Why You Chose the Med School You're Attending

[Dr. Kermit]

Hi I was wondering if you guys would mind sharing why you chose the med school you're currently attending (and also including the name of the school )

Initially, I was going to apply after junior year, but I didn't want to just choose med schools based on my GPA and MCAT, which weren't too stellar. I waited a year and I'm currently applying and chose schools based on their location and my credentials.

I just wanted to know if why you chose your school held up to your expectations as I was reading concurrent threads about happiness at med schools.

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[e2k]

Pretty happy at my med school, but I think I just got lucky.

I chose Sackler (American program at Tel Aviv University) because my interviewer (an alumnus) said he had a good time in medical school, and he got a great education. He seemed so upbeat and positive about the experience, I got jazzed up myself.

I had been to interviews at more prestigious schools, where the school was dull and the interviewers cold and formal.

Also, I chose Israel because it seemed like an interesting place to be.

I have a feeling that med school, like anything, is what you make of it. Go whereever you're accepted and learn to love it. I think attitude is more important that location or atmosphere for overall happiness.

ERIC

 

[kris]

I'm at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, sometimes abbreviated UNMC or UNCOM.

I qualified for residency here since I graduated high school in the state, and I also qualified for residency in Oregon, so my other top choice was OHSU. Money was a big issue for me, so state tuition was one of my main factors.

I interviewed at both schools, and I withdrew my application from OHSU as soon as I was accepted at Nebraska. Why? A few reasons--first, I have family here in Omaha, while I have none near Oregon. Second, UNMC went out of their way to make me feel welcomed, and they staged an impressive interview day that was VERY informative. In addition, the students here were very midwest-style friendly.

OHSU on the other hand provided a most unimpressive interview day and provided me with zero information. I simply showed up to the campus, went to my two interviews, and met with a couple current students who were, unfortunately, really snotty. I've also heard from many sources (mainly Oregon faculty) that OHSU students tend to be like that. I didn't even get a tour since one of my interviews conflicted with the only 'mini-tour' given.

Since the administration couldn't find it in them to provide a receptive and comfortable interview day, I wouldn't expect any more "care" from them once accepted. In other words, I didn't get the sense that they tried very hard to care for their students.

In contrast, UNMC provided us with a talk from someone from the financial aid office, for example, to tell us exactly what steps we'd need to go through while applying, and then what to do once we were accepted. I'm not born knowing that crap, that's for sure.

I'm not saying I KNOW that OHSU is like that. I'm just saying that they made a pretty negative impression on me by comparison.

I'm glad I'm near my parents since my husband lives in Cincinnati, and I'm pretty happy with the atmosphere here. I think I made the right choice--my classmates really are pretty friendly, and I have fun with them.

--kris

 

[rubyness]

I picked my school based on the fact that it is located in an underserved urban environment which provides great clinical experience and is the environment in which I hope to work eventually. In addition, the mood/attitude of the students is down to earth and friendly. In general I had a good feeling about the school and it was in the right location. Also, it was near my home so I didn't have to move anywhere. Oh, one more thing, it's in-state tuition which is wonderful.

 

[mr_sparkle]

My girlfriend liked NYC, so that's how I chose my med school. I moved from LA to NYC. Two years later we broke up.

I hate the East Coast.

 

[Katie]

my two choices were SLU and Tufts. I'm sure this is of very little use to you, Dr. Kermit, since we were not in the same situation, but here goes. I was accepted late at both schools. SLU was a great school, friendly students, fabulous hospital, and I had a great interview there. But, Tufts is in Boston, which is quite possibly the coolest city on the East Coast, also has a huge variety of clinical facilities affiliated with the school, diverse student body, H/P/F grading system with a cutoff of 65 (SLU's is actually a little less competitive with a cutoff of 60).Also had a great interview at Tufts. I also noticed that the students at Tufts seemed friendly with each other, while those at SLU seemed to be married or lived with their significant others and didn't socialize much. Being from the East Coast I thought I would fit in better at Tufts. I'm not sure whether I turned out to be right since a 24-year-old white female without a significant other who went to a non-spectacular state school (maryland class of 99) with average stats neither fits in well at any med school nor gets people's attention and admiration like your mature married medical student

 

[Dr. Kermit]

Thanks everyone so far for all of your comments, I've really appreciated it. Fortunately, I've been accepted at two schools thus far (MCP and Temple.) I was WL at GW and still waiting to hear from a couple of others. The 6 remaining schools where I've neither visited/interviewed are pipedream schools, so I'm starting to consider my options.

In essence, I'm really considering a lot of the factors that you guys have: curriculum, grading scale, class hours, student satisfaction (which is very high on my list since I went to UGrad at Hopkins where every one always complained about something or other), faculty, location (also big because I have a sig other), match lists, and of course, expenses.

Thanks for all the comments, I can't wait to hear more

 

[tulanestudent]

When you visit a school, talk to as many students as possible, from all classes, and get a feel for how happy they are. This is the number one factor you should consider.

All US schools have similar standards, similar classes and clinicals, and students at the tops and bottoms of the classes get similar residency placements. The one thing that separates med schools is how happy YOU will be at that place. If people are all stressed out and sad-looking, I wouldn't go there. If, on the other hand, people seem to be friendly and well-rounded, it will be a much more pleasant 4 years. Med school is tough work no matter where you go, you might as well be happy while you work.

 

[Dr. Kermit]

Thank you I have definitely considered student happiness during all of my interviews. The one school at which I was WL, the students were extremely happy and satisfied. I don't know if it was an act since it was the time of their first exam block! However, I went to another school where I only met two students since I missed the luncheon when my interview went over. The two students I met hated the school, wanted to go to other schools in the schools location, but settled to go there in hopes of being removed from waitlists. They had nothing positive to say.

So, I will be revisiting the school just to keep an open mind

 

[kd]

My choices came down to Albany, Rochester, and one of my state schools (East Tennesssee). I ruled out Albany based on cost alone, but it was a tough call between Rochester and East Tennessee. I absolutely loved Rochester, but in the end, I picked ETSU because of 1) the large number of non-trads here (I'm 30 and married), 2) the strong primary care program, 3) lower tuition than Rochester, and 4) family matters- my husband's family lives nearby, etc. Both schools had really friendly, non-competitive students, but I wasn't sure I'd fit in with the younger crowd at Rochester. Also, I was really nervous about all the extra debt I'd accummulate there and wasn't sure it was worth it since I'm mainly interested in primary care.
One thing that I do prefer about Rochester is the Pass-Fail grading- we're on an A-F scale here and there's no doubt that it causes you to stress out more over your grades, even if your classmates aren't a competitive bunch. Over time, I've managed to find a middle ground and shoot for "B's" in everything, so I don't stress over grades as much anymore.
I might also add that the area a school is located in makes a huge difference in your personal happiness as well. My school is in a small college town in the Appalachians, which is great if you like the outdoors, but probably a drag for big-city folks. Personally, I love the outdoors and can't stand big cities- I don't care about clubs or bars, but I have to be close to great hiking, so the area here is a perfect fit for me. Don't underestimate the importance of being in an area you like for that precious little downtime you'll get.

 

[E'01]

Rubyness are you at Downstate??

 

[rubyness]

Originally posted by E'01:
•Rubyness are you at Downstate??•••

Yep, you guessed it!