Applying to Medical School

Everyone wants a “good” medical or other health professional school. How many “bad” schools are there? We feel that many who are talking about status, about a school’s fame more than its objective characteristics, and the two may not always be the same thing. Others are more concerned with finding those schools where they are likely to be accepted with a given kind of record. Health professional advisors may not have any bearing on problems of this sort. We cannot give you the final answer on these issues.
Nonetheless, there are points and procedures that can reduce the job of choice to human proportions.

  1. Assume, until you learn otherwise, that a school that is accredited has the people and facilities to do the job.
  2. If you are concerned with reputation, apply to those school you have heard most about-- remember, of course, that a lot of other well-qualified students have heard about them, too, and that reputation alone does not mean that this is the best school for you.
  3. Recall the rule of thumb that the general reputation of a medical school will be similar to the reputation of the parent university.
  4. The home state, tax-supported medical school you will give you THE BEST ODDS for admission because of residency preference. This is true in Wisconsin and in most other states. Applying to medical schools in the state where you claim residency cannot be over-stressed.
  5. Consider geography. There is something about regions that seems to operate in the admission process. For example, many Wisconsin graduates seem to go to schools in the northeast quadrant of the U.S. Very few students who are not residents in western states are admitted, for example, to California schools (see MSAR state and regional policies of admission).
  6. Use the information in AAMC's Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR, available in the library or in 70 Bascom) on “Deciding Whether and Where to Apply to Medical school.” That section of the MSAR includes discussions of race, sex, martial status, age, and includes several tables and charts of statistics vis-a vis admission into medical school. We recommend going from this section of MSAR to the sections on individual medical schools. Note the specific entrance requirements. Note costs. Some schools discuss recommended electives and programs under “Requirements for Entrance.” These can give you some idea of the kind of total preparation the school is looking for and you can compare this with the kind of undergraduate program you feel is best for you.
  7. Consult the AAMC Curriculum Directory. This directory contains curriculum information on all accredited medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. Information is outlined on such topics as specific curriculum of each medical school, information for the applicant, combined M.D.-Ph.D. degree programs, electives, instructional innovations, grading, and curriculum administration.

All these things are just preliminaries, which at best can help you make a list of promising schools. Stage two means checking websites, writing for catalogs and asking many of these same questions again as you read them carefully. People can provide excellent insights. Talk to UW alumni, a family physician, or the staff of a school that interests you.

Finally, in this matter of choosing schools, it is good to remember one thing-- having a particular diploma on the wall never cured a patient. You, your effort, motivation, and drive will determine the quality of your medical education much more than will your school-- which can only give a framework. For more information on choosing a school, download Pre-Medicine at Wisconsin.