Wondering How to Evaluate a Medical School or Residency Program? Consider Your Happiness and Trust Your Intuition.

Medical school and residency applicants routinely ask me how to evaluate institutions, especially since most interviews are virtual. This is a huge topic, but here are some thoughts:

• To me, geography is one of the most important factors – at least equal to the reputation of the institution. You want to make sure you are in a location that will make you happy – near community, family, friends and/ or the ability to enjoy your hobbies.
• Cost is sometimes a deal breaker when it comes to medical school. There can be significant differences – especially state versus private institutions – and scholarships can make a huge impact in your debt profile going forward.
• Of course, didactics and academic opportunities are critically important for both medical school and residency. However, many programs of similar caliber have equivalent curricula and offerings. You likely could be happy at many different institutions. With regard to residency specifically, it's important both to ensure you're getting a lot of hands-on experience and to look at what fellowships are available, with your interests in mind.
• Faculty is hard to assess because – like anything – there are good and bad ones. Also, faculty come and go. Having said that, if you are applying to residency, the program director is critical (understanding that he or she could leave at any time :-( ).
• With regard to residency, call schedule and overall work hours are important to consider. Certain programs within the same specialty require a lot more hours and scut work than others.

One of your best bets is to talk to current medical students or residents. Oftentimes they will be very honest about the pros and cons of their institution.

Once you've assessed all of the above - narrowing down your list by geography and quality - I would analyze the vibe you have. If this sounds too touchy-feely, remember that intuition is not a magical assessment; it's based on major and minor facts that you consciously and subconsciously analyze.

Remember: If you're a medical school applicant, consider yourself fortunate if you have more than one option to choose from. Earning admission to medical school is extremely challenging; it's a great problem if you have to struggle to decide among multiple schools!

Leverage the MSAR for Your Benefit

The Medical School Admission Requirements database (MSAR) is an online resource that allows users to search, sort and compare information about U.S. and Canadian medical schools. (I hate to date myself, but when I was applying, the MSAR was a hard copy book.) The annual MSAR usually comes out this month or next; if you're applying to medical school, I'd recommend purchasing the 2024 version when it's here because it provides so much information about institutions and their admissions statistics. The MSAR allows you to compare schools by median MCAT scores, AMCAS GPAs, and other criteria. (Of course, how institutions utilize the MCAT score is variable, which contributes to the shameful opaqueness of the medical school admissions process.)

You should use the MSAR to help determine which schools are in your range and which are "reach" schools. While it's fine to have a lot of "reach" schools (if you can afford it), it's critical to ensure you are applying wisely to schools that match your numbers. The advantage of the MSAR is that you can make evidence-based decisions. I've found some applicants have eye-opening experiences when they thoroughly review schools' statistics and either realize that their numbers are low and that they should apply accordingly or, happily, that they have numbers that match with top schools. Either way, reviewing the data is critical to good decision making.

 

How to Use the MSAR to Your Advantage

The Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) is an online database that allows users to search, sort and compare information about U.S. and Canadian medical schools. (I hate to date myself, but when I was applying to medical school and used the MSAR, it was a hard copy book.) The 2019 MSAR came out last month, and if you are applying to medical school, I'd recommend purchasing it ($28) because it provides so much information about schools and their admissions statistics. The MSAR allows you sort and compare schools by median MCAT scores, AMCAS GPAs, and other criteria. 

You should use the MSAR to help determine which schools are in your range and which are "reach" schools. While it's fine to have a lot of "reach" schools (if you can afford it), it's critical to ensure you are applying wisely to schools that match your numbers. The advantage of the MSAR is that you can make evidence-based decisions. I've found some applicants have eye-opening experiences when they thoroughly review schools' statistics and either realize that their numbers are low and that they should apply accordingly or, happily, that they have numbers that match with top schools. Either way, reviewing the data is critical to good decision making. 

AMCAS

Here’s a reminder that the 2013 AMCAS application is scheduled to open tomorrow, Tuesday, May 1; you will be able to submit your application as early as June 5.

The first day that AMCAS will begin transmitting application data to medical schools is June 29, which means an applicant who is really on top of things could receive secondary applications as early as the 29th!

I recommend watching the AAMC’s video for details about dates and changes to this year’s AMCAS.

Please contact me early for assistance. Last year some of my most organized clients were admitted to medical school as early as October.

Insider's Evidence-Based Advising Strategy

As those of you who have worked with me or have heard me lecture know, I use Evidence-Based Advising in mentoring my clients. Just like we use data to drive good clinical practice, I have developed the concept of Evidence-Based Advising to use facts to drive strong application decisions.

In previous blog entries, I've discussed the utility of the NRMP Program Director Survey and the NRMP's Charting Outcomes in the Match in helping to make solid, informed application decisions.

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates' (ECFMG) data on Match results is another piece of information that can be helpful. For those contemplating applying to an international medical school or for those International Medical Graduates (IMGs) approaching this year's application cycle, understanding IMGs' performance in the Match is important. The current data just came out and is available here.

Of course, basing your decisions only on numbers is not adequate. When we provide excellent clinical care, we use experience, as well as the literature, to make our decisions. (This necessary combination is what makes managing patients during medical school and residency so hard.) For those of you interested in strategy based on years of admissions experience, coupled with Evidence-Based Advising, please contact me for one-on-one help.

I'll continue to publicize useful sources of data for applicants.

Happiness: Be All That You Can Be

Medical school and residency training usually decrease one's happiness for several reasons. Happiness researchers have demonstrated that a feeling of control and the amount of spare time one has both correlate with happiness. Both of those factors are limited during med school and residency. Relationships are also correlated with happiness, and those can be squashed during medical training as well.

I'm not trying to be a downer here! I want to encourage applicants to consider this happiness quotient when selecting an institution and training program. If you are able, maximizing your contentment by choosing an institution that fosters your greatest happiness is key. Geography; proximity to family, friends and community; and a location that provides an opportunity to enjoy hobbies during limited free time is significant.

Excellent training is important, but, in the end, many programs turn out equally qualified clinicians. At least consider your well-being as a factor in selecting where you might be for the next three plus years of your life.

Acceptances

It's early in the season, but some of my clients have already been accepted to

UCSD
University of Chicago
Vanderbilt
Case Western
USC (Keck)
Mayo
UCI
Rosalind Franklin and
Wake Forest!

Most medical school applicants are still early in the interview process. Consider hiring me for mock interviews to improve your chances of success.

Decision Fatigue

This recent NYC article ("Do you Suffer from Decision Fatigue?") is really interesting, especially when you think how decision fatigue might affect your medical school or residency application. It's worth having the insight this article provides as you make decisions that will affect your future (where to apply, where to send secondaries, where to interview, how you make your match list or decide what school to accept).

MSAR Update

by Michelle A Finkel MD, InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com

I've been searching for a more updated summary of the MSAR; I still regularly use the one noted in this blog entry, but it is not this year's version. I have a summary that's more current but less clear; email me (insidermedical@gmail.com) if you're interested in it.

Bottom line: The numbers are virtually the same - only a bit higher, meaning it's gotten a little harder to get into medical school (no surprise).

Contact me for secondary essay editing.

Happiness

by Michelle A. Finkel MD, InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com

I received really bad advice when I was applying for residency: A dean told me that I would be working so hard, it wouldn't matter where I lived. He said I should choose the most competitive program regardless of location.

I couldn't disagree more. If you're applying to medical school, residency, fellowship or a post bacc program, it's essential to think about what will make you happiest. Usually, that means being near your significant other, family and friends. It might mean being in nice weather, near your religious community or in a place where you can continue your favorite hobby.

In case you don't believe me, here's an article from the NYT to back me up.

As always, contact me for help.

New Options for Pre-Meds

Here is an interesting article from today's NYTs regarding the opening of several new American medical schools. These may be a reasonable option for those pre-meds with lesser GPAs and MCATs.

Safety Schools

Whether you call me a pessimist or a realist, I am an advocate of having a large number of safety schools on your list when applying to medical school.

I have some clients with good GPAs and mediocre MCATs and vice versa. Ensure that your safety schools include those whose averages are the same and lower than your weakest numbers. In other words, if you have a strong MCAT but a weaker GPA, pick safety schools that reflect the GPA.

Remember: You can always decline a medical school's offer of admission; you do not want to be without options.

Medical School Reapplicant Advice

The number one mistake I see in clients who come to me for help as re-applicants to medical school is that their original list of schools is not congruent with their GPAs and MCATs.

In choosing schools for reapplication (or for first-time submission) ensure that you have at least ten to twenty schools whose average MCAT scores and GPAs are lower than or the same as your numbers are. Having no "safety schools" is - as it were - not safe. Check out this summary of the MSAR for a quick reference. Consider international schools if your numbers are lower than those on the MSAR summary.

"Cliff notes" for the MSAR

In my last blog, I wrote about the utility of the MSAR for choosing where to apply to medical school. (Remember, though, that the MSAR only includes schools in the U.S. and Canada.) I wanted to suggest a good web page I found that highlights medical schools' average GPAs and MCAT scores, data that comes directly from the 2008-9 MSAR. Although this data is technically a year old, this site is useful if you don't have a MSAR at home: http://www.washington.edu/uaa/gateway/advising/downloads/gpamcat.pdf .

Alternately, you can order the brand new 2009-10 MSAR from the AAMC web site and Amazon (currently cheaper).

For one-on-one help applying to medical school – assistance with your AMCAS, personal statement, secondary essays, your interviews – please see http://www.insidermedicaladmissions.com/applicants/medapplicant.shtml .

For medical school applicants: Where to apply

Many clients tell me they don’t know where to start in picking which medical schools are appropriate for their application list. I recommend starting with the MSAR. This book (fully titled Medical School Admission Requirements) is published by the Association of American Medical Colleges and lists all U.S. and Canadian medical schools. Unfortunately, the MSAR does not include schools outside the U.S./Canada, including those in the Carribbean, Mexico, Israel, etc. However, it’s still a good start. The MSAR lists selection factors that can help you compare your qualifications to schools’ accepted applicants.

Considering how competitive medical school is, I recommend setting your sights on getting an MD (or DO), rather than on attending a particular school. (As we discussed earlier, geography is important, and it’s fair to rule out schools based on their location. But understand this might hurt you if you are not a competitive candidate.) Ensure you create a list that has three tiers of schools: Your dream schools, more realistic schools and schools you would be less excited about but you would attend if admitted.

For one-on-one help applying to medical school – assistance with your AMCAS, personal statement, secondary essays, your interviews – please see http://www.insidermedicaladmissions.com/applicants/medapplicant.shtml .