Let’s face it: making life-altering decisions is a frightening process, and applying to medical school is no different.
Deciding which medical schools to apply to is a very personal decision based on your goals and interests, and it’s an important part of being a successful candidate. Pre-medical students start forming their medical school list by relying on their pre-health advisors, mentors, and the internet.
Rankings are a large part of our culture, and medical schools are no different. The most sought out ranking list for pre-medical students is from U.S. News. Before we provide the list, let’s first breakdown how the U.S. News creates the list:
Overall, understanding the U.S. News’ methodology can allow pre-medical students to realize that the rankings are derived from a plethora of indicators, yet, not all accredited medical and osteopathic schools are evaluated.
Think about it! You will spend at least four years at the school of your choice! Prioritizing the optimal environment in which you will develop as a scientist, individual, and leader is the formula for success.
Each medical school, whether allopathic or osteopathic, has its own set of beliefs and goals; it is vital to determine that your personal interests are aligned with the medical schools to which you are applying.
As a result, I strongly advise all pre-medical students to disregard national rankings while compiling their medical school list. Rather than that, begin by exploring a school’s mission statement and focusing on what is most important to the institution.
Personally, if you were to ask me, what made my medical school the right one for me? This would be my answer:
Consider what type of environment you will thrive in for the next four years. For me, I wanted to attend a school that:
Below, you will find the U.S. News Week’s Best Medical School Rankings and below, the information added is what we recommend students to focus on:
Mission Statement:
“To nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.”
Characteristics:
What does it mean to be a Harvard doctor?
“A Harvard Medical School education prepares students to excel in the rapidly changing landscape of modern medicine through a curriculum grounded in the study of leading biomedical science and clinical experience, a rich diversity of degree program choices, and a history of innovation that continues to set the standard for excellence in medical education in the United States and around the world.”
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
“Harvard Medical School has one of the most generous MD financial aid programs in the country. On average the HMS Financial Aid Office administers over $40 million in loans, employment, and scholarship funding from various federal, private, and school sources to approximately 73 percent of the HMS student body. As a result of our generous financial aid programs, HMS maintains an average graduating debt well below the national average. Students in the HMS Class of 2020 graduated with an average medical debt of $106,877 which compares favorably with the $185,682 national average at private medical schools.”
The power of financial aid from the perspectives of alumni and current students.
Environment:
“Harvard Medical School’s Longwood campus is in the heart of one of the nation’s most vibrant cities. Boston’s unique charm and character emerges from its central role in American history and the easy access it offers to a cosmopolitan abundance of personal, social, and professional opportunities.
With over 40 colleges in the area and an intellectual tradition that has resulted in the emergence of many of the nation’s most influential religious, philosophical, and political movements, Boston offers HMS students a wealth of academic resources. Biotech research also has a formidable presence in the neighborhood alongside HMS’ own renowned research presence.
The HMS campus is located across the Charles River from Harvard University’s Cambridge campus. The travel distance between HMS and Harvard University is minimal with many public transportation options bridging the two campuses.”
Mission Statement:
“We strive to enroll a diverse group of academically talented students with the personal attributes, endeavors, and accomplishments to succeed as future leaders and scholars of medicine. Our ultimate goal is to enroll a student body with a collective desire to improve the health of all segments of our society through outstanding patient care, research, and education. We believe our full-tuition scholarship initiative will lead to better patient care and will benefit society as a whole by turning the best and brightest future physicians into leaders with the potential to transform healthcare.
As a student at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, you complete your studies in one of the most vibrant and inspiring urban classrooms—New York City. While here, you have access to patients from around the world and to the most advanced research and clinical facilities.
Our curriculum for the 21st century empowers you to adapt your medical training to your educational goals and prepares you for a broad range of careers in medicine. In addition to our MD degree and dual MD/master’s degrees, you can pursue our pioneering accelerated three-year MD pathway.”
Characteristics:
“At NYU Grossman School of Medicine, you’re more than a student or a researcher. You’re a member of a diverse and exciting academic community where our commitment to innovation and collaboration is evident in everything we do. We have a long and proud history of pioneering scientific discovery, but we’re not content to let our past define us. We constantly strive to find bold new ways to fulfill our trifold mission: to serve, to teach, and to discover.”
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
Environment:
“No matter the degree pathway they’re pursuing, medical students at NYU Grossman School of Medicine are passionate about the future of healthcare and their own futures. Their diverse backgrounds make for a vibrant learning community. Their merits transcend test scores and academic metrics and have as much to do with the determination and compassion that burn bright in their hearts.”
Click here to meet 5 NYU Grossman School of Medicine highlighted students.
Mission Statement/Core Values:
Core Values
Characteristics:
“Duke University is located in the Research Triangle area of central North Carolina—composed of the cities of Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. The Triangle is commonly recognized for its availability of jobs, diversity, relatively low cost of living, affordable housing, safe streets, culture, and nationally ranked food scene. Each city in the Triangle is anchored by major universities: Duke and N.C. Central University in Durham; N.C. State University in Raleigh; and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill.
In addition to living in these communities, Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Health strive to improve the health of people and neighborhoods and promote good will as ambassadors of the communities we serve. Faculty, staff, trainees, and students are engaged in programs and services with our community partners to achieve shared goals.”
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Mission Statement:
“The mission of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is to prepare future graduates to be leaders and role models in patient care, medical research, education, and health-care policy.”
Characteristics:
“Become a physician with compassion, a sense of self, and true grit in all medical pursuits. The Columbia MD curriculum combines basic science and clinical medicine with humanism and professionalism. Choose a one-size-fits-you experience with research endeavors, university-wide electives, and the VP&S Club: the broadest student activities organization for the arts, athletics, and community outreach in American medical education.”
Financing of Education:
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Environment:
“Columbia is home to students from diverse backgrounds driven to make a difference in medicine while also pursuing a range of artistic talents—from music to theater to painting—that bring joy to others and nourish empathy on their path to becoming physicians and surgeons. The ballet dancer turned aspiring physician and Space Medicine Club co-president? Check. The medical student whose experiences living in the United States and abroad shaped his commitment to health care equity? Check. The violinist who provided care to Harlem’s homeless population during medical school? Check. Read on for more about our talented students.”
Mission Statement:
“To educate and inspire a diverse group of leaders in medicine and science who will improve human health through discovery, innovation, scholarship, education, and the delivery of outstanding patient-centered care.”
Characteristics:
“With close ties to Stanford University and a world-class medical center, Stanford University School of Medicine sets the training ground for the next generation of biomedical leaders and pioneers. All of the resources of our campus – extraordinary faculty and peers, state-of-the-art facilities and a diverse campus life – will provide you limitless opportunities to interact with a community of scholars who will support your educational endeavors and make you feel at home.”
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Mission Statement:
“At UCSF, the purpose of medical education is to educate learners who will improve the health of our communities and alleviate suffering due to illness and disease in our patients. The UCSF School of Medicine Bridges Curriculum educates MD graduates to excel in the competencies needed by 21st-century physicians.
The MD program objectives are defined by seven core MD competencies: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration.”
Characteristics:
“At UCSF, our learners approach health care challenges with critical thinking and a spirit of inquiry. As tomorrow’s health and science leaders in training, UCSF students embody our passion for advancing the health of our communities.
UCSF is a leader in health sciences curriculum innovation. Our educators transform medical education to reflect real-world patient needs, and advances in the sciences that support patient care. With the Bridges Curriculum, we provide training and opportunities for clinical experiences that enable students to make immediate and impactful contributions as members of interprofessional care teams.
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
Environment:
“The UCSF School of Medicine encompasses facilities at 11 sites throughout the city of San Francisco and in Fresno. The school is headquartered at the central Parnassus Heights campus on Parnassus Avenue near Fourth Avenue, adjacent to the UCSF Medical Center.”
Mission Statement:
“The mission of Johns Hopkins Medicine is to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care. Diverse and inclusive, Johns Hopkins Medicine educates medical students, scientists, health care professionals and the public; conducts biomedical research; and provides patient-centered medicine to prevent, diagnose and treat human illness.”
Characteristics:
“What makes a medical school great? At the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, it’s our rich history combined with the latest technology and medical innovations. But, it’s more than that: What makes us great is the passion for medicine and healing shared by our faculty and students, a dedication that permeates everything we do.”
Financing of Education:
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View the below video for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Virtual Tour for Prospective Students.
Mission Statement:
“The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is dedicated to improving the general health and well-being of the public. In pursuit of its goals, the School is committed to excellence in biomedical education, research and healthcare. The School is also dedicated to ethical conduct in all its activities.
As the pre-eminent academic medical center in our region and as a national leader in biomedical research, we place special emphasis on educating and training physicians, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to two distinct goals:
The School works with public and private agencies to improve healthcare and advance knowledge in medicine and related fields of inquiry. It acknowledges a special responsibility to the people in the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, who have joined with UWSOM in a unique regional partnership. The School is committed to building and sustaining a diverse academic community of faculty, staff, fellows, residents and students and to assuring that access to education and training is open to learners from all segments of society, acknowledging a particular responsibility to the diverse populations within our region.
The School values diversity and inclusion and is committed to building and sustaining an academic community in which teachers, researchers and learners achieve the knowledge, skills and attitudes that value and embrace inclusiveness, equity and awareness as a way to unleash creativity and innovation.”
Characteristics:
Five States, One School
“M.D. students study throughout Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho for maximum experience across urban and rural environments.
WWAMI is the UW School of Medicine’s one-of-a-kind, multi-state medical education program. The acronym, WWAMI, stands for the states served by the UW School of Medicine: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. UW medical students have access to a variety of settings for clinical training: from a busy Level I trauma center in Seattle, WA, to a small primary care clinic in Libby, MT, to working with Alaska Natives in Anchorage, AK. Community-based clinical faculty volunteer their time to educate our medical students.”
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Mission Statement:
“Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve health through research, patient care, and the education of trainees in an inclusive culture that embraces diversity, fosters innovation, stimulates critical thinking, supports lifelong learning, and sustains our legacy of excellence.”
Characteristics:
“Medical students can customize their education to suit their interests. More than 50 percent of each class remains at Penn beyond four years to take advantage of resources for dual degrees, certificates, global health experiences, and research.”
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
Source: Perelman School of Medicine
Environment:
Mission Statement:
Yale School of Medicine educates and nurtures creative leaders in medicine and science, promoting curiosity and critical inquiry in an inclusive environment enriched by diversity. We advance discovery and innovation fostered by partnerships across the University, our local community, and the world. We care for patients with compassion, and commit to improving the health of all people.
Characteristics:
“The mission statement of the Office of Admissions is to admit a diverse class of outstanding students who show the greatest promise for becoming creative leaders in medicine and science. With their broad range of experiences, backgrounds, knowledge and humanity, these students commit to improving the health and well-being of all people.”
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
Environment:
“Yale School of Medicine (YSM) fosters a holistic approach to student well-being and promotes wellness, in all its forms, as one of the principal elements of student and scholarly life at Yale. Student well-being permeates our formal curriculum, extracurricular opportunities and support services.
Student well-being is inherent to the philosophy of the Yale System of Medical Education, which cultivates a supportive, non-competitive community. At YSM, there is a recognition that the structure of the entire educational experience must reflect and be responsive to a commitment to all students’ well-being. Therefore, this commitment is built into our approach towards learning and the formal curriculum.
YSM’s extracurricular opportunities are extensive and varied. Because we are part of a vibrant University, our students have access to an even broader set of possibilities to explore and people to engage with from all different backgrounds and disciplines, expanding well-being resources.
New Haven, a culturally-rich, diverse city, adds even more opportunities for promoting student well-being. Because of its relatively small size, New Haven has a strong sense of community and provides many avenues for active engagement.
We recognize that each person will find different opportunities that appeal to them to enhance their well-being – whether, for example, it is the arts, exercise, volunteering, spirituality, nature, service, family and friends, sports of all kinds, different activities at different times, and sometimes, simply relaxing.
A central tenant of student well-being at YSM is that everyone is part of our community. We all benefit from every student feeling a part of the community and wanting to be engaged, in whatever capacity is fulfilling to that individual.
From a support services perspective, both YSM and Yale University have people, programs, and processes dedicated to ensuring students have the support needed to enhance access, success, and well-being.”
Mission Statement:
“To provide an outstanding medical education that results in an inspired and diverse workforce of physicians and scientists who are leaders in advancing exemplary, equitable, and affordable clinical care; health care system design; and related innovation. To alleviate human suffering and best serve critical health needs of our broadly diverse and increasingly connected nation and world.
Essential to achievement of this mission is an exceptionally talented, passionate, and diverse faculty and student body who engage with one another, their patients, and communities; have high intellectual and emotional intelligence; uphold the highest ethical standards; possess the ability to lead and inspire; embrace differences in service to humanity; are committed to eradicating health care disparities; and are patient-centered, inclusive, and team-oriented.”
Characteristics:
With three campus locations in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida; as well as more than 70 smaller, regional practices in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, you’ll have options to experience a wide variety of practice settings and work with cases from the common to the complex.
Through a collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU), you’ll also have options to complete your training with more than a medical degree. In addition to a medical degree, all medical students receive a certificate in the science of health care delivery that closes the gap between what you learn in your training and the challenges of the current health care environment.
Students also have the option to pursue a variety of dual-degree options. These programs give students the opportunity to prepare for every possible career aspiration while they complete their medical education.
Our 3.4:1 full-time faculty-to-student ratio is one of the highest in the country. Beyond full-time faculty, students have access to more than 3,700 other Mayo Clinic clinicians and researchers across all three campuses. This translates to faculty that cares not only about your education and success, but about you as a person.
We should also mention that our faculty includes some of the brightest minds in health care. You’ll have open-door access to the authors of some of your textbooks and learn from the best physicians, researchers, educators and scientists in the world.
Medical school is not one-size-fits-all and we don’t treat it that way. It’s important that you graduate with a strong sense of the doctor you want to become. We help you accomplish that with a flexible curriculum that provides opportunities to explore your interests. As part of your curriculum, you’ll have the ability to design your education through Selectives and choose what you want to learn and do.
Our programs are non-competitive and operate on a pass/fail evaluation system. This ensures students can focus on their well-being without worrying about rankings.
Health care isn’t static and neither are we. We bring discoveries to the classroom as soon as possible and provide students access to some of the most cutting-edge technology available, such as 3-D printing, virtual reality, simulation, artificial intelligence and robotics.
We thrive on diversity. Not one of our students enter their program with the same background. Our diversity helps us approach situations with a variety of backgrounds that present different solutions to arrive at the best results.
Here, you have an identity that reaches far beyond the classroom. As a student, you are a respected member of the team. You’re never “just a student.” With our team approach to patient care, your input matters and your voice will be heard in every aspect of your education and training. Our goal is to ensure you feel empowered in your practice.
We love our strong sense of community. Our small class sizes allow us to get personal. Starting on day one, you’ll be paired with a MedSib family as well as a faculty mentor. These mentor relationships will help you get engaged and find answers to your questions, from what to expect in your first year to where to find the best sandwich in town.
Our students graduate with a long list of accomplishments and excited about where they’re headed next. Though the national trend for medical students matching to residency programs is declining, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students consistently match to top-tier residencies in their chosen specialties. About 98 percent of our fourth-year students report a match to one of their top three residency choices.
Our education program objectives are based on Mayo Clinic’s RICH TIES framework — respect, integrity, compassion, healing, teamwork, innovation, excellence, and stewardship.”
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
Environment:
Mission Statement:
“In leading the advancement of human health, Washington University School of Medicine will:
Characteristics:
“We offer rigorous learning opportunities in a supportive environment that fosters camaraderie and collaboration over competition.
Washington University School of Medicine is dedicated to training tomorrow’s leaders in healthcare and medicine.
Our students graduate with outstanding opportunities for highly sought-after residencies and fellowships, engaging research endeavors, and successful and rewarding careers in medicine, health care and public health.”
Financing of Education:
Tuition:
Source: Washington University School of Medicine
Environment:
Mission Statement:
“Pitt Med’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of individuals and populations through cutting-edge biomedical research, innovative educational programs in medicine and biomedical science, and leadership in academic medicine. We strive to implement this mission with the highest professional and ethical standards, in a culture of diversity and inclusiveness, and in an environment that enables all students, faculty and staff to develop to their fullest potential.”
Characteristics:
“At the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, we want applicants who will make exceptional doctors. We try very hard to achieve a class that is diverse in regard to academic, socioeconomic, experiential, and ethnic background. Since our curriculum includes considerable time spent in small-group learning, we look for students interested in collegial relationships with peers and faculty. Lastly, we want our students to enjoy a full, rich life while they are here at medical school, so we are attracted to candidates who have a variety of interests in addition to medicine.” – Beth Piraino, MD, Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Financing of Education:
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Mission Statement:
“The vision of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is to shape a future in which all persons reach their full health potential.
The core values of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine are integrity, inclusion, humility, equity, mutual respect, and excellence.
The mission of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is to catalyze the advancement of impactful discovery, servant leadership, and lifelong learning.
In order to carry out this mission, we make these strategic commitments:
Characteristics:
Message from the Dean:
“Medical school isn’t to be “gotten through.” It’s an experience to savor as you evolve into the physician you want to be – equipped to navigate the change ahead on your journey through a career in medicine. You’re choosing a place that will be the beginning act in the drama of your medical career. It’s no longer simply preparation – it’s an experience that merges learning and practice.
Like many of the faculty (and deans) at Vanderbilt, as a graduate of this medical school I have a deep connection to the traditions and the experiences of its students. We have a personal, vested interest in training physicians who are not only exceptional clinicians, but also “specialists” at building relationships with people. We provide that kind of education through a highly personal, yet broad intellectual experience that enables leadership in the fast-paced change taking place in all corners of biomedical science and health care.”
Check out the entire Dean’s Message
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Mission Statement:
The pursuit of excellence requires a learning organization grounded in leadership, innovation, and compassionate care that can translate new knowledge into better human health. These attributes are interwoven by professionalism dedicated to teamwork, collegiality, and social and intellectual diversity. Such values promote the best interests of medicine and further strengthen our social contract with the community we serve.”
Characteristics:
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Mission Statement:
“The University of Michigan Medical School fosters a visionary culture. The changes proposed in our curriculum transformation reflected our efforts to attract, encourage, and reward those who have grand ideas and wish to improve the world of medicine.”
Characteristics:
“Our faculty, partnered with a dedicated staff, is committed to creating the future of health care through discovery. This includes offering a medical education that sets the standard for discourse, intellectual rigor and creativity. Throughout our 20 clinical and nine basic science departments, we are committed to a single mission:
“To transform health through bold and innovative education, discovery, and service.”
We graduate approximately 170 physicians annually, strengthening a body of UMMS alumni more than 20,000 strong. Our alumni include Nobel Prize winners, including Marshall Nirenberg (Ph.D. 1957), who won the 1968 prize in physiology or medicine for his work on the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis; and Stanley Cohen (Ph.D. 1948), who received the honor in 1986 for discoveries leading to the understanding of mechanisms that regulate cell and organ growth.”
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Environment:
#1 University of Washington
#2 University of California — San Francisco
#3 University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill
#4 Oregon Health and Science University
#5 University of Minnesota
#6 University of Colorado (tie)
#6 University of Nebraska Medical Center (tie)
#8 Harvard University
#9 University of Kansas Medical Center
#10 University of Massachusetts — Worcester
#11 University of California — Davis
#12 University of California — Los Angeles (Geffen) (tie)
#12 University of Wisconsin — Madison (tie)
#14 University of Rochester
#15 University of Michigan — Ann Arbor
Complete Lists:
Best Medical School Rankings (#1)
Research: Harvard University
Primary Care: University of Washington
Anesthesiology: Johns Hopkins
Family Medicine: Oregon Health and Science University
Internal Medicine University of California — San Francisco
Obstetrics and Gynecology: University of California — San Francisco
Pediatrics: University of Pennsylvania
Psychiatry: Yale University
Radiology: Johns Hopkins University
Surgery: Johns Hopkins University
Diversity: Howard University
Graduates Practicing in Medically Underserved Areas: University of South Carolina
Graduates Practicing in Primary Care Fields: Midwestern University (D.O.)
Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas: The Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine at University of Pikeville (D.O.)
