Ross vs. Other Medical Schools

[SuperiorVenaCava]

I realize that I'm posting this question in the Ross forum and will therefore be subject to some bias towards Ross. I would appreciate objective opinions if at all possible. I have my interview this coming Monday for Ross and I am fairly confident that I will be offered a seat for the January 2009 semester.

I have been granted an unconditional acceptance to AUC and the SGU admissions council is currently under review of my application / interview notes (the SGU interview was this past Sunday).

Any opinions on what school to choose? I will likely need to make a quick decision about a week and a half from now. They seem to have very similar stats accept for the AUC class sizes are smaller than Ross and SGU.

Having a smaller class size can be advantageous during the basic sciences, but having a larger base of Ross or SGU alumni can't hurt either. The SGU and Ross names seem to be a bit more recognized.

I have a friend at Ross right now who tells me there is less student support then he would have hoped for. SGU seems to pride themselves on the student support that they provide, but they are also a fair stride more expensive to accommodate the extra staff and I am a very good self-learner anyways, so that may be of little consequence to me.

For tuition SGU is clearly more pricey, but it's a bit cheaper than St. Maarten's to live in Grenada...and I'm not sure how much the typical monthly rent/utilities is for a Ross student (maybe someone could elaborate on the rent fees for the typical Ross student).

Yes I realize, they are all good schools, and they all have the capacity to get me where I want to go. Which of these would likely have the best affiliations with top teaching hospitals known for their surgical facilities, or have a greater chance (although very rare I know) of gaining a student transfer to a U.S. med school...never mind that's a tough one for anyone to answer. But advice on the better surgical facility affiliations would be of key importance.

Let the comments poor in, I want to hear what you think, this will really help. Cheers.

[AUCMD2006]

simple:

1) look at the school websites
2)look at the hospitals they are affiliated with'
3)look at the surgery residencies in those hospitals
4)decide which of the community hospitals they are affiliated with you consider a "top teaching hospital"

you are asking for opinions, biased ones at that and each student will probably say their school has great suregry rotations and top teaching hospitals. my opinion is that all 3 rotate at similar calibre community hospitals simple as that. you should also note that each residency in the same hospital is "stand alone" so a good hospital or a big name hospital usually has good and bad residency programs in the same place and what you consider "top notch" may not be the same as others.

do you consider amount of grants?
how about amount of publications?
name recognition?
number of residents that goto competitive fellowships?
medical school affiliation?
work hours?
facilities?
do residents get along?
is it a malignant program that you are willing to goto just for a brand name?
vacation?
benefots?
free food?
close to home
spouse doesn't want to move
spouse going through couples match therebey limiting options?

see? there are way too many variables for anyone to offer a school for YOU...only you know you and what is important

[islandthrift]

This topic has been discussed MANY MANY times. You shoudl do a search instead. Also, do your own research on each schools pro's and con's instead of a this school vs that school. Most students on here have NOT gone to the other schools you have mentioned so you will not receive info about those schools other than what ppl have heard and read. You should instead choose the best school for YOU.

[SuperiorVenaCava]

Originally Posted by AUCMD2006

you should also note that each residency in the same hospital is "stand alone" so a good hospital or a big name hospital usually has good and bad residency programs in the same place and what you consider "top notch" may not be the same as others.

Yeah you guys are right it's gut check time. What do you mean by "stand alone" though? I think you're saying that a given surgical subspecialty residency at hospital 'X' could also have a less than ideal residency in another type of subspecialty under the same roof. If that's what your saying, I would agree that's a reasonable thing to expect.

I was overall just wondering if anyone knew off hand if one of these schools has a glaring difference between them in terms of surgical residencies. I'll be sure to take a closer look at their match listings.

I realize this discussion is one that has been on going in many threads across many forums, but I think it's also a good idea to rekindle those discussions for each new school year. Schools do change, faculty changes, infrastructure expands or becomes antiquated, and most importantly, educational philosophies can sometimes shift for the betterment or detriment of the students attending. It's not necessarily a bad idea to open a more current dialogue on the 50 state approved schools (aka big 4).

And besides, my thread has a better title, has a cool blue question mark symbol next to it, and it potentially allows me to pick people's brains directly. Comparing schools is a large focus of this site and it serves a great purpose in helping people decide where to go. It's a good thing to keep things current.

I must say I like the fact that SGU students have a surgery club, it could be a great spot for fellow students and maybe faculty to get more advanced surgery related discussions / demonstrations going. I'm going to look further into these things and try to provide more insight if I can...for those who want to know of course.

[islandthrift]

Originally Posted by SuperiorVenaCava

Yeah you guys are right it's gut check time. What do you mean by "stand alone" though? I think you're saying that a given surgical subspecialty residency at hospital 'X' could also have a less than ideal residency in another type of subspecialty under the same roof. If that's what your saying, I would agree that's a reasonable thing to expect.

I was overall just wondering if anyone knew off hand if one of these schools has a glaring difference between them in terms of surgical residencies. I'll be sure to take a closer look at their match listings.

I realize this discussion is one that has been on going in many threads across many forums, but I think it's also a good idea to rekindle those discussions for each new school year. Schools do change, faculty changes, infrastructure expands or becomes antiquated, and most importantly, educational philosophies can sometimes shift for the betterment or detriment of the students attending. It's not necessarily a bad idea to open a more current dialogue on the 50 state approved schools (aka big 4).

And besides, my thread has a better title, has a cool blue question mark symbol next to it, and it potentially allows me to pick people's brains directly. Comparing schools is a large focus of this site and it serves a great purpose in helping people decide where to go. It's a good thing to keep things current.

I must say I like the fact that SGU students have a surgery club, it could be a great spot for fellow students and maybe faculty to get more advanced surgery related discussions / demonstrations going. I'm going to look further into these things and try to provide more insight if I can...for those who want to know of course.

This discussion has been brought up every single semester since I have started posting on this forum. The info does not change from semester to semester but I will put up a sticky titled Ross vs. Other Schools so that this discussion may be saved.

[islandthrift]

This thread is for the discussion of Ross vs. other med schools instead of have a different thread for each school. Post away!

[DrFraud]

Just keep in mind that things change a lot over the course of two years so whatever the circumstances that are in existence a particular school that you decide to attend today one thing you can count on is by the time you get to get close to finishing up things will likely be different, possibly significantly different, from when you made your decision, so I wouldn't dwell too much on factors that can change like clinical sites or a particular faculty member that you heard about. At Ross, SGU, and AUC, there have been changes to curriculum, exam systems, clinical sites, and faculty all in the the 3 years from when I had to figure out the same thing that you are contemplating today - and yet the schools are in many ways still comparable.

As far as reputation, you will hear lots and lots of opinions on this forum as to whether a degree from Ross is more reputable than a degree from Saba etc, etc, etc, but for many PDs that I have had contact with an IMG is an IMG is an IMG (were not talking Harvard or Yale here) whether you are from Ross or SGU of AUC or Saba so your credentials when you apply rather than the reputation of your school will carry much more sway so it is very important if you want to find a good Residency Program that you look for a School and a place that will allow you to do well.

As AUCMD2006 pointed out there are a lot of details to know about and unfortunately it is nearly impossible for you to understand many of the subtleties of medical education at this time so try think about what is best for you based on your preferences and then do your best. Good luck.

-DrFraud

[SuperiorVenaCava]

Thanks, you're right. I suppose the main two factors for me are the fact that my current university, the University of Windsor is on strike. Until the faculty and management can negotiate a collective agreement, I have no control over the outcome of these courses I'm taking. So, I'll likely need to go with the school(s) that offer an unconditional acceptance like AUC has. Then I'll go through the cost, personal feelings about the school and preferences. Bottom line is that I'm a good self teacher and I'll do just fine with any of these programs, these are all good schools in their own respects.

[mesayte]

i got acceptance from Ross and Windsor at the same time. I need some basic info, to accept one over the other. Please help me on this. Tell me about Windsor, coz i read about Ross lots and kind of stuffed with informations, weather true or false. Tell me more about Windsor...tnx

[SuperiorVenaCava]

Originally Posted by mesayte

i got acceptance from Ross and Windsor at the same time. I need some basic info, to accept one over the other. Please help me on this. Tell me about Windsor, coz i read about Ross lots and kind of stuffed with informations, weather true or false. Tell me more about Windsor...tnx

Mesayte, I don't think the two schools really compare to each other. Pretty much anyone will tell you that Ross would be the way to go. It is possible that with Windsor the smaller class sizes give you a bit more personal attention but when everything is said and done med school is largely about learning how to learn and teaching yourself the content. Ross has way more faculty, facilities, and accreditation. You can practice in all 50 states with Ross, and you'd likely have an overall better chance at the subspecialty of your choice when compared to Windsor. People correct me if I'm wrong, but the only disadvantage that Ross has in comparison to Windsor is the fact that it costs a bit more. You really get what you pay for though. With that said, if you don't care about practicing in all 50 states and think the savings is worth the sacrifices, then go with Windsor. As long as you work your *** off, you'll get the M.D. and be able to help others and your future.