What's easier to get into: Harvard med or Derm?

[ratman7]

What's easier to get into?

Harvard med or Derm?

What about if the question was posed:
A. Harvard med
B. ROAD, in general

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[gettheleadout]

Derm, and definitely ROAD in general for your second question.

 

[deleted407021]

Pre-allo...🙄

 

[mmmcdowe]

It's a someone crooked question because they are entirely different arenas and the person applying to HMS than when they apply later into derm, but the simple answer is getting into any individual school is likely easier than getting into most, if not all, fields. Just by numbers alone you're talking, say, 5% applicants getting into HMS vs ~50% of applicants getting into derm (I didn't look up the exact numbers).

 

[gettheleadout]

It's a someone crooked question because they are entirely different arenas and the person applying to HMS than when they apply later into derm, but the simple answer is getting into any individual school is likely easier than getting into most, if not all, fields. Just by numbers alone you're talking, say, 5% applicants getting into HMS vs ~50% of applicants getting into derm (I didn't look up the exact numbers).

I think the numbers themselves leave out a big factor here, which is how much control the applicant has in making themselves desirable. HMS looks for very specific, unpredictable stuff, and no applicant is guaranteed an interview. In contrast, a competitive derm applicant will get at least a modest number of interviews. An 80 LizzyM well-rounded applicant getting denied an interview at HMS is commonplace, but a 250-260 Step 1 well-rounded applicant getting no derm interviews at all would be unusual, would it not?

 

[palatopharyngeus]

Derm, and definitely ROAD in general for your second question.

agree

 

[ChemEngMD]

I think the numbers themselves leave out a big factor here, which is how much control the applicant has in making themselves desirable. HMS looks for very specific, unpredictable stuff, and no applicant is guaranteed an interview. In contrast, a competitive derm applicant will get at least a modest number of interviews. An 80 LizzyM well-rounded applicant getting denied an interview at HMS is commonplace, but a 250-260 Step 1 well-rounded applicant getting no derm interviews at all would be unusual, would it not?

Simultaneously, most medical schools are going to advise certain people who may be interested in derm to try and match into a different specialty if they aren't confident they'll match. If you aren't competitive, they probably won't let you do it - it looks bad for them if you don't match.

A pre-med advisor on the other hand may say "hey, what the hell - if you got the money - apply to Harvard! what's the worst that could happen?"

It's just a completely different ballgame. You don't lose anything by throwing your hat into the application pool at Harvard, you simply make sure you apply other places as well. Applying derm however is a risk because if you don't match then things go up in there. Thus, the acceptance rate for Harvard will inherently be minuscule in comparison to derm as self selection has already narrowed the derm pool.

 

[gettheleadout]

Simultaneously, most medical schools are going to advise certain people who may be interested in derm to try and match into a different specialty if they aren't confident they'll match. If you aren't competitive, they probably won't let you do it - it looks bad for them if you don't match.

A pre-med advisor on the other hand may say "hey, what the hell - if you got the money - apply to Harvard! what's the worst that could happen?"

It's just a completely different ballgame. You don't lose anything by throwing your hat into the application pool at Harvard, you simply make sure you apply other places as well. Applying derm however is a risk because if you don't match then things go up in there. Thus, the acceptance rate for Harvard will inherently be minuscule in comparison to derm as self selection has already narrowed the derm pool.

I feel you, but I think the limit of your odds of matching Derm as a function of qualifications is much higher than the same for HMS.

 

[Omppu27]

I think the numbers themselves leave out a big factor here, which is how much control the applicant has in making themselves desirable. HMS looks for very specific, unpredictable stuff, and no applicant is guaranteed an interview. In contrast, a competitive derm applicant will get at least a modest number of interviews. An 80 LizzyM well-rounded applicant getting denied an interview at HMS is commonplace, but a 250-260 Step 1 well-rounded applicant getting no derm interviews at all would be unusual, would it not?

Exactly. I think medical school admissions is not nearly as formulated as matching into residency.

 

[ChemEngMD]

I feel you, but I think the limit of your odds of matching Derm as a function of qualifications is much higher than the same for HMS.

Eh I think it's all a matter of opinion. We truly cannot quantify or compare the two. It's apples to oranges. You can believe the match is all about your Step1 score and publications, but truth of the matter is that a lot of the stuff they look for is the same X factor that people need to get into a place like Harvard.

I just think that instead of Harvard telling you that you aren't special enough for their school after you apply, your school administration will probably tell you that you're not special enough for derm before you even apply.

 

[gettheleadout]

Eh I think it's all a matter of opinion. We truly cannot quantify or compare the two. It's apples to oranges. You can believe the match is all about your Step1 score and publications, but truth of the matter is that a lot of the stuff they look for is the same X factor that people need to get into a place like Harvard.

I just think that instead of Harvard telling you that you aren't special enough for their school after you apply, your school administration will probably tell you that you're not special enough for derm before you even apply.

I don't really believe the same intangibles are being considered with the same weight. Residency programs care about unique accomplishments completely irrelevant to medicine as much as HMS? No way. HMS is looking to build a class of qualified, but more importantly, unique and interesting individuals and this drives their admissions process. Plus, with so many more residency programs and unique sets of people making the decisions about what is important, it seems obvious that you have more opportunity to be that "ideal" candidate for a program than just for one medical school

Edit: think about it like this, you could become a highly, highly qualified, likable, solid applicant for Derm and basically guarantee that you match as long as you apply correctly. You could do the same as a medical school applicant and be rejected because you just weren't unique enough for Harvard.

 

[WillburCobb]

And this matters whhhhhhhyyyyyy?????????

 

[gettheleadout]

And this matters whhhhhhhyyyyyy?????????

Well to me it's obvious but apparently it's up for discussion lol

 

[ratman7]

What about top-10 MD schools vs ROAD? What's easier to get into?

 

[gyngyn]

What about top-10 MD schools vs ROAD? What's easier to get into?

There were 137 open Radiology positions in the SOAP this year.
Anesthesia had 49 unfilled positions .

 

[WillburCobb]

What about top-10 MD schools vs ROAD? What's easier to get into?

ROA spots really aren't as competitive as they used to be.

 

[resiroth]

I've heard radiology in particular has an overabundance of docs, and likely will need fewer over time due to telemedicine. I don't really know for sure, so I'd love to hear from others if they heard differently/have a different perspective.

 

[aegistitan]

What about if the question was posed:
A. Harvard med
B. ROAD, in general

Newly minted radiologists have a hard time finding jobs and anesthesiologists are becoming nurse anesthetist managers... R and A are becoming less... desirable...

 

[Shams al Deen]

Not sure how there are even 2 sides to this discussion tbh. Getting an acceptance to any single specific school is very tough to call, not to mention the most selective school of all. If you're qualified, then you have a good chance of getting a derm spot. But if you're qualified, you most likely will not get into HMS.

Now this might be a discussion if we compare getting a derm spot vs getting into any of the top 10 or top 25s.