What is the best medical school/college or university for a future in....?

Harvard Medical school is probably one of the best (and hardest schools to get into) in the country. Not to mention students get work experience at some of the best hospitals in the country.

Hi Tina,

People who get into the best medical schools have developed excellent communication and problem solving skills.  They are observant and understand cause-effect relationships.

In addition, mathematics through calculus and advanced science courses are required.

Those persons who demonstrate the aptitude and determination to get into ANY medical school, let alone Yale,  will be learning constantly.  

We all should find a career that suits us and makes us happy.  Do some soul searching and examine your strengths and weaknesses to get a good match.

Best wishes,

flip

Ask any physician and he/she will tell you that the best medical school is the one that accepts you.  

Going to med school is like going to a language school.  If you learn to speak the language, then it matters not where you were taught.  Since all med schools are accredited by the same authority, there really isn't much difference in the education process for the first 4 years of med school.  The best advice I have for any potential med student is to apply to the state university in your own state.  State universities give preference to state residents (usually close to 75% of accepted students are state residents).  Secondly, the lowest tuition cost will be at your own state university.

Once you complete med school you will begin your residency training.  This is where you really learn how to treat the kinds of patients you want to treat.  You mentioned Pediatrics as an interest.  There are many Pediatric residency programs across the US.  Is one better than another?  Technically, no because regardless of where you train, you still have to take the same certification exam as every other person who has studied in that same field.  The board certification guarantees that a physician has a certain level of competence to safely practice medicine.  Certainly, there will be some people who are excellent while others are just good, but that is more of an issue of individuals rather than schools or residency programs.

What makes a school and/or residency program "prestigous" has very little to do with the actual educational process offered at that school/program.  Most reputations are gained from the research conducted.  Most people know the popular names--Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale.  But once you get into medicine and learn what is really going on (versus the public relations perspective) you begin to appreciate the qualities of places like The Cleveland Clinic, the National Institute of Health and many other similar, but less known places.  Most physicians, when they first meet, aren't interested in what school you attended...they want to know where you did your residency.