Selecting the Perfect Medical School
After three years of rigorous coursework, countless hours of studying, and many sacrifices, it is time to apply the skills and knowledge I have gained to pave a path for my future. Everything that I have worked
towards and accomplished throughout my undergraduate career will hopefully make me a strong candidate for medical school. Up until this point, I have pushed myself to achieve simply because I knew that one day it would pay off. That "someday", is when I can make a difference in my patients' lives and help them navigate through the challenges and joys that life may throw at them. In order for this dream to become true, I must face the next hurdle in my academic career: applying to medical school.
Academic performance, MCAT score, letters of recommendation, personal statements, clinical experience, volunteer work, and research are only some of the factors that admission committees take into consideration when selecting the best candidates for medical school. With an average acceptance rate of 7%, admission committees are looking for the most qualified individuals who are not only academically dedicated, but also committed to medicine and have the passion to serve others.
Medical schools have a system to evaluate applicants to decide who is most qualified, but how do prospective students evaluate medical schools to decide which schools will shape them into the physician they aspire to be? Throughout this article, I will discuss the criteria that I used to select which medical schools I will be applying to.
1. MD, MD/PhD, or DO?
When considering which medical school apply, it is important to evaluate which values you wish to incorporate in your practice as a future physician. For example, if you envision yourself practicing classic medicine, then an MD school may be right for you. If you hope to incorporate research in your practice,
perhaps an MD/PhD program is right for you. If you wish to incorporate a full body approach and osteopathic manipulation into your practice, than an DO program may be right for you. For me personally, I aspire to be an osteopathic physician, because I love the holistic approach to medicine. I like to think of the body as a work of art that can be manipulated by several methods, not just by a prescription.
2. Location
Since there are more undergraduate colleges than medical schools, many students are forced to apply to schools that may not be in the same state as their undergraduate college. It's important to consider where
you envision yourself spending the next 8 years of your life. For me, there are no osteopathic medical schools in Wisconsin, so I will be applying to all out of state colleges. Luckily, some of my top choices happen to be in neighboring states such as Iowa and Illinois.
3. Residency Match Rates and Board/Step Exam Pass Rates
One of the best ways to evaluate how well a medical school prepares their students for medicine is to evaluate residency match rates and board exam pass rates. In order to become a certified physician, the medical student must pass all board exams and graduate from residency. In order to quantitatively evaluate medical students, they must take USMLE Step exams. You must receive a certain score to
qualify for residency programs. Some residency programs, such as Dermatology and Neurosurgery require higher Step scores than other residency programs. It is important that the school you are looking for has high pass rates on the board exam and have high residency match rates. For example, my #1 choice school has a 90% acceptance rate for every student's first or second choice residency programs. Considering it is very difficult to place into a residency program, this is a great statistic and offers me peace and mind that they are using effective methods to help their students prepare to be great doctors.
Here are my top 3 medical schools!
The application to medical school opens May 1, so I plan to start my application on May 1 and take the entire month of May to solidify my application. After I feel my application accurately represents myself and my intentions, I will submit it at the beginning of June and hope for the best!
Des Moines University is located in Des Moines, IA. This is my #1 choice because it has innovative clinical experiences, a great residency match rate, and is in a great location.
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