<p>princeton, what's your deal? You ask a question. Someone answers it thoughtfully and you pounce like a rabid housecat. Not good form. Anyway, norcalguy , shades-children, brm, and pmyen have said all I would have said , and said it well. Spend a bit more time listening before you start talking. It'll serve you well in the future.</p>
<p>Well I am not an expert at all. However, I can say that "A student will never get into UPenn from Rutgers or JHU from NYU" is very much not true. I personally know few people who specifically:
- one was accepted with FULL scholarship (I did not know that they exist) to JHU Med. School from state school of much lesser standing than NYU
- another was accepted with huge (full?) scholarship to Case Western Med. School from University of Toledo undergrad
- other 2 got Residencies at Mayo Clinic (#1 in a world?), one from Med. College of Ohio (Toledo) another from NEOUCOM</p>
<p>Seems that "the best fit" works better than "prestigious" name.</p>
<p>So you're saying the prestige of my undergrad has a negligible effect on where I go to med school...(which is reassuring)...but it seems just about every other post on here says different. I'm too lazy to find a specific quote but basically all throughout the pre-med advice thread there is mention of prestige of undergrad. So what's the deal?</p>
<p>Yes, I've read that and I meant to quote norcalguy. I've also read the other "IMPORTANT" threads. I'm just wondering what to believe since there's a contradiction between what norcalguy is saying (that undergrad has a negligible effect on where you go to med school) and what basically everyone else is saying (the opposite).</p>
<p>Everyone else on this thread outside of the OP is agreeing with me. I don't know what you're referring to.</p>
<p>A lot of those other posts on other threads are made on the basis of med school acceptance rates which are very inaccurate and subject to manipulation. The comment will usually amount to "Hope College has XXX% acceptance rate to med school" or "Davidson has 100% acceptance rate to med school" and therefore they must be good premed colleges. Without looking at the attrition rate of premed there, at what they're defining as med school (only allopathic schools or all med schools including Billy Bob's Med School in Poland), without looking at the degree of screening (either formal or informally), and without looking at the caliber of med schools students apply to (for example, Stanford has a relatively low acceptance rate but most of its students are CA residents and don't have easy state schools to fall back on), it's useless to use med school acceptance rate for comparison.</p>
<p>Now, if someone advocates for a college based on an actual description of programs there instead of just a silly percentage, then that's something to look into. But, most of the posts that say any college is better than another based on med school acceptance rates are ignorable in my opinion.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying, I was probably confused because I was too lazy to read all 19 or whatever pages of that other thread so I just superficially skimmed most of the posts. I'm just worried that because I'm going to a not-so-prestigious state school (SDSU) that my ability to get into a "good" med school will be hindered.</p>
<p>Does the school make a difference? If two applicants are "equal" in everything else: yes.</p>
<p>What matters most in being selected for a residency: the old boy's network. If I get a letter from someone I know and respect and they say you walk on water, you are in no matter where else you come from. Matters most in residency, but also counts in medical school.</p>
<p>I cant see honestly why it matters THAT much. You know what they called the guy who graduated last in his class at the worst med school in the united states?</p>
<pre><code> Doctor.
</code></pre>
<p>So what happens when that said guy tries to get in a residency? and then a job?</p>
<p>
[quote]
So what happens when that said guy tries to get in a residency?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Depends on what sort of residency. Plastics at Stanford? Not likely. Primary care at a regional hospital? Not a problem.</p>
<p>Seriously? I did say <em>graduated</em> medical school...last time i checked if you do that...you seem to get some sort of residency. however, if you are already classifying yourself into the category of being a horrible medical student, then chances are you should look into somethings else. I hear big industry is always looking for new industrial maintenance managers.</p>
<p>Have a good friend who did not get into us med school. Went to mexico. Is now chairman of dept of medicine at prominent med school in california</p>
<p>Princess'Dad,
I have very similar example of internationally reknown American cardiologist who is one of the best in a country. Did not get in us med school, graduated from some caribian med. school. He gets invited to international simposiums and very well off both professionally and financially.</p>
<p>All,</p>
<p>Thanks for the informative points. I have two questions:</p>
<p>1) When does a medical school student decide his/her specialty? Is there is limit on the # of students (set by the school) pursuing this specialty?</p>
<p>2) What are the % of medical school students can pursue a career such as a radiologist? I heard that it is a very competitive specialty. If a student wants to pursue this field and if the school set a limit on the number of students in this field, would he/she has a better chance going to a medical school slightly less prestigious where he/she stands out more?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>1.) At the beginning of fourth year of medical school. No.
2.) Depends on the caliber of student at that school. No advantage to going to lesser-known medical schools.</p>
<p>I agree with everything the main posters in this thread are saying. Go to where you feel like you belong. For me, I am an international student, but I will get in-state tuition at Texas state schools (established residency, Dad has worked in Tex. for the past 3 years). For me, UT-Austin seems great. It is competitive, but not to the extent of at Ivies/top schools, so I (a kid who went to a non competitive, small high school in Canada) won’t get overwhelmed. The school has a good rep, and I will get all my research, volunteer, and other opportunities at a large school and in a large city like Austin. The school is also diverse and offers a lot of courses to take. I also LOVE warm weather, so that’s a bonus. So, UT-Austin seems perfect for me.</p>
<p>I have questions about residencies though:
- A student goes to an average med school and is below average or average in his class, all his USMLE scores are a bit below average and he gets average LORS and Dean’s letters, WILL he get into a ortho/plastics/neuro specialty? What are his/her chances?</p>
<ol>
<li>I know you get paid during residency, but do some places pay more than others? Weird question, I know, but I was curious.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Chances are very low.</li>
<li>Yes, a little bit. Most places are pretty similar though.</li>
</ol>
<p>When stats say that 84% of med students get matched to one of their top 3 choices, does this include people who really wanted to go into the ROAD specialties but were sub-par students, but applied anyways? </p>
<p>Do those stats apply for the average student who applied to the top specialties? And let’s say a slightly above average student applied to the most difficult specialties, and gets in somewhere. Why would it matter where he did his residency? At the end of the day, aren’t docs always needed? And would it matter that Student X did his residency at “no name residency” compared to Student A at a top residency? And in what aspects does it affect Student X?</p>
<p>Yes. Very few of those applicants exist; if they don’t stand a chance, they almost never apply.</p>
<p>Those stats include all applicants.</p>
<p>If you get in somewhere, that’s usually fine. Top residencies open geographic options, but you’re right that it’s not a huge deal for practicing physicians. The problem is that getting into <em>any</em> residency in those fields is very difficult.</p>