As a pre-med student, you are in the process of preparing your medical school applications. You know that this is one of the most important decisions of your life, and there are so many excellent schools from which to choose. Here is how you can narrow your options down to a few schools and get a great education like Rachel Tobin Yale.
Compare Tuition to the School’s Statistics
Even if everyone could get into an Ivy League medical school, most people cannot afford the cost. Consider how much you are willing to take out in student loans. You will usually have to start paying back your loans a few months after leaving school, and you do not want a large loan payment limiting the major life decisions you will have to make. Look into the public colleges run by your state. These will most likely have the most affordable tuition, and they have to meet the same rigorous standards as any other medical school.
There are a few pieces of information that each prospective school on your list should provide. Ensure that the schools to which you apply have a stellar reputation for arranging residencies for their students in many different specialties. Peruse some of the published research of alumni on subjects like surfactant protein C and lung inflammation. It is also important to choose a school with a high graduation rate. Check your potential school’s ranking on a reputable ranking website. Get in touch with the financial department at each school to see what scholarships are available.
Find Schools That Match Your Needs and Personality
Once you have a list of colleges you can reasonably afford, it is time to visit as many of them as you can. Go beyond the tour that the college provides. Investigate what services the school offers. Does the college offer counseling and support groups for those who need them? What do students do for fun and relaxation? Is the surrounding area small and quiet, or large and bustling? Take an honest account of how comfortable you felt at each school that you visited.
Whether or not you can visit, seek out graduates on LinkedIn or other professional websites. Ideally, you should find graduates whose demographics roughly match your own. This way, you can gain some insight into how you may fare at each school. There are several websites that allow current and former students to rate their college. These can be useful, but be aware that the reviews may be skewed because people are more likely to post reviews when they have a negative experience.
