Does It Matter What Medical School You Go To

But as the video below suggests, there’s a lot of misinformation and assumption that goes into rankings. Especially when it comes to the organizations who rank and the criteria they use…

Does It Matter What Medical School You Go To? (Explained!)

One of the big questions potential med students ask is the importance of the name of the med school they apply to.

Because training to be a doctor is both expensive and long, thinking about how employers might see your degree can be a good move.

Here’s why it doesn’t matter what medical school you go to

In terms of employment prospects, where you go has little impact. Maybe a top-name school on your CV adds a certain “wow factor” to whoever sees your application but there’s more that goes into securing a top residency placement. Where it matters most is what the school can offer you personally.

But that’s not to say it doesn’t always definitively matter either – sometimes it might!

I’ll dive into the exact reasons when and why in this article.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• If med school rankings matter
• How med school prestige can impact you
• Why your school can matter when it comes to residency
• What hospitals/employers actually want from you

As a med student myself (and a career changer), these are questions I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and researching. Finally, I have some answers!

Ready to learn more? Let’s get started.

Why where you go to med school matters

Although I mentioned before that it doesn’t matter where you go to medical school in terms of landing a job, this is only half true.

It’s common knowledge that there are more medical school places than there are total residency spots.

The number of residencies available for medical school graduates has not increased at the same rate as the increase in students in the United States.

(Source)

What this could mean then, even though it’s complicated, is that when compared to another graduate, where you went to med school could become a differentiator.

Especially if you’re equal on paper (more on this later).

Where this may also ring true however is in the following assumptions:

• If you go to a “better” medical school you’ll get a “better education”
• Better education equals better exam scores, GPAs, training opportunities, etc.
• The best residency programs want the best candidates

Of course, to deny any of this would be plainly untrue.

Going to a top-tier medical school is certainly going to open more doors (and possibly better opportunities) than a second-rate one.

But not in 100% of cases.

Due to many complicated factors at play, this isn’t always true.

1. Hospitals affiliated with medical schools might preferentially select their own graduates (to boost their own “match rate”).
2. Changes to licensing exams (USMLE Step 1 going pass/fail etc.) complicating student rankings.
3. Board scores being a huge selection factor for jobs/residency positions (of which any student, anywhere, is capable of scoring high).
4. Exemplary students at “lower-tier” schools excelling in extracurriculars like research.
5. 3rd or 4th-year students completing elective clinical clerkships somewhere else “prestigious” or reputable.

So to say that a “better” med school will make you a “better” graduate, is not a definitive statement!

What does your medical school offer you?

If the explanation above ends rather inconclusively, here’s one point that’s hard to disagree with.

Where you go to medical school really matters in terms of who you are.

And also because you may have criteria, like the following:

• Not wanting to be too far from friends and family
• Wanting a particular climate or environment to study in
• Needing to spend a certain amount of money
• Wanting particular opportunities (i.e. particular electives)
• Having a good idea of where you want to specialize in medicine

So when it comes to personal preference (and the types of things you want from your educational experience), where you go to medical school can be super important!

Not all schools offer the same things.

More reasons why

The following are a couple more random reasons why where you go to med school could matter.

I’ll let you make your own minds up as to how important (or not) you feel they are!

Networking

Where you went to med school could become a point of conversation on the wards (did you know so-and-so etc.)

Ego

Because you want a certain “brand” name school on your CV or resume.

Ambition

Some people are fine with just being another run-of-the-mill clinician. No shame in that!

Why where you go to med school DOESN’T matter

If you go to an accredited medical school in mainland U.S., it most likely doesn’t matter where you go to med school.

That’s because your chances of matching into residency (and a job) are close to certain. Not counting your dream or desired residency of course.

As for that last sentence though, I’d argue maybe that doesn’t matter either.

You still have chances at elective rotations, or a regional-specific residency, or job programs (the types that favor you over someone outside the state), outside of where you go to school.

But here’s why else it (probably) doesn’t matter:

1. You have a certain amount of control and direction over your studies (making it entirely possible to score higher than others in exams).
2. Students from supposed “low-tier” schools match into competitive residency places all the time.

if you don’t believe that last point you can check out the National Resident Matching Program (NMRP’s) data and see for yourself. It’s all out there in the public realm.

But if you’re studying outside the U.S., that first point is probably most important.

So, to simplify and generalize for a broader audience…

It doesn’t matter where you go to medical school if you work actively to become an exceptional candidate for your first junior job.

I feel that’s the answer that most universally rings true!

More reasons why

And just like the other half of the conversation, here are a bunch more random reasons why it doesn’t matter…

1. Because there are a ton of other opportunities to make you an awesome candidate for residency/jobs
   • Like research, community projects etc.
2. Because parts of your personal history can matter more than your school’s name or reputation
   • E.G. being a mature student or career changer
3. Because very few colleagues will ever care where you went to med school once you’re working
4. Because no patient will ever care (they’ll just want you to help them!)

What about rankings?

Med school rankings are often used as a measuring stick for how important a school is.

It’s also usually the one thing pre-meds and 4th-year medics get the most hung up on!

But as the video below suggests, there’s a lot of misinformation and assumption that goes into rankings. Especially when it comes to the organizations who rank and the criteria they use…

So if you’re paying attention to rankings, consider what it is exactly that the ranking is based on.

Here are the types of questions to consider:

1. Is this ranking score all about research?
2. Or is it about residency programs?
3. Does the ranking organization have a vested interest in a certain schools position?
4. How methodical is the process?

And then ask yourself, after reviewing the discussion above, how much faith you can have in a particular ranking system.

My view is that they should be used as a rough measure only!

Does the medical school you attend matter for residency?

If the biggest reason medical school could matter to you revolves around residency, then understand that it’s a sensible one.

According to the programs surveyed by the National Resident Matching Program (NMRP), 50% said that being a graduate of a highly-regarded U.S. medical school was a citing factor in decided to interview a candidate (Source).

With those odds being what they are, and your choice of residency being of critical importance to you, it would make sense to pick a medical school that provides the best chance of meeting that goal.

To understand which ones do, I’d advise spending time pouring over the match rate data for your preferred residency program and see what school’s names keep coming up.

How important is med school prestige?

Again, it’s something of a complicated question. “Prestige” is only as important as you make it to be, based on your personal goals.

The important thing is that you get an honest answer to the question as there’s a lot of bias (something I’m aware of trying to handle in this article) at play.

My recommendation is that you ask real-life physicians in residency positions what their opinions are and get a mix of responses.

Specifically, target those in specialties or areas of work that you see yourself attracted to and try to work out how prestige may have factored into them getting to where they are.

But, let’s be honest, prestige can definitely be important.

Especially when it comes to putting things like letters of recommendation (LOR’s) together.

What do hospitals look for when recruiting people out of medical school?

The whole match process is beyond the scope of this article.

Test scores and medical school names aside, there is probably still a consistent list of things most hospitals (or recruiters) want to see from candidates looking to find their first jobs in medicine.

Here’s what I feel some of the most important are:

1. Integrity:
   • Being open and honest about your background, aims and objectives.
2. Concern and empathy:
   • Being able to demonstrate you care about patients and their outcomes.
3. Attention to detail/organization:
   • Being punctual at interviews and being precise in your answers and assessments.
4. Communication:
   • The ability to clearly instruct and explain to others the needs of the role and the task.

Note how none of these qualities has anything to do with where you go to medical school.

These can all be individually developed and mastered!

Final Thoughts

Thinking about how much the med school you go to matters isn’t an easy process. There’s a lot of individual and personal thought that has to go into answering the question.

What I’ve hoped to highlight here are some of the most common arguments to consider.

Although I personally feel it doesn’t really matter too much (and I may be biased due to my history), I do appreciate they’ll be many people out there who feel the opposite.

Where I think we can all agree is this…

A less-than-desirable name of a med school on a CV is still better than none.

Without one, you won’t get anywhere.

If you enjoyed this article, you might find the following a good read:

Do employers prefer Ivy League or Oxbridge-educated medical graduates?

Having a top-tier school on your resume can definitely look impressive to potential employers. But it’s no guarantee of a job. You’ll still have to obtain licensing and develop other aspects of your personality a school can’t.

Employers want to see well-rounded applicants. Not institutionalized products.

Does it matter what medical school you go to in the UK?

The UK has a different system to America’s match program where medical graduates go on to become foundation year doctors (F1 and F2) after recieving provisional registration.

Students apply for this in their last year of study and rank training posts during their application according to preference.

The score candidates receive in the Educational Performance Measure and the Situational Judgement Test help decide the foundation school they are allocated.

On a surface level, the same arguments about what medical school you go to in the US, apply to the UK.

The best schools may help students better prepare for these tests, but there’s no correlation according to the data (Source).

Does Medical School Prestige Matter as a Doctor?

Given the competitive landscape of medical school admissions, most premeds are happy to get into any medical school. But is there value in putting in extra effort to get into a top-ranked program? How much does medical school ranking matter? Let’s find out.

When discussing the importance of medical school ranking, it’s common to look at it through the lens of residency matching, as that’s the next step in training. Getting into residency has become increasingly competitive in recent years. This is especially true for highly competitive specialties such as plastic surgery, ENT, or dermatology.

When it comes to medical school ranking, there are often two sides to the argument. On the one hand, some believe that it doesn’t matter where you go and that matching into a competitive residency is all about individual metrics such as Step scores, research, and letters of recommendation. On the other hand, some believe that medical school ranking is incredibly important and there are better opportunities at top institutions that help with your scores, research, letters, and other factors. But who’s right?

Let’s explore both sides of the argument and answer the question once and for all: how important is medical school ranking?

Medical School Experience

One of the most common arguments in favor of attending a top-ranked institution is that you will get a better education and have opportunities that aren’t available at lower-ranked programs.

The average Step 1 score for students from a top 20 medical school is 238 while the average Step 1 score for all schools is 232. This lends support to the idea that top medical schools offer a better education thus increasing your chances of matching into a competitive residency.

The counterargument, however, is that it is typically more difficult to gain admission to a top medical school so students who attend these institutions tend to be stronger students at baseline.

The average MCAT for matriculants at the top 20 medical schools is 520 whereas the average MCAT for all matriculants is 512. For reference, a 520 on the MCAT is a 97th percentile score whereas a 512 is an 84th percentile score. In addition, the average GPA for all medical school matriculants is 3.75 whereas the average GPA at the top 10 programs is 3.88.

As such, the differences we see in Step scores may have to do less with curriculums or instructors and more to do with individual differences between students. This lends support to the argument that medical school prestige doesn’t matter as top students are likely to perform well regardless of the medical school they attend.

That said, it is impossible to determine whether this is a chicken or an egg phenomenon. Will going to a top-ranked program make you a better doctor? Possibly. On the one hand, national standards are rigid and implemented in every school. On the other hand, some schools teach these better than others.

Ultimately the work you put in is the most important factor in whether you become a great doctor, but the medical school you attend can shift that up or down in terms of both effort and outcome.

Another important factor to consider is access to clinical rotations in your specialties of interest. Larger, top-ranked academic institutions are much more likely to have programs in your desired specialties or subspecialties than lower-ranked schools. Since over 50% of medical students change their intended specialty, there is further utility in attending a program with wide specialty exposure. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule, as some lower-ranked institutions have access to large academic hospitals with a wide breadth of specialties, the trend holds true.

Having access to your desired specialty is important. This will allow you to network with doctors in the field and gain much more experience, research, and strong letters of recommendation with less effort and friction than attending a medical school without that specific specialty. Can you match into ENT without having an ENT program at your medical school? Absolutely, but it will be more challenging.

That being said, there are numerous other factors that you need to consider when choosing a medical school outside of prestige, curriculum, and access to specialties. This includes location, cost of living, family, and much more.

Residency Program Directors and Medical School Ranking

Now that we’ve explored how medical school prestige affects students, how much do residency program directors care about medical school rankings?

According to the 2021 NRMP Program Director Survey, a large proportion of residency program directors consider medical school reputation when deciding which students to interview. In terms of the more competitive specialties, approximately 46% of plastic surgery PDs and 36% of ENT PDs consider medical school reputation when deciding who to interview. For lower-tier specialties, the numbers are similar with 40% of internal medicine PDs and 30% of family medicine PDs considering medical school reputation.

Another way to interpret these numbers, however, is that between 50-70% of program directors do not consider medical school reputation in residency matching. As such, you are likely to find a great deal of variation between individual programs. Program directors at top residencies are more likely to consider a student’s “pedigree”, meaning the quality of their medical school and even undergraduate institution, more so than program directors at less iconic programs.

Put simply, while medical school ranking is important, not every program director considers it.

It is important to note, however, that as of January 2022, USMLE Step 1 has become a pass-fail. Given that this exam was one of the most important metrics in determining one’s competitiveness for residency and it will no longer be used to stratify students, other metrics such as Step 2 score, number of publications, AOA status, and medical school prestige may be weighted more heavily moving forward. Although much of the weight from Step 1 going pass-fail will likely be passed onto Step 2CK, we may see medical school prestige become a more important factor in residency admissions.

So how important is medical school ranking? In short, it matters but there are still other factors you need to consider. At the end of the day, going to a top medical school doesn’t guarantee you a good match, nor does going to a newer or lower-ranked school doom you. It is important to consider your personal and professional goals and choose the medical school that aligns most with your priorities.

Should you turn down a full-ride scholarship to your state school to attend a top-20 medical school? That’s a question only you can decide. You need to think about your desires, priorities, and what you’re hoping to get out of a career in medicine. If your dream is to get into a hypercompetitive specialty, become academic faculty at a top research institution, or get into a high-ranking position at a hospital, then medical school prestige may be more important for you. On the other hand, if you know you want to practice family medicine or pediatrics in your home state, medical school prestige may matter less.

One thing to consider, however, is that the majority of medical students change their minds about what specialty they want to pursue during medical school. For this reason, attending a higher-ranked medical school with greater access to a variety of specialties may allow you to keep more of your options open.

You should also keep in mind the law of diminishing returns. The benefits of attending a top 5 institution versus a top 20 institution are going to be less than the benefits of attending a top 20 school instead of an average or lower-tier medical school. For instance, when I was accepted to UC San Diego, which was ranked number 14 at the time, I was still considering other top 5 schools. But after looking at the pros and cons of attending each program, I determined that UCSD better fit my desires and preferences over other top 5 programs with more name recognition.

Although attending a top-tier medical school may give you an advantage over other medical students when it comes to matching into your desired residency program, it is far from the most important piece of the puzzle. Factors such as your Step 2CK, clinical grades, research experience, and letters of recommendation are much more important in determining your acceptance into a program. What primarily separates those who are successful from those who are not isn’t the school that they attended, but rather their willingness to adapt and push forward.

If you find yourself getting discouraged because your dream specialty is highly competitive or your medical school isn’t highly ranked, stop right there. Your ability to match into your desired specialty is less a function of prestige and more a function of proper preparation, constantly improving, and putting in the work.

If you’re applying to medical school, do everything you can to get into the best program possible. But once you’re in medical school, don’t worry about prestige and focus on the other factors within your control.

At Med School Insiders, our mission is to empower a generation of happier, healthier, and more effective future doctors. From medical school and residency application help to crushing your MCAT and USMLE, we have a variety of services to help you at each step of the process.