<p>When someone says they want to go to an Ivy League Medical school I always wonder why. These schools are typically considerably more expensive than the applicant’s state flagship. Many of these schools are in larger congested cities that add more housing expenses. If you add up tuition, housing, and miscellaneous expenses, these schools quickly become among the most expensive private medical schools in the country. Ivy League medical schools are very competitive to gain admission. Once in, as mom2collegekids have mentioned several times, the education is flat. The basic science education is no different from other schools. The competition might be more intense, but I don’t know for sure. The clinical education is very dependent on location, because as I have learned, patients can differ considerably from place to place. You will learn the same clinical information but it may be applied to a different range of patients. For instance, at my medical school location, we saw a lot of hemoglobin disorders, vasculitis, and rheumatic diseases. During residency at a new location, I saw A LOT of heroin addiction, HIV and hepatitis. Now where I practice, I see a lot of obesity, methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse. These are vastly different situations.</p>
<p>IMO, there are a few reasons to attend an Ivy League Medical School: You attended an Ivy League UG school and you want to continue at the same location or follow your friends. You have a keen interest in research and want an institution that provides plenty of opportunities and support to participate in research. You want to obtain an MD/PhD. You want to live in that corresponding city. You couldn’t get into any other medical school. You want to do a residency at the affiliated hospital (we used to call this incest). You want to work at that institution after you’ve completed your residency at that institution. Your state doesn’t have a medical school or an agreement with a bordering state. You have ties to the area. Lastly, your significant other is in school or works in that city.</p>
<p>These are just my opinions. I don’t call myself frugaldoctor because it is cute. After living in poverty for most of my life I have become very debt-averse. Ivy Leagues are worth it when they are free. But the moment you begin to spend money, IMHO, the outcomes need to commensurate with the costs.</p>