What's the benefit of attending a highly prestigious medical school over a local one?

[sarcasmrules]

I'm just curious what is the benefit of attending Harvard vs say.... Franklin or Wayne. What benefits does the prestige of the school offer you?

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[LizzyM]

Much of the formula for determining the US News top med schools is based on federal funding for research at the school. That doesn't necessarily mean that the classroom instruction is better than at another school or that the clinical sites and patient care that a student engages in/observes is superior to what is offered elsewhere.

Now, if you want to do research, or want to match into a highly competitive specialty where having had research experience in medical school is expected, it might be easier to do so at a school that has more opportunities for research given the more robust research funding at the school.

 

[sarcasmrules]

Much of the formula for determining the US News top med schools is based on federal funding for research at the school. That doesn't necessarily mean that the classroom instruction is better than at another school or that the clinical sites and patient care that a student engages in/observes is superior to what is offered elsewhere.

Now, if you want to do research, or want to match into a highly competitive specialty where having had research experience in medical school is expected, it might be easier to do so at a school that has more opportunities for research given the more robust research funding at the school.

That makes sense. So if you already have research opportunities at your school then prestige is moot.

 

[jvquarterback]

Some referring doctors know where you went to medical school and take that into account. Other things are much more important but it makes a difference.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Now that step 1 is P/F I think there is an argument that the top schools will help you match competitive specialties. Most people don't find out if their board score is competitive for, say, ortho or derm, until a few months before they apply. People are also cranking out research even harder than in the past, and those prestigious places tend to have more funding for that sort of thing. And the name certainly helps you.

What are your goals? I had the application for T10 med schools, but I went to my local MD because I knew I was going into rural primary care. Not to be a jerk, but Harvard Medical School would have provided me with an inferior training experience to the school I'm at now for my career goals.

If you want to cure cancer, or be dean of Harvard one day, or if you know you won't be happy unless you match cardiothoracic surgery, then going to a stellar school is probably the best move. If you want to do FM or gen peds, I personally wouldn't borrow the ridiculous amount of money you'd pay to go to one of those places.

 

[crazieblue]

If you want to settle down in your local area, attending your local medical school will give you an edge up in matching their during residency. The research opportunities at top schools are a privilege that ppl sometimes take for granted (annual budget for visiting conferences, paid research opportunities, access to cutting-edge research projects etc.)

 

[Moko]

I'm just curious what is the benefit of attending Harvard vs say.... Franklin or Wayne. What benefits does the prestige of the school offer you?

The other factor is that many of these highly ranked medical schools also have generous financial scholarships (in some cases full tuition, and more rarely, even full cost of attendance). Some examples that come to mind include Pritzker (UChicago), Geffen (UCLA), WashU, Perelman (Penn), Grossman (NYU), and most recently Hopkins. So in some cases, going to a more highly ranked school may also end up being cheaper than your state school. Just my thoughts.

 

[sarcasmrules]

The other factor is that many of these highly ranked medical schools also have generous financial scholarships (in some cases full tuition, and more rarely, even full cost of attendance). Some examples that come to mind include Pritzker (UChicago), Grossman (UCLA), WashU, Perelman (Penn), NYU, and most recently Hopkins. So in some cases, going to a more highly ranked school may also end up being cheaper than your state school. Just my thoughts.

Grossman is NYU. You're thinking about Geffen. But I see your point.

 

[Moko]

Grossman is NYU. You're thinking about Geffen. But I see your point.

Thank you for catching my mistake , I've edited my post

 

[OfMiceAndWomen]

I come from a low-income household (<$100k) and got full cost-of-attendance scholarships at the two top med schools I was accepted to. No other school came even close in terms of aid.

Also, when I was picking schools, I valued having all of your doors open, even if what you want to do at the start of med school is not necessarily competitive. I came into med school wanting to ob/gyn, and then late M3 year, really loved both gen surg and derm, and was able to explore both specialties. Compared to other schools, I imagine it's much easier to switch into a competitive specialty in later years. I was able to keep an open mind as I explored specialties and still felt assured that I could easily do anything I decided on. Several of my classmates had switched over to a more competitive specialty (e.g. ophtho, ENT, etc.) at the end of third year!

 

[Goro]

In no particular order:

1) Great research opportunities
2) Great connections
3) Excellent teaching hospitals
4) Great springboards for those wanting to be leaders in academic Medicine
5) Better chances to get into uber-specialties
6) Big endowments mean better chances at scholarships
7) Make Tiger Parents really happy
8) Big city environments (not always a good thing)

 

[sarcasmrules]

In no particular order:

1) Great research opportunities
2) Great connections
3) Excellent teaching hospitals
4) Great springboards for those wanting to be leaders in academic Medicine
5) Better chances to get into uber-specialties
6) Big endowments mean better chances at scholarships
7) Make Tiger Parents really happy
8) Big city environments (not always a good thing)

9) Make Tiger Parents really happy.

 

[osprey099]

Go to the cheaper school. You'll thank me 10 years later.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's a great boost to your burgeoning academic leadership career. Or gets you to be a Justice of the Supreme Court.

The most successful and influential Americans come from a surprisingly narrow range of ‘elite’ educational backgrounds - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

The highest-achieving figures in politics, business, academia, and the media dominate public discourse and wield great influence in society. Education—perhaps especially at “elite” colleges and universities—may lie at the heart of the divide between the general public and these top achievers. In...

www.nature.com

But also consider (undergraduate admissions). Bruni wrote his work about 9-10 years ago. Selingo spoke last year.



Also read

Finding Your Greatest Common Factors with Successful Students - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

The Bruni book and speeches should be required for every admissions professional, including adcoms (and students serving on them).

 

[crazieblue]

It's a great boost to your burgeoning academic leadership career. Or gets you to be a Justice of the Supreme Court.

The most successful and influential Americans come from a surprisingly narrow range of ‘elite’ educational backgrounds - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

The highest-achieving figures in politics, business, academia, and the media dominate public discourse and wield great influence in society. Education—perhaps especially at “elite” colleges and universities—may lie at the heart of the divide between the general public and these top achievers. In...

www.nature.com

But also consider (undergraduate admissions). Bruni wrote his work about 9-10 years ago. Selingo spoke last year.



Also read

Finding Your Greatest Common Factors with Successful Students - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

The Bruni book and speeches should be required for every admissions professional, including adcoms (and students serving on them).

These are fantastic. Actually cured my neuroticism. Have you listened to David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" commencement speech Mr. Smile?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I can't believe that speech has been 20 years!

This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio)

David Foster Wallace's remarkable 2005 commencement speech, This is Water, is a timeless trove of wisdom for living a meaningful life. Here is a full transcript along with audio.

fs.blog

 

[chord]

Practically speaking:

If you work with a well known person in the field you're applying to, that can really help because they can vouch for you offline. If not, can still give you a small leg up for certain programs in certain fields.

 

[MDMechEngr]

I'm just curious what is the benefit of attending Harvard vs say.... Franklin or Wayne. What benefits does the prestige of the school offer you?

Brand name, resources and connections are all that you get LOL. Havad or T10 is a "write your own ticket" medical school sort to speak. If you are shooting for the stars, a prestigeous school will get you there more than likely even if you are a below average student at that school.

 

[mistafab]

First caveat - stellar people will shine everywhere. I have seen this again and again.

With that said, top programs tend to have more breadth of clinical experiences (clinical training) and opportunities for CV-building activities (research in specific specialties). However, even "good" programs will have enough of this to give you a world class education and opportunities for research. Once you dip down too much though into less academically affiliated places, you do start to cut into the quality of your training. I am not specifically writing about Wayne or Franklin as I know nothing about those programs.

Overall, you can get into any field from any place. However, the barriers to success are lower at good schools, and even lower at great schools.