Researching Med Schools

[DrHugs]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Sorry if this question has been answered somewhere else. I have scoured the forums and haven't found anything. I am researching medical schools and looking through the websites for each school takes a lot of time. The school specific application threads don't seem to have the information I am looking for. I am looking for a place that has compiled information for a lot of schools to save me time. I found a thread from 2007, but I am looking for something more current:

Questions and Answers about Allopathic Medical Schools:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=410273

Does anyone have a good place for this kind of info?

 

[DrEnderW]

Not totally sure if this is what you're looking for, but download the MSAR off of the AAMC website.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/requirements/msar/

If it's for writing secondaries or gauging your interest, I think the old fashion search is probably best. That's a great link you provided though - didn't see that when I was applying.

 

[GopherMD]

The MSAR is a great resource for stats of schools (GPA/MCAT range, percentage OOS, etc.)

 

[DrHugs]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I have the MSAR. It is great for stats and basic information, but I am looking for something more personalized or something that goes into more detail about each school.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I have the MSAR. It is great for stats and basic information, but I am looking for something more personalized or something that goes into more detail about each school.

Like a list of the types of extra events at the school, the atmosphere, etc?

 

[DokterMom]

Why don't you provide a sample of the type of information you are looking for --
And maybe a plain English 'this is why I want to know' --

For example:
"I want to know how to tailor my secondaries to hit the school's hot buttons" or
"I want a student's perspective of the school's social climate" or
"In what ways is this school distinctive?"

 

[DrHugs]

Like a list of the types of extra events at the school, the atmosphere, etc?

Ya, stuff like that. Like how cooperative the students are, the amount of free time they have to do extra stuff, or just in general how much they enjoy life on campus. Or even more detailed stuff about the curriculum. For example, I can read on MSAR that schools use PBL and small group sessions for a lot of their teaching, but I want to know how the sessions are set up. Like is there always a faculty member leading the groups, how much time is spent in each teaching format, etc.

 

[Daodejing]

Ya, stuff like that. Like how cooperative the students are, the amount of free time they have to do extra stuff, or just in general how much they enjoy life on campus. Or even more detailed stuff about the curriculum. For example, I can read on MSAR that schools use PBL and small group sessions for a lot of their teaching, but I want to know how the sessions are set up. Like is there always a faculty member leading the groups, how much time is spent in each teaching format, etc.

Every school will say how cooperative their students are and how the school makes it a priority to cater to each student's diverse interests. You won't be able to sort out any differences by asking the school's opinion.

For any of your questions, including curriculum details, the best source would be current students or recently graduated students.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

While it would be great to be able to compare atmosphere and free time, a lot of that stuff is subjective. Most of the amount of time necessary will be pretty standard throughout all schools though (other than competitiveness) in order to keep up with the necessary standards and Step I material. The best source for particular information about how classes are set up would be to email the certain school's admissions personnel.

If you are asking about competitiveness, you can go on the allopathic school-specific threads and hope for a response, or you can also look at how the curriculum is graded. From what I have gathered, the schools that are H/P/F or just P/F are less competitive and the students are less stressed than other schools with number grades.