Considerations

 

Where will you be fulfilled? On which path are you most likely to find career and personal satisfaction?

 

What are your main interests?

 

What is your personality like?

 

What do you want to get out of medical school, residency or fellowship?

 

What are your primary academic and scholarly interests?

   

Which personal activities do you plan to continue during your medical education and training?

          

 

          ACADEMICS CONSIDERATIONS

 

What are your academic interests & greatest academic strengths?

 

Where are you most competitive? What are your Step scores?

 

Do you thrive in large institutions in large cities or smaller programs in small cities?

 

What honors or awards have you received?

 

Do you have a learning challenges or concerns that might impact your academics?

 

          NON-ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS

 

What are your intermediate and long-term career goals?

 

What attributes will you add to the entering class?

 

How do you stand out among competitive applicants? 

 

Are you an impactful leader?

 

What values are most important to you?

 

Are you selective regarding where you wish to go to medical school or training?

 

Is the cost of your medical school education a matter of importance?

 

What makes you unique? How do you add to the diversity of the class?

 

Which medical schools or training programs are you considering?

 

	IMPORTANCE RATING
	Not Very Important (1)	Somewhat Important (3)	Very Important (5)
Admissions Selectivity / Prestige
Research University
Academic Environment *Intellectual *Pre-Professional *Entrepreneurial *Rigorous *Moderately Rigorous *Relatively Easy
Freshman Retention
Graduation Rate
Graduates get into good graduate schools and professional schools
Graduates get jobs in their chosen fields
Attractiveness of the Campus – Quintessential vs Amorphous
Student Body Characteristics *Artsy *Intellectual *Pre-Professional *Conservative *Liberal *Chill *Entrepreneurial *Collaborative *Competitive
Student Life *Residential Colleges *Commuter College *School Spirit *Greek Life *GLBTQ *Friendly *Supportive
Academic Offerings, availability of majors that interest you, availability of majors that could be of interest to me
Faculty are leaders in their fields
Faculty Accessibility to students
Quality/Availability of on-campus housing
Net Cost *Tuition + Room & Board minus (scholarships+ grants)
Diversity of the Student Body
Off-campus cultural & recreational opportunities
On-campus cultural & Recreational opportunities
Geography *Northeast *South *Mid-Atlantic *Mid-West *West Coast
Climate *Hot/Humid *Warm *Cold *Snow
Distance *Live at Home *Short Drive *Long Drive *Train or Bus *Plane
Urban vs Suburban vs Rural
Size/College vs University (Student Population) *less than 3000 *3000-10,000 *Above 10,000
Size (campus acreage)
Private vs Public
Liberal Arts vs Pre-Professional
Advising *Academic *Career *Pre-Professional *Peer
Special Focus
Sports *Intercollegiate *Club *Intramural
Resources / Facilities
Alumni Network
Counseling & Psychological Services
Disability Services
Spiritual Freedom
Ethnicity/Diversity