What's so great about Mayo Medical School?

Started by Lollygag
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Lollygag

Lollygag

I'm a girl
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10+ Year Member
Army
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For the record I am by no means bashing Mayo Medical School. I just noticed that on SDN and at my undergrad as well, there seems to be SO much respect for that particular school. But no one ever explains why. It's like, if anyone ever bashes Mayo on a thread, they are instantly flamed.

I know Hopkins is amazing because it's ranked #2 in the country. And Harvard is amazing because, well, it's Harvard. Yale, Stanford, Duke, Penn all in the top 10. But I've been told Mayo isn't even a top 20 school. Which means there must be something about Mayo that makes it amazing that I just don't know about and after searching threads, I still can't figure it out. 😳
 
Lollygag said:
For the record I am by no means bashing Mayo Medical School. I just noticed that on SDN and at my undergrad as well, there seems to be SO much respect for that particular school. But no one ever explains why. It's like, if anyone ever bashes Mayo on a thread, they are instantly flamed.

I know Hopkins is amazing because it's ranked #2 in the country. And Harvard is amazing because, well, it's Harvard. Yale, Stanford, Duke, Penn all in the top 10. But I've been told Mayo isn't even a top 20 school. Which means there must be something about Mayo that makes it amazing that I just don't know about and after searching threads, I still can't figure it out. 😳
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Outstanding research, especially for cancer. Very reputable and I also believe that they offer A LOT of scholarships.
 
The Mayo Clinic has the one lab in the United States that tests for my autoimmune disease. They also developed the test and identified the antibody.

I am interested in the Mayo Clinic as the do a lot of research on my disease and I want to be a part of it.
 
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Lollygag said:
For the record I am by no means bashing Mayo Medical School. I just noticed that on SDN and at my undergrad as well, there seems to be SO much respect for that particular school. But no one ever explains why. It's like, if anyone ever bashes Mayo on a thread, they are instantly flamed.

I know Hopkins is amazing because it's ranked #2 in the country. And Harvard is amazing because, well, it's Harvard. Yale, Stanford, Duke, Penn all in the top 10. But I've been told Mayo isn't even a top 20 school. Which means there must be something about Mayo that makes it amazing that I just don't know about and after searching threads, I still can't figure it out. 😳
Click to expand...

Mayo isn't a "top 20" by USNWR standards because their formula uses factors that bias towards schools that are associated with large universities with undergrad campuses. Mayo doesn't have that. You would be short-sighted to not consider Mayo a top 10 (or even a top 5) school.
 
Lollygag said:
For the record I am by no means bashing Mayo Medical School. I just noticed that on SDN and at my undergrad as well, there seems to be SO much respect for that particular school. But no one ever explains why. It's like, if anyone ever bashes Mayo on a thread, they are instantly flamed.

I know Hopkins is amazing because it's ranked #2 in the country. And Harvard is amazing because, well, it's Harvard. Yale, Stanford, Duke, Penn all in the top 10. But I've been told Mayo isn't even a top 20 school. Which means there must be something about Mayo that makes it amazing that I just don't know about and after searching threads, I still can't figure it out. 😳
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That's why Mayo is "amazing," because people just say it is.

Unless we're talking about that dude on SDN who keeps posting about it.
 
I'm waiting for mayomedicalschool to post here


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
 
Simple... Mayo medical school is popular because of the "Mayo Clinic" (i.e. name recognition).

After interviewing at Mayo, you can conclude a few things:

1) The facilities ARE very nice. The gonda building is very aesthetically pleasing. The marble is impressive and the glass sculptures are beautiful.

2) There is a very particular culture intrinsic to Mayo -- from the classroom to the clinic.

3) Other than having little breaks inserted throughout the preclinical years, it is the same curriculum you get at pretty much every school.

4) They are generous with financial aid.

Overall, there isn't really anything "groundbreakingly mind-blowing" about the place. It's a fine place to get a medical education and simply has a very well-known brand name that comes with that education.

After interviewing and truly reflecting on it, I don't think I will attend if accepted (not a likely outcome, anyway lol)... I wasn't a fan of the region, didn't like Rochester much as a city (one trick pony), didn't like the mandatory attendance policy, didn't like the prospect of such a small class size, didn't like the lack of an undergrad, didn't like the lack of nearby sports teams worth rooting for, didn't like the lack of nearby skiing, etc., etc...and, of course, you have to consider your SO's opinion too if they are going to be spending 4+ years in XYZ location, which, in this case, followed suit.

...and therein lies a facet of the value gained from interviewing. "Fit" really does exist.
 
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Part of this is also that Mayo funds a majority of our research with private benefactor funds and declines NIH funding for alot of research because it isn't needed.

Lollygag said:
Wow that's pretty cool, definitely did not know that.

So basically since school's by us news are ranked by how much NIH funding they are getting, then schools like mayo who are better known and more reputable for their clinic (primary care) get overseen?
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I will always have a profound love for Mayo because they discovered and identified the antibodies for my rare but potentially reversible autoimmune disease.
 
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Uh....It's in Rochester, MN. The most exciting city in the world. In all seriousness though, research and financial aid.
 
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Nothing. We'd rather you come to Johns Hopkins. We have a great school and a great program. If you're interested in a campus visit in the next couple months, why not give us a call? (410) 516-8171
 
JohnsHopkinsMed said:
Nothing. We'd rather you come to Johns Hopkins. We have a great school and a great program. If you're interested in a campus visit in the next couple months, why not give us a call? (410) 516-8171
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Who wants to bet this is the MayoMedSchool, ver 2.0?

:idea:
 
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Lollygag said:
For the record I am by no means bashing Mayo Medical School. I just noticed that on SDN and at my undergrad as well, there seems to be SO much respect for that particular school. But no one ever explains why. It's like, if anyone ever bashes Mayo on a thread, they are instantly flamed.
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It's the free mayonnaise....
 
Research. Financial aid (best in the country). The Mayo Clinic. Tiny class size. Innovative and effective curriculum.

Granted, there are plenty of negatives too, just like any school. Factor of fit is very important.
 
having a small ass class size is one of the main drawbacks.

that said it's one of the best medical schools around, us news be
damned
 
Can someone feel me in on why a small class is considered a negative aspect of a school?
 
Fivo said:
Can someone feel me in on why a small class is considered a negative aspect of a school?
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The only reason I could think of is class rank.. Say you have only 50 students and 15 of them are higher than you, that would significantly lower your class rank vs 200 and only 15 higher than you.. Besides that nothing.. I would personally love a more intimate class size.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
 
Mayo is ranked in the top 10 for lots of specialties because it's that awesome.

it's not in the top 10 for the med school rankings because it was founded by two brothers and a nun and are swimming in private money and don't ask for as much NIH funding, which plays big into the usnews ranking

. They have so much money they give 15k/year scholarships to everyone who gets accepted there.

Mayo and Hopkins totally dominate the usnews hospital rankings : http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings
 
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phikapdoctor said:
The only reason I could think of is class rank.. Say you have only 50 students and 15 of them are higher than you, that would significantly lower your class rank vs 200 and only 15 higher than you.. Besides that nothing.. I would personally love a more intimate class size.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
Click to expand...


MMS does not have AOA. Pretty sure they are also unranked curriculum-wise.
 
The Mayo Clinic is one of the most renowned research hospitals in the US/world. Many of their residencies are also considered the best in their fields. A big reason that US News doesn't have them higher on the rankings list is because unlike all the other top 10 schools, the Mayo Clinic is not part of a university system and so lacks some of those resources, which negatively affects the rankings as far as US News is concerned.
 
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phikapdoctor said:
Thanks for the clarification.
I see no disadvantage of a small class size then.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile app please excuse punctuation and spelling
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It'll feel very insular.

I don't think people realize how crappy Rochester is as a town. There is literally nothing to do there. Unless you're married and have kids, it's a huge negative. There are much smaller cities that are far more lively.
 
drizzt3117 said:
It'll feel very insular.

I don't think people realize how crappy Rochester is as a town. There is literally nothing to do there. Unless you're married and have kids, it's a huge negative. There are much smaller cities that are far more lively.
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I have a friend who's dad was a resident at mayo when he was like ~5. He said he hated it :/

What made me hesisitant to apply to mayo was madatory class attendance. I think that is a stupid policy.
 
sliceofbread136 said:
I have a friend who's dad was a resident at mayo when he was like ~5. He said he hated it :/

What made me hesisitant to apply to mayo was madatory class attendance. I think that is a stupid policy.
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I need to clear this up. There is NO Mandatory Attendance policy. There are some blocks, however, where in class activities comprise a large portion of the grade and therefore it is to your advantage to attend class. There are other blocks however where many students are able to choose not to attend lecture if they desire.
 
I would rather go to the University of Texas at Houston. Rochester sucks. I'm also glad I didn't end up at Dartmouth. Hanover was quite depressing on interview day. I only applied to those schools because they give some aid.
 
I hear St. George's has a prime location.

Also, mangoes.

SQmO0l.jpg
 
Nymphicus great job on a disingenuous comparison. UTH > St. George's. Obviously my comment was in reference to US medical schools. No doubt Mayo has great research and lots of money, but I'm not pursuing a PhD or research fellowship now, so that's really meaningless to me.
 
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