How accurate is US News and World report (and are there any good alternatives?)

[hra87]

I want to apply to the best 10 or so med schools next year, but I have no idea what those would be. It seems odd just going by one magazine.

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[Bubblehead-to-MD]

I want to apply to the best 10 or so med schools next year, but I have no idea what those would be. It seems odd just going by one magazine.

Just remember that "best" is a relative term. The factors used by US News & World Report (and any other entity that ranks schools) to determine their rankings may or may not be consistent with what you consider to be important.

 

[ADeadLois]

I want to apply to the best 10 or so med schools next year, but I have no idea what those would be. It seems odd just going by one magazine.

"Best" according to a magazine and "best" for you are two completely different things. Make sure you apply to "moderately competitive" schools (I refuse to use the term "safety" schools, so I adopted this one) so you maximize your chances at acceptance. Shooting for the stars can come back and bite you if you only apply to the "top" schools.

 

[NonTradMed]

US News has the most well known 'rankings' of the magazines, if that's what you're asking. They started the trend some years back and seems to be the most touted. However, it's not recommended that you go just by them, as they rank based on criterias which may not be suitable for oneself. Use it as a guide only on you app. Also, apply to some less competitive schools. You may end up with no acceptances despite good numbers if you aim only for the top schools.

 

[DoctaJay]

http://www.studentdoctor.net/medical-school-rankings.asp

 

[hra87]

I have a guaranteed admission at my undergrad school. I don't think I'll leave unless I get into a top 10-ish school, so no need to apply to whatever that euphemism was.

I don't really see how I can figure out how much I'd like the school (how good a fit it is) until I interview there, how do I narrow down the applications though?

 

[Guile]

Find out what kind of med school curriculum you want (more traditional, more PBL, etc.), and then go from there. Also, where do you want to live? What part of the country? In the city or in the country? You really just need to go to school where you're going to be happy, because that's where you're going to do the best. Where you go to med school really doesn't matter. As long as you bust your butt while you're there, you'll get any residency you want. Forget the rankings. Where are you going to go that will make you happy? Figure that out first, then make your list. Don't apply to a school simply for the name or prestige--unless you're doing it for kicks. You won't be happy. I've worked with residents from Harvard who didn't know crap, and I've met others from their state schools who were the best in the department. (Not saying this holds true for everyone. I don't want to start anything here. Just an example...)