Best medical schools for student/parents

[pathdr2b]

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This is a take on the nontraditional issue with a twist since I think having a child/children changes the dynamics of EVERYTHING.

I'd say a good school for a student/perent would be:

1) One that allows the student to reduce their course load if needed and without "mental" penalty.

2) A school with family housing for students

3) Childcare facilities near/at the medical school.

These are probably the most important to me. Do any of you have anything else to offer?

Based on what I've read and heard, UCSF seems to fit the bill perfectly.

 

[Neuronix]

I noticed when I visited that Northwestern tended to be really flexible about these things, especially during the basic science years with the low classroom time.

Being that it's in downtown, I'm sure there's daycare nearby. Whether that's affordable daycare though, I'm not sure. The school might have something. They do have subsidized family apartments, though I hear the waitlist is kind of long. I don't know if having a child gets you in there faster.

Anyway, it's definately less competitive than UCSF, so I think it's a place to consider when you apply.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Stanford is great for parents...My student interviewer was married and had children. The flexibility of the 5 year plan worked well for her.

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by UCLAMAN
Stanford is great for parents...My student interviewer was married and had children. The flexibility of the 5 year plan worked well for her.

I know of a student/parent at Stanford that had great things to say. But getting accepted at Stanford....................

 

[irlandesa]

Penn State has on-campus housing for families and seems to be one of the more supportive schools for families. Beautiful, safe area, fun for kids and probably lots of family run daycare facilities in the area if the Hershey Medical Center doesn't offer daycare. The disadvantages I can think of are that it is a bit rural and it might be harder for your husband to find a job out in Hershey (though Harrisburg is not that far).

NYMC also has on-campus housing for married students and children and NYC is accessible by public transportation; however, a lot of the students seemed to express that it was their only choice or one of their last choices when I was there.. Good school though..

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by pathdr2b
I know of a student/parent at Stanford that had great things to say. But getting accepted at Stanford....................

Hehe...well you didn't have anything about being easy to get into as part of your criteria. 😉

Then again, UCSF isn't all that easy to get into either.

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by UCLAMAN
Hehe...well you didn't have anything about being easy to get into as part of your criteria. 😉

Touche!

The problem is that most of the schools that seem good for student parents require a 40T MCAT score. OK, I'll be fine since I'm shooting for a 42T😉 (Dedicated to whathisface!😛)

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by pathdr2b
The problem is that most of the schools that seem good for student parents require a 40T MCAT score. OK, I'll be fine since I'm shooting for a 42T😉 (Dedicated to whathisface!😛)

I'd imagine that many schools that aren't top 10 would still be family oriented. Perhaps there may not be any childcare programs for med students already in place but if one of their students needed it I'm sure most schools would help you find a suitable one. I'm sure housing would be the same way. I think most schools would be flexible with the curriculum as well.

If I were part of the adcom for a medical school and voted to accept a parent its probably because I know that the parent and their family would be a great fit for the school. If I knew that my school wouldn't be able to adequately support a parent and their child in times of need then I would probably vote against that person's file.

 

[moops]

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrenada

ya'll fam members can have da pina colada while u medical it up

 

[pathdr2b]

Anyone with more feedback?

 

[trubluwolv]

when i interviewed albany med college in upstate new york, i found that they had an unconventional med school class. first of all, their avg age of matriculation is a bit higher than the national avg at 25/26, i think.

i also found that about 10-15% of the students are at least married, if not with children. i really liked the supportive atmosphere at Albany Med-- all of the students i spoke to during my visit were so positive about the administration. they mentioned that they were very flexible and understanding, especially with family emergencies, etc.

it's not a top-25 school, nor does it fall within the top-50 (i don't think). their MCAT avg is ~10s,11s on each section.

for someone like me, i'm not too concerned with ranking. i put a great deal of emphasis on how comfortable i would be at the school--i'm not married, but i'm slightly older than the avg applicant and i think albany would be a fantastic fit for me.

just my $.02

good luck!