I’ve been struggling with the idea that some schools are just plain “better” than others for various reasons - age, reputation, etc.
I have been shadowing with a resident who told me that his opinion is you will get the same education at any school, but going to a “better” school can give you an edge when it comes time for residency.
How important do you think school choice is? Do you feel the education is fairly equal among schools?
Here is my two cents on this topic.
First of all, if you get in ANYWHERE, you’re set! At least you know you’re going to med school. If you get in multiple places and have a choice, that’s great. So I’ve heard some pre-meds say that their top choice med school is “the one that accepts me!” Which I can totally understand. It’s a tough ballgame, to be sure.
As for whether one school is better than another, I think a big part of that is compatibility with YOU. Your learning style, whether you do well in a large class or small class environment, whether you want a primary care focus, lots of research opportunities, etc. Sure, a top tier school might look impressive to people who are looking at you for a residency, but more important is that you do WELL in medical school, really learn the material, in my opinion. And that means you need to find a place that fits you, if that makes sense. A lot of those top tier schools have very competitive environments, and if that’s you, great. If you don’t do well in that kind of environment, it might not be the place for you, regardless of how it might be perceived by residency programs.
Really, I think the key to figuring out where to apply (and possibly where to go, if you get multiple acceptances) is doing your research. Get the MSAR from the AAMC (if you’re going MD). Go to the schools’ Web sites. Try to find out if you can contact students or alums (I got a list of people to contact just by calling and asking someone at one of my top choices). But part of this is also self-reflection. Figuring out what works for you, where you will excel and succeed, what your own criteria are.
Hope this helps, and best wishes to you! 
- Lorien
I completely agree with Lorien’s statements. I think that every medical school program has its own unique strengths (and conversely, its own unique areas of opportunity.)
Find out which program matches up with your unique strengths…and go for it!
- PHCat Said:
I've been struggling with the idea that some schools are just plain "better" than others for various reasons - age, reputation, etc.
I have been shadowing with a resident who told me that his opinion is you will get the same education at any school, but going to a "better" school can give you an edge when it comes time for residency.
How important do you think school choice is? Do you feel the education is fairly equal among schools?
I have been shadowing with a resident who told me that his opinion is you will get the same education at any school, but going to a "better" school can give you an edge when it comes time for residency.
How important do you think school choice is? Do you feel the education is fairly equal among schools?
I concur strongly with my right honorable colleagues from the great states of Illinois and Tennessee respectively.
While your concerns are real, and points are valid, they are in many ways moot. The competition for medical school is fierce and very few students get much of choice, certainly not to the level that you desire. You may apply to anywhere from 12 to 24 schools, you may get 6 interviews (if you're lucky) and you may get 2 or 3 acceptances (if your lucky). You may have to consider cost, especially if the "better" private, out of state school accepts as well as the less prestigious public school, at $150K overall difference in debt. You may have to consider where your spouse can get work, where your kids may got to school, etc. At that point consideration of what school may be better for a particular residency may be overshadowed
You should also read up on how to improve your chances to get into a residency and specialty. As with MCAT in acceptance to medical school, USMLE is the key exam to help you get into residency. Good LOR, audition rotations, etc. the NRMP publishes all the data on the residency match (just put "NRMP data" into Google and you'll get to the site). Virtually all medical specialties survey across the all the residency program directors to rate the top 20 factors in consideration for applicants so you can see what is and isn't important.
Now I must go attend an important meeting in the cloakroom where my libation of bourbon and branch water awaits me.
(I say, I say, why I am channeling Senator Foghorn Leghorn is beyond me. I will contemplate this while sipping my libation)
I was just talking to a surgeon that I work with about this. She actually told me that my “dream” school (Mayo) is overrated.
Her take: It doesn’t really matter where you go to school, it’s what YOU put into it that determines what you’ll get out of it. It’s more important to put time and consideration into a location that you’ll be happy in - close to the school (Really close!), with friends/support/etc for yourself & your family.
The others have pretty much said it already. Here is a quote from my “Top Medical Schools” article I think will answer your question (I hope it’s ok to put the link here)
- In reply to:
Now, you may be asking yourself, “How important is the medical school name on my diploma in determining the rest of my career?†This is a good question, given that in certain professions, one’s choice of professional school greatly matters. When becoming a lawyer, for example, where you go to law school really matters. It may even define your career. It will certainly greatly affect where you do your 1st year internship which will then greatly influence where you get your first job.
This is completely different from the world of medicine. In medicine, where you went to medical school only offers a small benefit in the residency application process. Medical students from the top schools might be slightly more competitive than students from lower-ranked schools, however, if you have top grades, high USMLE scores, and excellent letters of recommendation, you have just as much of a shot at matching at a top residency program as students at the top schools.
This is completely different from the world of medicine. In medicine, where you went to medical school only offers a small benefit in the residency application process. Medical students from the top schools might be slightly more competitive than students from lower-ranked schools, however, if you have top grades, high USMLE scores, and excellent letters of recommendation, you have just as much of a shot at matching at a top residency program as students at the top schools.