board scores, prestige, or class rank

[bokermmk]

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I am considering the cost of different medical school and am interested in knowing how important each of the following (boards, school prestige, school rank) are in obtaining a competative residency.

 

[jackflash]

School rank is more important than...

School prestige, which is more important than...

board scores.


My opinion.

 

[coldsteel]

Your question has many different answers depending on the specialty and your long term goals within that specialty. There are many other threads addressing this question, and I would suggest that you look at those. The simplest answer is that you can do anything from any medical school as long as you work hard. I have seen this in practice several times. However, you are not going to match derm at MGH if you go to a small state school. Personally, that wouldn't bother me. If, however, you feel that you need to match the most competitive specialty at Harvard then, yes, reputation and rank of your medical school matter.

 

[lingula]

Originally posted by jackflash
School rank is more important than...

School prestige, which is more important than...

board scores.


My opinion.

Whoa - board scores less important than the school you go to? I don't think that is true at all (unless you are talking about FMG/DO schools, in which case it is generally true but is also PD dependent).

I go to an average school - friends with great board scores and high rank have matched everywhere from hopkins, to mgh. We usually put 4-6 into ortho, 6-8 ophtho, 2-3 ENT, 2 Uro, 2 Neurosurg, 10-12 Rads, etc.

I think the average PD is more interested in the applicant than where he goes to school. I'm not saying school prestige has nothing to do with it, but the #1 kid at a state school with great numbers and a great CV will do much better than the middle/bottom of the class guy at Hopkins.

I myself landed a great residency in one of the aforementioned fields above, and saved >$100,000 going to my state school.

 

[ktat72]

that would be a fair judgement. i wonder what people think when you say you go to an accelerated medical program right out of high school (UMKC) and the main reason you chose that place was to save your parents two years of tuition.