special characteristics of schools

[caffeine37]

I've noticed a lot of schools ask questions on their secondaries like "why do you want to attend school X?". Honestly, I would be happy just getting into med school. Besides reading the watered down descriptions on their websites, i.e. "We are most interested in candidates who have a desire to move the field of medicine and biomedical sciences forward, and whose past accomplishments show evidence for originality, creativity and a capacity for independent, critical thinking..." Is it just me, or does every school's website sound the same??

Can we start a thread summarizing what different schools actually emphasize in their curriculum, and also what they look for in applicants?

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[champango]

I've noticed a lot of schools ask questions on their secondaries like "why do you want to attend school X?". Honestly, I would be happy just getting into med school. Besides reading the watered down descriptions on their websites, i.e. "We are most interested in candidates who have a desire to move the field of medicine and biomedical sciences forward, and whose past accomplishments show evidence for originality, creativity and a capacity for independent, critical thinking..." Is it just me, or does every school's website sound the same??

Can we start a thread summarizing what different schools actually emphasize in their curriculum, and also what they look for in applicants?

I have a related question:
How does the curriculum of leading primary care schools differ from schools that are top research schools?

 

[jc11011]

I've noticed a lot of schools ask questions on their secondaries like "why do you want to attend school X?". Honestly, I would be happy just getting into med school. Besides reading the watered down descriptions on their websites, i.e. "We are most interested in candidates who have a desire to move the field of medicine and biomedical sciences forward, and whose past accomplishments show evidence for originality, creativity and a capacity for independent, critical thinking..." Is it just me, or does every school's website sound the same??

Can we start a thread summarizing what different schools actually emphasize in their curriculum, and also what they look for in applicants?

So here's what you have to do: research! Let's take an applicant with an intense passion for community service. In this case, it would be in the applicant's best interest to emphasize the special community service programs the med school offers, any classes that uniquely address delivering health care to medically underserved communities, etc. Most of this information can be found on the med school's website if you look hard enough. Trust me, it's there.

 

[anystream]

So here's what you have to do: research! Let's take an applicant with an intense passion for community service. In this case, it would be in the applicant's best interest to emphasize the special community service programs the med school offers, any classes that uniquely address delivering health care to medically underserved communities, etc. Most of this information can be found on the med school's website if you look hard enough. Trust me, it's there.

would anyone be willing to share the results of their research with others? maybe for people who have already made a final decision: what do you like about the school you chose?

 

[Flopotomist]

Uhm, this questions should not be as hard as you are making it out to be if you answer it honestly. Every school you get a secondary from is a school that at one point YOU choose to apply to, so why did you apply to that school instead of another? Do they have a strong percentage of candidates that matched into a specialty you are interested in? Do they serve a community that you have connections with? Are there people that graduated from that program that told you certain great things about it? Unless you just added random schools on your app, you have already done the research yourself (hopefully).

 

[tigress]

Uhm, this questions should not be as hard as you are making it out to be if you answer it honestly. Every school you get a secondary from is a school that at one point YOU choose to apply to, so why did you apply to that school instead of another? Do they have a strong percentage of candidates that matched into a specialty you are interested in? Do they serve a community that you have connections with? Are there people that graduated from that program that told you certain great things about it? Unless you just added random schools on your app, you have already done the research yourself (hopefully).

Well, some of us applied to all of the schools in our state, for obvious reasons. I actually have one or two schools on my application that I would probably not want to go to, but I'd still be happy to go there if they were my only choice. I think we should keep in mind, though, that not all schools ask this question on secondaries. I agree that it may be difficult to answer in some cases; if not on secondaries, then at interviews. I figure I'll be honest: because it's in the state of my residency (if it is) and it's a good school. I'll try to find maybe one special thing about it and mention that too. Some schools are obviously proud of certain things, so it's probably a good idea to focus on those.

 

[DrBowtie]

You can usually see what the school wants to highlight. You should look at the opportunities and pick one of those and focus on how you would be perfect for that.

 

[caffeine37]

Uhm, this questions should not be as hard as you are making it out to be if you answer it honestly. Every school you get a secondary from is a school that at one point YOU choose to apply to, so why did you apply to that school instead of another? Do they have a strong percentage of candidates that matched into a specialty you are interested in? Do they serve a community that you have connections with? Are there people that graduated from that program that told you certain great things about it? Unless you just added random schools on your app, you have already done the research yourself (hopefully).

To be perfectly honest, I applied to a lot of schools that were within my score range. I don't think this is too uncommon. I know some people with the 38 MCAT and 3.9 GPA might distinguish based completely on program when applying, but I'm not in that category.

I'm looking for special characteristics that set schools apart. I thought this would be a good place to ask. I have been doing my research, but I feel like its hard to find the answers to what I am looking for. I was hoping to get information from people who have visited schools, applied to schools, or are attending them right now- what do you like about your school? How is the instruction? Anything helps. Thanks!

 

[sdnstud]

I interviewed at 13 schools, and I know a bit about each one:

UCSD:
1. has one of the most extensive, developed student run free clinics programs in the nation. Ucsd has 3 free clinics: Downtown, Pacific Beach, and Baker Elementary. These clinics are staffed entirely by medical students and give first and second year students the opportunity to do histories and physicals well before the School has scheduled them into the curriculum.

2. Anatomy is reserved for second year. Anatomy in the second year helps consolidate the principle of physiology taught in the first year and helps set the stage for organ system-based pathology in the later part of second year.

3. Throughout third year, students participate in a primary care rotation; for one afternoon a week, they see THEIR OWN patients in a private family clinic. This is an unique opportunity that few schools offer.

4. One of the few medical schools that have a VA hospital on campus.

 

[caffeine37]

I interviewed at 13 schools, and I know a bit about each one:

UCSD:
1. has one of the most extensive, developed student run free clinics programs in the nation. Ucsd has 3 free clinics: Downtown, Pacific Beach, and Baker Elementary. These clinics are staffed entirely by medical students and give first and second year students the opportunity to do histories and physicals well before the School has scheduled them into the curriculum.

2. Anatomy is reserved for second year. Anatomy in the second year helps consolidate the principle of physiology taught in the first year and helps set the stage for organ system-based pathology in the later part of second year.

3. Throughout third year, students participate in a primary care rotation; for one afternoon a week, they see THEIR OWN patients in a private family clinic. This is an unique opportunity that few schools offer.

4. One of the few medical schools that have a VA hospital on campus.

awesome! thank you.

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

awesome! thank you.

Yale:
Has very flexible and open academic philosophy. All classes are pass/fail, and exams are administered on the honor system. People there seem very relaxed and cooperative with each other, but they are also self-motivated, or else they wouldn't succeed in this system. You can also take classes at other professional schools, and there is an option for a tuition-free fifth year if you are interested in doing an independent research project or working abroad.