How do you figure out, "Why this school?"

[ShadyLane]

I know people choose which schools to apply to based on location, scores, research emphasis, and mission statement, but how did you guys find out about the more unique aspects of a school? I'm thinking along the lines of a blog or something where current medical schools talk about their experience with their school, what they love about it, etc. I want to be able to cultivate real interest in each school I'm applying to, but I'm having a hard time finding information that isn't just their official admissions website.

Thank you!

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[mimelim]

There really aren't secretive "unique aspects" of medical schools. Every school is going to have a diverse student body that is going to be full of people that hate it, love it and everything in between. There are unique things about every school, but honestly, if they were important, you would know about them because you already have a particular interest and their unique aspect fits your interest.

In no particular order:
Cost
Location
Mission
Research availability
Specific departments/institute availability

 

[RedPhys]

Usually the schools have a brochure somewhere on their site. I think you can also request one.

Just browsing the website and clicking on stuff like the mission, the research, and keeping in mind factors like the location can all play into what makes a school stand out in your eyes.

 

[LizzyM]

What are you looking for in a school? What characteristics do you value? Which characteristics that you value does school X have? These don't have to be "unique" but they have to be something the school has, does or requires of students that makes it a good fit for you.

 

[Psai]

"I love your school because of all of the different opportunities you prove for helping those in need of healthcare and I want to help people like immigrants and poor people and your school has a lot of support for international trips where I can help people who don't have good access to physician services and I love the fact that you are in an underserved area with a patient population that I'm passionate about"

 

[songl4a]

.

 

[Salt Salt]

Rankings. Duh.

 

[osckey]

I spent time visiting schools last summer (2014) in order to answer this very question. I'd call ahead and schedule a tour of the medical school and each one was VERY accommodating. Instead of finances, I focused on two main questions.

1. Is this a place I can live in for the next 4 years without going crazy? Do I like the area?
2. Does the school seem supportive of their students? (A harder question to answer since every school puts on their pretty face when touring)

So I would tour the school, talk to students (outside of the tour), do research on the internet about these schools, visit the nearby town and get a sense of the village life, and check how the focus of the school's medical program to see if it matched with my aspirations in the field. I toured several Osteopathic and Allopathic schools with this kind of thinking in mind and it really helped when it came down to getting a feel for where I want to attend. We all focus on financial and academic opportunity, both of which are important, but I feel that applicants often forget that they have to take into account that they will have to harbor a personal life in the cities/towns in which these schools are located.

 

[WinslowPringle]

1. If you interviewed there, you probably ran into medical students that said "Hey, contact me if you have any questions." (At least, I hope so and if not, it might be a yellow flag...) Seriously, send them an email or two if you've specific questions about the med student life there.
2. If you haven't interviewed there, you can search the student orgs; often there will be some org dedicated to school tours, med school representation, applicant/med student liaison, applicant housing, etc. and you could contact them to talk with some current students who are (presumably) interested in interacting with applicants.
3. The school specific pre-allo threads often have current students who welcome questions from applicants...

Otherwise, I picked based on: who accepted me, cost, family, location, research. That was plenty.

 

[Satire5Texul]

Yale has 100 reasons. They might give you a good inspiration, just to see how a top school attracts and what it puts forth as the best. Some compelling things, and yes they do exhaust and repeat the points.

Here is their link: https://medicine.yale.edu/education/admissions/education/165_63955_med_100805_web.pdf

In no particular order:
Cost
Location
Mission
Research availability
Specific departments/institute availability

I always got the hint or perhaps misunderstood that this question was asking you to come up with something specific and unique. Outside of "you cost less". "you are close to my family". "You guys have good research". I mean that wouldnt be the tone you would use but there is only so many ways you can phrase that statement. I even get skeptical saying "you are close to my family", giving a wrong impression or interpretation I am not independent or reliant on other people.

Would those very factual reasons really be good enough ? Would a person that did some digging and gave a brown-noser answer like "I really like the recent change in University of Florida's affiliated hospital Shands being more aligned with the schools mission and name change to UF Health", look better? Or are those two weighted equally ?

 

[Goro]

Also consider curriculum, proximity to support groups/loved ones, and what current and past students say about the school. And dare I say it, consider match lists. Under the advisement of our wise clinician SDNers!

There really aren't secretive "unique aspects" of medical schools. Every school is going to have a diverse student body that is going to be full of people that hate it, love it and everything in between. There are unique things about every school, but honestly, if they were important, you would know about them because you already have a particular interest and their unique aspect fits your interest.

In no particular order:
Cost
Location
Mission
Research availability
Specific departments/institute availability

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Try going to open houses if a school near you has one. I found my dream medical school by visiting their open houses for three years straight. After talking to the faculty and students, I realized I absolutely loved this school and its mission and everything it had to offer its students.

 

[ShadyLane]

Yale has 100 reasons. They might give you a good inspiration, just to see how a top school attracts and what it puts forth as the best. Some compelling things, and yes they do exhaust and repeat the points.

Here is their link: https://medicine.yale.edu/education/admissions/education/165_63955_med_100805_web.pdf



I always got the hint or perhaps misunderstood that this question was asking you to come up with something specific and unique. Outside of "you cost less". "you are close to my family". "You guys have good research". I mean that wouldnt be the tone you would use but there is only so many ways you can phrase that statement. I even get skeptical saying "you are close to my family", giving a wrong impression or interpretation I am not independent or reliant on other people.

Would those very factual reasons really be good enough ? Would a person that did some digging and gave a brown-noser answer like "I really like the recent change in University of Florida's affiliated hospital Shands being more aligned with the schools mission and name change to UF Health", look better? Or are those two weighted equally ?

Thanks for the Yale pamphlet link! That's the kind of material I'm looking for. It'll be helpful to use some of their reasons listed to see how other schools address the same topics, programs, etc.

 

[ShadyLane]

I spent time visiting schools last summer (2014) in order to answer this very question. I'd call ahead and schedule a tour of the medical school and each one was VERY accommodating. Instead of finances, I focused on two main questions.

1. Is this a place I can live in for the next 4 years without going crazy? Do I like the area?
2. Does the school seem supportive of their students? (A harder question to answer since every school puts on their pretty face when touring)

So I would tour the school, talk to students (outside of the tour), do research on the internet about these schools, visit the nearby town and get a sense of the village life, and check how the focus of the school's medical program to see if it matched with my aspirations in the field. I toured several Osteopathic and Allopathic schools with this kind of thinking in mind and it really helped when it came down to getting a feel for where I want to attend. We all focus on financial and academic opportunity, both of which are important, but I feel that applicants often forget that they have to take into account that they will have to harbor a personal life in the cities/towns in which these schools are located.

Thanks for the advice - I'm going to try to visit some nearby schools.

 

[aconn51]

Here's the thing: even aside from having to answer this question, you should apply to schools that you're interested in, and to to that, you're probably going to have to do some digging. Whether that be talking to students from various schools, getting tours, or poring over their websites, or a combination is up to you. I do recommend looking at their website, because that will tell you certain things that each school finds important.

When you browse their website, is there anything that really catches your eye as being interesting? For each of the schools that I was most excited about when I applied, I would start browsing their website, completely lose track of time, as I dug through all the information, and look up to see it was at least an hour later and I'd dug through just about everything on their site.
Med schools are kind of like people; each has its own personality, quirks, strengths, and weaknesses- and applying is kind of like internet dating. Both you and the school present an image of what you want the other to see you as, and based on that information, they decide if they want to date (interview) you. If you both agree, you're in a relationship for the next 4 years. Figure out what about the school makes you want to spend the next 4 years of your life with them. The combination of things that you like isn't necessarily going to be the same as the next person, and when you have to answer "why this school?" you'll have a genuine answer that will let the admissions committee see what's important to you as well. Compatibility is important, so don't just say what you think they want to hear, and if you've got no interest in them, don't wast your time with them.

 

[NickNaylor]

"I love your school because of all of the different opportunities you prove for helping those in need of healthcare and I want to help people like immigrants and poor people and your school has a lot of support for international trips where I can help people who don't have good access to physician services and I love the fact that you are in an underserved area with a patient population that I'm passionate about"

This accurately describes at least 70% of the responses I get in interviews to this question.

 

[ShadyLane]

Here's the thing: even aside from having to answer this question, you should apply to schools that you're interested in, and to to that, you're probably going to have to do some digging. Whether that be talking to students from various schools, getting tours, or poring over their websites, or a combination is up to you. I do recommend looking at their website, because that will tell you certain things that each school finds important.

When you browse their website, is there anything that really catches your eye as being interesting? For each of the schools that I was most excited about when I applied, I would start browsing their website, completely lose track of time, as I dug through all the information, and look up to see it was at least an hour later and I'd dug through just about everything on their site.
Med schools are kind of like people; each has its own personality, quirks, strengths, and weaknesses- and applying is kind of like internet dating. Both you and the school present an image of what you want the other to see you as, and based on that information, they decide if they want to date (interview) you. If you both agree, you're in a relationship for the next 4 years. Figure out what about the school makes you want to spend the next 4 years of your life with them. The combination of things that you like isn't necessarily going to be the same as the next person, and when you have to answer "why this school?" you'll have a genuine answer that will let the admissions committee see what's important to you as well. Compatibility is important, so don't just say what you think they want to hear, and if you've got no interest in them, don't wast your time with them.

Thanks, yes definitely looking for real reasons why I want to attend each school. I'm not thinking of how to answer the essay question at this point, just trying to decide where to even apply to.

 

[beachside]

I used the binary "beach or no beach" criteria. Kidding, but quality of life was important. I've spent too much of my life living in sh*tty locations. No mas, amigo. Unless you're a rockstar, the education quality differences between the schools that you get accepted to will probably be pretty trivial.

 

[ridethecliche]

Try going to open houses if a school near you has one. I found my dream medical school by visiting their open houses for three years straight. After talking to the faculty and students, I realized I absolutely loved this school and its mission and everything it had to offer its students.

This is ridiculous

 

[beachside]

This is ridiculous

Agreed. Sounds like he was convinced by that particular school's marketing. I wonder how many other medical schools he would have felt the same way about, if he just happened to live near them instead.

 

[justadream]

This accurately describes at least 70% of the responses I get in interviews to this question.

What about answers that talk about aspects of the curriculum (e.g., "this scholarly concentration would be great for me because____")? I assume that's also a common response.

 

[NickNaylor]

What about answers that talk about aspects of the curriculum (e.g., "this scholarly concentration would be great for me because____")? I assume that's also a common response.

Yeah, it's pretty common - and is generally more effective than the previous answer.

 

[LizzyM]

I used the binary "beach or no beach" criteria. Kidding, but quality of life was important. I've spent too much of my life living in sh*tty locations. No mas, amigo. Unless you're a rockstar, the education quality differences between the schools you get accepted to will probably be pretty trivial.

Some beaches are not immediately obvious.

http://magicseaweed.com/Great-Lakes-Surf-Forecast/81/

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Agreed. Sounds like he was convinced by that particular school's marketing. I wonder how many other medical schools he would have felt the same way about, if he just happened to live near them instead.

This is ridiculous

LLU is a great school that I personally really like, and their open houses did a very good job at showing me why I like this school and want to attend there. You all likely were also convinced by a school's marketing, or else why would you be attending the school you are attending? It is a school's job to market their schools and give you reasons to attend there. Open houses give them an opportunity to do just that.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

LLU has great open houses, by the way.

 

[ridethecliche]

Excuse me, everyone, but these are absurd, ridiculous, and hypocritical comments. LLU is a great school that I personally really like, and their open houses did a very good job at showing me why I like this school and want to attend there. You all likely were also convinced by a school's marketing, or else why would you be attending the school you are attending? It is a school's job to market their schools and give you reasons to attend there. Open houses give them an opportunity to do just that.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

.

 

[Tman90]

.

 

[Goro]

Key phrase is "under advisement under the advisement of our wise clinician SDNers!"

Whoooaaah goro, that advice is bound to get one of us premeds flamed unless of course that was your plan all along to bring out the popcorn

 

[beachside]

Excuse me, everyone, but these are absurd, ridiculous, and hypocritical comments. LLU is a great school that I personally really like, and their open houses did a very good job at showing me why I like this school and want to attend there. You all likely were also convinced by a school's marketing, or else why would you be attending the school you are attending? It is a school's job to market their schools and give you reasons to attend there. Open houses give them an opportunity to do just that.

I don't think you know what hypocritical means. I visited each school only once.

 

[beachside]

Key phrase is "under advisement under the advisement of our wise clinician SDNers!"

I'm sure there's one around here somewhere, right?

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

I don't think you know what hypocritical means. I visited each school only once.

Even if you visited it once, you still were sold on their marketing, or you would not have gone there. I would think as a medical student, you would understand this. Open houses are a way for people who do not know about a certain school to become more educated about the school and decide whether they possibly want to go there. If you hate the school, then you don't need to waste your money applying there. If you like it, it should whet your appetite for more.

 

[beachside]

Even if you visited it once, you still were sold on their marketing, or you would not have gone there.

Uh, no. I based my decision on the location, the reputed quality of the school, and the perceived happiness of the students that I interacted with. Of course I was also watching for potential red flags, like mandatory lecturers, lack of large hospitals nearby, etc. I believe that nuances in the curriculum and such are going to have pluses and minus almost wherever you go, assuming roughly equal ranked schools.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Uh, no. I based my decision on the location, the reputed quality of the school, and the perceived happiness of the students that I interacted with.

Exactly. You would be able to do that at an open house. From my open house experiences, I was able to talk with a lot of students who talked about what they liked and didn't like about the school. As for "reputed quality", you would be able to see that for yourself rather than rely on second-hand information. And all of this could be done without wasting a dime on an application. Do your homework on schools beforehand and visit them. It shows interest in the school if you actually visit them (not only on interview day, but also at an open house). It makes a school more likely to take you if they see you are genuinely interested in the school and will likely attend there.

 

[beachside]

Exactly. You would be able to do that at an open house. From my open house experiences, I was able to talk with a lot of students who talked about what they liked and didn't like about the school. As for "reputed quality", you would be able to see that for yourself rather than rely on second-hand information. And all of this could be done without wasting a dime on an application. Do your homework on schools beforehand and visit them. It shows interest in the school if you actually visit them (not only on interview day, but also at an open house). It makes a school more likely to take you if they see you are genuinely interested in the school and will likely attend there.

Dude, I'm done with this conversation already. You're not going to convince me that you wouldn't have ended up at another school if that school had happened to be close enough for you to attend their open house multiple times.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

Point being, for the OP and all other readers, open houses are a great way to learn more about a medical school and answer the OP's original question "WHY THIS SCHOOL?" and "How do you find out about the more unique aspects of a school?" This is the entire point of my last several threads.