I would argue strongly that going to a top school doesn’t make you a good doctor. I have known many colleagues that went to elite schools that don’t know the first thing about how to talk to a patient, or that couldn’t operate their way out of a paper bag. Elite schools only matter if you want a career in research or administration. One of my classmates in med school went to Harvard for undergrad, and was one of those that couldn’t adjust to being an average medical student. As a result she spent all of her time studying to be an Honors medical student, yet has essentially zero clinical ability. We went to the University of Pittsburgh, a good second tier school. Who do you want to operate on you? The studious honors student with no clinical judgment, or the average student who concentrated on being more well rounded, and can make better decisions?
You know what else? Since I started residency I have not had a single patient ask me where I went to medical school. They judge me on my ability to interact with them, and my skill in educating them about their condition.
