculum focuses on latest research topics and clinical relevance, respectively), students at UCI have on average high boards scores (higher than UCSD students).

3) Because of licensure complications, it is more difficult to receive acceptance from california residency programs holding a out of state medical diploma. So if you want to do to a california residency, try to stay in the state for medical school.

4) i have heard medical school does affect chances in academia. however, I dont know how true that is, since the dean of UCLA SOM Neil Parker is a graduate of SUNY medical school (someone please enlighten me on this matter).

5) mdstudentb says most UCI med graduates go to SoCal for residency, against their will. more true is they go to SoCal because most UCI med graduates are originally from cal and specifically SoCal, so they want to stay.

6) most laymen dont know the usnews research rankings of medical schools. they have no clue what is the difference between ucsf, pitt, washington u, UW, uci, vandy etc. as a matter of fact, most laymen californians probably think uci are better than the schools i just named, since they have heard of uci more frequently (thus must mean higher prestige) than the others.

Just something to think about.

If you want real answer to this question, I would post/search topics in the Residency or Allopathic section. It doesnt appear as though the preallopathic responses reflect the comments I find in the residency/allopath sections.

 

[md_student2b]

Originally posted by yaoming
[
5) mdstudentb says most UCI med graduates go to SoCal for residency, against their will. more true is they go to SoCal because most UCI med graduates are originally from cal and specifically SoCal, so they want to stay.
[/B]

I didn't say against their will. My entire class is from Cali, nearly 75% from So Cal, but that said many of us have high aspirations for our careers in medicine and staying in So Cal isn't becuase we want to be close to home. Residency director look at a great many factors, but like medical school admissions, academic reputation goes a long way (but isn't necessarily everything). Formulating a Match list requires one to be rather realistic about one's chances with regard to USLME scores and breadth of experience in medicine (research, community projects, audition clerkships, etc.). Take a look at the residencies that grads of UCSF and UCLA accept, many stay at their respective institutions, but not nearly at the rate UCI grads do (50% vs. almost 80%). Look at how many UCI grads go on to residencies at schools at high-end institutions, the precentages are also greater at the aforementioned, more "reputable" UCs. Less than 50% of the 2001 graduating class got their first residency pick, at UCSF its nearly 90%. As for being top-notch, UCI anteaters already know they're among the best, but to many a residency director, we're the ones who couldn't get in to another UC.

 

[yaoming]

I dont know where you are collecting your statistics, but it's nowhere near correct. You should double check your sources before posting up bogus data.

I happen to have UCI's 2001 matchlist with me, the one you are referring:
53% of students received their 1st choice.
79% of students received their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice.

The match for previous years are for % receiving their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice are:
2001 - 79%
2000 - 83%
1999 - 87%
1998 - 76%
1997 - 76%

You can request this info from the admissions office. I have also looked at UCSF's matchlist, with similar results. About 50% get their first choice on average, and 80% get their 1st 2nd or 3rd choice.

You should get your facts straight.

You are correct, most students at UCI or UCD or UCSD would have probably went to a "higher usnews ranked" UC school, but not getting into those UCs does not make you less of a student. Everyone knows how RANDOM med school admissions is (the fact that UCI (also UCD/UCSD) students got into hopkins, duke, baylor, vandy but did not get into UCLA shows this). The honoring students at UCI or UCD would kick at least 70% of the UCSF students' asses. Just because these honoring students arent at UCSF does not mean they are not as good of students.

I know some first year students at UCI, and if you want to ask your fellow classmates about their aspirations, I'm sure you'll hear about how they gave up hopkins, baylor, northwestern, mt sinai, baylor, vandy, OHSU, georgetown to go to UCI. Just pull out ANY random student in your class and ask, "Hey I am wondering where else you have gotten in other than UCI." People pay less tuition, already have relationships/kids/family nearby, live at home paying no rent (cost of med school thus even less), wants to stay in warm socal. Maybe you have high aspirations to go to a usnews prestigious school, but if you ask around i'm SURE others in your class dont think the way you do.

Originally posted by md_student2b
I didn't say against their will. My entire class is from Cali, nearly 75% from So Cal, but that said many of us have high aspirations for our careers in medicine and staying in So Cal isn't becuase we want to be close to home. Residency director look at a great many factors, but like medical school admissions, academic reputation goes a long way (but isn't necessarily everything). Formulating a Match list requires one to be rather realistic about one's chances with regard to USLME scores and breadth of experience in medicine (research, community projects, audition clerkships, etc.). Take a look at the residencies that grads of UCSF and UCLA accept, many stay at their respective institutions, but not nearly at the rate UCI grads do (50% vs. almost 80%). Look at how many UCI grads go on to residencies at schools at high-end institutions, the precentages are also greater at the aforementioned, more "reputable" UCs. Less than 50% of the 2001 graduating class got their first residency pick, at UCSF its nearly 90%. As for being top-notch, UCI anteaters already know they're among the best, but to many a residency director, we're the ones who couldn't get in to another UC.

 

[srmonkey]

Just a quick comment on matching. A dean at a school I was interviewing at was describing the school's match list. He mentioned that students had a high % of their top choices, but then admitted that didn't mean so much. Students there were advised to select programs they had a good chance of getting into instead of reaching, which increases the rate of acceptance, so it's more useful to look at where people matched rather than who got their top choices

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by yaoming
I have also looked at UCSF's matchlist, with similar results. About 50% get their first choice on average

If UCSF's first choice match rate is REALLY 50%, thats substantially lower than other schools of similar caliber.

Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, WashU, Stanford, Columbia, Mayo, etc all have first choice match rates in the 80-90% range.

 

[yaoming]

Here are some websites that might put things into perspective:

This has links to schools providing their matchlists.
http://www.mcwmd.com/a/matchlist.htm

srmonkey is correct. you should not only look at the 1st 2nd 3rd choices, but also where they placed (but also this is for a grain of salt with location placed, since some people would rather do their residency at ucdavis or santa clara valley than harvard/mass general, or do peds rather than opthamology). This is where you might begin comparing the different schools.

From what I can see, UCSD, UCSF, NYU, vandy, UCI, cornell students all matched into similar competitive programs at similar locations. i also do notice that, NYMC has a much less impressive match results compared to ones i just named.

macgyver, of the schools you've named, i could find nothing online. however, cornell, which is "of similar caliber" reports online having 64% of students receiving their 1st choice, 83% of students receiving their top 3 choices. the link is http://class2004.med.cornell.edu/applicants/residency_match.html

i rarely heard of schools with stats as high as 90% for first choice. are you sure you are not confusing the 80-90% "first choice" with "top three choices?"

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by yaoming

From what I can see, UCSD, UCSF, NYU, vandy, UCI, cornell students all matched into similar competitive programs at similar locations.

First - thanks for the link, it's very interesting 🙂

I'm not really following the statement that the listed schools match in places in similar locations...I mean Cornells matches are (very) predominantly NY whereas UCSD is (very) predominantly SoCal. Now I can easily accept this is due to student location preferences but I don't see how much can be argued off of it other than the places they match in each geographic region are good...am I missing something?

in any case...great link. 🙂

 

[Gradient Echo]

I know that last year the regular MD class at Hopkins had a 90% match rate at one of their top 3 choices, but I dont have any data on how many got their #1 choice. Very few schools publish the #1 match rate. I also have no idea about the match rates for the other schools.

For Hopkins MD/PhD, I do know that they have a 100% first choice match rate. I think I have last year's matchlist somewhere, I'll try to dig it up and post it online.

 

[NM_grrl]

I noticed that the above link does not have the match lists for either Irvine or Davis. Does anyone have these or know where to find them?
thanks!

 

[yaoming]

Hi,

I didnt mean to say UCSD and cornell has similar matches in "location." It's more the competitiveness and types of residencies I am referring. To most residency applicants, the residency specialty (peds, radiology, orthopedics) are more important and sets the competitive levels rather than the location/institution of a specific specialty.
This also comes to disprove mdstudent's point about how students who stay at an institution means they cannot get into another institution. I was told in the General Residency forum, med students who stay at their institution for their residency means they really like that institution, not because they cannot get in somewhere else. The UCSD vs cornell matchlist location shows this.

If you cannot find ucdavis's matchlist, you might be able to either ask them to mail it to you or post a thread asking another sdner to post it up. Good luck with that.

 

[destined_wind]

IRVINE ALL THE WAY!

 

[finnpipette]

Why not go to a top 10? It's just nice to be in a highly academic intellectual atmosphere. Plus, the money in the long run isn't too big of a deal...i'm a poor minority, but i think of it an investment. it's a whole lot cheaper than a house, esp in palo alto/stanford where a little dinky shack will run you over a million dollars...but if you're married and have kids or something like that...then mebbe u should go to irvine

 

[tonkatruck]

I am on ly in high school, but I would go "top ten" all the way.


I bet the 10th "best" student" at Stanford would get way more love from residencies than the 10th "best" student from Irvine.

 

[Nutmeg]

Originally posted by tonkatruck
I am on ly in high school, but I would go "top ten" all the way.


I bet the 10th "best" student" at Stanford would get way more love from residencies than the 10th "best" student from Irvine.

You still have much to learn, Grasshopper....

 

[WatchingWaiting]

Originally posted by tonkatruck
I bet the 10th "best" student" at Stanford would get way more love from residencies than the 10th "best" student from Irvine.

This is certainly true. However, you're missing the fact that the student who is 10th best at Stanford would probably have been in the top three at Irvine, and the 10th best at Irvine would likely be middle of the pack at Stanford.

 

[donuthole]

Ok seriously guys. Do you realize how hard it is to get into UC Irvine. You might be saying "top 10" now... but why don't you try to actually get in that school. Any UC school is hard to get into... sometimes almost harder than these "top 10" schools. I can't believe someone would give up the opportunity to pay 25,000 less per year just to go to some top 10 which would give the same education anyway!! This is beyond me! But, if you want to be 100,000 more in debt by the time you leave med school, BY ALL MEANS, DO SO!! 😀

 

[ent_doc]

Originally posted by wolferman
flo,

I can totally feel you on this issue! You put into words exactly what I've been feeling with University of Washington and Columbia. On the one hand, as my "state" school, UW will be tons cheaper (1/3 the cost), plus I'll get to stay in the northwest. But on the flipside, Columbia is Columbia and regardless of the fact that UW is "top-ten" I still don't think it's name is as highly regarded as Columbia's.

I've been unable to mail off my letter of intent to Columbia for exactly this reason. With my indecision, I'd be lying if I mailed the letter right now, since I may change my mind.

You have to go by feel on this decision. A decision between UW and Columbia is difficult because UW is a top-notch school as well.

I made the decision to go with the "name" school over my state school. Personally, I'm glad I made that decision. For one, my state school didn't even HAVE an ENT program and it would have made the decision to pursue ENT very difficult. There were other reasons. I think that if you are considering a competitive field it can only help to go to the name school. If you're considering a less competitive field, I don't think it matters as much.

 

[ent_doc]

Originally posted by WatchingWaiting
This is certainly true. However, you're missing the fact that the student who is 10th best at Stanford would probably have been in the top three at Irvine, and the 10th best at Irvine would likely be middle of the pack at Stanford.

Just being a nitpicker--there's no 10th best at Stanford because there are no grades, no AOA, and no class rank.😀

 

[ent_doc]

Originally posted by Gradient Echo
I know that last year the regular MD class at Hopkins had a 90% match rate at one of their top 3 choices, but I dont have any data on how many got their #1 choice. Very few schools publish the #1 match rate. I also have no idea about the match rates for the other schools.

For Hopkins MD/PhD, I do know that they have a 100% first choice match rate. I think I have last year's matchlist somewhere, I'll try to dig it up and post it online.

I'm afraid that's not the most unique thing in the world. MD/PhDs are widely sought and given carte blanche

 

[profunda]

I know of this guy who went to an ivy league private undergrad, paid a ton, and felt he couldve gotten the same education at a public school. he vowed to get into a UC medical school so he wont get jipped again. he barely got one UC interview. He is now at vanderbilt, top 20 in usnews, and never got an acceptance from any UC or california school, and would do anything to have been able to go to a UC instead.

 

[profunda]

The "name" of a school is not determined by usnews. UC med schools (or even all Californian schools) have the "name" of being hard to get into, and therefore residency directors know the students there are top-notch just like students going to other usnews top 20. It is not surprising to hear UC davis and irvine students who didnt want to go to columbia or baylor as such for cost and location. I'm sure residency directors of any program consider the "name" of all UCs the same as top 10-20 schools (not because of usnews research rank but) because of the med students.

Originally posted by ent_doc
You have to go by feel on this decision. A decision between UW and Columbia is difficult because UW is a top-notch school as well.

I made the decision to go with the "name" school over my state school. Personally, I'm glad I made that decision. For one, my state school didn't even HAVE an ENT program and it would have made the decision to pursue ENT very difficult. There were other reasons. I think that if you are considering a competitive field it can only help to go to the name school. If you're considering a less competitive field, I don't think it matters as much.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

Originally posted by ent_doc
Just being a nitpicker--there's no 10th best at Stanford because there are no grades, no AOA, and no class rank.😀

Actually, Stanford is shifting towards giving a kind-of-sort-of class rank (more like top third/middle third/bottom third, or "excellent, very good, good" statement in Dean's Letter) based on an overall assessment of clinical performance and {community service, teaching, research}.

However, even if there is no formal statement of class rank, there is the issue of tone of letters of rec and Dean's Letter, which is proportional to what your clinical class rank would have been.

 

[ZanMD]

screw these naysayers. When they're studying thier butts of in some library, you'll be relaxing on the beach sipping a pina colada while you casually breeze through your text before jumping up for a quick surfing run.


I live in SoCal, I know the UCI area. Screw prestige and hand me my drink.😎

 

[ent_doc]

Originally posted by WatchingWaiting
Actually, Stanford is shifting towards giving a kind-of-sort-of class rank (more like top third/middle third/bottom third, or "excellent, very good, good" statement in Dean's Letter) based on an overall assessment of clinical performance and {community service, teaching, research}.

However, even if there is no formal statement of class rank, there is the issue of tone of letters of rec and Dean's Letter, which is proportional to what your clinical class rank would have been.

Every Dean's letter has those types of comments; it has been that way and will continue to be that way.

Letters of rec don't necessarily correlate with class rank--far from it

 

[DaPersianKing]

Originally posted by md_student2b
I didn't say against their will. My entire class is from Cali, nearly 75% from So Cal, but that said many of us have high aspirations for our careers in medicine and staying in So Cal isn't becuase we want to be close to home. Residency director look at a great many factors, but like medical school admissions, academic reputation goes a long way (but isn't necessarily everything). Formulating a Match list requires one to be rather realistic about one's chances with regard to USLME scores and breadth of experience in medicine (research, community projects, audition clerkships, etc.). Take a look at the residencies that grads of UCSF and UCLA accept, many stay at their respective institutions, but not nearly at the rate UCI grads do (50% vs. almost 80%). Look at how many UCI grads go on to residencies at schools at high-end institutions, the precentages are also greater at the aforementioned, more "reputable" UCs. Less than 50% of the 2001 graduating class got their first residency pick, at UCSF its nearly 90%. As for being top-notch, UCI anteaters already know they're among the best, but to many a residency director, we're the ones who couldn't get in to another UC.

there are people in my class who have turned down hopkins, UCSF and even harvard to go to UCI..

the biggest motivation other than the ones listed by yao ming are the fact that they have family here and wanted to stay close...but they still have USC to chose from and UCLA and they chose UCI!

 

[Jalby]

If you know that you want to practice in So Cal, it is definately worth it to go to UCI over a top 10 east coast or otherwise school. The advantage you get with your home school in residency placement shouldn't be overlooked.