A Little Help with Decisions...

<p>Thank you for that NIH grant funding rank except for the fact that BU once again tops Miami in ranking so I don’t really know why you needed to post the link. (by $20 mill I might add)</p>

<p>BU’s current handbook says that the MCAT requirement is 30: [Special</a> Programs - BU 2009-10 Undergraduate Bulletin](<a href=“http://128.197.26.3/bulletins/und/item14.html#anchor02]Special”>http://128.197.26.3/bulletins/und/item14.html#anchor02) However, this is from 2009-2010, the 33 requirement is even more ridiculous for a combined guaranteed program.</p>

<p>“Graduates of harvard med school for neurosurgery ended up at umdnj and a graduate from drexel med school went to cleveland clinic for neurosurgery. point being, it doesn’t matter the rank of the med school (as long as it is a decent one, and miami, jefferson, and boston are ALL excellent med schools). individual performance matters.”</p>

<p>doctor2b, please get your facts straight. Neurosurgery is one of the MOST competitive specialties out there. If someone had gone to a low-tier medical school, he/she probably would not have even matched into Neurosurgery. Look at match lists and you’ll see the difference. Not to mention, you don’t know if the person took a year off for research, or maybe wanted to be closer to family in New Jersey, etc. (the rest of the application). No one said the medical school you go to is the ENTIRE application, but it is a major part of it, bc of opportunities that are available.</p>

<p>Hopeful88, my point, which you obviously missed, is that the nitty gritty rankings are not relevant. I posted that website, as it shows the entire list so you can compare tiers vs. the US World News and Report links from Post #9 on the thread.</p>

<p>Residency Program Directors and faculty during residency interviews don’t evaluate an applicant based on US World News and Report and the ResidencyPhysician.com website, and say “Oh, he went to a #30 ranked school, but he went to a #40 ranked school!!”. That’s why it’s not the SPECIFIC rank that matters. It’s the TIER - high, middle, or low. Let’s try thinking a little bit beyond the box.</p>

<p>Also with NIH funding, that’s for the entire school in research not necessarily towards student/resident GME medical education. Yet, notice on hospital rankings that very few of BU’s program even rank high. Bascom Eye with Miami Miller is higher, while where is BU?: <a href=“http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals/ophthalmology-hospital-rankings/[/url]”>http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals/ophthalmology-hospital-rankings/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You’re posting of the rank still didn’t make sense. You claim ranks are unimportant and then serve a second example of how BU is higher than Miami. IF the NIH ranking showed Miami was higher ranked than BU, THEN that supports your argument because it shows how rankings cannot be trusted and change from source to source. On the contrary, the second ranking only supports my claim that BU is higher ranked because it confirms the first source thus nullifying your contention that rankings are unreliable and insignificant.</p>

<p>Another thing, the 33 MCAT requirement is completely unbacked with any facts. According to THIS YEAR’s ACCEPTANCE PACKET, the requirement will be 30. Who are you going to believe? Some rumor from an interviewer (who are faculty member and aren’t always certain themselves), or the actual brochure that came with an acceptance package this year?</p>

<p>Hopeful88, I’ll explain this one last time, as you are not comprehending. I never said ranks are unimportant. If US World News and Report ranks one school 35 and another 50, or one 23 and another 20, the overall difference is NEGLIGIBLE. Program Directors are not sweating out, waiting for the next issue of US World News and Report to come out. Program Directors and Faculty of a program (who give out residency interviews) go by TIERS. There is a difference between a school that is 1st tier and last tier, or middle tier and low tier. Do you understand now?</p>

<p>BU, Jefferson Medical College, and University of Miami-Miller Med School are ALL TOP-TIER schools. After that it’s up to your performance. Once given the category of TOP-TIER, program directors aren’t anal retentive and start nit-picking. Get it now?</p>

<p>By the way, Dofbsmdapp said it was raised to 33 (which was told to him at the interview) not me. But based on credibility, I would definitely pick him over you, based on your post #17, where it sounds more adolescent in nature.</p>

<p>You decide…</p>

<p>BU Match List
2009: <a href=“http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/2009/03/2009-match-results-by-specialty1.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/2009/03/2009-match-results-by-specialty1.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
2008: <a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cms/www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/Match_Results/2008_Match_Results_by_Number_in_Specialty.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bu.edu/cms/www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/Match_Results/2008_Match_Results_by_Number_in_Specialty.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
2007: <a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cms/www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/Match_Results/2007_Match_Results_by_Number_in_Specialty.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bu.edu/cms/www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/Match_Results/2007_Match_Results_by_Number_in_Specialty.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>edit: Re: The MCAT requirement is 30. Call their office and ask yourself: 617-353-2300 see who’s more credible.
Ultimately, its up to irrational to decide. Choose you’re best fit, where you can see yourself living for the next 7 or so years of your life. Like I said before, you can’t put a price tag on the experiences and people you meet in college. If that means going to BU because you are a better fit there, then so be it. Money shouldn’t be the top of your concern, especially since all three programs are accelerated and you can practice medicine one or two years earlier which means you are earning ~$150,000 extra which can already put a dent in your student loans before you even graduate from med school if you go the normal 4+4 route.</p>

<p>For the Original Poster,</p>

<p>Miami Miller’s Match Lists here:</p>

<p>2010: <a href=“http://www.mededu.miami.edu/MedEd/divisionsFolder/student_affairs/e-docs/Main_Match_Results_2010_FINAL.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mededu.miami.edu/MedEd/divisionsFolder/student_affairs/e-docs/Main_Match_Results_2010_FINAL.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
2009: <a href=“http://www.mededu.miami.edu/MedEd/divisionsFolder/student_affairs/e-docs/MATCH_RESULTS_CLASS_OF_2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mededu.miami.edu/MedEd/divisionsFolder/student_affairs/e-docs/MATCH_RESULTS_CLASS_OF_2009.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
2008: <a href=“http://www.mededu.miami.edu/match2008/residency_search/MATCH%20RESULTS%20CLASS%20OF%202008.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mededu.miami.edu/match2008/residency_search/MATCH%20RESULTS%20CLASS%20OF%202008.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
2007: [Match</a> Results 2007 | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2600-1;14190-2;53868-3,00.html]Match”>http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2600-1;14190-2;53868-3,00.html)</p>

<p>By the way, Hopeful88, it’s more helpful with your lists to have the ACTUAL INSTITUTIONS they are going to, not just specialties - bc the chosen specialty is up to the person’s subjective preference of what they want to do with their lives. Thus for the OP, you can look at BU’s Match Lists from 2005 forward to see specialties AND
the actual institutions people matched into, see here:</p>

<p>[Match</a> Results Student Affairs BUMC](<a href=“Student Affairs at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine | Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine”>Student Affairs at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine | Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine)</p>

<p>Ultimately it is up the original poster, but most would pick getting a undergraduate full ride at a top tier undergraduate institution as well as top tier medical school, vs. paying full Ivy League price for BU (which is not in the Ivy League) which is also a top tier undergraduate institution as well as top tier medical school.</p>

<p>“especially since all three programs are accelerated and you can practice medicine one or two years earlier which means you are earning ~$150,000 extra which can already put a dent in your student loans before you even graduate from med school if you go the normal 4+4 route.”</p>

<p>Um, after medical school you start residency which depending on how many years your residency is anywhere from 3-5 (and that doesn’t include fellowship, where once again your salary is quite low), you won’t be able to pay off any of your loans during that time. You’re lucky if you can even pay the interest that has accrued on your principal of your loans at that time. You are allowed only so many years in which you qualify for forbearance on loans anyways.</p>

<p>Also, remember, when you take loans, you will also have accrued interest as well. So if irrational has to take a loan out for the undergrad part, let’s take one year - freshman year for example, at BU, then it will be 6 years + let’s say 3 year residency = 9, so at least 9 years (and that’s the minimum) before he can actually start paying off his loans, so that’s 9 years of interest that has accrued. My guess, by you saying money is not at all an issue (when interest is accruing), makes me think that your parents are wealthy doctors, and you’re in a trust-fund baby like scenario where money is no object. That doesn’t work for everyone. Huge debt affects your credit score big time, when it comes to buying a house, etc. And if money was no object it would have no affect on what specialties people choose, but it does, bc you do have to start paying off your loans in a certain period of time.</p>

<p>It doesn’t sound like BU has changed their MCAT requirement. Take things said on here with skepticism guys, you don’t want to scare some nervous accepted hs kid into a quick decision with unfounded statements.</p>

<p>In my experience, even people who are affiliated with a university might not have their facts straight. I met a distant relative at a family dinner party who worked for a college with a BS/MD program (this person claimed to be a member of the Board of Trustees, apparently) and was adamant that their program was 6 years (when it was actually 8). I even went home and checked afterward, and lo and behold, it said clearly on the school website that it was an 8 year program. And this BS/MD program is not a very old one, so it wasn’t like it was a 6 year program for many years and was recently changed to 8.</p>

<p>What do the 3rd and 4th columns indicate in the chart at ‘Match Results Student Affairs BUMC’? This is from post#27. Someone please help.<br>
IMHO, both Miami and Boston seem to contain similar residency matching list. Am I not reading it correctly? </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/2010/03/2010-match_results_1051-specialties-and-programs-only3.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-osa/files/2010/03/2010-match_results_1051-specialties-and-programs-only3.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>For those that have matched into a specialty (like Anesthesia, Radiology, Dermatology, etc.), these specialties require a general year first. If it’s a preliminary year - it’s the first year of that specific field: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery etc. It could also be a transitional year, which is an internship with rotating months but not in a specific field like Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Surgery.</p>

<p>Thus the 3rd and 4th columns are what internship they are doing and where they are doing it, respectively.</p>

<p>From BU’s Admissions Coordinator:
“In order to move on to the Medical School, the program still requires students to maintain a 3.2 GPA and receive a 30 or higher on the MCAT. Students usually take their MCAT during the spring of their third year.”</p>