Make sure you thoroughly research each medical program and their associated undergrad and med school THOROUGHLY, some are very good such as Northwestern, Brown, Thomas Jefferson (hence more competitive), others are not good at all or highly regarded (UMKC, NEOCOM, etc. - although still slightly more competitive than undergrad admissions) and which medical school you go to DOES matter for residency esp. if you are interested in entering a competitive field.
Thanks i’ll be sure to check the site out and so some research. What should i base my judgement on? Reputation? How rigorous the courswork is? Average test scores and stuff?
besides med related ec’s, what other ec’s have importance in the eyes of admissions people? Not clubs or something, but like tutoring underprivliged kids. Is that helpful in gaining admission to these programs?
“What should i base my judgement on? Reputation? How rigorous the courswork is? Average test scores and stuff?”
Apply to many, when you get in, then decide which one to pick. They are all very hard to get in, some are harder than others. It is getting more competitive every year. Best wishes!
Well, I’ve already completed the combined degree program at UMKC (please see my previous posts), so I am speaking from experience.
Mainly you should be basing it on the opportunities available at the medical school (research, prestige, see where people have matched and in what fields based on previous match lists).
Ask those in the program who have taken the USMLE Step 1 as to how they felt the program. The program should be willing to give you emails of people to contact of older students in the medical school part of the program.
Yes, these programs are competitive, and some are MUCH better than others, and some are just down right terrible. Don’t think you’re getting a better deal by doing some of these programs (not all). You’ll see soon enough if you decide to do a combined degree program, that when it comes to matching in the residency you want (esp. if you interested in going to a competitive residency), the medical school you go to DOES matter and the opportunities (or lack thereof) will affect residencies available to you.
It is important to apply to many programs that appeal to you and which best meet your criteria. First you must do the research & decide which to apply to. There are many different types. Just like colleges.
^^I have been wondering about residency. I heard before that med. school is important. On the other hand I personally know coulple people who got into very top (Mayo Clinic) from very low ranked Med. Schools. Can you give us a little more details in regard to residencies and in particular very competitive ones like Dermotology?
I have heard that the USME Step 1 score & grades (plus being in AOA Honor Society for med school) are what helps you get the residency you want- not the particular med school name. Yet if you look at top med school match lists most do well any way for “whatever” the reason is.
Also it is important these days to do research in your intended field & publish as much as possible starting in college. If you can get a research position in your med program’s med school that is good. If they have the residency program in your field of interest then this lets them get to know you. If you go to the residency program director & ask for research opportunities, even better. You are on the map.
<h1>^^I have been wondering about residency. I heard before that med. school is important. On the other hand I personally know coulple people who got into very top (Mayo Clinic) from very low ranked Med. Schools. Can you give us a little more details in regard to residencies and in particular very competitive ones like Dermotology?</h1>
Well, the ones that go to low ranked medical schools and end up at top notch places are those on the extreme end of the spectrum, meaning they were probably the very top of the class, with VERY high board scores, unlike if you’re in the middle class at UPenn or Harvard you’ll still get into GREAT places. If you’re middle of the pack at a low ranked school, that’s a major blow, and thus very difficult if not impossible to. With respect to competitive residencies, those have been difficult to get, but people have gotten Ortho, Urology (after taking a year off to do research, etc. As UMKC does not have a Dermatology department, I know 2 people who applied for Derm and did not match. So when it comes to many of the competitive specialties UMKC does not have them like Radiation Oncology or Derm.
<h1>I have heard that the USME Step 1 score & grades (plus being in AOA Honor Society for med school) are what helps you get the residency you want- not the particular med school name. Yet if you look at top med school match lists most do well any way for “whatever” the reason is.</h1>
While that is true, you have to realize for especially the competitive residencies, everyone who gets the interview ALREADY HAS good grades, high USMLE Step 1 scores, and is AOA. The only other difference is caliber of medical school and that IS important.
Thus, a middle tier applicant at UPenn will do MUCH better in the match then a middle tier applicant at a lower caliber medical school. It’s not just grades (which can be inflated) or a test score from one day that are important, residencies look at the quality of your school which tells how good your education. As a pretty good rule, more prestigious institutions tend to prepare their students better.
The problem with UMKC is that it’s research funding is very low and doesn’t have many competitive residencies: Urology, Dermatology, Radiation Oncology, Plastics, etc… If you are interested in going to a place with opportunities for research to amp up your CV and application UMKC is not the place for you to be. This is why some people take a year off to do research somewhere else and then come back, but even then it’s not a guarantee for matching. UMKC is mainly for cranking out primary care/internal medicine physicians not specialists like higher ranked schools. There are exceptions but those are people who ranked at the very top of the class and may get into a competitive specialty in not a big name place or a non-competitive specialty in a top-notch place.
Happy I totally agree! Its just that if you are in a med school/ or program of this caliber you CAN get into those specialties if you do very well. Not easy, but still always possible.
Is specialty ranking important? For example, there is Dermatology Med. school ranking and U of Cinci Med. school is beating Harvard there. This med. school is part of my D’s combined bs/md program. I understand that specialty is highly competitive and one should be prepared for alternative route. Thanks for all info, very helpful.
From what I understand any spot you can get in a competitive residency (derm, for example) is an achievement these days. If your D wants to do academic medicine the program name is most important. If UCinn has Derm then she would have a better shot at getting in there if she gets research done & gets known by the director.
<h1>Happy I totally agree! Its just that if you are in a med school/ or program of this caliber you CAN get into those specialties if you do very well. Not easy, but still always possible.</h1>
That’s what you don’t understand Oreo. UMKC’s medical school is not highly regarded when it comes to competitive specialties. Unlike other combined programs like at Northwestern or Brown, UMKC is not well known and is not highly ranked. Many of my friends were at the top of my class and did not match into very competitive specialties.
With respect to Derm, you’ll see that many of the people who get many interviews for Derm went to top notch medical schools. The 2 applicants who went for Derm my year, each got about 3 invites and that’s it for Derm positions and neither matched and both were top of their , one of them being #1. In this respect, they were at a serious disadvantage to matching, as UMKC does not have a home derm program. At least at any other medical school, they would have the slight comfort of possibly matching at their home institution and to get involved in the department early on as a med student, however this obviously was not possibly in their case, and thus inherently affected their ability to match.
Happy, thanks for your info & insights. That must have been frustrating to realize how difficult it was to get those residency spots. And you think it was solely because of the med school rep?
Yes, unfortunately, I never realized it before entering the program, but certain competitive residencies are difficult if not impossible to obtain even if you are at the top of your class at UMKC and other lower tier medical schools (residencies don’t care if you took 8, 7, or 6 years, they care about the quality of your education). This is where the rankings from US World News and Report are important, unfortunately.
If you notice, many of the lower tier schools like UMKC, NEOCOM, Wayne State, etc. (there are some top schools like Northwestern or Brown but those are EXTREMELY competitive - You have to have Taken Sat I and 3 SAT IIs with very high scores), are either lowly ranked or not ranked at all.
Many of the lower tier medical schools offer these combined programs as it would be difficult for them to attract people if they didn’t have these programs. You notice that Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, etc. don’t have programs like these, and there is a reason. Their medical education is very good, and they expect their undergraduates to have a full well rounded education as well. Undergrad is not meant to zip through just to finish premed requirements. Don’t sell yourself short. I’m not saying all these type of programs are bad, but you have to find out what it is YOU want in a program and ask students who are in that program right now (once you get acceptances), as to the lowdown on whether your medical school offers what you want and how well they prepare you for the board exams.
Not all medical schools are created equal by any means, and residencies know that. They will take a lower ranked student at Hopkins or UPenn over a top UMKC student anyday.