How to differentiate medical schools?

Pre-Med & Medical School
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Hi, I am a college freshman, so I know I have a lot of time to think about this! None of my relatives are in the medical field, so I am going in fairly blind when it comes to pre-med.

There are a ton of medical schools, and they all claim to be good at different things. The US News Rankings (which I know aren’t all that important!) have two sections, primary care and research. Most schools people think of as “top” medical schools are high in the research category, but I do not want to do research. Also, some schools are ranked by specialty, but I thought that students do not specialize until residency. Other than price of course, what are the key differences in MD schools that I should be looking for?

I’m thinking of doing pediatrics or OB/GYN. I may subspecialize in either of those, but that’s for later me to figure out lol. I’m currently planning to move back home but work in the rural, high-need areas nearby for a bit and get some loans repaid while making a genuine difference.

If anyone can give me guidance with what I should be looking at with med schools and what makes them different from each other, that would be great!

2

You are waaaay too early for this to be a concern.

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I wouldn’t put a ton of time into it or anything, I’m just curious!

4

I agree that you are way too early for this. Also keep in mind that public service loan forgiveness programs could be discontinued (maybe there are other programs?).

5

I’ll give my opinion. A graduate from any medical school or osteopathic medical school will be called “doctor”. If you want to know the key differences…for you…these could include location, size, cost.

But really, you can’t choose a specialty anyway until you apply for residency…and that is after four years of undergrad and three of medical school (residency applications are done in your fourth year of medical school).

Does your undergrad college have a health careers advising office? If so, see what they have to say.

And remember to apply broadly, to both MD and DO schools when the time comes. And hope you are in the 40% or so of applicants who get one acceptance!

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Yeah that’s true. If so then I’ll just get loans and pay them back like most other doctors.

I know it’s early!! I’m not stressing about finding the perfect med school or anything, and I have backup plans for if I decide to not be pre-med. I’m just curious about what the difference is, since for undergrad there were liberal arts colleges, big SEC schools, smaller northern schools, artsy schools, etc. For med schools I feel like they’re all the same size and all teach the same thing.

7

I would also look at whether state schools accept out of state students, and if so, how many.

I think you are too early, but you can ask your school’s pre-health advising.

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There is a small variation in size, but they better be teaching the same stuff to all of their students who will be taking the same exams!

The “best” medical school is the one where you get accepted.

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Are you enjoying your first semester in college, making friends, getting involved etc? I would focus on that.

You really have a long road ahead of you before deciding on schools and speciality. As far a a back up plan, that can also change as you are exposed to new experiences.

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You are a freshman. It is very early to figure this out, and of course you may change your mind (or maybe not).

Have you done any shadowing to determine if you actually like it? It is very early so don’t worry if you didn’t.

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^^^^^THIS

For the most part, medical education in the US is “flat” – that is all med schools (MD and DO) teach a fairly standardized curriculum and all med students are required to take and pass the same national standardized exams in order to graduate and move on to residency.

Although it’s way, way, way too early to picking out a med school, the factors that are most important are going to depend on you and your values.

School Mission

What is the school mission? (HINT: every med school has a mission statement on it website)

Some med schools are research focused and want to produce world class scientists. Some are looking to produce future leaders in healthcare. Some want to educate physicians to serve a particular region, area or group of people. Some want to graduate public health policy makers. And more

Applicants should apply to schools that align with their interests and career goals.

Location

Living close by to people who are important in their life is valued by some students. For example, an applicant might not want to have long distance relationships with a significant other or romantic partner. Or want to live close to family members who can provide help and [emotional/personal] support. Or want to live in a location where a partner/SO can find job and help financially support an applicant during med school.

Or location may be important if the applicant belongs to a minority group and doesn’t want to live a in a location that an applicant perceives as hostile or unwelcoming . (Such as trans individual in a state where trans healthcare is difficult to access.)

Some applicants may not want to live in large cities like NYC or LA or very rural areas.

Cost

Cost includes not just tuition and fees, but other costs of living–like rent and transportation. The higher the COA, the more loans a med student will need to take out. (And repay later)

Clinical Rotation Sites

Will the student be able to complete most of their clinical rotations near the med school or will they be sent out to multiple different sites in different parts of the state or country? Relocating every 6 weeks or 3 months can be disheartening and expansive.

Will a student have to find/organize their own elective rotations during MS4? Or will the med school offer wide choice of electives? Do the hospitals associated with a particular med school offer clinical rotations and residencies in the specialty areas a student is most interested in?

Grading Policies

Are the med school classes p/f or graded? Is the school a “true” p/f or does the school use the underlying grades to determine class ranking or honors like AOA?

Attendance Policies

Is there mandatory attendance at lectures? If so, what penalty is there for skipping and/or unexcused absences?

Are lecture recordings available to all students (regardless of whether attendances is required or not)?

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12

Way, way, way too early to decide this.

The average med student changes their mind about their eventual specialty 3x during med school. You need to wait until you some exposure to all the basic fields of medicine during MS3 before picking a specialty.

(Personal example. D2 started med school intending to go into neurology or neuropsychiatry. Her research background and experiences were all brain/neuro-related. Then she participated in her first C-section and fell in love. Boom! New specialty. Has zero to do with brains.)

FWIW, pediatrics is the least competitive specialty out there right now. There were dozens of open positions after Match this past spring. Meaning pretty much if you want to be a pediatrician, you can do that.

Ob/GYN, OTOH, has become increasingly competitive and is now harder to get into than anesthesia. Zero unfilled positions after Match this year, Only 85% of MD applicants and 67% of DO applicants who applied to OB/GYN matched into OB/GYN this spring.

But that was just this year’s results. The competitiveness of various specialties waxes and wanes over time.

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Among US public and private non-profit medical schools…

Where you get admitted, if any.

If you get admitted to more than one (rare), which one results in less debt.

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It comes down to this. Whichever medical school accepts you is the right school for you. I wouldn’t spend any time on “rankings” or “reputation.” Just focus on top grades and MCAT scores.

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These are necessary, but nowhere near sufficient, to get into medical school in the US.

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