How to Choose a Medical School That’s Just Right for You: 10 Factors to Consider

You might be just in the process of fine-tuning your school list, getting ready for your primary or secondary application. Or you already applied, got accepted to multiple medical schools (congratulations!!) and now have to make the big decision on which school you finally want to go to! 

There are so many factors that go into this next step, and it can start to feel really overwhelming really quickly. But don’t worry – I’m going to tell you exactly how to choose a medical school that’s right for you, so you don’t regret your choices later!

If you are just getting started with your initial school list, go through this school list process first – How to Make a School List in 7 Simple Steps. Then come back and use the tips in this blog post to further narrow down your choice. 

This post is all about learning how to choose a medical school.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.

Find Out How to Choose a Medical School

10 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Medical School

Receiving 10 acceptances in my second application cycle was such a major improvement from the zero acceptances I got during my first attempt that I honestly felt a little overwhelmed. I was so grateful for the opportunity to choose from so many great schools, but the decision was even harder.

Here are the 10 factors I used to select the University of Colorado, where I am now a very happy 4th year student.

1. Happiness

The most important question you can ask about any school is “Will you actually be happy there?” You’re going to be spending the next few years of your life in that environment, so you want to make sure you choose a school that makes you happy.

Try not to overthink the rest of this list. Listen to your heart above all things and go with your gut if you have multiple options available.⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⁣2. Grading System

Are the schools on your list pass/fail, or do they stick to a traditional grading system? Pass/fail schools are more likely to have a collaborative environment, which was a big factor for me. There won’t be as much emphasis on competing to get the highest grade. 

Pass/fail environments can sometimes be less stressful too. So it might be good to consider that if you’re someone who worries a lot about grades and want to avoid the extra pressure.

3. Location

Location is always a big thing to think about when choosing a school. Are you willing to move far away, or would you rather stay close to family? Would you want to live in a rural area or a big city? Check out the surrounding cities of the medical schools on your list to see what the area is like. You’ll also discover what kinds of activities they have for you to do in your free time. A campus visit is always helpful too!

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4. Patient Interaction During Didactic Years

Didactic years are the ones where you will spend most of your time in the classroom rather than working in a clinical environment. However, some schools incorporate patients as part of the didactic curriculum. For example, at my school, we were paired with preceptors our first year, so we had at least 40 hours in the hospital by the end of first year. Plus, we learned physical exams on standardized patients!

Look into how often you will see patients during didactic years at the schools on your list. If interacting with patients early on is important to you, this could factor into your final decision.

5. Research and Scholarly Projects

Some schools require students to participate in research or complete scholarly projects. These projects can be a great way to get ahead for residency applications, so definitely spend some time thinking about this if you plan on doing residency!

​6. Learning Environment

Every school teaches a little differently. I tend to prefer schools that emphasize active learning over traditional lectures, so that was a major deciding factor for me when I was making my decision. Just remember that you might have to keep your standards low for schools that have just debuted a brand new curriculum.

7. Lectures

Personally, I’m not a big fan of traditional lectures because I don’t like to be micromanaged. If you’re at all like me in that regard, you might want to avoid schools that have required lectures as part of the curriculum.

8. Didactics

Traditionally, medical schools will have 2 years of didactics before you start clinical rotations. However, some schools shorten that period a little bit. My school, for example, only has one year of didactics. After that, you get to start clinical rotations. Each approach has its pros and cons, so I recommend watching some videos of other people’s experiences (including mine, see below).

9. Student Support

You never know when you might need a little extra help. So it’s important to check how well the schools on your list support students in terms of both academics and mental health. Faculty can give you a list of the available resources, but don’t just go by what they say about them. Try to ask actual students how they use the resources and what their experience with them was like. That’s the best way to get honest answers about the support system in place.

10. Tuition and Cost of Living

Since loans usually cover tuition and cost of living expenses, I tend to think choosing the place that makes you happiest is more important than financial factors. However, there can be some pretty dramatic differences between in-state and out-of-state tuition, so it’s definitely something to look into for each school on your list.

Make sure to check out my tips on how to Negotiate Financial Aid to make the money topic much easier for you!

How to Find More Information About Schools

Obviously, if you want to consider all those factors I just listed, you’re going to need some ways to find out more information about the medical schools on your list. There’s a lot you can discover just by clicking around the school’s website, so that can be a starting point for finding out basic information like tuition, curriculum requirements, etc.

To dive in a little deeper, I recommend reaching out to students you met on Interview Day to do a few one-on-one Zoom chats. Make a list of questions you want to ask them based on what your top priorities are. Here are some examples:

• Why did you choose this school?
• What is the surrounding town or city like?
• What do you do for fun?
• What’s a typical day like for you?
• What’s something you wish you knew before starting here?
• Is there a support system in place to help students with academics and mental health?
• What’s your favorite class you’ve had so far?
• If you could change anything about the program, what would it be?

If you’re still left with more questions after talking with a few students, you can usually find even more perspectives on YouTube. Just remember that everyone has a different experience while at school, so take things with a grain of salt.

It’s also a good idea to take as many opportunities as you can to learn about the schools in person. Try to attend all the second look events or at least watch the replays. Make sure to schedule a campus visit too so you can look around and experience what it’s like to be on campus!

You don’t want to miss any hidden factors (that nobody really talks about) and could use step-by-step support to create a school list that truly fits YOU? My course Build a Rock Solid School List will help you to greatly increase your chances at getting interview invites, confidently and with much more ease.

AMCAS Choose Your Medical School Tool

The AMCAS Choose Your Medical School Tool is what most students will use to manage their accepted schools. This is also being used to communicate their final decisions. Each school can have slightly different protocols on how to use the tool during the application process. So make sure you check with the schools on your list to nail down their instructions, policies, deadlines, and expectations.

In my experience, here’s what the timeline for using the CYMST looked like:

• Before April 15th: All schools you were accepted at will show up with their financial aid awards.
• By April 15th: Narrow down your choices to 3 top schools.
• By April 30th: Choose one school.

When you choose your school in the CYMST, you will have the option to pick either “Plan to Enroll” or “Commit to Enroll.” “Plan to Enroll” allows you to keep your options open. So, for example, I chose “Plan to Enroll” for the University of Colorado because I was still on the waitlist for Case Western. If I had received an offer of acceptance on May 15th, then I could have withdrawn my acceptance at Colorado and gone to Case Western instead.

“Commit to Enroll” is basically like marriage. There’s no going back after you choose that one. If I had clicked “Commit to Enroll” for the University of Colorado on April 30th, I would have forfeited my waitlist position at Case Western. So make sure you choose carefully!

Remember, different schools might have different deadlines. You should find out the deadlines for all your accepted schools ahead of time. I recommend making a list or putting them into your calendar just in case.

Final Thoughts

I hope these factors and resources help you narrow down your list of schools so you can pick the best possible fit for you and your future. Good luck and get ready for an awesome first year!

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