Thread for BSMD 2020-2021 Applicants (Part 2)

[sam2024]

As this is medicine I think it will be more appropriate to compare with AIIMS and not IIT or IIM

If I remember more than 35 years back it was more difficult to get into AIIMS than IIT.

I assume this is same but is AIIMS in residency director network ? may be not but I know it is at JHU

[sam2024]

So my point is the name brand matters if you are from AIIMS or any other medical college in India for few Top programs in US

[srk2017]

@Zephyr212

@rk2017 that attack on IITians was under the belt but now that you started it I would proudly state -

There are only two kinds of Engineers that get their bachelor’s degree out of India - one who are IITians and the other -who wish they were IITians

On a serious note being from IIT and IIM, I understand the value of brands. Having said that, just because you can win a battle you do not go out swinging. Conserving energy for a bigger fight is a smart tactic. US MD route is different than US non MD or India degree and requires a different strategy.

Which battle is important and which is not is a call that has to be taken based on personal preferences.

BU is better than IIT

[srk2017]

@Zephyr212

On a serious note being from IIT and IIM

You D or S applied to BSMD?

[NoviceDad]

For International Medical Graduates (IMGs), while many PDs may know about AIIMS, they tend to value the LORs from US docs/PDs re: any observership or rotations IMGs have done in US.

One doc had shared with me that their residency PDs only look for IMGs if their Step 1 scores were >= 260 (before it became P/F). And that too for IM specialty!

[Zephyr212]

@srk2017 free ride at Vandy is better than BU full pay

[sam2024]

With Step 1 pass fail only the brand name will matter.

[srk2017]

@NoviceDad

For International Medical Graduates (IMGs), while many PDs may know about AIIMS, they tend to value the LORs from US docs/PDs re: any observership or rotations IMGs have done in US.

One doc had shared with me that their residency PDs only look for IMGs if their Step 1 scores were >= 260 (before it became P/F). And that too for IM specialty!

Scores matter whether you are from AIIMS or Harvard but may be 250 from AIMS may be enough over 260 from some private college in south.

[srk2017]

@Zephyr212

@srk2017 free ride at Vandy is better than BU full pay

But Vandy students have to do some prep to get 100th percentile in MCAT.

[srk2017]

@sam2024

With Step 1 pass fail only the brand name will matter.

Nah, Step 2 scores will come into the play.

[srk2017]

@NoviceDad

For International Medical Graduates (IMGs), while many PDs may know about AIIMS, they tend to value the LORs from US docs/PDs re: any observership or rotations IMGs have done in US.

One doc had shared with me that their residency PDs only look for IMGs if their Step 1 scores were >= 260 (before it became P/F). And that too for IM specialty!

I agree LORs from US Docs adds lot of values to IMGs. I came up with that strategy for my wife 20+ years back. W got LOR from a US Doc and T30 research LOR in 1990s which was kind of rare.

[NoviceDad]

Not so sure as many Colleges in south (i.e. Caribbean) have agreements with US univ./hospitals where the students do rotations.

This gives them a crucial advantage of knowing PDs and showcasing their skills.

[itsgettingreal21]

That’s not what folks are talking about when they talk about the Ivy network. All PDs will have access to rotations and the quality of those opportunities isn’t Ivy dependent but on the PD’s own connections and reputation. Folks talking about Ivy networks and networking are talking about alums to get jobs. That matters in a few industries.

[grtd2010]

An example, no brand name can go to a Harvard fellowship.
PSU Medical School → Residency (Orthopaedics) ->Harvard (Fellowship Ortho)

[Zephyr212]

@srk2017 @rk2017 @compengineer1 that is exactly why I said personal preference is important in choosing which battle to fight and when to conserve energy for a future fight

Also what kind of energy to conserve (financial, intellectual, emotional) and how to use the conserved energy…all depends on personal preferences.

[NoviceDad]

Agree, outside of medicine, it matters a lot - I have seen it in consulting, business, and law.

In medicine, the impact is visible around rotations.
Overall, however, it is limited.

[grtd2010]

You may not be better off pre-paying 8 semesters tuition. It depends on relative performance of your invested funds vs average rate of tuition increase.

[NoviceDad]

McKinsey and BCG are consulting companies, not Wall Street firm.

I work in consulting and I can tell you from my experience working with both boutique and Big-4 consulting firms, the only path to becoming a partner is SALES i.e. how many projects can you sell? After you are in, no one cares where the heck you went to college and for what major. At one company I know, the bar is >=$30 million/year in sales to become a partner! At another, the bar is a “lower” at >=$10 million.

And I have consulted trading firms - there the only thing matters is - how much money can you make for me! Your pedigree may get you entry but will not help your grow if you do not deliver.

Brand has value - need to know exactly where it matters and how much!
On a side note, practically every state allows a pharmacist to replace brand name medicine with a generic. In this case, brand value is close to zero!

[srk2017]

@NoviceDad

Not so sure as many Colleges in south (i.e. Caribbean) have agreements with US univ./hospitals where the students do rotations.

This gives them a crucial advantage of knowing PDs and showcasing their skills.

A friend’s D who chose to go to Caribbean instead of taking gap year(s) to do GPA repair, matched OBGYN this year. I don’t know how she did it and I am not speculating. There are so many pathways in medicine to succeed.

[NoviceDad]

NOPE.
ORMs - usually means Indian origin / Asian origin.
Roughly 1/4 doctors in US have Indian/Asian origins.