Tulane vs. Brody School of Medicine vs. Wake Forest School of Medicine

[MedBro42]

Hello, I would appreciate any advice on which medical school to choose. I am interested in pursuing a surgical specialty, and currently would love to do orthopedics. I see that Brody School of Medicine has one or two ortho matches every year out of a class of 80, but they do not have an orthopedics program at the medical school, which I assume would make it much more challenging to find research opportunities. Meanwhile, Tulane has 8-12 ortho matches each year with a class size of 190. Brody is an in-state school that is much cheaper (22k per year vs. $73k per year at Tulane) but Tulane has an orthopedics program and seems to have much more research opportunities. Brody also enables me to stay close to my parents. I am relying on loans to pay for my education and don't have outside assistance, does anyone have a recommendation? I have two weeks to decide.

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[deleted1158770]

I would say it depends on how important finances are to you, but imo Tulane is definitely worth the extra price for the program since you want to pursue ortho! Having those connections is super important especially for competitive specialties.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Be sure to look at the total COA ---- tuition, resources, fees, room & board, other living expenses --- for each option. Then I think it comes down to how sure are you that you want to do a surgical specialty at this point.

 

[m1redsox]

Tough choice bc ECU is SO. CHEAP. But echoing what was said above, if you are dedicated to surgery, then I think Tulane may be worth it. I think that even without the research component, you are simply more likely to match by having a home program because you can get close with your own pd and program leadership. You always have the best chance at matching at your own program. I bet the matching odds are 2-3x better for students with a home department vs those without one (though there are a few likely confounders I can think of). Even if you don’t want to match there, your pd letter will mean more because they interact more with other pds than your letter from a random surgeon in Greenville. Plus, there are there are two other ortho programs in New Orleans to network with and potentially match at (compared to Chapel Hill/Durham which are competitive and not very close).

With all that said, this is a huge money difference for prettymuch no prestige difference (slight edge for Tulane) all just to move away from family. I see really good arguments on both sides.

 

[DominusFatiMei]

Disclaimer: I am currently on the Tulane waitlist.

As great as it would be to have an ortho program at your medical school I think there probably isn't a difference in schools here worth the $200,000+ difference. If you are close to family, cut your debt by 3-fold and still have networking opportunities with the orthopedics/sports medicine department at your affiliated hospital then thats probably something to consider.

From what I see the ECU Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine department has 32 faculty orthopedic surgeons, that seems like a pretty decent department (reference: Tulane has 20). Although they don't have a residency program, the chief of orthopedics there can likely connect you with a multitude of programs across the state if not the country. I don't know if you're interested in going to an in-state residency program. Assuming you're from North Carolina several of the faculty there studied or trained at UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, etc.

 

[MedBro42]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses, you all have made great points that I am taking into consideration! I'd like to provide extra info, I know for a fact that I want to go into a surgical specialty (I spent two years in primary care) and am unsure 100% of which because I haven't shadowed the other surgical fields. Part of me thinks Brody may be the better choice because I could potentially be happy as a general surgeon (they have a program for that, but I realize gen is still really competitive). But I am currently shadowing ortho and feel that it would be incredible to be able to do orthopedics. A debate I had with my mom was that Tulane would probably be better for all surgical specialties, but I have a strong feeling like Dominus suggested that I'm not sure if it's worth $200k + that will likely compound to a greater number. I also like the small class size of Brody, and feel that weirdly there may be less competition for surgery opportunities since Brody is a primary care school. I talked to a successful Brody ortho applicant over the phone and she said that 2/6 ortho applicants were matched, and remarked on how there isn't much support without having a home ortho program. The 2/6 statistic doesn't make me feel great, and if having a home program increases my odds by 2-3x for ortho it may be worth it. Another factor is I have an interest in neurosurgery and I feel that would be out the window at Brody since there has been no matches since 2017 and they have no program, while Tulane does. The orthopedic surgeon I shadowed instantly recommended Tulane because the president of ortho is down there, but part of me feels that there will be alot of people at Tulane going for ortho because of this and the opportunities may be competitive. Bottomline, when you come from a poor family with no one in the medical field it makes everything complicated and I feel that no matter what I choose I probably will have regrets (if I dont match I will regret choosing Brody, If I dont match at Tulane I WILL REALLY REGRET IT due to debt). Another aspect is the research, Tulane appears to have great opportunities while Brody appears to have very limited opportunities. Alot of vids on youtube recommend choosing the cheapest medical school but I don't think that is taking all factors into consideration (like no program).

 

[deleted1158770]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses, you all have made great points that I am taking into consideration! I'd like to provide extra info, I know for a fact that I want to go into a surgical specialty (I spent two years in primary care) and am unsure 100% of which because I haven't shadowed the other surgical fields. Part of me thinks Brody may be the better choice because I could potentially be happy as a general surgeon (they have a program for that, but I realize gen is still really competitive). But I am currently shadowing ortho and feel that it would be incredible to be able to do orthopedics. A debate I had with my mom was that Tulane would probably be better for all surgical specialties, but I have a strong feeling like Dominus suggested that I'm not sure if it's worth $200k + that will likely compound to a greater number. I also like the small class size of Brody, and feel that weirdly there may be less competition for surgery opportunities since Brody is a primary care school. I talked to a successful Brody ortho applicant over the phone and she said that 2/6 ortho applicants were matched, and remarked on how there isn't much support without having a home ortho program. The 2/6 statistic doesn't make me feel great, and if having a home program increases my odds by 2-3x for ortho it may be worth it. Another factor is I have an interest in neurosurgery and I feel that would be out the window at Brody since there has been no matches since 2017 and they have no program, while Tulane does. The orthopedic surgeon I shadowed instantly recommended Tulane because the president of ortho is down there, but part of me feels that there will be alot of people at Tulane going for ortho because of this and the opportunities may be competitive. Bottomline, when you come from a poor family with no one in the medical field it makes everything complicated and I feel that no matter what I choose I probably will have regrets (if I dont match I will regret choosing Brody, If I dont match at Tulane I WILL REALLY REGRET IT due to debt). Another aspect is the research, Tulane appears to have great opportunities while Brody appears to have very limited opportunities. Alot of vids on youtube recommend choosing the cheapest medical school but I don't think that is taking all factors into consideration (like no program).

Tulane seems to be the better choice academically, but I could see why Brody appeals. You should talk with students at both schools to see the competitiveness for opportunities. But imo Tulane keeps your options open for different surgery specialties. You could always do away rotations if you went to Brody, but it would still be much more difficult to network and connect with surgeons than if you went to Tulane.

 

[MedBro42]

Tulane seems to be the better choice academically, but I could see why Brody appeals. You should talk with students at both schools to see the competitiveness for opportunities. But imo Tulane keeps your options open for different surgery specialties. You could always do away rotations if you went to Brody, but it would still be much more difficult to network and connect with surgeons than if you went to Tulane.

Thank you, that's a great idea! I looked on their match list and I didn't find any names posted but I found two PGY-1's and asked for their thoughts on Tulane!

 

[whatisanmcat]

Tulane. You want to do surgery and they're going to make the road much easier for you.

 

[MedBro42]

Wake Forest School of Medicine
Pros

• Plastics/Ortho home programs
• Top 50 ranked research school - better name recognition

Cons

• Atleast $300k more expensive than Brody after accumulated loans w/ interest

Brody School of Medicine
Pros

• 1/3 tuition (22k per year vs 64k per year at Wake)
• I have contact with a mentor (not an orthopedic surgeon) who is helping me begin ortho-specific research
• A small number of students are matching plastics/ortho. The person I reached out to said all the past plastic applicants successfully matched. An ortho applicant told me it was only 2/6 for this past year for ortho.
• Still get away rotations and still have to perform well on clerkships/step 2 to match

Cons

• No home program for either plastics/ortho
• No academic plastics/ortho mentors for potential letters of recommendation
• Lower ranking/less name recognition

Summary: My main question is, is the name recognition, home program, and potential academic ortho/plastic mentors worth the extra $300k in tuition? There are successful applicants from Brody, and I have a contact who is helping me gear research towards orthopedics so I'm not sure if I'll be at a big disadvantage research-wise from Brody. These fields are crazy competitive and I know I want to do a surgical subspecialty.

 

[E1520]

It might be worth emailing Wake and mentioning you have a much cheaper option, but that you'd love to attend their program and see if they can budge on tuition/scholarships. I think you'll have a much better shot at Ortho from WF.

 

[MedBro42]

It might be worth emailing Wake and mentioning you have a much cheaper option, but that you'd love to attend their program and see if they can budge on tuition/scholarships. I think you'll have a much better shot at Ortho from WF.

Unfortunately, I missed their deadline this year to be considered for scholarships but will have the opportunity in the subsequent years to apply. I agree with you that it would be a much better shot!

 

[EndureVascular]

Usually following the money is the right play. If you ask current residents or practicing physicians they almost always say choose the cheaper option

If you're top of your class you could still get into a surgical subspecialty from Brody. You could also always do a research year at a more research/academically inclined school, or do general surgery + a fellowship.

 

[MedBro42]

Usually following the money is the right play. If you ask current residents or practicing physicians they almost always say choose the cheaper option

If you're top of your class you could still get into a surgical subspecialty from Brody. You could also always do a research year at a more research/academically inclined school, or do general surgery + a fellowship.

Thanks! That is a strong thought I have as well, especially with the research contact I have gained. Plus I still get away rotations and opportunities outside of Brody.

 

[Saturday’s Child]

Thanks! That is a strong thought I have as well, especially with the research contact I have gained. Plus I still get away rotations and opportunities outside of Brody.

I’d recommend Wake. Research year also equals one less year of attending salary, which would likely be more than the cost difference between the schools. Having no home program in your specialty of interest is also a huge deal. No one will know you better and be able to advocate for you better than your home program. Making connections through research with people outside is nice, but your evaluators also need to speak to your clinical/surgical abilities. Away rotations should ideally be viewed as a luxury and not a necessity (i.e. you already have a good foundation of people at home who can go to bat for you, and now you have a chance to impress people at some other specific programs you’re interested in VS having the only people you work with in that specialty be people who you will know for just a couple weeks). It’s challenging to make a great impression on someone over a 2-4 week span, especially when you’re randomly assigned to a service and adapting to a new city/hospital. I would hate to have to put all of my eggs in that basket.

 

[chilly_md]

Duplicate threads were merged.

 

[MedBro42]

I’d recommend Wake. Research year also equals one less year of attending salary, which would likely be more than the cost difference between the schools. Having no home program in your specialty of interest is also a huge deal. No one will know you better and be able to advocate for you better than your home program. Making connections through research with people outside is nice, but your evaluators also need to speak to your clinical/surgical abilities. Away rotations should ideally be viewed as a luxury and not a necessity (i.e. you already have a good foundation of people at home who can go to bat for you, and now you have a chance to impress people at some other specific programs you’re interested in VS having the only people you work with in that specialty be people who you will know for just a couple weeks). It’s challenging to make a great impression on someone over a 2-4 week span, especially when you’re randomly assigned to a service and adapting to a new city/hospital. I would hate to have to put all of my eggs in that basket.

Probably the best response, I didn't think about the weight of that program and I know the research opportunities would be way better there. Plus, I guaranteed would have a more competitive application and potentially obtain a better residency. Thank you for this insight! Plus I just learned about the two home programs at Wake

 

[Saturday’s Child]

Probably the best response, I didn't think about the weight of that program and I know the research opportunities would be way better there. Plus, I guaranteed would have a more competitive application and potentially obtain a better residency. Thank you for this insight! Plus I just learned about the two home programs at Wake

Of course! Cynthia Emory, the new ortho program director at wake, is also great.

 

[MedBro42]

Of course! Cynthia Emory, the new ortho program director at wake, is also great.

Thank you for that information!