Someone enlighten me on differences between medical schools

[panbimbo]

So I have been going over several dozen school sites and reading up on mission, curriculum, history of the school, et cetera, and here is my conclusion: I would be happy to attend any US MD medical school in the continental US.

In all seriousness though, how can we distinguish between missions of schools? It seems like every school's mission is to train compassionate doctors, be leaders in research and health policy, and provide a hollistic medical education for its students. I feel like it is very difficult to understand the difference between schools.

What can I do to see which schools are a good 'fit' for me, and which I would probably not be happy at? I ask this because I want to narrow down my school list if possible. In the end, I'd probably be happy attending any school?

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[efle]

People don't actually make school lists off the online mission statements. You make it off your stats, location preferences, whether they take people from your state, and so on. Other minor stuff can be a factor too, like whether they do Pass/Fail grading in the preclinical years or how happy students seemed at interview day, but that is really for decisions on where to attend after getting multiple admits. For figuring out where to apply, you find the places where your GPA/MCAT is competitive, make sure they take out-of-state applicants, add your own state schools. If you still have a list too long, start crossing off schools in places you wouldn't want to live for 4+ years.

 

[854555]

For what it's worth, there are very subtle (and some not so subtle) telltale signs. For example, Boston and Rush are known to favor nonclinical and undeserved volunteering, Dartmouth is notorious for favoring nontraditional and ivy students, and Stanford and Riverside really care about research and serving the I.E., respectively (it's literally in their respective missions).

I suggest doing some digging around and figuring out what a school really cares about.

Always remember that you can be a perfect stats and mission fit and still be rejected pre-II because a particular screener wasn't feeling your application. This process has become so mind-blowingly competitive that the particular mood a screener is in and how he or she perceives you may affect your chances.

 

[Stellaartwa]

I agree with Efle so go with her advice when making your list. There are a couple other things you need to consider when applying IMO. Some schools have missions that don’t matter once you’re a student but very much matter when applying. There are some very service oriented schools out there. To get into these schools you have to have an awful lot of service hours. If working with the underserved/volunteering isn’t your thing, a school like Rush or Loyola or Creighton might not be a good fit. Likewise, a school like WashU might not be your thing if you’re not into research. Once you’re in, though, I don’t really think this stuff matters as much. They won’t force it on you.

I’m with you, any school in a reasonable location is great for me!

 

[Stagg737]

I wouldn't bother with mission statements of schools unless it's something very specific (we are focused on training physicians who will practice in rural areas of our state, will serve a very specific demographic like native americans, or is highly focused on one aspect of medicine like research (think Lerner)). What can set schools apart is if they have specific tracks that students can pursue. Examples are rural/wilderness medicine tracks, military med tracks, global med tracks, research tracks, etc. Those schools may have unique opportunities that other schools do not provide, but these are completely separate from mission statements or even general statements from individuals at the school in which there is no formal track or curriculum for such opportunities.

 

[curbsideconsult]

In the end, I'd probably be happy attending any school?

Yep. Or equally as miserable.

 

[panbimbo]

Yep. Or equally as miserable.

Heh... nothing like some of that SDN pessimism

 

[Goro]

Heh... nothing like some of that SDN pessimism

Med school IS a furnace