Wisdom Needed! State school vs. Mayo

[namaste08]

Hi all-
I was accepted to Mayo Clinic yesterday. I am over the MOON. I had no idea I would ever have a shot at such a fantastic institution. But then, of course, the anxiety starts to creep in...

A few months ago I was accepted to my state's med school (at an attempt at anonymity I won't say where. But suffice it to say it is a pretty good curriculum w average match stats, and I was happy with it/settled on it out of five other schools I was accepted to before Mayo). I am now pretty torn on which school to go to.

Here's why- debt/ family support networks. Two things that will be troubling at Mayo. A number of med school friends who are away told me that they did not realize how much they would miss the moral support of family and friends in medical school. If I go to mayo, I will be two plane rides away from my family and friends. What if I get so overwhelmed by being away from my usual support networks that I don't even benefit from being at mayo? Is that a thing? Or were my friends just overplaying it/ my anxiety getting the best of me?

Also, what about debt? At this point I am undecided what specialty I want to pursue. Going to my state school doesn't mean I wont have ANY debt, but it will be significantly lower compared to the debt I would incur at Mayo. Do people from 'top tier' schools have input on this? I really do not want to be the 50 year old still paying off debt from med school, regardless of how much I love this school.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

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[thenucleusaccumbens]

I moved far away from home to go to Mayo. Ultimately made the decision to go to Mayo over state schools/high ranked private school closer to home. I was concerned about being far away from friends and family too. I really loved Mayo though and after I went to second look I was completely sold and felt that it was worth being further away from home. Now that I’m a student here, I’ve found myself a lot less homesick than I thought I’d be. Main reasons for this 1) Selectives – our curriculum is set up differently than most other schools since we have blocks and selectives in-between. We get more breaks throughout the year. This allows you to go home more, if you so choose. 2) Our class - we have a very small school and most of my classmates are in the same boat. They become like a second family. You end up making new friends.

Also just want to add, any med school you go to will take you away from friends and family even if you are physically close. Med school is really hard and people who aren’t in it can sometimes have a hard time understanding what it’s like and the commitment required to do well. Mayo prioritizes student wellness and preventing burnout. That’s one of the reasons our curriculum is set up the way it is and why we get selectives. It’s really nice knowing that after each block is over (most are ~6 weeks) I will get time off to reconnect and not have to worry at all about class.

In terms of financial stuff, did you get your aid package from Mayo yet? Mayo ended up being less for me than my state school. Historically Mayo is known for giving good financial aid. In terms of the prestige vs money issue – that’s a personal decision and people will tell you different things. FWIW when I’ve heard residency program directors talk about this, they’ve all said that where you go to school absolutely matters if you want a competitive specialty. It is a factor that is taken into consideration. Similarly every 4th year I’ve spoken to as well has told me that it definitely does matter for residency. Again, I know there are people on SDN who will say differently, but I trust the people I’ve spoken to about it.

Ultimately I would wait until you get your financial aid to make the decision (if you haven’t yet). Also I really would recommend coming for second look if you can swing it.

 

[namaste08]

I moved far away from home to go to Mayo. Ultimately made the decision to go to Mayo over state schools/high ranked private school closer to home. I was concerned about being far away from friends and family too. I really loved Mayo though and after I went to second look I was completely sold and felt that it was worth being further away from home. Now that I’m a student here, I’ve found myself a lot less homesick than I thought I’d be. Main reasons for this 1) Selectives – our curriculum is set up differently than most other schools since we have blocks and selectives in-between. We get more breaks throughout the year. This allows you to go home more, if you so choose. 2) Our class - we have a very small school and most of my classmates are in the same boat. They become like a second family. You end up making new friends.

Also just want to add, any med school you go to will take you away from friends and family even if you are physically close. Med school is really hard and people who aren’t in it can sometimes have a hard time understanding what it’s like and the commitment required to do well. Mayo prioritizes student wellness and preventing burnout. That’s one of the reasons our curriculum is set up the way it is and why we get selectives. It’s really nice knowing that after each block is over (most are ~6 weeks) I will get time off to reconnect and not have to worry at all about class.

In terms of financial stuff, did you get your aid package from Mayo yet? Mayo ended up being less for me than my state school. Historically Mayo is known for giving good financial aid. In terms of the prestige vs money issue – that’s a personal decision and people will tell you different things. FWIW when I’ve heard residency program directors talk about this, they’ve all said that where you go to school absolutely matters if you want a competitive specialty. It is a factor that is taken into consideration. Similarly every 4th year I’ve spoken to as well has told me that it definitely does matter for residency. Again, I know there are people on SDN who will say differently, but I trust the people I’ve spoken to about it.

Ultimately I would wait until you get your financial aid to make the decision (if you haven’t yet). Also I really would recommend coming for second look if you can swing it.

Thank you so much for your perspective! I haven't gotten my finaid info yet, but I am pretty sure that (based on my parents' earnings) I will not get any aid. Even though I am an independent now, I understand why they use parental data... so we will leave it at I am not expecting much! It is good to hear that there are students at Mayo with similar concerns doing well

 

[Shirafune]

Thank you so much for your perspective! I haven't gotten my finaid info yet, but I am pretty sure that (based on my parents' earnings) I will not get any aid. Even though I am an independent now, I understand why they use parental data... so we will leave it at I am not expecting much! It is good to hear that there are students at Mayo with similar concerns doing well

Congrats and congrats again!

Wait till you get financial aid. Attend second look, and think about it from there.

Will you do well in a small class size? That's another concern I've seen thrown around here. Some feel that a small class is a gamble in terms of "finding your niche."
Going to your state school certainly won't preclude you from any specialties or make it significantly harder to match into competitive ones. I think the real question you need to ask is if going to Mayo is significant relative to Step 1, research, aways and LORs with the caveat that these aren't totally independent of one another.

 

[thenucleusaccumbens]

Congrats and congrats again!

Wait till you get financial aid. Attend second look, and think about it from there.

Will you do well in a small class size? That's another concern I've seen thrown around here. Some feel that a small class is a gamble in terms of "finding your niche."
Going to your state school certainly won't preclude you from any specialties or make it significantly harder to match into competitive ones. I think the real question you need to ask is if going to Mayo is significant relative to Step 1, research, aways and LORs with the caveat that these aren't totally independent of one another.

great points!

 

[namaste08]

Congrats and congrats again!

Wait till you get financial aid. Attend second look, and think about it from there.

Will you do well in a small class size? That's another concern I've seen thrown around here. Some feel that a small class is a gamble in terms of "finding your niche."
Going to your state school certainly won't preclude you from any specialties or make it significantly harder to match into competitive ones. I think the real question you need to ask is if going to Mayo is significant relative to Step 1, research, aways and LORs with the caveat that these aren't totally independent of one another.

Ahh but I want my decision now! lol. Thank you for the advice, I will have to meditate on my answer for quite some time!