Which would you pick?

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Which two medical schools are the best?

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Nymphicus

Nymphicus

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Let's assume you were accepted to all of these schools. Let us also assume for now that the cost is roughly similar. Which two of these would you pick? Feel free to comment.

Vote away!

Highlights

Pittsburgh
-Research!
-"top 20"
-UPMC

UC Irvine
-California!

Mayo
-Mayo clinic
-Very small class size
-Rochester

Vanderbilt
-1.5 preclinical
-"top 20"
-Nashville

Baylor
-1.5 preclinical
-TMC!
-Amazing clinical opportunities
-"top 20"

USC
-California!
-LA County Hospital experience

Dartmouth
-Ivy league!
-Hanover
-set system for away rotations

Mt. Sinai
-Manhattan
-"top 20"
-exams online available Thursday-Sunday
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Mayo and Mount Sinai. Easy!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Thanks for the responses...keep em coming!

Although I wonder why everybody loves Mayo and Sinai so much. Sinai has NYC, but Mayo has...Rochester?
 
What is everyone fascination with Mayo?

When I interviewed there I got the strong feeling of sub-par (relatively speaking) practical clinical experience due to their extreme focus on specialized medicine. No mistake, Mayo is an incredible medical center with an extremely dedicated faculty but in my opinion (as everyone has and they all differ), I would much rather be at a school such as USC with the LAC medical center or Vandy/Dartmouth where exposure to tons of relevant cases is much higher.
 
Kiting said:
What is everyone fascination with Mayo?

When I interviewed there I got the strong feeling of sub-par (relatively speaking) practical clinical experience due to their extreme focus on specialized medicine. No mistake, Mayo is an incredible medical center with an extremely dedicated faculty but in my opinion (as everyone has and they all differ), I would much rather be at a school such as USC with the LAC medical center or Vandy/Dartmouth where exposure to tons of relevant cases is much higher.
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Enjoy paying out the rear in tuition costs for the next 20 years.

I would easily pick Mayo. As someone who's goal is to become a subspecialist for the cheapest price, Mayo would fit this bill perfectly.

To be fair, the $$$ can differ somewhat, so I would make a screen for which are in the top-20 and then just pick the cheapest.
 
I'm confused, did you actually get into these schools?

It's hard to say "assume the cost will be similar" because it most likely WONT be. Dartmouth and Mayo give good fin aid, and you might find that you get a better fin aid package from one of the other schools. They're all really good so a slight cost difference could make one jump to the head of the pack.
 
I really don't get the fascination with Mayo, but this is more out of ignorance and choosing not to apply there than anything else. If someone is bored enough to enlighten me, please do so!

Allowing for that, Mount Sinai and Baylor are my two favorites on the list.
 
Sinai, Vandy, Baylor. Great locations and among the top schools of the bunch. I'm not a fan of Pittsburgh, Rochester, Hanover, Irvine. I wouldn't pick USC over those first 3 because of research opportunities/connections. They're all awesome schools but I think there's a gap in academic reputation (if you're interested in that) between most of the schools and Irvine/USC/Dartmouth.

And I know I'm being subjective.

(Disclaimer. I'm on the USC waitlist. I would still take most of those over USC though. I just didn't have the stats to apply most of them.)
 
RedSox10 said:
I'm confused, did you actually get into these schools?

It's hard to say "assume the cost will be similar" because it most likely WONT be. Dartmouth and Mayo give good fin aid, and you might find that you get a better fin aid package from one of the other schools. They're all really good so a slight cost difference could make one jump to the head of the pack.
Click to expand...

Similar enough that I am discounting the difference for now. Except for USC, they were pretty expensive.
 
Nymphicus said:
Similar enough that I am discounting the difference for now. Except for USC, they were pretty expensive.
Click to expand...

Okay, in that case I'd choose Sinai. Personal preference but I'd rather be in NYC than any of those other locations.
 
Nymphicus said:
Similar enough that I am discounting the difference for now. Except for USC, they were pretty expensive.
Click to expand...

Did you also factor in your ability to establish residency at each of these schools? I know you can easily establish residency in Texas and get in-state tuition, which is ridiculously cheap.
 
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Is location a factor for you? This selection is pretty spread across the country.
 
mduck said:
Did you also factor in your ability to establish residency at each of these schools? I know you can easily establish residency in Texas and get in-state tuition, which is ridiculously cheap.
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protonate said:
Is location a factor for you? This selection is pretty spread across the country.
Click to expand...

In factoring the similar prices I already took into account state residency.

I am not particularly attached to any of these locations, and like Nashville just as much as NYC, for example.
 
I would consider browsing the residency forums to see how your specialties of interest are regarded at each institution. Understandably your interests may change, but given how you have no clear favorite this would be my best advice. They're all great programs that put out well-prepared students.
 
I don't know why SDN is so obsessed with Mayo, they always pissed me off with the whole "give us your money and then we may possibly deign to send you a secondary." There are several schools on that list I think are far better than Mayo (Vandy, Sinai, Baylor).
 
There is no Mayo secondary, FYI. You are entitled to your opinion, but perhaps you should get your information straight before you start Mayo bashing.
 
I think she meant fee request prior to letter request aka "secondary".

Mayo is a great school, don't get me wrong, but it is definitely not for everyone.

Some downsides of it for me were that it was very small, as well as Rochester being very small, cold, and isolated.


Edited: I forget the exact order of fees and letters, so I might have gotten it wrong...
 
So have you decided which two schools you are ultimately choosing between?
 
Everyone is going to spin this poll subjectively (as they should) because we all have such disparate inclinations when it comes to our choice of a medical school.

It inescapably comes down to what your clinical/research interests are. If you want to have solid exposure in the clinical learning phase, you'd have to go with a school that guarantees the patient population necessary to realize that goal. If you have an academic or research focus, the choices change. I'd personally go with the plethora of clinical cases in a sizeable health system that prepare you for residency better than anything else i.e. BCM, Sinai, etc. I chose to go to Miami chiefly because of this very reason (as you know, Nymphicus, I got into BCM as well). I strongly considered other top tier schools but it came down to my desire to have considerable and diverse clincal learning opportunities at the most cost-effective price...I sense that you are facing the same dilemma as I did - with the money part essentially even as you say, chose the school that aligns most closely with your motivations for entering medicine. No one here can figure that part out better than you can:D
 
Wisco1 said:
There is no Mayo secondary, FYI. You are entitled to your opinion, but perhaps you should get your information straight before you start Mayo bashing.
Click to expand...

Their secondary is just a letter request, but I still categorize it as a "secondary" just for practical purposes. I don't think I was ever bashing Mayo? I just said I didn't like their fee request system. There are plenty of great things about Mayo, but I haven't seen any evidence to support the stellar reputation it has at SDN.
 
Wisco1 said:
There is no Mayo secondary, FYI. You are entitled to your opinion, but perhaps you should get your information straight before you start Mayo bashing.
Click to expand...

I'd say Mayo and Sinai on that list. Mayo is great and on an isolated school alone, I think it might be the better option both professionally and financially. However, I could not for the life of me imagine living in that part of Minnesota for 4 years (I would become severely depressed). So it would be an easy choice of Sinai for me.
 
I chose Mayo and Sinai. If I were to decide between the two, I'd probably pick Sinai. Yes, even with the sticker price. I didn't interview there so I really have no reason aside from location.

I did, however, interview at Mayo last year. It's unquestionably a really cool program and a very unique experience there...but it's also an acquired taste. For me, I was a bit torn. It's an alluring place with great opportunities, but I ultimately don't believe I would have been happy there (had I gotten in, of course :) ). Who knows, though. If you can deal with the location, if the tiny class size appeals to you, and if the Mayo "atmosphere" is something you think you would enjoy and flourish in, it would be a great choice, and for a great price.

(full disclosure: didn't even apply to the other places so don't know much about them)
 
My two favorites from this list when interviewing were Baylor and Vanderbilt.

I wasn't particularly attached to NYC or Pittsburgh, or Rochester for that matter.
 
Nymphicus said:
My two favorites from this list when interviewing were Baylor and Vanderbilt.

I wasn't particularly attached to NYC or Pittsburgh, or Rochester for that matter.
Click to expand...

Is this a hypothetical question, or are you trying to decide amongst all of these? If it's the latter, it sounds like you already have your favorites, so who cares what we say?
 
hey Nymphicus! :eek: I didn't realize you had soo many options, great job! You know i love vandy! I'd say vandy and baylor because those are the only 2 i also applied and got accepted to (smaller class size and overall happier student body at vandy over baylor). Good luck choosing though, T-12 days:luck:
 
Nymphicus said:
Let's assume you were accepted to all of these schools. Let us also assume for now that the cost is roughly similar. Which two of these would you pick? Feel free to comment.

Vote away!

Highlights

Pittsburgh
-Research!
-“top 20”
-UPMC

UC Irvine
-California!

Mayo
-Mayo clinic
-Very small class size
-Rochester

Vanderbilt
-1.5 preclinical
-“top 20”
-Nashville

Baylor
-1.5 preclinical
-TMC!
-Amazing clinical opportunities
-“top 20”

USC
-California!
-LA County Hospital experience

Dartmouth
-Ivy league!
-Hanover
-set system for away rotations

Mt. Sinai
-Manhattan
-“top 20”
-exams online available Thursday-Sunday
Click to expand...

I thought you were going to ND school? MD/DO is a dying breed.
 
Technically, Baylor is not "top 20," but, it's still a really good school at a good price. I think Mt. Sinai has the best education, Mayo has the best hospital, and Baylor/Sinai/Pitt/maybe Vandy have the best research. Don't know too much about Vanderbilt, but I've heard good things.
 
lindtchocolate said:
Technically, Baylor is not "top 20," but, it's still a really good school at a good price. I think Mt. Sinai has the best education, Mayo has the best hospital, and Baylor/Sinai/Pitt/maybe Vandy have the best research. Don't know too much about Vanderbilt, but I've heard good things.
Click to expand...

Just a few years ago, Baylor was actually a "top ten." From my experience, it still has the reputation of a "top 20" among physicians and residency directors. So for me, I included it as such.

I'm curious about what you're basing the rest of what you say on. Best hospital, best education, best research?
 
TheMightySmiter said:
I'd choose Vandy and Baylor.
Click to expand...


Vandy and Baylor for me too! Both great programs and decent cost of living. I am applying this year. Mayo is a great program but it is cold and in MN. I'm more interested in larger cities. Don't know enough about Darthmouth. Pitt will be a nice choice too (plan to apply). Mt. Sinai don't know about but now I have a reason to research it, and its in NYC. I'm from the south, so I'm not use to the cold, but that's not to say I won't move to a colder region.
 
Nymphicus said:
Just a few years ago, Baylor was actually a "top ten." From my experience, it still has the reputation of a "top 20" among physicians and residency directors. So for me, I included it as such.

I'm curious about what you're basing the rest of what you say on. Best hospital, best education, best research?
Click to expand...

LAC at USC, no question!

Disclaimer: extraordinarily biased
 
MalibuPreMD said:
LAC at USC, no question!

Disclaimer: extraordinarily biased
Click to expand...

I agree, LAC+USC seemed amazing. All these schools except maybe Dartmouth and Irvine seemed to have exceptionally strong hospitals.

Although, I wonder, there is probably a point where it is "good enough."
 
Nymphicus said:
I agree, LAC+USC seemed amazing. All these schools except maybe Dartmouth and Irvine seemed to have exceptionally strong hospitals.

Although, I wonder, there is probably a point where it is "good enough."
Click to expand...

I think there is. As much as I love USC, I don't think that LAC is enough to push the school above Vandy, Sinai, Baylor, Mayo in terms of research and reputation.
 
Megatron2016 said:
I really don't get the fascination with Mayo, but this is more out of ignorance and choosing not to apply there than anything else. If someone is bored enough to enlighten me, please do so!
Click to expand...


The less than $40,000 tuition, scholarship opportunities, cost of living in Rochester (definitely cheaper than most cities like Chicago, NYC, LA) general location, (cheaper to fly out if you don't order last minute tickets plus sports teams and places like Mall of America aren't too far) plus, to be honest, the name. If you live in the Midwest/have family/grew up there, it's kind of nice knowing there are Mayo Clinics splattered all over Wisconsin and Iowa, too. Of course going to a school isn't a direct ticket into a home residency; and I'm not even close to finishing this whole pre-med stage and attempting to matriculate. When the time comes, if I have the stats on top of everything else, though? Mayo is a place I would definitely apply and cross my fingers for because of all of these reasons. I guess it's kind of like picking a college in the sense that everything sounds amazing, but you don't know until you visit the school. Mayo definitely sounds like a total package, though.

That being said, I'd pick Mayo, Baylor (weather + Texas tuition!), and USC... but I definitely wouldn't be disappointed if I were lucky enough to get into any of those schools.
 
Nymphicus said:
Just a few years ago, Baylor was actually a "top ten." From my experience, it still has the reputation of a "top 20" among physicians and residency directors. So for me, I included it as such.

I'm curious about what you're basing the rest of what you say on. Best hospital, best education, best research?
Click to expand...

Best Hospital - Rankings. http://health.usnews.com/health-new...1/07/18/best-hospitals-2011-12-the-honor-roll. - Mayo is no. 3. Also, Mayo is known to have progressive care coordination etc. (I think there is a PBS video about it).

Best Research - Rankings. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...schools/top-medical-schools/research-rankings. Also, access to major facilities as a med student (i.e. UPMC, MT Anderson, Mt. Sinai Medical Center).

Best Education - More subjective, but I think Mt. Sinai's curriculum is receptive to student perspectives and I also like their focus on the medical humanities.
 
Psychkaytic said:
The less than $40,000 tuition, scholarship opportunities, cost of living in Rochester (definitely cheaper than most cities like Chicago, NYC, LA) general location, (cheaper to fly out if you don't order last minute tickets plus sports teams and places like Mall of America aren't too far) plus, to be honest, the name. If you live in the Midwest/have family/grew up there, it's kind of nice knowing there are Mayo Clinics splattered all over Wisconsin and Iowa, too. Of course going to a school isn't a direct ticket into a home residency; and I'm not even close to finishing this whole pre-med stage and attempting to matriculate. When the time comes, if I have the stats on top of everything else, though? Mayo is a place I would definitely apply and cross my fingers for because of all of these reasons. I guess it's kind of like picking a college in the sense that everything sounds amazing, but you don't know until you visit the school. Mayo definitely sounds like a total package, though.
Click to expand...

I had the same idea until I actually got there and realized how small and cold Rochester is :oops:.

Before I went, I got the idea from SDN that Mayo is like heaven, and it is amazing. So are other places too, though.
 
So have you decided where you will be going?
 
I really don't get the fascination with Mayo
9.jpg
 
Nymphicus said:
I had the same idea until I actually got there and realized how small and cold Rochester is :oops:.

Before I went, I got the idea from SDN that Mayo is like heaven, and it is amazing. So are other places too, though.
Click to expand...

That's definitely valid. I'll admit that when I picture schools I tend to look at what I imagine the first year will be like, since it's all brand new and shiny. I guess it just goes to show how easy it is to fall in love with the idea of something, you know?

Cinclus said:
It's pretty good on sandwiches, or so I've been told.
Click to expand...

Miracle Whip all the way.

I'm not funny.
 
Nymphicus said:
I'm surprised so few people vote for Dartmouth.
Click to expand...

I'm not. Most people don't want to go to med school in the middle of nowhere. They want access to a large and diverse patient population. Dartmouth, though an Ivy, does not have a med school nearly as prestigious as its undergrad.
 
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