Visiting med schools

[chocolate-e]

Did any of you guys visit med schools before you applied? I'm a jr. planning on applying this summer. I'd like to see some of the schools, their locations, etc. and try to get a handle on whether/why I'd want to go there. (Obviously this applies only to ones located near where I live or in areas I'd be traveling by anyway! ) On the other hand, I wonder if I would actually learn anything useful ... especially in the summer when I'm assuming there would be fewer classes and fewer students on campus. I'd love to hear you thoughts!

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[hossofadoc]

I visited just about all the med schools I applied too. I found it to be very beneficial because you get a feel for the community, school, and are able to get your foot in the door. If you do this plan out a list of questions to ask them and don't be afraid to ask risky questions...like how many people passed the boards or why is your residency match so low.

 

[PhT]

I don't have any first hand experience with visiting med schools, as I'm only a freshman, but I do have a comment on your question. From what I've taken in as a result of observing this site, I've come to the realization that many applicants do not get into med school at all, much less their personal favorites. When it comes time for me to apply, I think I will do most, if not all, of my campus touring when I go for interviews (I hope!). To me, this seems like the most practical method, because it eliminates the possibility of falling in love with a campus that you will not be given the chance to attend. This way, you can get two things done at once, and with some amount of confidence in knowing that you have some chance of going to the school you're visiting. Just my $.02

 

[Dr Chooch]

Originally posted by PhT
I don't have any first hand experience with visiting med schools, as I'm only a freshman, but I do have a comment on your question. From what I've taken in as a result of observing this site, I've come to the realization that many applicants do not get into med school at all, much less their personal favorites. When it comes time for me to apply, I think I will do most, if not all, of my campus touring when I go for interviews (I hope!). To me, this seems like the most practical method, because it eliminates the possibility of falling in love with a campus that you will not be given the chance to attend. This way, you can get two things done at once, and with some amount of confidence in knowing that you have some chance of going to the school you're visiting. Just my $.02

I kinda disagree with the above post. I think it would be very benficial to visit the schools before applying if you have a chance. That way, you could get an early feel for what aspects of each school you like and dislike. And, if you decide that you really hate one of the schools, you can get rid of it without wasting your money or more importantly, in my opinion, your time filling out their secondary! Now, I'm not saying you should fly across the country to visit all of your schools, but if they are reasonably close I think it's a good idea.

As far as falling in love with a school that you will not have a chance to attend, just make sure you visit schools that fit reasonably into your profile (i.e. don't go drool in the Harvard quad with a 2.0 George W. Bush GPA or anything like that). Now, you may or may not get into your top choice, but that is the name of this game. We have to learn that not everything will fall our way all the time, but I see no harm in visiting.