Your Top 5 Med Schools

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nanosomic

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for those who are applying 2004, what are your top 5 choices and why.

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Harvard, Penn, UCSF, Cornell, and Stanford--in no particular order.

Having interviewed at these institutions, I was truly impressed by the wealth of research opportunities available to medical students. Additionally, the students were very down to earth, and the faculty I met appeared to be invested in medical student success....
 
Originally posted by nanosomic
for those who are applying 2004, what are your top 5 choices and why.

In no particular order:

1. Stony Brook - Loved it, great loc, atmosphere, cheap
2. Case - Cleveland Clinic affiliation, great research, pass/fail
3. Sinai - coz I work there ;)
4. NYU - my alma mater
5. NorthWestern - Chicago + great school.

6. HUMC - Coz my homie ewing is going, yo ewing!
 
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no order -

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College - curriculum, shared resources at Case Western, advisor system, evaluation (everything about this school is so innovative!)

Columbia - clinical experiences, NYC, awesome student body, community & student involvement opportunities

Rochester - curriculum, clinical experiences

Stony Brook - location, in-state tuition

Tufts - location, elective options ("selectives")
 
Jefferson- great location, clinical resources, match strength, esprit de corps, comraderie, ect...

Columbia- match strength, diverse student body, lots of other musicians, great curriculum, support network, reputation

Einstein- match strength, history, noble mission, NYC, solid well rounded education.

UCSF (rejected :confused: )- my home town, match strength, career maker, great location, support structure & resources, know some good people there.

Mt.Sinai- match strength, history, location, humanistic focus, diversity,

Hard to place one over another; they all have so many great qualities.
 
in no order...

UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, Stanford, OHSU

I like the clinical opportunities and primary care focus at UCD, UCI and OHSU. I like the newer curriculum at UCLA and Stanford. And, of course, I really do not want to leave California, but OHSU is close enough to work for me.
 
Rochester, UPitt, Dartmouth, Penn State, and Vermont
 
One can only hope...

1. Harvard/JHU
3. Columbia/Penn
5. Yale

Harvard - policies (PBL, pass/fail, living w/ MS1s in Vandy) all promote cooperation between classmates, most diverse student body in the country, great research opportunities

JHU (waitlisted) - my beloved hometown w/ most of my family, fantastic research opportunities, all of my heroes in medicine are Hopkins people (Carson, Watkins, Thomas, Morgan, etc...)

Columbia - NYC, great place for musicians, impressive diversity, great community service opportunities, also some of my favorite humanities scholars are in the undergrad campus (i.e. Manning Marable)

Penn - early clinical training is a +, integrated curriculum, like the fact that all of the Penn schools are in the same area, great research opportunities

Yale - no grading system is a +++++, lots of flexibility in curriculum, senior research project is a +, students seem really cool
 
Cornell, UCSF, UCLA, UPenn, and Yale.

I actually haven't received interview invites from three of those schools, but they are nevertheless my top choices. :D

Cornell - I got a really good vibe at the interview. great curriculum and can't beat the price on housing. ;)

UCLA - Great school. Plus, I live really close by, so I prolly wouldn't even need to spend extra on housing if I were to go here. :D

Penn - have a lot of friends who go there for undergrad, so i ended up visiting penn a lot and ended up really liking the place.

Yale - my interest in yale was a recent one, after meeting a yale med school graduate neurosurgeon who pretty much became my hero.

UCSF - I actually dunno why. I've never been to SF before, and I haven't heard much about it, but I get this feeling that this school is "the one" for me.
 
UCI first!! Location, friendly staff, lecture-based curriculum, proximity of family, great clinics to work with the disadvantaged, cost, match for my specialty of interest, beautiful campus.
Truly family-oriented student body and no housing cost (live close by).

LLU second! Close to home, but still have to live off campus. Has pretty much everything that UCI has, but for a higher cost.


Loyola University is third: Chicago! The most WONDERFUL staff, and a family-oriented student body - Can you tell that's a turn-on for me? Also, great facility, great hospital, great associated gym, don't teach abortion, Jesuit, and I loved it!

Anything after that doesn't matter!! I'm in at Loyola, baby!!
 
Originally posted by Kashue
6. HUMC - Coz my homie ewing is going, yo ewing!

Yo, whatup homie?! :clap:
 
Georgetown [md/phd philosophy], Penn, Yale, Columbia, Hopkins (no order) :)

I'm actually in at GTown....still waiting for the philosophy dept!!

GT -- Best bioethics resources in the country. Very supportive md/phd setup. One of 2 places in the country that will let you do philosophy and medicine, and make it financially possible!

Penn -- I work here. Incredible rep. Wonderful students. Innovative curriculum. It's home. If I decide on MD only this is a top place to be.

Columbia -- Great vibe from this place. Lots of energy, things going on, I like the neighborhood, clinical facilities are good. Very very rigorous. The P&S club!

Yale -- Fell in love with this school at interview. Yelled into the dome in a really weird, yeehaw ;). The attitude of the school sells it to me. My cousin goes here to undergrad. It "feels" right.

Hopkins -- My undergrad. I give it respect for all the incredible history behind the institution. The achievement here is untouchable. That's basically it. But, I'm also waitlisted :( . Even if I don't get into the med school, would I ever love to come here for residency....:love:


Hon. Mention:

Einstein -- Incredibly friendly student body. Amazing loyalty to institution. I'd have fun going here. Jewish history behind it is a plus. It's a superb, and underrated place.
 
Nows a good time to reflect for me since the reach schools are now rejections

In no order, schools that I still have a shot at:

Mount Sinai
UMich (i wish)
Northwestern
Drew/UCLA
Case Western


Mount Sinai: Loved the close-knit environment, NYC is a plus, affordable housing, great match list, emphasis on research a plus, diverse patient population, students are laid back and happy.

UMich: No real chance here, but it's my old home state

Northwestern: Again, no real chance, but its a great school in a great city

Drew/UCLA: What can I say, its in So Cal, which is home for me. UCLA is a great school and Drew will let me integrate my public health degree into practice a la. serving the underserved

Case Western: I'm in here, and I'll be happy if this is where I go. TRUE pass fail, great student-professor relationships, just seems to be a happy place to learn medicine. And of course. Cleveland Clinic.
 
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Cornell- location, people, vibe, housing, FA program, waiting post-interview

NYU- location, demographic of patients, school overall, NO interview yet

UCSF- wouldn't have to leave my apartment, everything else is great too, preinterview hold

Stanford- location, 5 year plan, FA program, location, interviewing soon

Tied- Sinai or Columbia... I just really want to be in NYC if I can't stay here in SF
 
Well, I did not apply to your harvards and JHs, but my top 5 schools that I still have a chance at are:

1. NYU - location, location, location - no word yet (cross your fingers)

2. Jefferson - I got a really good feeling from this school and I live in philly right now. I might even put this as a tie for #1. Please accept me off the waitlist

3. SUNY Downstate - Have to give the state schools some love, although they have not shown me any (I hate you Stony Brook). Plus I have spoken with a few doctors who are downstate grads and they have nothing but good things to say. Pre-interview hold waiting for my fall grades, which are good, so I should get an interview

4. Tufts - I really like the Boston area. This would be higher on my list if not for the price tag and cost of living in Boston. Interview in January

5. SUNY Upstate - The other state school that I still have a chance at. (Once again, I wish poor health onto the adcom at Stony Brook).
 
Originally posted by ForensicPath
Well, I did not apply to your harvards and JHs, but my top 5 schools that I still have a chance at are:

1. NYU - location, location, location - no word yet (cross your fingers)

2. Jefferson - I got a really good feeling from this school and I live in philly right now. I might even put this as a tie for #1. Please accept me off the waitlist

3. SUNY Downstate - Have to give the state schools some love, although they have not shown me any (I hate you Stony Brook). Plus I have spoken with a few doctors who are downstate grads and they have nothing but good things to say. Pre-interview hold waiting for my fall grades, which are good, so I should get an interview

4. Tufts - I really like the Boston area. This would be higher on my list if not for the price tag and cost of living in Boston. Interview in January

5. SUNY Upstate - The other state school that I still have a chance at. (Once again, I wish poor health onto the adcom at Stony Brook).

Really sorry about Stony Brook ForensicPath. I think it's unfair what they did to you after you've worked so hard for them. I'd be pissed off too.
 
man, you guys all talk about research opportunities and getting into clinics early, and yet nobody has Duke in their top 5? Duke has one year of basic sciences, followed by a year of rotations in clinics, then 3rd year is all up to the student to do research or whatever, 4th year same as others.

1. Duke
2. Penn - same reasons i like Duke, except 1.5 yrs of basic sciences here
3. Pitt - I'm from there
4. Stanford
5. ??
 
1) Columbia: NYC, you have to love that city.
2)UCSF: Great program, cannot wait for my interview next month
3)USC: right up my alley, great clinical exposure. I see great things in their future
4)UCLA: Whoa, cannot get enough of LA chicks. Their great curriculum is a plus
5)Harvard: What can i say, it's Harvard!
 
Buddha said "desire is the cause of suffering"...so maybe we should all stop dreaming and...see how fate will treat us :cool:
 
I havent interviewed at all these schools yet but here goes:

Columbia - NYC & opportunities & clinical
Stonybrook - best state school so far...
USC-Keck - LA location, progressive education and match in CA
Yale - their educational philosophy and freedome to do alot of other things
Mount Sinai - from what i read, seems pretty progressive and its in NYC

USC-Keck is #1 at the moment, but I haven't been there eyt so that could all change.

bonnie
 
Originally posted by Kashue
Really sorry about Stony Brook ForensicPath. I think it's unfair what they did to you after you've worked so hard for them. I'd be pissed off too.

Thanks. I'm still going to maintain my relationship with the school and I wouldn't be surprised if I worked there in some capacity again this summer. I have a pretty decent relationship with the dept of neurology and some connections in pathology and ED there and would like to keep it that way. I plan on writing them a letter expressing my discontent, mostly to vent my frustration.
 
1) USC--really like the curriculum and clinical opportunities....also the only cali interview i've had so far
2)UCLA--it's been my home for seven years--b.s. and m.p.h. plus a year off....so a part of me would just like to round out my education there....plus it would make rooting for a team in the bruin/trojan rivalry much easier
3)UCI--location
4)UCSD--location
5)Penn State--a school that seems to put their money where their mouth is....med schools always want a well-rounded med student applying....but what about once you get in? they have a cool humanities thing going, and require a research project to graduate....i think that's cool.....makes their students stand out a bit...
 
in this order:

1) Medical college of georgia- felt comfortable there, very affordable in state tuition. Quality medical education.
2) Emory
3) Vanderbilt
4) UAB
5) MCV
 
1. Dartmouth - Small class, great students, reputable financial aid, cost of living isn't bad, and I love the outdoors. I got to meet quite a few students there and they were very relaxed, friendly, and happy. I like that it's next to the undergrad campus. Distractions won't be a problem, and it's only 40 mins from Killington, VT! Student season pass for $300 covers not only Killington, but also 5 other mountains. It's also fairly close to Boston, Burlington, and Montreal.
2. Rochester - Curriculum, facilities, cost of living. Rochester's big enough to offer many things to do, but small enough to still be fairly cheap and not too crowded.
3. Boston U - Boston's great. I want to do my residency in one of the Boston hospitals, so I could make some connections while I'm there. There is lots to do (perhaps too many distractions?) and plenty of schools for my g/f to attend (masters).
4. Georgetown - I fit their philosophy, I like DC, I know a few people in the area, and I'm interested on ortho. Fairly flexible schedule in that you're not required to be in lecture.
5. Emory - Good school, I know the area and I have friends there. Great facilities at Emory and lots of exposure at Grady. Though I don't think I'd want to stay in state, it would be hard to pass up Emory. Then again, if I were to stay in state, MCG would make more sense ($).
 
1. Harvard
2. Hopkins
3. WashU
4. Duke
5. Penn

I strangely forecast that my preferences might change a little some time after the release of the next US News ratings.
 
1. Hopkins - All the legends and my heroes of medicine. I also got a bit emotional to walk where my father and grandfather walked and studied. The emotion left when my interviewer showed me a picture of my father from the 70s. Ugh!

2. WashU - I have great friends here who are staying after school. I like my life here. I can afford a great apt without starving. 75% of the students do research. Nicest med students all around that i met.

3. Columbia - You can see why P&S is in NYC. The attitude, the people, the rigorous enviroment. I love it. Plus i miss New York.

*tied with*

3. UCSF - Simply amazing. I really loved SFO and i would really like to live there.

5. Yale - The 5 year program sounds interesting. I would also be interested in a Yale MBA. The no grading system would probably make me stress free. Amazing research opportunities. If it wasn't for New Haven it would have been higher on my list.
 
JHU, NYU, USC, UCLA (in that order)
 
Originally posted by bell
JHU, NYU, USC, UCLA (in that order)

one... two... three... four... um... is that's only four?? :p
 
haha..yes..only applied to 7 (didn't really want to go the last 3)..so i can only pick 4 :)
 
1. UPenn - 1.5 years of basic sciences, located in Philly (close to home!), tons of opportunity for travel and research in the 4th year (very flexible), beautiful campus. No drawbacks (except maybe the cost)

2. Yale - extremely flexible, no grades for the first two years (!!), thesis requirement (w/ opportunity to get funding from the school for some travel/research), beautiful campus. Only drawback is that it's in New Haven (3 hours from home...)

3. U Pitt - awesome curriculum, global health certificate program, amazing reputation for emergency medicine, tons of volunteer/clinical opportunities since it's the only med school for miles, great outdoor opportunities, a wilderness medicine interest group(!), and an opporutnity to get the Dean's Merit Scholarship. The only drawback (and if not for this, Pitt would probably be tied with Penn) is that it's 6-7 hours away from home :(

4. Cornell - one of the top schools for international medicine, get to live in NY for cheap, very different curriculum, opportunities for funding for travel/research. Drawbacks are that they literally don't teach some subjects (pharm!!), have no USMLE reviews, and the system is a little too PBL... plus i'm not that fond of the city.

5. Hmm.... The other schools i'm considering - RWJ, Jefferson, Einstein - are all pretty much tied for this spot. Pluses include everything from close proximity to home to being cheap to having great clinical opportunities.
 
(1) Stanford - Flexible program...coupled with the middle income assistance grants. The atmosphere and small class size are exactly what I am looking for in a medical education. Plus, more than half of the residents get to stay in California and those that don't stay end up doing extremely well (16% to Harvard hospitals, for example).

(2) Harvard - Incredibly strong clinical training and immense resources. Plus the history associated with studying medicine at Harvard.

(3) UCSF - Facilities are dumpy, and as a public school there is little money available for travel or research. Recent fee increases put its price tag higher than Stanford, even for an in-stater like me. Still, SFGH is an amazing place and SF is a great (though expensive) place to live.

(4) Cornell - Great location...it really seemed like they gave their students a lot of support (both financial and otherwise).

(5) Michigan - Not a fan of the location. Great school with excellent training opportunities. I withdrew from a lot of interviews when I heard from UMich.
 
#1: Duke - great research opportunities, super match list, 3rd year opportunities are incredible.

#2: Columbia - NYC, super-happy students, true sense of community

#3: Cornell - incredible facilities, location, small class, they really pamper their students

#4: UCSF - most impressive and diverse student body i've seen so far. but, didn't like the facilities and not a huge fan of SF

#5: Pitt - awesome patient simulation, supportive administration, laid-back students, location isn't bad, school though lacks the prestige of previous four schools (for what it's worth).
 
1. Harvard
2. UCSF
3. Stanford
4. UCLA
5. John Hopkins
 
I wonder how many combinations of the same 8 schools we can give in one thread...
 
If anything, it proves how the decision between any of those 8 schools is purely about personality and gut feeling.
 
nevertheless, it's really interesting to know why.
 
But it's been interesting to see that people really like Penn State, Pitt, Irvine, and Jefferson, in addition to the top 8.

Also to see that there are a few true "Suthnahs".

And that most people's picks, after the top few, are the schools they fel like they've got a real shot at.
 
regardless of whether i got an interview or got rejected..

ucsf, ucla, hopkins, baylor, davis or usc
 
By far #1 (Hey quideam! I hope we get to be classmates. Best of luck! :D ): UPenn: very flexible program, great curriculum, CHOP (I want to go into peds), great volunteerships with children and migrant workers, money for travel, love the case-based small classroom aspect. I love Philly. Relatively close to home without being NY. The campus is awesome and is close to all the other schools.

#2: Cornell: great curriculum (PBL is definitely the way to go for me), MSKCC (I want to go into pediatric oncology), Tri-institutional program, money for research and travel, NY Presbyterian Hospital, MPH program linked with Columbia

#3: UCSF: No chance of getting in (out-of-stater with decent but not phenomenal stats) but I did get a secondary which is more than I thought I would get, I like SF, great curriculum and program, great peds hospital, and cool MPH program with UCB.

#4: UCLA: woohoo my first interview since being deferred from UPenn ED, It has a great medical center, great peds hospital, LA (I love celebrities and I am a media *****! :D ), and cool revamped curriculum.

#5: UPitt: I like the curriculum a lot. The campus looks cool. A nice place to be for 4 years. Great clinical training and lots of money for research.

UPenn is still the best though! :clap: :clap: :love: :love:
 
In no particular order...

Michigan -- still waiting to hear from 'maize n blue...you'd think that because I had a little michigan football when I was a kid that I'd be a shoo-in...not to mention all the family and friends in Ann Arbor...

Case -- really liked the school, got in, so I will most likely go there (though if it came down to a choice with Pitt, it'd be really difficult to decide) I'm especially excited by the partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. Plus, you get a laptop your first year, and from what I understand, a PDA the third.

CCLCM -- still waiting for the ubiquitous hold letter (or acceptance...who knows?) I've written a bunch on this school already, so I'll just move on to the next...

Pitt -- Really liked the school, although I was told that they don't have much money for financial aid. I was a bit miffed at my interview because they were the only school which didn't validate my parking...It ended up being 15 dollars that I didn't have...Plus the escalators are really loud...on the positive side, the gross lab "museum" is very impressive, as will the dummy lab (they were in the process of relocating when I interviewed...)

Yale -- For some odd reason, I have this interest in Yale, even though I know little about the school and haven't even been contacted for an interview. Maybe it's because they have a nice website...
 
Originally posted by DrJ2B

UPenn is still the best though! :clap: :clap: :love: :love:

Dude, anyone who would have sex with a school DESERVES to get in. No pun intended ;).
 
what about this combination?
1. UCSF
2. UCLA
3.Mount Sinai
4.Albert Einstein/ NYU
5. Yale
For now these are my 5 top choices that I hope to get into.
 
UCSF
UCSD
Baylor
Wash U

I would gladly give my first child for any of the schools above (it helps that I don't really like kids. Now if you were to ask me to give up my dog, I'd have to think it over). ^_^
 
Well I feel obligated to put down Mayo since it's treated here in Rochester as sacred and holy; heck the Mayo brothers are almost regarded as highly as Jesus in this town.
 
more contributions please
 
Originally posted by klooless
Harvard, Penn, UCSF, Cornell, and Stanford--in no particular order.

Having interviewed at these institutions, I was truly impressed by the wealth of research opportunities available to medical students. Additionally, the students were very down to earth, and the faculty I met appeared to be invested in medical student success....

LoL, well you got a leg up on me. Cornell and UPenn have been silent as far as I'm concerned post secondary. It's bizarre and puzzling how institutions chose their interviewees.

I think I've established a final rank order, but here are the top five in no particular order:

Washington University in St Louis
Duke
Harvard
Yale
Johns Hopkins
 
Originally posted by eklope2000
1. Harvard
2. Hopkins
3. WashU
4. Duke
5. Penn

I strangely forecast that my preferences might change a little some time after the release of the next US News ratings.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
Penn
Harvard
Mt.Sinai
NJMS -- Newark
Chicago

(in that order).
 
1. UCSF
2. NYU/NU
3. Pitt
4. MSSM
5. AECOM
 
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