Choosing the right medical school

[jordansnfootbal]

Hello guys,
I'm new to this forum. I am having trouble finding schools that are good in the orthopedics/internal medicine specialty. I'm interested in orthopedics/internal medicine so I was wondering you guys had any knowledge of schools that have a reputation for these specialties? I know I want to apply to UCLA and USC for sure but I have to have a larger range of schools.
Thank a lot for the help

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[AlteredScale]

Hello guys,
I'm new to this forum. I am having trouble finding schools that are good in the orthopedics/internal medicine specialty. I'm interested in orthopedics/internal medicine so I was wondering you guys had any knowledge of schools that have a reputation for these specialties? I know I want to apply to UCLA and USC for sure but I have to have a larger range of schools.
Thank a lot for the help

Hmm I'm a bit confused, are you pre-medical? If so you will be doing these rotations in whatever medical school you apply too so I don't think you should be worried about what medical school has a strong ortho or IM residency You probably will not get into your own hospital that you train at during medical school and in reality, it depends on how well you do on the USMLE/COMLEX-I and if you performed well during your ortho and IM rotations that determines where you will match in terms of location.

Also it's hard to suggest schools with no stats. What is your cGPA? bcpmGPA? MCAT? EC's? Those all are the deciding factors into what school you will get into.

NOTE: I would really suggest not saying that you are going into ortho or IM if you haven't even started medical school yet. ESPECIALLY not to the AdCom during your interview.

also, you could always google: hospitals in the US with good ortho and IM?

 

[jordansnfootbal]

Hmm I'm a bit confused, are you pre-medical? If so you will be doing these rotations in whatever medical school you apply too so I don't think you should be worried about what medical school has a strong ortho or IM residency You probably will not get into your own hospital that you train at during medical school and in reality, it depends on how well you do on the USMLE/COMLEX-I and if you performed well during your ortho and IM rotations that determines where you will match in terms of location.

Also it's hard to suggest schools with no stats. What is your cGPA? bcpmGPA? MCAT? EC's? Those all are the deciding factors into what school you will get into.

NOTE: I would really suggest not saying that you are going into ortho or IM if you haven't even started medical school yet. ESPECIALLY not to the AdCom during your interview.

also, you could always google: hospitals in the US with good ortho and IM?

Yeah I am pre-med. I am just having a hard time seeing what med school I want to apply to (What factors should be looked at, etc.). Here are some stats:
GPA: 3.7
SciGPA: 3.5ish
MCAT: taking this fall
African-American if that matters hahaha
ECs: Treasurer for AMSA, Medical Brigades (Going to Ghana this summer), SMDEP (Duke University Med.), Trauma intern for Scripps Mercy Hospital, Volunteer at Scripps Mercy ER department and Vista Cove Senior center, Research assistant at my school, USSF certified referee, played college football for a couple years, some orthopedic shadowing and some other stuff

I was also wondering if med schools weigh research more than clinical experience and vice-versa? My research experience is lacking and maybe my leadership too.

I wouldn't say I'm going into ortho/IM. I'm just thought some schools have specialties that theyre more known for. If I were in an interview I would probably be asked why I am interested in the school and I'm probably going to say that they are strong in a certain specialty that I am also interested in.

 

[deleted480308]

The best med school is the one that lets you in...don't pre-emptively start turning schools down that haven't accept you

 

[AlteredScale]

You have some very strong EC's. As well as being a URM (under represented minority in medicine), you have a very strong chance of getting interviews into mid-tier and top-tier schools.

I was also wondering if med schools weigh research more than clinical experience and vice-versa? My research experience is lacking and maybe my leadership too.

I think that the focus on research is subjective to the medical school (I would say a lot of the UC's are all well known biomedical research powerhouses). If they are big on it, then you should probably work on what you have in terms of research. But you are an research assistant as is so elaborate on it.

I wouldn't say I'm going into ortho/IM. I'm just thought some schools have specialties that theyre more known for. If I were in an interview I would probably be asked why I am interested in the school and I'm probably going to say that they are strong in a certain specialty that I am also interested in.

I'd be careful of that, I'd only say what specialty I'd be interested in if the AdCom specifically asked that question. From what I've gotten from a lot of the faculty who post here as AdCom, they want to see flexibility and rigidity in your frame of mind. Stating that you are already interested in specialities without having done rotations and even worse, having not shadowed an MD or DO in those specialities before could show that you have a "one track mind". Now, there's nothing wrong with having a prior interest in speciality (I would like to pursue something in the field of neuroscience) but I'd keep that info to myself and not state it during an interview

If they ask you what you like about their school, I'd focus more on their curriculum, what types of students they are looking for and how you fit the mold, their assistance to the community. Show your interest in their school.

Best of luck to you!

 

[jordansnfootbal]

You have some very strong EC's. As well as being a URM (under represented minority in medicine), you have a very strong chance of getting interviews into mid-tier and top-tier schools.



I think that the focus on research is subjective to the medical school (I would say a lot of the UC's are all well known biomedical research powerhouses). If they are big on it, then you should probably work on what you have in terms of research. But you are an research assistant as is so elaborate on it.



I'd be careful of that, I'd only say what specialty I'd be interested in if the AdCom specifically asked that question. From what I've gotten from a lot of the faculty who post here as AdCom, they want to see flexibility and rigidity in your frame of mind. Stating that you are already interested in specialities without having done rotations and even worse, having not shadowed an MD or DO in those specialities before could show that you have a "one track mind". Now, there's nothing wrong with having a prior interest in speciality (I would like to pursue something in the field of neuroscience) but I'd keep that info to myself and not state it during an interview

If they ask you what you like about their school, I'd focus more on their curriculum, what types of students they are looking for and how you fit the mold, their assistance to the community. Show your interest in their school.

Best of luck to you!

Haha thanks a lot because this would have been disastrous for me. I appreciate the feedback. I wasn't sure if my EC's were strong enough, but I hope to get more clinical experience because I prefer that more than research.

 

[red doctober]

I wouldn't be picky for med schools based on the reputation of a particular specialty at an affiliated hospital because it doesn't mean much as to how the experience will be as a medical student and it won't give you an edge when applying to residencies (i.e. people at top ortho residencies won't say, "He went to a medical school whose hospital is well-known for ortho. He must be a good ortho candidate.")

 

[jordansnfootbal]

The best med school is the one that lets you in...don't pre-emptively start turning schools down that haven't accept you

That is not what I meant. People have their top 10 schools that they want to apply to. I only have 3 because I don't know what factors to look at when applying to a medical school.

 

[jordansnfootbal]

I wouldn't be picky for med schools based on the reputation of a particular specialty at an affiliated hospital because it doesn't mean much as to how the experience will be as a medical student and it won't give you an edge when applying to residencies (i.e. people at top ortho residencies won't say, "He went to a medical school whose hospital is well-known for ortho. He must be a good ortho candidate.")

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[AlteredScale]

Haha thanks a lot because this would have been disastrous for me. I appreciate the feedback. I wasn't sure if my EC's were strong enough, but I hope to get more clinical experience because I prefer that more than research.

No problem. Like I said if they say "what area of medicine are you most interested in" then you better have a damn good answer that ties along with THEIR school. So definitely do the research but I'd consider just stating that without being asked a serious no-no.

Your EC's are very outstanding IMO. As long as you got something out of them!

 

[Sabate]

That is not what I meant. People have their top 10 schools that they want to apply to. I only have 3 because I don't know what factors to look at when applying to a medical school.

It depends on what you want out of the medical education process. Are you looking for a graded or pass/fail program? Where do you want to live? Do you want a strong global health program?How much of a research emphasis do you want in a program? Sounds like not a lot, same boat myself. You definitely sound like a strong application and I wouldn't worry about how good the school is at training specific specialties yet.

In my experience applying, I was asked a lot about my experience shadowing an ortho surgeon as I wrote about it a lot and it was a huge draw for me to go into medicine. Nothing wrong with going in knowing that you really like some aspects. Just keep an open mind and it'll be fine with interviewers.

 

[Greedo]

You're going to Ghana? I was there for a semester a few years ago, you'll have the time of your life! I'm actually jealous that you get to go. I probably won't get back there for at least a few years.
As for what school to choose, I agree with what Sabate said. You just have to investigate all the characteristics of a med school that are important to you. For some people that's the grading system, for some it's prestige, for some it's location. I'm in the process of deciding where to apply right now and it's actually really hard to narrow down the list, but once to figure out exactly what matters to you, it'll get easier.

 

[jordansnfootbal]

It depends on what you want out of the medical education process. Are you looking for a graded or pass/fail program? Where do you want to live? How much of a research emphasis do you want in a program? Do you want a strong global health program? Sounds like not a lot, same boat myself. You definitely sound like a strong application and I wouldn't worry about how good the school is at training specific specialties yet.

In my experience applying, I was asked a lot about my experience shadowing an ortho surgeon as I wrote about it a lot and it was a huge draw for me to go into medicine. Nothing wrong with going in knowing that you really like some aspects. Just keep an open mind and it'll be fine with interviewers.

Thanks for the insight. My cousin is already in residency and he suggested I do a pass/fail program so I'll probably look into that. There's so many school, so I'm thinking about just doing a spreadsheet haha. But thank a lot appreciate the advice.

 

[jordansnfootbal]

You're going to Ghana? I was there for a semester a few years ago, you'll have the time of your life! I'm actually jealous that you get to go. I probably won't get back there for at least a few years.
As for what school to choose, I agree with what Sabate said. You just have to investigate all the characteristics of a med school that are important to you. For some people that's the grading system, for some it's prestige, for some it's location. I'm in the process of deciding where to apply right now and it's actually really hard to narrow down the list, but once to figure out exactly what matters to you, it'll get easier.

Yeah I'm really excited, I just need to apply for my visa and I'm ready. Yeah its hard to narrow down the list with so many schools. I might just look through california schools first then go from there.