What Medical Schools are considered the 'Top 20'?

[Technology]

I have only seen a few threads regarding which medical schools are the top 20, but most of them are outdated.

In numerous threads, I have seen people refer to the 'Top 20' medical schools in America, however, none of these threads actually mention which schools ARE the Top 20.

Out of curiosity, what are these schools? Are they simply the highest ranked medical schools on US News, or are they based on FSDN appraisal?

Thanks 🙂

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[Green Grass]

It's always the usual suspects. Name the schools you'd suspect, and you're probably gonna get the same list from everyone else on SDN. Is that an accurate representation of the Top 20? Probably not.

 

[eteshoe]

The usually refer to the top 20 schools in terms of research (USNWR).

Usual suspects include Stanford, UCSF, Harvard, WashU, JHU, Duke, Columbia, etc.

 

[Lawpy]

Well for any ranking method* used, Harvard is No. 1 in medicine (as with everything else...). And that's all what matters


*yes even rankings involving sorting out schools by alphabetical order and other similar methods

 

[aldol16]

Take a look at the top 25 med schools in the US News Rankings. They're probably within the 90-95% confidence interval for top 20. Look at the 30 highest ranked schools and your top 20 are definitely going to be in there.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Here is what I consider "top 20" for the purposes of advising applicants who are making their school lists.

Harvard
Stanford
Hopkins
UCSF
Penn
WashU
Columbia
Duke
Yale
Michigan
UChicago
UCLA
Vanderbilt
NYU
Northwestern
Pitt
Sinai
Cornell
Case Western

Those are the ones applicable to all applicants

Now there are a couple that I don't include in this list because most applicants shouldn't be applying to them though they definitely rank among the "top 20"

UCSD - if you are not a CA resident, you shouldn't be applying here

UWash - if you are not from the WWAMI are, you definitely shouldn't be applying here.

You have to have a top 20 level app to apply to the above if you fall in the correct region.

The next schools I consider borderline top tier but are more likely to fall in upper mid tier (the "solid" upper mid tier schools include Emory and UVA), though some people consider them "top 20" as well:

Mayo - strong name, great institution, stats are not quite top 20, unique admissions system, very small class size, Rochester, MN; fit seems to play a very important role for Mayo, so it's more in my "low yield" category than "top 20"

Baylor - heavy TX bias; I don't recommend that non Texas applicants apply without good reason.

UTSW - see Baylor

UNC - heavy IS bias, stats not quite on par with top 20s (but very close); if they considered more OOS apps, would likely make the list

Just my opinion, but I think most of it is pretty similar to what others here think too

(Basically they are what my rating system ranks as level 1 and 2 schools)

 

[mimelim]

Here is what I consider "top 20" for the purposes of advising applicants who are making their school lists.

Harvard
Stanford
Hopkins
UCSF
Penn
WashU
Columbia
Duke
Yale
Michigan
UChicago
UCLA
Vanderbilt
NYU
Northwestern
Pitt
Sinai
Cornell
Case Western

Those are the ones applicable to all applicants

Now there are a couple that I don't include in this list because most applicants shouldn't be applying to them though they definitely rank among the "top 20"

UCSD - if you are not a CA resident, you shouldn't be applying here

UWash - if you are not from the WWAMI are, you definitely shouldn't be applying here.

You have to have a top 20 level app to apply to the above if you fall in the correct region.

The next schools I consider borderline top tier but are more likely to fall in upper mid tier (the "solid" upper mid tier schools include Emory and UVA), though some people consider them "top 20" as well:

Mayo - strong name, great institution, stats are not quite top 20, unique admissions system, very small class size, Rochester, MN; fit seems to play a very important role for Mayo, so it's more in my "low yield" category than "top 20"

Baylor - heavy TX bias; I don't recommend that non Texas applicants apply without good reason.

UTSW - see Baylor

UNC - heavy IS bias, stats not quite on par with top 20s (but very close); if they considered more OOS apps, would likely make the list

Just my opinion, but I think most of it is pretty similar to what others here think too

(Basically they are what my rating system ranks as level 1 and 2 schools)

What does WWAMI stand for?

 

[LizzyM]

What does WWAMI stand for?

Washington
Wyoming
Alaska
Montana
Idaho

U Washington gives instate preference to residents of those states.

 

[mimelim]

Washington
Wyoming
Alaska
Montana
Idaho

U Washington gives instate preference to residents of those states.

Good to know. I spent a good 2 minutes throwing out acronyms trying to figure it out...

 

[GrapesofRath]

95% of U of Washington's class is from the WWAMI region. The few that aren't tend to be MD/PhD matriculants or URMs.

And yet none of that stops about 3/4 of their applicant pool being from non WWAMI states. I know alot of public schools make alot of money from OOS applicants who have no business applying to them but U of Washington takes it to a whole other level. Just raking in $100,000's of what's basically pure donation money from this every year.

 

[LizzyM]

95% of U of Washington's class is from the WWAMI region. The few that aren't tend to be MD/PhD matriculants or URMs.

And yet none of that stops about 3/4 of their applicant pool being from non WWAMI states. I know alot of public schools make alot of money from OOS applicants who have no business applying to them but U of Washington takes it to a whole other level. Just raking in $100,000's of what's basically pure donation money from this every year.

So true. I knew someone from the East Coast who was turned down pre-interview from UWashington but admitted to Harvard, Hopkins and USCD plus three others.

 

[Technology]

Thanks so much everyone!

The University of Washington's OOS tuition and fees are the most I have ever seen for a medical school (over $60,000)!

UCSD - if you are not a CA resident, you shouldn't be applying here – @WedgeDawg – why should OOS applicants not apply here, while they should apply to the other UC schools?

Thanks 🙂

 

[Goro]

Oh jeeze, ask 20 people and you're going to get 21 different answers.

What's the criteria for "top"? Intramural research funding?
Number of grads who go into competitive residencies?
Number of grads who go to MGH for their residency?
Med school associated with an internationally renowned hospital?
Highest LizzyM scores?

Anyway, I wanna play too, so here are my "top 20"

Harvard
Wash U
Yale
Stanford
U Chicago
U Penn
U VA
U MI
UCSF
Baylor
JHU
Mayo
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Duke
Case

Yes, there are 21 on the list.

I have only seen a few threads regarding which medical schools are the top 20, but most of them are outdated.

In numerous threads, I have seen people refer to the 'Top 20' medical schools in America, however, none of these threads actually mention which schools ARE the Top 20.

Out of curiosity, what are these schools? Are they simply the highest ranked medical schools on US News, or are they based on FSDN appraisal?

Thanks 🙂

 

[WedgeDawg]

Thanks so much everyone!

The University of Washington's OOS tuition and fees are the most I have ever seen for a medical school (over $60,000)!

UCSD - if you are not a CA resident, you shouldn't be applying here – @WedgeDawg – why should OOS applicants not apply here, while they should apply to the other UC schools?

Thanks 🙂

Honestly I rarely recommend that non-CA applicants apply to UCLA either, but, at least the last time I looked at MSAR (which was a year ago or so), UCLA was friendlier to OOS applicants than UCSD by a little and UCSF by a more significant amount.

 

[efle]

Top 20 usually refers to the Research Rankings, which are (in order):

Harvard University
Stanford University
Johns Hopkins University
University of California—San Francisco
University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
Washington University in St. Louis
Columbia University
Duke University
University of Washington
Yale University
New York University
University of Chicago (Pritzker)
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of California—Los Angeles (Geffen)
Vanderbilt University Nashville
University of Pittsburgh
Northwestern University (Feinberg)
Cornell University (Weill)
University of California—San Diego
Baylor

Interestingly if you look at the Top 20 by residency director scores instead, NYU and UCSD drop off and are replaced by Emory and Mayo.

It's a loose term though, since schools move around rankings slightly between years. Really "Top 20" is shorthand for "the most respected and well known schools, all very tough to get into" and a school at 21-25 like Sinai or Case Western continues to meet that description!

 

[WedgeDawg]

Top 20 usually refers to the Research Rankings, which are (in order):

Harvard University
Stanford University
Johns Hopkins University
University of California—San Francisco
University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
Washington University in St. Louis
Columbia University
Duke University
University of Washington
Yale University
New York University
University of Chicago (Pritzker)
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of California—Los Angeles (Geffen)
Vanderbilt University Nashville
University of Pittsburgh
Northwestern University (Feinberg)
Cornell University (Weill)
University of California—San Diego
Baylor

Interestingly if you look at the Top 20 by residency director scores instead, NYU and UCSD drop off and are replaced by Emory and Mayo.

It's a loose term though, since schools move around rankings slightly between years. Really "Top 20" is shorthand for "the most respected and well known schools, all very tough to get into" and a school at 21-25 like Sinai or Case Western continues to meet that description!

Basically what @efle is saying is that he agrees with me and that I'm 100% right all the time

 

[efle]

Yep Wedgie is correct as always

 

[Xenith]

Top 20 usually refers to the Research Rankings, which are (in order):

Harvard University
Stanford University
Johns Hopkins University
University of California—San Francisco
University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)
Washington University in St. Louis
Columbia University
Duke University
University of Washington
Yale University
New York University
University of Chicago (Pritzker)
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of California—Los Angeles (Geffen)
Vanderbilt University Nashville
University of Pittsburgh
Northwestern University (Feinberg)
Cornell University (Weill)
University of California—San Diego
Baylor

Interestingly if you look at the Top 20 by residency director scores instead, NYU and UCSD drop off and are replaced by Emory and Mayo.

It's a loose term though, since schools move around rankings slightly between years. Really "Top 20" is shorthand for "the most respected and well known schools, all very tough to get into" and a school at 21-25 like Sinai or Case Western continues to meet that description!

Where would you find RD scores?

 

[efle]

Where would you find RD scores?

You need their paid subscription (Compass). Then you go here (hope that link works), select RD scores as one of the columns, and sort by that.

 

[TheBiologist]

Here is what I consider "top 20" for the purposes of advising applicants who are making their school lists.

Harvard
Stanford
Hopkins
UCSF
Penn
WashU
Columbia
Duke
Yale
Michigan
UChicago
UCLA
Vanderbilt
NYU
Northwestern
Pitt
Sinai
Cornell
Case Western

Those are the ones applicable to all applicants

Now there are a couple that I don't include in this list because most applicants shouldn't be applying to them though they definitely rank among the "top 20"

UCSD - if you are not a CA resident, you shouldn't be applying here

UWash - if you are not from the WWAMI are, you definitely shouldn't be applying here.

You have to have a top 20 level app to apply to the above if you fall in the correct region.

The next schools I consider borderline top tier but are more likely to fall in upper mid tier (the "solid" upper mid tier schools include Emory and UVA), though some people consider them "top 20" as well:

Mayo - strong name, great institution, stats are not quite top 20, unique admissions system, very small class size, Rochester, MN; fit seems to play a very important role for Mayo, so it's more in my "low yield" category than "top 20"

Baylor - heavy TX bias; I don't recommend that non Texas applicants apply without good reason.

UTSW - see Baylor

UNC - heavy IS bias, stats not quite on par with top 20s (but very close); if they considered more OOS apps, would likely make the list

Just my opinion, but I think most of it is pretty similar to what others here think too

(Basically they are what my rating system ranks as level 1 and 2 schools)

question - I thought I saw on UCSD's website that they do not favor in state applicants, but I may be mistaking. am I?

 

[efle]

I think officially UCLA, UCSD, and UCSF do not have an instate mission, but they do interview a slightly higher proportion of instate applicants (for UCSD, 12% instate vs 7% oos). The matriculant numbers make it look even more skewed of course, because everyone in SoCal wants to stay in SoCal.

 

[Stagg737]

The University of Washington's OOS tuition and fees are the most I have ever seen for a medical school (over $60,000)!

There are a few that are well over 70k and one or two that are at/over 80k. I went DO over an MD partially because of the price difference along with other reasons (tuition + COL would have been around 95k/year at the MD, while my DO is under 50k/year total).

 

[NimbleNavigator]

Oh jeeze, ask 20 people and you're going to get 21 different answers.

What's the criteria for "top"? Intramural research funding?
Number of grads who go into competitive residencies?
Number of grads who go to MGH for their residency?
Med school associated with an internationally renowned hospital?
Highest LizzyM scores?

Anyway, I wanna play too, so here are my "top 20"

Harvard
Wash U
Yale
Stanford
U Chicago
U Penn
U VA
U MI
UCSF
Baylor
JHU
Mayo
Pitt
Northwestern
NYU
Vanderbilt
Columbia
Sinai
Cornell
Duke
Case

Yes, there are 21 on the list.

Stanford at #4, behind Yale and Wash U

I disagree. In my opinion Harvard and Stanford are tied for #1. Stanford is the Harvard of the West Coast and vice versa.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Thanks so much everyone!

The University of Washington's OOS tuition and fees are the most I have ever seen for a medical school (over $60,000)!

You should see Florida OOS costs! You'll approach a $90,000 COA 😵

 

[Chelsea FC]

And I am here just trying to get into any medical school lolz

 

[Kgizzle]

Do these rankings also apply to residency education?

 

[Chelsea FC]

Do these rankings also apply to residency education?

isnt that specialty specific ?

 

[Kgizzle]

isnt that specialty specific ?

I don't know... I'm speaking in general terms

 

[WedgeDawg]

Stanford at #4, behind Yale and Wash U

I disagree. In my opinion Harvard and Stanford are tied for #1. Stanford is the Harvard of the West Coast and vice versa.

I don't think this really matters or is necessarily what the poster you quoted intended.

 

[IlDestriero]

I think if you break it down its really the top ~10, then ~10-30, and everyone else. Even in the top 10, the top 5 are above the next 5 in terms of research, etc.
If you're in the top 25-30, you will get the "good medical school" extra points on your residency application.


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Il Destriero

 

[IlDestriero]

Do these rankings also apply to residency education?

No.


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Il Destriero

 

[Vladimir7]

Yo anyone know what the worst 20 are? Tryna get into med school here. Thx in advance

And I am here just trying to get into any medical school lolz

 

[Lost in Translation]

Here's a comprehensive list.

 

[Vladimir7]

Georgetown American University sounds promising thanks. Also Ross university, i'm assuming it's an alternative to Rush/same credentials?? Stoked.

Here's a comprehensive list.

 

[Vladimir7]

Oh my, it's even better than I thought
http://www.gau.edu.gy/. Clinical Clerkship Rotations in NY and DC.
http://www.gau.edu.gy/admission-requirement : 2.7 GPA and 16 MCAT. Sold.

 

[Green Grass]

I think if you break it down its really the top ~10, then ~10-30, and everyone else. Even in the top 10, the top 5 are above the next 5 in terms of research, etc.
If you're in the top 25-30, you will get the "good medical school" extra points on your residency application.


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Il Destriero

And a cookie...


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[freak7]

And a cookie...


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Only after participating in the blood drive though. That's how they get you