University of Virginia Health System

Choosing specific schools of interest is one of the most challenging aspects of applying to a health professions school. Consideration of the following factors should make that important and difficult task more productive. On the average, those applying to medical school choose about 12 schools; dental applicants on average apply to 12 schools. These are only averages and should be used only as a point of comparison. The indiscriminate sending of applications is normally not helpful, but on the other hand, applying to one or two schools often is a serious error, given the competitive state of medical/dental school admissions. Many advisors suggest choosing some schools an applicant would love to attend (reaches) and then to concentrate on schools that seem to best fit the applicant. If possible, a few safely within reach schools should be included to be sure. The following paragraphs recommend factors, not necessarily in order of importance, which should also be considered when choosing the schools to which you will apply.

Consult the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) and the Dental School Admissions Requirements book for information on the GPA and MCAT averages of accepted applicants. Averages are just that; although only guidelines, they often reflect an important reality: some schools are more selective than others. Look carefully at the degree of selectivity and apply wisely. All U.S. schools are good; apply to a wide range of schools. Look at all parts of the country. Don't fail to get into medical or dental school because you focused your applications too narrowly.

Many public schools sharply limit or do not admit out-of-state residents. However, some public schools do accept traditionally underrepresented applicants without reference to state of residency. Some public schools (e.g., Connecticut, Alabama and Vermont) accept some out-of-state students. Many private schools have no residency restrictions; others have some state preference. International students normally have the best chance at private schools. Again, carefully consider the selection factors and the table at the bottom of the second page in each school's portion of MSAR, characteristics of the entering class at the end of each school's section of the dental requirement book, and information on the osteopathic schools in Education of the Osteopathic Physician and Osteopathic Medical Education-A Handbook for Minority Applicants, both published by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Examine the MSAR chapter entitled Information for Minority Group Students, and in particular, the table that indicates the number of traditionally underrepresented medical students at the various medical schools. The dental schools list the number of women and minority students in their first-year classes in Admissions Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools. The osteopathic medical schools provide statistics on minority enrollment in the publications noted in Section 2: Non-M.D. Health Professions. Remember that the number of minority students attending a particular school does not necessarily reflect the number who were admitted-students often get multiple acceptances and must choose one school to attend. Thus, for whatever reason, a school may admit a number of students and only a smaller number will matriculate. Remember, too, that acceptance patterns will vary from year to year. Look at the admissions results for more than one year to get a more accurate picture of minority enrollment at any school.

Minority Student Opportunities in United States Medical Schools, published by the AAMC, provides information on recruitment, admissions, academic support, summer programs, financial aid, and enrollment data. This publication, along with MSAR, lists the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of minority contact people at the medical schools.

Each dental school's portion of the requirements book has a section entitled Information for Special Applicants which discusses admissions policies, support programs, and other opportunities of interest to minority applicants.

Consult your advisor as to where previous applicants from your school have been accepted. This will give you a general range of schools you may want to consider and possibly some names of students who have attended or are attending those schools. You may be able to contact them and get a first-hand account of their experiences, both positive and negative, at the schools that interest you.

Talk with alumni and students of schools of interest. Get as many opinions as possible. Remember that schools change over time. If possible, make arrangements to visit the school.

Examine the curriculum, grading practices (letter grades or Pass/No Pass), and other educational features of the school. For example, Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine has a basically full-time faculty, while other schools often use volunteer faculty to teach parts of the clinical program. Case Western Reserve School of Medicine assigns new students to an expectant mother who is followed through delivery of her child. At Yale University, Tulane University, and other medical schools, along with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, it is possible to obtain a master of public health degree along with the medical/dental degree. Many schools have opportunities to obtain doctorates in a few or wide variety of fields. Michigan State University offers several instructional tracts from which to choose. A number of medical schools offer a problem-oriented curriculum, (e.g., University of New Mexico, Harvard University, University of Hawaii, Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University). Many schools use a "traditional" curriculum (i.e., two years of basic science and two years of clinical work), while others employ the organ system approach into which material is integrated. Duke University requires that all second-year students take a year of research. Consult the MSAR, the AAMC Curriculum Directory, the dental schools' requirement book, and the individual school catalogs in considering the curriculum. You may also want to look at the pass/fail rates of students on the USMLE.

Many public schools are comparatively inexpensive. Private medical schools' tuition averages about $22,000, with many considerably higher. Some applicants don't want to take on high debt loads; others accept that they will be piling up a large debt to be repaid over many years. Some obtain military, public health, or other scholarships. Attending medical or dental school can be very expensive. Chapter 6 of MSAR discusses financial aid, including information for minority students. Section 18: My Financial Plan also addresses the question of financing your medical education.

While most schools share the similar goal of producing graduates who will play a wide range of roles within medicine or dentistry, some schools have specific objectives. For example, the Stanford University School of Medicine hopes to maximize a student's opportunities to prepare for careers in research and teaching. Loma Linda School of Medicine chooses people with a strong commitment to "Christian principles." The Uniformed Services School prepares physicians for careers in the military and other uniformed services. The Drew-UCLA medical program is designed to attract those who wish to serve underserved populations. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine aims to develop leaders in the field of dentistry worldwide. Many other dental schools train dentists for their state and local communities. The Ohio College of Osteopathic Medicine focuses on the needs of rural areas. Howard and Meharry Medical Colleges have traditionally been major sources of Black physicians in the U.S. Be certain to examine the goals and missions of the schools so that you will not apply to institutions whose goals are incompatible with yours. Examine MSAR, the dental admissions book, and current individual school catalogs.

There are no authoritative ranking systems of medical or dental schools. While there is general agreement on a group of nationally known prestigious research-oriented schools, students should not put great faith in lists that claim to rank schools in numerical order. As noted above, schools have different goals and missions. It helps to graduate from a school that is well-known for producing well-trained physicians or dentists, especially if applying for very prestigious residencies or specialty training positions. However, graduates of most medical or dental schools are able to obtain the residency positions they seek. Consider a school's reputation, but also examine its basis and what it means. Because all U.S. schools are good, don't be overly concerned with status. Your "fit" at a school is the most important thing. Most people do not pick a physician or dentist based on which medical or dental school he or she attended.

Certainly a school's location and surroundings will play a part in determining an applicant's interest. Safety, availability of housing, recreational opportunities, distance from family, educational or job opportunities for spouse, transportation, geography, and climate are all considerations. Most schools are located in big cities that offer a sufficient patient base. Don't let parochial attitudes or stereotypes about parts of the country unduly limit your opportunities for a health professions education.

After you have considered the factors noted above, draft a list of schools that interest you, and consult your advisor to help you narrow your choices. It is impossible to predict precisely which applicants will be accepted by any particular medical or dental school. More than grades and scores are involved; subjective judgments are made. However, the careful consideration of the factors listed above will help medical and dental school applicants make more informed decisions.

Under the Early Decision Program (EDP), an applicant applies to only one medical school, receives a decision by October 1, and is obligated to enroll if admitted. Normally, only strong applicants to the school of first choice should choose this option. Only certain schools offer this plan (see MSAR). Johns Hopkins University offers a series of enrollment options under its Flex Med Program.

High school students who are highly motivated to pursue a medical degree may want to consider applying to schools that offer a combined college and M.D. program. These accelerated programs enable qualified students to enroll as an undergraduate and gain provisional acceptance to the medical school of that university. Such programs take between six and eight years to complete (see MSAR, Chapter 9 for a list of medical schools offering combined college/M.D. programs).

The last ten years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of "non-traditional" students applying to medical schools. While most students still follow the traditional route to medical school by applying directly from college, many students are applying to medical school after spending several years out of college in a non-medically-related field. Individuals interested in changing their career path to medicine are best served by enrolling in a postbaccalaureate program. These programs vary in their structure and requirements, but all of them assume that the prospective student has received his or her bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Postbaccalaureate programs allow students to complete the required pre-medical courses, as well as receive counseling from knowledgeable pre-medical advisors. Students who have applied unsuccessfully to medical school also may be interested in a postbaccalaureate program, particularly one that enables them to retake pre-medical courses or to take upper level science courses to enhance their records. For a complete listing of postbaccalaureate programs, contact the AAMC (see Appendix B for address and phone number).

In a time of severe competition for places in U.S. medical schools, many applicants consider schools in other countries, some of which accept large numbers of U.S. residents. In some cases, admission is relatively easy. In other countries, it may be difficult or virtually impossible for a U.S. citizen to be accepted. Some foreign schools are very good; others are of questionable quality. Passage rates of licensure examinations among graduates of foreign schools vary considerably. The issue of returning to the U.S. either as a transfer student or as an intern/resident is of crucial importance. In the past, many U.S. citizens have successfully transferred to schools here or found residencies in U.S. teaching hospitals. Returning to the U.S. cannot be guaranteed, and its probability must be weighed carefully. Some observers predict that in the future, the number of residency positions in the U.S. will be reduced and that foreign medical graduates will face increased competition for limited positions and may well be severely limited in terms of opportunities for specialty and location choice. In short, the decision to go to a foreign medical school must be carefully considered.

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