Why would you NOT go to your state school?

[literallybased]

Hi SDN,

I was recently accepted at my favorite state school, and I'm starting to wonder why I should consider the more prestigious (and more expensive) schools on my list. Is there really any benefit to going to a more prestigious institution? I feel like you would learn the same stuff but pay more for the education. Are there any subtle benefits I'm missing out on by going to a state school?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AxiomaticTruth]

This question has been answered a million times on this forum. Do a simple search and you'll get an answer much faster.

 

[GoPelicans]

Some state schools are exceptional deals because they regularly match large numbers of their class to prestigious hospitals in the same geographic area.

 

[SN12357]

Hi SDN,

I was recently accepted at my favorite state school, and I'm starting to wonder why I should consider the more prestigious (and more expensive) schools on my list. Is there really any benefit to going to a more prestigious institution? I feel like you would learn the same stuff but pay more for the education. Are there any subtle benefits I'm missing out on by going to a state school?

For prestige? Probably not. But some of those top schools have more scholarship money (both merit and need-based) and can sometimes end up being cheaper than a state school. So if you're willing to go to them, stay in the game until they make their financial offers. The sticker price isn't necessarily a good indicator of what they will cost you.

 

[kyamh]

If you know you may want to enter a competitive specialty, it is nice to have every possible advantage....but priorities vary

 

[sourdoughllama]

.

 

[Temerit]

Some states like Washington and Oregon only have one MD school and those schools can be idiosyncratic in their focus (great for some, but not all).

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I just didn't want to live in the location of my state school (small rural town, small hospital, lot of satellite sites for rotations). I applied and would have gone there if the choice was that or nothing.

 

[Espadaleader]

Some people also have different financial aid realities. The need-based aid for a low-income student at a "top 20" makes attending that much easier. Also, these schools give out hefty scholarships to some. If you're family makes over 100k, has equity, and you are not in contention for merit based aid its a different story.

The higher ranked the school, the LEAST EXPENSIVE it is for some.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

It depends on the type of student you are. If you do really well in medical school it will matter less where you go to medical school. If you are anywhere in the middle of your class .... then it is much much better coming from at top program. + top programs have access to more opportunities to research and chance to meet important people. its not really about what you learn, but who you end up meeting.

 

[gettheleadout]

My state school's adcom is entirely composed of immediate family members, so I would feel bad receiving my acceptance.

 

[nemo123]

My state school's adcom is entirely composed of immediate family members, so I would feel bad receiving my acceptance.

That's what my friend said too, and she said it would have killed her pride if she had to go there.

 

[notbobtrustme]

UIC doesn't give an in-state discount. Tuition is around 200k for instaters, possibly higher now.

 

[chillaxbro]

All the SUNY schools are in terrible locations

 

[Elizabeth Estrada]

This question has been answered a million times on this forum.

 

[sfwtboy]

All the SUNY schools are in terrible locations

I wouldn't exactly call Brooklyn a terrible location, but hey to each his own.

 

[mcloaf]

Some states like Washington and Oregon only have one MD school and those schools can be idiosyncratic in their focus (great for some, but not all).

Very true.

 

[darkjedi]

My state schools would have cost me more than what I pay now, by a significant margin.

I wouldn't exactly call Brooklyn a terrible location, but hey to each his own.

I'm not sure if the area around Downstate is the best, but it's been a few years since I toured it.

 

[alpinism]

Hi SDN,

I was recently accepted at my favorite state school, and I'm starting to wonder why I should consider the more prestigious (and more expensive) schools on my list. Is there really any benefit to going to a more prestigious institution? I feel like you would learn the same stuff but pay more for the education. Are there any subtle benefits I'm missing out on by going to a state school?

More prestigious schools are often cheaper in the end b/c of more scholarships and other ways to cut down on tuition.

 

[scarletgirl777]

Some people also have different financial aid realities. The need-based aid for a low-income student at a "top 20" makes attending that much easier. Also, these schools give out hefty scholarships to some. If you're family makes over 100k, has equity, and you are not in contention for merit based aid its a different story.

The higher ranked the school, the LEAST EXPENSIVE it is for some.

Your family can make more than 100k and you can still get great financial aid at some of these top schools with huge endowments.

 

[nemo123]

I wouldn't exactly call Brooklyn a terrible location, but hey to each his own.

It depends on where in Brooklyn. Downstate is in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, which is okay, but it's definitely not a great place to live. The Rockaway parts are really sketchy, and some areas near the Queens border are also pretty sketchy.

Either way, I wouldn't because there have been a lot of financial issues lately at my state school, and it makes me nervous about going to school there. Plus I'm not sure my state schools mesh well with my interests.

 

[JustaUnicorn]

My state school's adcom is entirely composed of immediate family members, so I would feel bad receiving my acceptance.

Curious, how does that happen?

 

[astromfs]

I wouldn't exactly call Brooklyn a terrible location, but hey to each his own.

This highly depends in the area.

 

[MedWonk]

If another school offers a better fin aid package and I like that school, then I would likely go to that school over my state school. Or if I really just don't like my state school. Fortunately, I do like my state school.

 

[shookwell]

It depends on where in Brooklyn. Downstate is in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, which is okay, but it's definitely not a great place to live. The Rockaway parts are really sketchy, and some areas near the Queens border are also pretty sketchy.

Either way, I wouldn't because there have been a lot of financial issues lately at my state school, and it makes me nervous about going to school there. Plus I'm not sure my state schools mesh well with my interests.

Thr Rockaways aren't even in Brooklyn. If you go to Downstate you would probably live somewhere in north Brooklyn like prospect heights, park slope, cobble hill, etc, which are very nice places to live.

 

[nemo123]

Thr Rockaways aren't even in Brooklyn. If you go to Downstate you would probably live somewhere in north Brooklyn like prospect heights, park slope, cobble hill, etc, which are very nice places to live.

Lol obviously I was having a brain fart when I wrote that.

Anyways, I was just saying in general that some places in Brooklyn aren't nice and the Downstate area isn't particularly nice either. Besides that, it would be hard to live in any of the areas you mentioned because rent in those areas are so high (unless you can find a roommate to share a 1 bedroom apartment with).

 

[DokterMom]

Harvard or Hopkins vs. Midwest State U -- Yeah, go for the prestige. Versus UCSF or UTSW -- Why pay more?

How good is the out of state private school? How much more prestigious? How much more money? They all factor in -- Do you want a prestigious specialty? Academic medicine? How important are 'more impressive credentials' to you personally?

Consider that each $10,000 of student loan debt will cost you about $115 per month in loan payments after you graduate. Do some quick math and Seriously consider that even with a $200-$400K annual salary, those loan payments will take a big bite.

 

[ruedjgtc]

In Californian we get no love as natives, so we apply out of state. If your merit/need grants are enough then it can temper the out of state costs. Money isn't a problem for me, I was born poor, I am poor, and being poor later doesn't bother me. Besides that, I'd like to see the world and not just stay a Los Angeles kid.

To each their own, I can't understand why people would want more of the same, but I'm sure they have their own reasons.

 

[gettheleadout]

Curious, how does that happen?

It was a joke.

 

[EMDO2018]

My state school honestly looks after the privileged. You have to "know" somebody to get in. I know a guy who got in with a 19 MCAT, both of his parents are doctors with ties to the med school. It is the only MD school in the state and has a monopoly. f' em.

 

[sfwtboy]

Lol obviously I was having a brain fart when I wrote that.

Anyways, I was just saying in general that some places in Brooklyn aren't nice and the Downstate area isn't particularly nice either. Besides that, it would be hard to live in any of the areas you mentioned because rent in those areas are so high (unless you can find a roommate to share a 1 bedroom apartment with).

Most of the students at downstate claimed to live in Park Slope haha no comments on sharing a 1 bedroom though.

 

[newborn11]

Some state schools are on par with top programs in terms of research opportunities while others might be lacking. Based on the information available on sdn and my experiences on the interview trail, I find that not all allopathic medical schools are equal in terms of research opportunities and networking potential/faculty reputation. Since residency directors value step-1 scores, research, LORs, and clinical grades, it is important to attend a school with sufficient research opportunities in your field of interest. Also, state schools might have a greater emphasis on primary care (which might or might not align with your interest) than top private programs.

You're not alone. I'm fortunate enough to live in a state with an inexpensive, reputable public med school. I often wonder whether it is wise to choose a private top-10/top-20 program over my top-25 state school.

 

[REFLEXhamma]

I'm not sure if the area around Downstate is the best, but it's been a few years since I toured it.

Current student at Downstate here. I wouldn't let the location deter you from considering the program. Its actually the reason why I ended up attending. The neighborhood is a little rough but around the school it isn't bad, like you can walk around no problem. When you walk a few block away it is dicey at night time. It's a 7min walk from subway station which means you can live in whatever neighborhood you want but most people are in Brooklyn b/c of transit time. People found roommates on facebook for first year and some changed it up after that. Its about a 20min commute from Atlantic Station/Barclays in Park Slope (the place where they had the MTV music awards this year). So people who are on campus or nearby usually go out to dinner or bars over there if they are staying "local" instead of going somewhere in the city. Also, Downstate is like a 10min jog from Prospect Park which is awesome if you are into running.

In terms of medical education, its an awesome location because of the diverse patient population you can encounter for clinical work.

 

[JustaUnicorn]

It was a joke.

Ah yes, ofcourse...(<_<) (>_>)