Which school impressed you the most?

[MrBurns10]

What didn't you like about the curriculum? Honestly at this point I can barely remember which school has which curriculum, except for Duke. It's all a big blur of schedules and PBLs and half-truths about how great it all is. I do remember Emory had ABCD grading, which isn't functionally much different than H/HP/P but looks worse.

The grading is a big part of it. Granted it is essentially the same thing as H/HP/P/F, but compared to unranked P/F or even H/P/F it's not very attractive. Plus, Emory seems to have a lot more lecture time than I would probably like, and students don't seem to get much (if any) clinical contact in their first year at all. But in general, the med students all seem pretty happy, but the culture of Emory's campus isn't really my thing either (similar to what zook said). Emory's a great school, it just didn't seem like a great fit for me. But it's tough to gauge how much you'll like a school by one one-day visit.

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[oompa loompa]

I definitely developed an IMPRESSION of each school I visited, but it's hard to determine whether these impressions are at all accurate or valuable.

Emory: I actually liked it a lot. The campus was prettier than I expected, and the students I talked to seemed nice. Grading and long class times are negatives, and...I didn't like Grady hospital. I know it's supposed to be great for clinical experience, but the facilities just seemed a bit run-down, and my tour-guide didn't seem to like it all that much either.

Vanderbilt: From all the rave reviews it gets on SDN, I was disappointed. Was I supposed to find the dark labryinth halls impressive? Where were all the hot students Vandy is supposedly famous for? The guys playing pool in the student lounge--and for that matter, everyone I met that day--looked like they'd come straight out of home-school. The Children's Hospital WAS beautiful, but why didn't they show us the main hospital? It seemed like they just took us to the pretty parts, and that was annoying.

Cleveland Clinic: Beautiful! I thought the interview day seemed a bit too formal, but it was all very nicely choreographed.

Case Western: OK, I think I was disappointed simply because Cleveland Clinic wowed me so much the day before. Students don't seem to attend lecture...This is one of the few schools that left absolutely NO impression on me at all.

Mt Sinai: Disliked the facilities, the interviews, my student hosts, everything.

Columbia: It gets a lot of bad rap on SDN, and for the most part, I can see why. However, my student host was AMAZING, and I liked everyone I met. I got to sit in on a few classes--I've tried to attend lectures at each school--and they were by far the best. Of course, lecture quality varies a lot depending on the topic and prof, so maybe it's not the best indicator of a school's quality.

 

[Rockhouse]

My big surprise, University of Nebraska Medical Center. For being in Omaha, which most people think "yawn, cornfields" the place was super nice. They have a huge transplant center, building a new student center, nice library, the works. The PhD guy I was talking too said they had the primary care part down, and were working really hard on getting some big research in there (particularly cancer and transplants). And as for Omaha, their downtown area actually has some good night life going on. The fact that they offered me in state tuition doesn't hurt either. I am in at Dartmouth and Emory as well, and I certainly didn't think when I applied that UNMC would be giving them a run for their money.

 

[Risa]

harvard: i went in assuming the med students would be a bit arrogant, but when I got there they were the most friendly bunch i had met thus far. i must have been stopped 5-6 times by random students asking me how i liked it so far, who my interviewers were, if i had any questions. Also, the facilities were great and the interviewers were very helpful.

That was my experience too, basically word for word. I went in thinking I wouldn't like the people, and everyone was amazing. I was also stopped several times by random students, which was completely above and beyond anything I could have imagined.

Also, I agree wholeheartedly with the lovers of Pitt. But I went in thinking I'd love it, so no surprise there.

 

[angel5]

GWU all the way...the facilities, student body, and opportunities are AmAzInG! I think I'm in love .

Angel

 

[oompa loompa]

My big surprise, University of Nebraska Medical Center. For being in Omaha, which most people think "yawn, cornfields" the place was super nice. They have a huge transplant center, building a new student center, nice library, the works. The PhD guy I was talking too said they had the primary care part down, and were working really hard on getting some big research in there (particularly cancer and transplants). And as for Omaha, their downtown area actually has some good night life going on. The fact that they offered me in state tuition doesn't hurt either. I am in at Dartmouth and Emory as well, and I certainly didn't think when I applied that UNMC would be giving them a run for their money.

this is sort of off-topic, but when'd you hear from dartmouth, and what date was your interview? Thanks, and congrats on the nice choices to choose from. Like you, I'm seriously considering a lower-ranked, state school because I was unexpectedly impressed by it.

 

[zook]

I definitely developed an IMPRESSION of each school I visited, but it's hard to determine whether these impressions are at all accurate or valuable.

Emory: I actually liked it a lot. The campus was prettier than I expected, and the students I talked to seemed nice. Grading and long class times are negatives, and...I didn't like Grady hospital. I know it's supposed to be great for clinical experience, but the facilities just seemed a bit run-down, and my tour-guide didn't seem to like it all that much either.

Vanderbilt: From all the rave reviews it gets on SDN, I was disappointed. Was I supposed to find the dark labryinth halls impressive? Where were all the hot students Vandy is supposedly famous for? The guys playing pool in the student lounge--and for that matter, everyone I met that day--looked like they'd come straight out of home-school. The Children's Hospital WAS beautiful, but why didn't they show us the main hospital? It seemed like they just took us to the pretty parts, and that was annoying.

The thing I actually love the most about Emory is its affiliation with Grady. If you like the big city hospital with patients from all walks of life, this is it. Sure it'll probably be hell going through it, but I'm sure it makes you a better doctor in the end because of the amount of exposure and the responsibilities placed on you. They said that if you don't like Grady, you probably shouldn't go to Emory since that's where the majority of your clerkships will be.

Your comment on Vandy made me laugh I didn't realize they had a reputation for an attractive student body, but after visiting, I never would've guessed so either.

While it's difficult to form an accurate impression of a school based on one visit, at least we have forums like this to compare notes.

 

[idealist]

im surprised no ones said tulane yet!!!!!! i had a good feeling about tulane before the hurricane, then assumed it wasnt worth going, but went to my interview anyway. i loved it! students were so cool, laid-back, real, not premed dull types, dean of admissions was awesome, honest, and truly interested in us as people. i know lots of people say things like this about all kinds of med schools, but i didnt find this to be the case the way it was at tulane at any of the other med schools i interviewed at (vandy, buffalo, drexel, and downstate). also, i really felt like being in NO would be a fascinating experience post-hurricane, very challenging and unique, and i want to be a part of it!

 

[Paperboy!]

ho-ly-crap LOYOLA! didn't see that one coming. it's like hidden treasure.

 

[LadyWolverine]

U of Maryland. Absolutely amazing.

Why can't we start med school now?? I'm ready to go!!

 

[happydays]

Ohio State gets my vote for the most "unknowingly" impressive. They have all the equipment of a top notch school, great view outside the anatomy lab, close hospitals, large & vibrant town, and beautiful buildings.

Case impressed me the least. The halls are old and dark, armed guards everywhere; just gives you the feeling that you're in a B-horror film. Their hospitals are really nice though, no doubt.

 

[MoosePilot]

UTHSCSA impressed me for friendly people.

USUHS impressed me by providing breakfast, having extremely friendly and professional faculty, and just being cut out for me.

Baylor impressed me for being gleaming new, big, and having interviewees from impressive schools.

 

[dilated]

The thing I actually love the most about Emory is its affiliation with Grady. If you like the big city hospital with patients from all walks of life, this is it. Sure it'll probably be hell going through it, but I'm sure it makes you a better doctor in the end because of the amount of exposure and the responsibilities placed on you. They said that if you don't like Grady, you probably shouldn't go to Emory since that's where the majority of your clerkships will be.

That's the thing, though. Grady is a two edged sword. On one hand, you get a great deal more patient responsibility and work with diverse patients. What was left unstated (but heavily hinted at), I suspect, is that ancillary services are poor to nonexistant. Our tour guide tried to frame it as "we get to do our own ABGs and take pts to the x-ray" but what I heard was "we don't have enough resp. therapists or nurses so med students have to pick up the scutwork". It's not enough to turn me off the school, but it's probably the biggest negative concern I have about it.

 

[Rockhouse]

this is sort of off-topic, but when'd you hear from dartmouth, and what date was your interview? Thanks, and congrats on the nice choices to choose from. Like you, I'm seriously considering a lower-ranked, state school because I was unexpectedly impressed by it.

Interviewed on November 10th and heard back about December 14. I was pretty surprised to hear back that soon, there were only two of us from state schools interviewing that day, and I was sure I would be waiting in line behind all of the Columbia/Cornell/Princeton etc.

 

[oompa loompa]

Ohio State gets my vote for the most "unknowingly" impressive. They have all the equipment of a top notch school, great view outside the anatomy lab, close hospitals, large & vibrant town, and beautiful buildings.

Case impressed me the least. The halls are old and dark, armed guards everywhere; just gives you the feeling that you're in a B-horror film. Their hospitals are really nice though, no doubt.

I'm so glad someone else feels the same way about Case! I felt guilty all day for not liking it....I kept looking around on the tour, thinking something must be wrong with me--I don't like this place at all! It's true those are all superficial complaints, and it's not even like I have a decision to make regarding Case. Cleveland was surprisingly OK.

I was so pleasantly impressed with OSU, I was all smiles all day

Congrats, Rockhouse! I interviewed the same day as you, but haven't heard back. Hmm, I think your guess on who's waiting after who turned out to be completely off .

Oh, and I agree about the creepiness of Emory's group interview format. It was by far my worst interview ever, and I hereby blame it for ruining my self-confidence in all subsequent interviews.

 

[Saluki]

So far, I was most impressed with Duke. Obviously it has a great reputation, but I thought it would be filled with snobby, rich science nerds. Instead, I found beautiful facilities and really down to earth nice kids. Two thumbs up!

 

[pallcare]

even though i ended up getting waitlisted and subsequently withdrawing, i was impressed with University of Rochester. I know the weather sucks, but the medical center is really beautiful, and the curriculum is unique and accessible

 

[deuist]

My favorites were Vanderbilt, Baylor, and Florida State. The whole reason I picked Miami over FSU is becase of Jackson hospital. It's got all kinds of patients that roll through. Plus the students learn a lot of clinical skills just in the first year. We start eye exams and neuro evals later this semester.

 

[etown]

Well now that interview season is over for me, I have to say that the schools I was pleasantly surprised by were WashU, Baylor, and UPitt. The students/atmosphere at these (top) schools really impressed me. I even liked Pittsburgh as a city, which I wasn't expecting given others' comments...