For the medicine bound:

Does it matter what college I attend?

(Thread)

This subject came up in a heated discussion I was having this evening; Here is my 2c

If your goal is medicine, it absolutely does NOT matter what college you attend

Furthermore, it matters little what medical school you attend

Even residency is debatable, as many of us do one fellowship or another

Really only the final place you train has any lasting legacy on how people consider you

But I go even further

Every bit of your training is merely a tool.

A means and not an end in and of itself

All that matters is how you choose to use your tool.

The last place you train will give you a minor advantage when you start, but it is not the endgame.

Will you use your tools and training to screen people for Sarscov2 for parties in the Hamptons (see @adamcifu tweet for today)? Or will you use your tools to...

Reform your field

Fight for the weak, the marginalized the underdog

Make medicine better

Make methods better

Fight for global health equality (like @oncology_bg)

Will you use your tools to enrich yourself, ensure a stable job

Or push for systemic changes that provide more equitable, honest care with less GDP per capita

Pedigrees bore me. And they don't earn my respect.

Folks who doggedly fight for something intrigue me. Folks who persuade and engage rather than ignore and isolate

Just as we cringe at the adult who brags about the 4 touchdowns he threw in high school, I cringe at folks who are satisfied by the schools they attended

It isn't an accomplishment till you make the world better for someone else

And you earn my respect when you try to do that-- and not falter or fail or get pulled by the magnet of your own self interest

So not only do I think the college you attend does not matter, I think the only thing that matters is what you do with the training you are gifted.

Cheers! Don't @ me if u prefer a lower bar.