Baylor College of Medicine Class of 2013

[ami1983]

I was just looking at last yrs thread and it seems that by this time last year a lot of people received scholarship offers...anyone gotten any (merit) scholarships yet, or is admissions just behind this year?

When I went by yesterday to drop all my aid stuff off, they said they were working to get full aid packages to 1st years (us) asap, definitely before May 15th.

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[sfali23]

yeah Ive been waiting for merit scholarship news as well...please post when/if you find out anything!

 

[GoSpursGo]

When I sent an email to fin. aid a few weeks ago to ask a question, they said they were hoping to start putting together the fin aid packages on April 1. However, for whatever reason, Baylor seems to be a bit behind in general this year; also, just because they might've started packaging on April 1 doesn't give us any idea when we might actually hear from them.

In addition, they said that merit scholarships are left completely up to the admissions office, and since the admissions office seems to still be very busy with filling the class, I'm not sure when we should realistically expect to hear from them regarding merit scholarships.

 

[Jolie South]

it's correct that the financial aid office does not do the merit scholarships. you will receive word of that outside any package that you might get from the financial aid office.

 

[GoSpursGo]

So I got that email today from the admissions office to accepted applicants, and started to think, "Sweet, maybe it's financial aid info!"

...and it's just a little "hey, nothing's going on because of the merger." What a TEASE!!!

 

[ami1983]

So I got that email today from the admissions office to accepted applicants, and started to think, "Sweet, maybe it's financial aid info!"

...and it's just a little "hey, nothing's going on because of the merger." What a TEASE!!!

I know, I got all excited too!

 

[BaylorLion]

Out of curiosity about the alma mater, what was this email??

 

[MD13]

Out of curiosity about the alma mater, what was this email??

It just said that tuition and admissions policies would (likely) stay the same regardless of whatever merger occurs.

 

[emewe]

So I know there's already been some discussion about accommodation for next year, but I'm having trouble deciding whether to go for an apartment or a condo in Condoland (most likely One Montreal Place on Hepburn). I've heard only bad things about Lanesborough management, but it's a great location with amenities at a reasonable price. However, my parents have offered to buy a condo as an investment for themselves and let me live there while renting out the other bedroom to a roommate. I'm kind of worried about transportation there though as metro buses can be unreliable. Does anyone live there currently that could shed some light on the transport situation? Anyway have experiences (good or bad) with either Lanesborough or Condoland that they could share?

 

[jsnichols]

Me: Rising MS-3 at BCM who has been fortunate enough to live in the wonderful neighborhood just north of Rice U for the past three years. Erin, my girlfriend, is starting the job of her dreams with the CDC at the end of June, so I'm looking for a roommate to live in the spare bedroom of the amazing duplex we rent. I'm into public health, primary care, cultural events, eating well, not taking myself too seriously and biking almost everywhere. I'm zero-drama and easy to get along with, so I'm not particular about the person I live with, but I've included the following description to give you some sense of what your life here would be like.

You: Rising MS-1, of either gender, excited about starting medical school, but not into the apartment complex thing. Perhaps you find them soulless and uninspiring. Perhaps you've had bad experiences in the past and are interested in living in a neighborhood with its own dedicated security patrol. Perhaps you'd like to choose your home based on its own merits rather than living in one of the same places as most of your classmates, because... well... (frankly, I have no idea why anyone would want to live in an apartment complex when they could live here. I'm incredibly fortunate.)

You are unimpressed by marble counter tops, Italian cabinets, lap pools and treadmills where you can dock your iPod. You don't have much furniture and don't watch much TV. You would enjoy playing with our downstairs neighbors' white German shepherd, Thunder. (You might even own a pet yourself.) You like to entertain and want a nice space to share with friends. You would make good use of our recently reconstructed second floor deck. You like having the doors open, weather permitting.

You don't mind sharing a bathroom. You like doing laundry at home for free (since we have our own washer and dryer) but can live without a dishwasher. You can tolerate some clutter and don't mind if the dishes start piling up towards the end of the week, since we're all very busy. You'd like to look out of your windows and see trees. You adore hardwood floors. You like eating cupcakes (since I make them almost every weekend). The occasional glass of champagne on a weeknight sounds like a great idea to you.

You would enjoy being able to bike to school (across the beautiful and traffic-free Rice campus) in 10 minutes. Some days, you might enjoy the 15-20 minute walk or riding the free Rice-TMC shuttle. If you stick around for a few years, you would enjoy biking to all of the BCM hospitals (including the VA) in 10-15 minutes. You think the MetroRail would get old after a while. You might like to run around the Rice running trail in the morning morning before school. You'd also enjoy a 10 minute, traffic-free bike ride to Rice Village to study, eat, drink, shop, hang out, or whatever. You're not into parking garages. You value your independence.

If this sounds interesting to you, please email me at [email protected]. (Please don't private message or reply to this post. Neither will make it to my trusty Blackberry, and I want to respond to your inquiries promptly.) I can't wait to show you around your new neighborhood.

 

[htownpremie]

did anybody apply to the dual MD/MPH program? yall heard back from UTHSCH yet?

 

[ami1983]

did anybody apply to the dual MD/MPH program? yall heard back from UTHSCH yet?

oops, I totally missed that deadline. Did you apply through SOPHAS?

 

[htownpremie]

oops, I totally missed that deadline. Did you apply through SOPHAS?

naw, there is a separate process for dual applicants. you can find it on the UTHSCH MPH website. although, the weird part is that it says we don't have to pay our deposit until we matriculate--status page says my file is incomplete due to that. and i was told by dr. piller, the md/mph coordinator, that the MCAT is sufficient to replace the GRE--file is also incomplete according to that. i've been trying to contact the admissions office for a month to clarify, but i've given up..

 

[Jolie South]

If you guys are having problems with the MD/MPH application, feel free to e-mail [email protected]. There are apparently some glitches with the system.

You are right. The MCAT can replace the GRE.

 

[htownpremie]

If you guys are having problems with the MD/MPH application, feel free to e-mail [email protected]. There are apparently some glitches with the system.

You are right. The MCAT can replace the GRE.

thanks jolie south. i'm probably going to have to do that. i had all the required materials in by the due date, but i haven't received confirmation that stuff is complete, and my calls/emails to the office about my status have gone unanswered or unreturned...frustrating..

 

[emewe]

I know we're probably all wondering this...anyone heard anything about financial aid? I got an email to remind me to pay my deposit before May 15 (oops...), which made me worry that maybe the award letters had gone out and I hadn't heard anything because I hadn't paid. It's getting kind of close to May 15....and even though it's not going to affect my decision, I want to know!

 

[ami1983]

I know we're probably all wondering this...anyone heard anything about financial aid? I got an email to remind me to pay my deposit before May 15 (oops...), which made me worry that maybe the award letters had gone out and I hadn't heard anything because I hadn't paid. It's getting kind of close to May 15....and even though it's not going to affect my decision, I want to know!

and what about a 2nd look?

 

[emewe]

and what about a 2nd look?

I think I've given up on a 2nd look... haven't heard the official word on that but it's so late now, they would have to have told us already if we were having one.

 

[ami1983]

I think I've given up on a 2nd look... haven't heard the official word on that but it's so late now, they would have to have told us already if we were having one.

Yeah I called today and they said they don't do a formal 2nd look, but you can come back and they will arrange a "personalized" second look if desired. Hmm.

 

[emewe]

I spoke with someone in the Financial Aid office today (too impatient to wait anymore!) and I was told that my package has been created and that the data are being downloaded to TG (I think this is the loan company?). So apparently award letters should be going out soon...hopefully this is good news?!

 

[emewe]

got my financial aid award email today, all loans unfortunately Oh well, at least I know now! Good luck to everyone else!

 

[MD13]

Did everyone get the email stating that 'scholarship funds will be directed to students with financial need', or is this their way of telling us individually that we aren't qualified for one? (even though they say this isn't the case)

It doesn't really make sense..financial need is more or less irrelevant for medical students since most of us pay on our own yet are considered for institutional funds based on our parent's info...

It's also strange that they didn't plan enough in advance to know not to ask us for scholarship essays..this decision is odd

 

[emewe]

Did everyone get the email stating that 'scholarship funds will be directed to students with financial need', or is this their way of telling us individually that we aren't qualified for one? (even though they say this isn't the case)

It doesn't really make sense..financial need is more or less irrelevant for medical students since most of us pay on our own yet are considered for institutional funds based on our parent's info...

It's also strange that they didn't plan enough in advance to know not to ask us for scholarship essays..this decision is odd

I can't tell whether that email is sent to everyone or only those who don't qualify, it is worded strangely. Although, I know I didn't qualify because I had already received my award letter telling me I had received no scholarships.

Also, I don't think that the scholarship interest form counts as an essay. The people in the financial aid office told me it was just a place to state your interest in scholarships and why you should get one. They weren't going to base their decisions on what you wrote there, just trying to determine who was really interested and then they would decide based on other factors from there.

Even though we are all technically financially independent and will be taking out our own loans and paying for everything ourselves, there will be some people who are able to turn to their parents if they get stuck and others that won't, especially given the current economy where certain people have been hit harder than others. I can understand them wanting to help out those people a little more.

If you didn't get a scholarship this year you can apply every year. Maybe once the economy starts to look up we'll get our chance (trying to sound optimistic...) For now, we can all be thankful that Baylor's tuition fees are at least reasonable compared to the ridiculous private schools in other states!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Did everyone get the email stating that 'scholarship funds will be directed to students with financial need', or is this their way of telling us individually that we aren't qualified for one? (even though they say this isn't the case)

It doesn't really make sense..financial need is more or less irrelevant for medical students since most of us pay on our own yet are considered for institutional funds based on our parent's info...

It's also strange that they didn't plan enough in advance to know not to ask us for scholarship essays..this decision is odd

Yeah, everyone I have spoken to who heard anything today (a couple of URMs had heard earlier, but got a fairly limited scholarship) said they got nothing. For the record, I too got nothing

I can't tell whether that email is sent to everyone or only those who don't qualify, it is worded strangely. Although, I know I didn't qualify because I had already received my award letter telling me I had received no scholarships.

Also, I don't think that the scholarship interest form counts as an essay. The people in the financial aid office told me it was just a place to state your interest in scholarships and why you should get one. They weren't going to base their decisions on what you wrote there, just trying to determine who was really interested and then they would decide based on other factors from there.

Even though we are all technically financially independent and will be taking out our own loans and paying for everything ourselves, there will be some people who are able to turn to their parents if they get stuck and others that won't, especially given the current economy where certain people have been hit harder than others. I can understand them wanting to help out those people a little more.

If you didn't get a scholarship this year you can apply every year. Maybe once the economy starts to look up we'll get our chance (trying to sound optimistic...) For now, we can all be thankful that Baylor's tuition fees are at least reasonable compared to the ridiculous private schools in other states!

Part of me understands that part... but the cynic in me says this has just as much to do with the economy as it does with Traber foolishly cutting ties to Methodist and then sinking so much of the school's money into the new hospital. I think that if they didn't have that huge financial albatross around their neck (an albatross that's just sitting there--they had to stop construction on it earlier this year), they would've still been able to find some money to attract students. Hopefully if they merge with Rice and gain access to the Rice endowment they'll be able to give us a bigger reward in future years

 

[htownpremie]

Yeah, everyone I have spoken to who heard anything today (a couple of URMs had heard earlier, but got a fairly limited scholarship) said they got nothing. For the record, I too got nothing



Part of me understands that part... but the cynic in me says this has just as much to do with the economy as it does with Traber foolishly cutting ties to Methodist and then sinking so much of the school's money into the new hospital. I think that if they didn't have that huge financial albatross around their neck (an albatross that's just sitting there--they had to stop construction on it earlier this year), they would've still been able to find some money to attract students. Hopefully if they merge with Rice and gain access to the Rice endowment they'll be able to give us a bigger reward in future years

where is the new hospital btw?? i see the baylor clinic...and that looks pretty done (i've had colleagues go in there for appointments). is that not the new hospital?

 

[iwish10]

Could anyone tell me what fees include? Does it include health insurance?

AND are we really going to spend $4200 on books?

Tuition 6,550
Fees 8,278
Books and Supplies 4,200

 

[Doctura]

I think that the 4,200 includes the computer loan, but I'm not 100% sure. Is anyone else feeling a little anxious about taking out $40,000 in loans?

 

[GoSpursGo]

I think that the 4,200 includes the computer loan, but I'm not 100% sure. Is anyone else feeling a little anxious about taking out $40,000 in loans?

Yeah... still way better than almost anywhere else, but it's definitely scary

 

[emewe]

Yeah... still way better than almost anywhere else, but it's definitely scary

Do we have to take out the full loan amount? I'm positive I can live in Houston for less than $22k, and I don't need the computer loan. Can we take out less at the beginning and take out more halfway through the year if we find we need it?

Also, for repayment, I know all the institutional loans are no interest until after you graduate, but what about the Stafford loans? The website says no "repayment" until after you graduate, but does that mean the money has been accruing interest the whole time you've been in school?

I can tell this is going to start stressing me out a lot ...

 

[Doctura]

I know that you can reject any part of your loan package, but I'm not sure if you can get that back halfway through. I suspect that when you reject a loan, particularly a subsidized loan, it goes to the next person on the waiting list. You might be able to get more loan money, but the conditions might not be as good.

I can't wait to fill out my taxes next year and report -$40,000 in income.

 

[jsnichols]

On the MD/MPH program...

I finished my MPH at UTSPH before starting medical school at BCM. I think I'm the only BCM student right now who has finished at UTSPH, although a handful of others started last year. I helped Drs. Abrams and Piller get the MD/MPH program rolling last year.

I agree, admissions at UTSPH can be frustrating, even for traditional MPH applicants. It's even more confusing for MD/MPH applicants from BCM, since you are the first class applying with this process. But not too worry. If you are accepted into BCM, you are certainly qualified for the MPH program. Just get the paperwork submitted as soon as possible and keep communicating with Dr. Abrams at BCM, and Drs. Piller and Smith at UTSPH.

If you have any questions or concerns about the program, certainly contact Steve Abrams, the director, at [email protected], or find him on Facebook.

And if you have any questions about BCM or UTSPH, or public/global health generally, please drop me a line at jsnichols {at} gmail {dot} com. I'd really like to hear from you.

Also, I'm looking for a roommate (see my above post). I enjoy having public health-type people around.

Good luck.

 

[nv45]

Hey guys, I just looked at the new rankings and it just doesn't make sense...
Look at the amount of research money we have received the past five years:
2005 edition - $369.3 million
2006 - $409.6 million
2007 - $454.2 million
2008 - $419.5 million
2009 - $413.1 million
And how much did we get this year: 229.6 million (drop of 44% from last year)

I thought maybe the current economic climate might be the reason, but every school in the Top 20 (except us) either increased or did not change much (the smallest decrease I saw was 8.8% by Stanford).
I don't get how you can lose 44% of your research funding just like that. That would be like losing almost half your faculty. Something is up...
Do you guys actually believe we lost all that funding?
I'm pretty sure I am going to Baylor next year, but I still haven't withdrawed from UT Southwestern. I hope this is not an indication that Baylor is going to plummet and falter.

 

[nv45]

I think there is a mistake with US News because I looked at the level of research funding that Baylor published. Access it here:
http://www.bcm.edu/pdf/strategicplan-report2008.pdf
Go to page 14.
US News says that for the 2010 rank it used to fiscal years of 2007 and 2008. If you look at the graph and follow Baylor's reported funding (which only shows that supplied to the medical school) and compare it to the funding I showed you guys in my previous post (which shows it for the medical school AND the affiliated hospitals), it doesn't make sense for this year. Look here:
Baylor's reported funding by fiscal year (in $millions): 2002 - $180, 2003 - $210, 2004 - $239, 2005 - $232, 2006 - $222, 2007 - $206, 2008 - $200
US News reported funding by edition (in $ millions): 2005 - $369.3, 2006 - $409.6, 2007 - $454.2, 2008 - $419.5, 2009 - $413.1, 2010 - $229.6.
Now US News says they used the fiscal yeas of 2002 and 2003 for edition 2005, 2003 and 2004 for edition 2006, and so on...
So for the 2010 edition, they used fiscal years 2007 and 2008, which Baylor had an average of $203 million. That does not seem to be all that much of a difference from the other fiscal years, certainly not enough to warrant such a large decrease that US news has shown. Also think what that would mean, it would mean that we received only (229.6 - 203) = $26.6 million dollars in research money from our affiliated hospitals. I think thats what Texas Children's spends on their office supplies, and we haven't lost them have we?

One more thing:
http://report.nih.gov/award/trends/FindOrg_Detail.cfm?OrgID=481201
The NIH website shows that we received $211 million dollars (for JUST the medical school without any hospitals) in 2008 which is the about same as it shows for 2007. In 2006 we had $227 million according to NIH. We are affiliated with 8 hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, and US News is telling us that all of them get only $12.6 million dollars in research money for this year when they received over $200 million in ALL previous years???
Once again, do you guys believe this?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Nah, I don't think it's really possible to lose that much funding all at once. My understanding is that most grant proposals are for 5 years, so they couldn't get hit that hard so quickly.

 

[MD13]

Thanks nv45, for posting the funding numbers--I noticed the drop in rankings too and was very disappointed... So now we know the drop in rankings is due to NIH funding issues..that's really odd..

nv45, where did you get that 12.6 number? Did you mean 26.6? I used that website that you posted to look up MD Anderson (which I assume counts as one of the affiliated hospitals) and it got about 150million in 2008. So just baylor plus MDA is more than the 229.6 you said is used in USNews..maybe I am missing something..

 

[goinoutofmymind]

Hey Class of 2013,
I'm an MS2 moving into a cute apartment in Montrose end of May and am looking for a roommate. It's a 2/1, rent $400 plus bills, walking distance to the rail. I have 2 kitties who are very sweet and I'm pretty sure other pets would be ok with the landlord as long as ours get along.
Email me at [email protected] if interested
-Meghan

 

[nv45]

Thanks nv45, for posting the funding numbers--I noticed the drop in rankings too and was very disappointed... So now we know the drop in rankings is due to NIH funding issues..that's really odd..

nv45, where did you get that 12.6 number? Did you mean 26.6? I used that website that you posted to look up MD Anderson (which I assume counts as one of the affiliated hospitals) and it got about 150million in 2008. So just baylor plus MDA is more than the 229.6 you said is used in USNews..maybe I am missing something..

Exactly! you are missing something, simply the fact that we could not have gotten $229.6 million, it seems improbable if not impossible. I am not saying we did get that, but US News IS saying that with their 2010 numbers.
Yes, my bad I meant 26.6 not 12.6. But, the point is how can we just get only $229.6 million if even one of our hospitals gets $150 million and we alone (just the medical school) get $203 (baylor's number) or $211 (NIH number). It would make sense if we got say around $400+ million....and indeed that is what we got every year since 2006. So,something is not adding up...

One other interesting thing:
I looked up our rank for research funding from US News and NIH (http://report.nih.gov/award/trends/findorg.cfm) over the past several years and here is what I found:

NIH Rank: by fiscal years
2003 - 10th
2004 - 11th
2005 - 13th
2006 - 15th
2007 - 15th
2008 - 16th

From 2003 to 2008, we dropped by 8.6% (for comparison Hopkins went up by 1.7% and Stanford went up by 4.7%)
So, these changes seem reasonable given random fluctuations.

US News: by edition years
2006 - 7th (compare with NIH 2003/2004)
2007 - 5th (compare with NIH 2004/2005)
2008 - 7th (compare with NIH 2005/2006)
2009 - 7th (compare with NIH 2006/2007)
2010 - 21st (compare with NIH 2007/2008)

From US News 2006 edition to 2010 (which is the same time frame as the NIH years), we dropped by 44% (for comparion Hopkins went up 5.9% and Stanford went down by 2.7%). These percentages are different from the ones above because US News uses medical school + hospitals while NIH just uses medical school. But, the point is does our 44% drop seem reasonable?

Note that I say compare with NIH 2001/2002 for US News 2004, for example, because those are the years US News used for that year's edition.
Notice the level of consistency within each set of rank. You might be thinking that 16th and 21st are not that far apart, but again the NIH number only counts the medical school while the US News one counts the medical school plus affiliated hospitals (one reason why Harvard ranks 26th for NIH but 1st for US News). Look only within each set of ranks (just look at NIH and just look at US News, and then equate them, e.g. NIH 15th = roughly US News 7th). If nothing really dramatic happens next year, you would expect roughly the same pattern, and indeed that happens for every year except US News 2010 which looks like an oddball. How can you go down from 7th to 21st while the medical school goes down only from 15th to 16th in one year?

Since the medical school funding didn't change much, maybe you would think its the hospital affiliations then.
I thought maybe the Methodist story would answer this except when I looked it up I found out that this thing happend back in 2003 and since that time we have actually increased our ties there. In fact, we have strengthened a lot of our ties and most of the Rice merger updates say that we are only going to increase our ties to all of our affiliated hospitals in the next few years. So yeah , I don't know what is going on here...either US News gave us the wrong numbers for this year, they gave us the wrong number for all previous years, or they are right and we lost most of our hospital affiliations. Which is more likely?

Now, I could care less that we rank 17th one year (i mean 17th is actually pretty good for most people). And going from 13th to 17th would seem trivial to most. So, why am I complaining?
The reason why I am concerned is because a 44% drop in your research funding tells you that something is going on. Every other medical school in the Top 20 either increased (most of them increased) or went down by less than 9%, so why do WE go down by a whopping 44%? Is this a sign of instability for the future? Will this continue to the point that we become a second-class medical school? These remarks may seem extreme but a 44% drop IS extreme. I have never seen a drop like this for a school from US News for any year.

 

[TheRealMD]

I don't want to study for my tests, so I come here. Hello everyone! It's been awhile.

 

[karamazov]

Exactly! you are missing something, simply the fact that we could not have gotten $229.6 million, it seems improbable if not impossible. I am not saying we did get that, but US News IS saying that with their 2010 numbers.
[ ... ]
Now, I could care less that we rank 17th one year (i mean 17th is actually pretty good for most people). And going from 13th to 17th would seem trivial to most. So, why am I complaining?
The reason why I am concerned is because a 44% drop in your research funding tells you that something is going on. Every other medical school in the Top 20 either increased (most of them increased) or went down by less than 9%, so why do WE go down by a whopping 44%? Is this a sign of instability for the future? Will this continue to the point that we become a second-class medical school? These remarks may seem extreme but a 44% drop IS extreme. I have never seen a drop like this for a school from US News for any year.

I'm sure there are a ton of lurkers (I'm one) watching this thread. Thanks nv45 for taking the time to investigate these numbers, I continue to be curious as to what you come up with.

For what its worth, I've talked with some former faculty at Baylor (didn't leave on bad terms, just on to other pastures), and they were very positive about BCM, and said that any of its troubles at the top won't likely affect the med students (except for the lack of merit scholarships due to financial constraints, but come on, bcm's tuition is outrageously low...in fact, the biggest fear I have of a Rice/BCM merger is that the state of TX pulls out its funding). The numbers for BCM are still incredible, but I agree, trends do give reason to pause.

I don't know if they are a direct cause of the trend, but BCM seems to be in a period of transition--change in leadership, a stalled hospital, a possible merger--and I expect things will be a little rocky as it all gets sorted out. However, I don't think there is any worry in the top-notch quality of medical school education. The good news for us is that, for all that is going on up top, the curriculum and students programs are not in transition--they are rock solid.

So just in case there are any neurotic applicants going into a panic, you can calm down a little. Baylor is going to be just fine.

 

[Doctura]

U.S. News Ranking of Best Graduate Schools
U.S. News & World Report has released its annual list of top graduate schools in business, education, engineering, law, medicine, and social sciences and humanities. I am pleased to announce that BCM is ranked number 17 among research-intensive medical schools and was also ranked number 17 among primary care-focused medical schools.

The rankings are based on medical student GPA and MCAT scores, faculty to student ratio, NIH funding and total number of NIH grants. For this year's survey, Baylor changed its reporting on NIH research dollars to include only the research activity in its primary affiliated hospitals. Consequently, we did not include NIH funding that M. D. Anderson Hospital receives. This resulted in a substantial decrease in the dollars reported in that category, but did not significantly change the college's overall ranking. Baylor has ranked in the Top 20 since 1994 and has been the highest ranked medical school in Texas each of those years.

The Baylor pediatrics program was again ranked number 5 in pediatrics. This is clearly the result of our outstanding faculty in the Department of Pediatrics and our strong partnerships with Texas Children's Hospital and Ben Taub General Hospital, where our faculty treat pediatric patients and our students and residents are trained.

Rice University and the University of Houston were also listed among the top graduate schools in the nation. Rice, where BCM students can obtain an M.B.A. while pursuing their M.D. or Ph.D., was ranked among the top 50 U.S. business schools at number 38. The University of Houston Law School, where we have a combined M.D./J.D. dual degree program, was ranked among the top 100 law schools at number 59 and their Health Law program was ranked second in the nation.

==============================

I have to wonder why they were reporting MD Anderson to begin with...

 

[karamazov]

I have to wonder why they were reporting MD Anderson to begin with...

The whole thing seems a little suspect to me...the fact that Harvard gets the #1 spot, and yet apparently ranks pretty low in NIH funding? And then you have schools like CCLCM which don't seem to be listed on US News (is lumped in with Case, I guess...which means Case's numbers are very suspect as well).

 

[anoncurious]

U.S. News Ranking of Best Graduate Schools
U.S. News & World Report has released its annual list of top graduate schools in business, education, engineering, law, medicine, and social sciences and humanities. I am pleased to announce that BCM is ranked number 17 among research-intensive medical schools and was also ranked number 17 among primary care-focused medical schools.

The rankings are based on medical student GPA and MCAT scores, faculty to student ratio, NIH funding and total number of NIH grants. For this year's survey, Baylor changed its reporting on NIH research dollars to include only the research activity in its primary affiliated hospitals. Consequently, we did not include NIH funding that M. D. Anderson Hospital receives. This resulted in a substantial decrease in the dollars reported in that category, but did not significantly change the college's overall ranking. Baylor has ranked in the Top 20 since 1994 and has been the highest ranked medical school in Texas each of those years.

The Baylor pediatrics program was again ranked number 5 in pediatrics. This is clearly the result of our outstanding faculty in the Department of Pediatrics and our strong partnerships with Texas Children's Hospital and Ben Taub General Hospital, where our faculty treat pediatric patients and our students and residents are trained.

Rice University and the University of Houston were also listed among the top graduate schools in the nation. Rice, where BCM students can obtain an M.B.A. while pursuing their M.D. or Ph.D., was ranked among the top 50 U.S. business schools at number 38. The University of Houston Law School, where we have a combined M.D./J.D. dual degree program, was ranked among the top 100 law schools at number 59 and their Health Law program was ranked second in the nation.

==============================

I have to wonder why they were reporting MD Anderson to begin with...

Well, BCM reporting MD Anderson is the same as Harvard reporting all of its other hospitals..I assume that is the standard..

The message seems to imply that BCM willingly chose not to report MD Anderson this year, which is strange to me. He said that the rankings did not drop significantly, however, that's simply not true. BCM dropped from 13 - 17 in research (a 31% drop) and from 6 to 17 in primary care (a 183% drop)...how they possibly justify not including the rankings as a good decision??

I guess this explains the numbers, but I can't fathom why BCM would stop reporting MDA, especially when it doesn't seem to be that US News changed the policy (ie Harvard's numbers are the same)

'pleased to announce that bcm is ranked 17'??? It was top ten in 2008!!

 

[MD13]

I think you are right--that it is self-reported, not enforced by US News. I think, for some reason, BCM opted to not report MD Anderson's NIH money. I too am having a hard time figuring out why on earth they would knowingly and purposely decrease their rankings.

 

[19nbj58]

I just dont get why premeds are so obsessed with a fluctuating ranking system provided by a news magazine. Was Baylor a better school when it was ranked in the top 10? Of course not. The only thing that even remotely matters is reputation amongst residency directors-something that does not change.

 

[TheRealMD]

Med students care more about teaching quality than research funding. You aren't going to like a school that doesn't engage you during basic sciences or clinics, regardless of how much money the research departments your med school gets.

Practical things matter (like what I stated above) more than the theoretical stuff you will never worry about as a med student. Just know that research opportunities are always available for students who have interest in certain areas.

 

[pcarlson05]

Ok everyone, let's relax...everything is cool.

As most people have already realized, the drop in Baylor's research ranking comes primarily from its decision to not include MD Anderson's totals for its research funding. Since the US News and World Report is notorious for overvaluing research funds when compiling its rankings, this should explain the SMALL drop in rankings for Baylor. (Saying that Baylor dropped 31% or whatever is not a valid way of analyzing the drop in rankings. I mean, my undergrad was ranked #1 at one time, and is now #4. That doesn't mean, oh my god they've plummeted by 400%! Baylor fell four spots out of hundreds, so the percentage drop is minor in reality.)

What is maybe more concerning is Baylor's drop in the primary care rankings. There are many possible explanations for this, one of which may be some uncertainty with its hospital situation, but it could also have to do with the large turnover Baylor has seen with its teaching physicians. (Who knows what really goes into these rankings anyways...) But, DO NOT WORRY! Ever since Butler has taken over, I have seen nothing but positive action from him. He and his staff seem very dedicated and sincere to solidifying Baylor's situation, and I have the utmost confidence in him. He is been very proactive, transparent, and appears very dedicated to this cause.

Finally, none of this stuff will impact you as students! having been there before, I know that many of you were excited to get in and now are already looking years ahead to graduation and residency and how well will you be trained and how good will it look to have the Baylor name etc. Trust me, having been on the basic science, clinical, and research side of everything Baylor, this stuff will not affect you as students. If anyone, it appears that the residents may feel most of the effect as they cannot be certain where all their training will occur, but Baylor has not had any trouble accommodating its students. By the time you graduate, everything should mostly be back in place, and it will be up to you to stay here or go elsewhere for residency. Being in a top 20 school is enough. From here, it's all about how you do and how you dedicate yourself. It's more important to excel regardless of where you go, then to be a so-so student at the nation's top program.

hope this allays some fears. PM if you have questions...

 

[karamazov]

Ok everyone, let's relax...everything is cool.

As most people have already realized, the drop in Baylor's research ranking comes primarily from its decision to not include MD Anderson's totals for its research funding. Since the US News and World Report is notorious for overvaluing research funds when compiling its rankings, this should explain the SMALL drop in rankings for Baylor. (Saying that Baylor dropped 31% or whatever is not a valid way of analyzing the drop in rankings. I mean, my undergrad was ranked #1 at one time, and is now #4. That doesn't mean, oh my god they've plummeted by 400%! Baylor fell four spots out of hundreds, so the percentage drop is minor in reality.)

What is maybe more concerning is Baylor's drop in the primary care rankings. There are many possible explanations for this, one of which may be some uncertainty with its hospital situation, but it could also have to do with the large turnover Baylor has seen with its teaching physicians. (Who knows what really goes into these rankings anyways...) But, DO NOT WORRY! Ever since Butler has taken over, I have seen nothing but positive action from him. He and his staff seem very dedicated and sincere to solidifying Baylor's situation, and I have the utmost confidence in him. He is been very proactive, transparent, and appears very dedicated to this cause.

Finally, none of this stuff will impact you as students! having been there before, I know that many of you were excited to get in and now are already looking years ahead to graduation and residency and how well will you be trained and how good will it look to have the Baylor name etc. Trust me, having been on the basic science, clinical, and research side of everything Baylor, this stuff will not affect you as students. If anyone, it appears that the residents may feel most of the effect as they cannot be certain where all their training will occur, but Baylor has not had any trouble accommodating its students. By the time you graduate, everything should mostly be back in place, and it will be up to you to stay here or go elsewhere for residency. Being in a top 20 school is enough. From here, it's all about how you do and how you dedicate yourself. It's more important to excel regardless of where you go, then to be a so-so student at the nation's top program.

hope this allays some fears. PM if you have questions...

Well said. Thanks.

 

[nv45]

Ahh..so this whole thing was because Baylor only reported its primary affiliated hospitals as opposed to the other ones. I guess that explains everything. Except, yeah, I agree with some of you as to why they wouldn't include that.

To all the people I freaked out with my posts: I take back my panic stuff as to if Baylor is going to plummet and become a second-class school. This change in reporting which hospitals to include doesn't show that Baylor has had any change in the important stuff but only that it preferred one way of reporting over another. I too have heard only positive stuff about the direction Baylor is heading in after Traber left. The Rice-merger I think will make us even more recognized throughout the world as well as provide us with some stability.

 

[Doctura]

I was just amused that Baylor had been reporting research funds from The University of Texas MD Anderson, seeing as it is UT and all. But I agree. If that is the only reason that Baylor fell in the rankings, that dumb. Surely all of the other top schools use interesting accounting practices as well for the US News rankings.

 

[phoenix0610]

Just curious--how many people here would admit to using the us news rankings as a "significant" factor in either applying to BCM or choosing to come here if you're accepted? I'm not saying it was the only factor you used, but how many would admit that it played more than a casual role in your decision making?