Choosing a Medical School

So you have the interviews already, but you have no idea which school fits you the best..........
A bunch of my undergrad buddies and I got together recently. All of us are in different medical schools now. What I found quite interesting in our conversation was that we all agreed that curriculum mattered the least when choosing a medical school.

The fact is that almost every medical school has a slightly different curriculum. Some are systems based, others organ based, and some based in pure randomness. Yet, every medical school churns out excellent medical doctors that go on to practice in every field of medicine. What does this tell me? Curriculum does not matter. The knowledge needed to pass medical school and do well is there no matter what order you teach it.

A friend of mine attends UTHSCSA and hates/loves the curriculum. The school has class hours on the higher end of medical schools, but my buddy hates class. The result - he never attends class. By staying at home and learning the material on his own, my buddy has kept himself in the top 10 people in class rank thus far.

Even for those that attend class, curriculum does not seem to matter. The same material is taught at every medical school, and for the most part, students use the same review books at every school. The order you receive the material just does not matter.

Now my friends decided what mattered most: Cost, Location, and Amenities. When you look at loans and how they will affect the rest of your life, it is stupid to not consider COST of medical school when deciding between schools. I chose the school with tuition near the bottom ($7000/year) in a location that has minimal cost of living (Lubbock and El Paso, TX), and I could not be happier. I pay for a 2 bedroom townhouse what people in Houston pay for a small 1 bedroom and people in California pay for a closet. I know you are also thinking that I am crazy for thinking medical schools have amenities.........but they do. Some schools have extra rec centers for students; some schools give students free access to their associated institution's sporting events; some schools have amazing cafeterias. All of these things matter when it comes to quality of life, and when you are in medical school and have limited time for fun, everything you can add to quality of life - MATTERS!!!!!!

To sum up, go to the cheapest medical school you can find where you can maximize your own quality of life, and you won't regret it.