Mission + Values of School

[page394]

Going through my school list I am trying to figure out what each school values and compare it to my own priorities. Beyond looking at a school's mission fit and searching through any special programs/curricula on their websites, is there any other ways I can glean more info about a school? A lot of the mission statements look the same... besides some schools being clearly geared towards primary care, everyone talks about leaders in their field, serving communities around them, etc.

Also are there older thread/questions where people have compiled mission/vibes of a school given (for ex. Chicago values service/advocacy to underserved communities and DEI, Wisconsin is big on public health, etc)? In a couple threads on SDN I saw people commenting on 'X school's recruiting profile.' Are there some commonly known ones?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Read

Building Your Best School List - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[CoolBreezes]

Secondary essay prompts can give some insight. You can also look at the curriculum for “extra” requirements, such as community service or research.

 

[Goro]

Ask students of the school using the school-specific forum here on SDN

 

[Sea Of The Leaf]

I always look at social media because that’s their marketing. That’s how they advertise themselves and what they want you to know.

Do they talk about their research a lot?
Is it Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day?
How did they react (or react at all) to Roe v. Wade being struct down?
Are they bragging about their academics or the communities they’re serving?
It’s pride month right now. Are they doing or hosting any activities, just a quick Facebook post, or not mentioning it.

You’ll know pretty quickly if your values align or not.

I’d also recommend looking at who exactly the deans and presidents of the school are. A quick google search helps a ton. I found out one of the schools I applied to had a president that was a former governor and a giant figurehead of their political party. Their campaign was more on what I consider the extremist wing of the party’s ideology.

Also, at another school, a new incoming Dean was also the former employee of a healthcare/insurance company and had released a previous statement that medical students should work way more with health insurance companies and understand that profits are a priority in healthcare. That school quickly entered a partnership with a large private healthcare company right after his appointment.

Those things were enough to rearrange my school list rankings.

 

[page394]

I always look at social media because that’s their marketing. That’s how they advertise themselves and what they want you to know.

Do they talk about their research a lot?
Is it Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day?
How did they react (or react at all) to Roe v. Wade being struct down?
Are they bragging about their academics or the communities they’re serving?
It’s pride month right now. Are they doing or hosting any activities, just a quick Facebook post, or not mentioning it.

You’ll know pretty quickly if your values align or not.

I’d also recommend looking at who exactly the deans and presidents of the school are. A quick google search helps a ton. I found out one of the schools I applied to had a president that was a former governor and a giant figurehead of their political party. Their campaign was more on what I consider the extremist wing of the party’s ideology.

Also, at another school, a new incoming Dean was also the former employee of a healthcare/insurance company and had released a previous statement that medical students should work way more with health insurance companies and understand that profits are a priority in healthcare. That school quickly entered a partnership with a large private healthcare company right after his appointment.

Those things were enough to rearrange my school list rankings.

These are amazing suggestions thanks!

 

[jhmmd]

Going through my school list I am trying to figure out what each school values and compare it to my own priorities. Beyond looking at a school's mission fit and searching through any special programs/curricula on their websites, is there any other ways I can glean more info about a school? A lot of the mission statements look the same... besides some schools being clearly geared towards primary care, everyone talks about leaders in their field, serving communities around them, etc.

Also are there older thread/questions where people have compiled mission/vibes of a school given (for ex. Chicago values service/advocacy to underserved communities and DEI, Wisconsin is big on public health, etc)? In a couple threads on SDN I saw people commenting on 'X school's recruiting profile.' Are there some commonly known ones?

If you are not big on public health, underserved communities, primary care, or leadership, med school may not be the right fit for you.