Wondering How to Evaluate a Medical School or Residency Program? Consider Your Happiness and Trust Your Intuition.

Medical school and residency applicants routinely ask me how to evaluate institutions, especially since most interviews are virtual. This is a huge topic, but here are some thoughts:

• To me, geography is one of the most important factors – at least equal to the reputation of the institution. You want to make sure you are in a location that will make you happy – near community, family, friends and/ or the ability to enjoy your hobbies.
• Cost is sometimes a deal breaker when it comes to medical school. There can be significant differences – especially state versus private institutions – and scholarships can make a huge impact in your debt profile going forward.
• Of course, didactics and academic opportunities are critically important for both medical school and residency. However, many programs of similar caliber have equivalent curricula and offerings. You likely could be happy at many different institutions. With regard to residency specifically, it’s important both to ensure you’re getting a lot of hands-on experience and to look at what fellowships are available, with your interests in mind.
• Faculty is hard to assess because – like anything – there are good and bad ones. Also, faculty come and go. Having said that, if you are applying to residency, the program director is critical (understanding that he or she could leave at any time 🙁 ).
• With regard to residency, call schedule and overall work hours are important to consider. Certain programs within the same specialty require a lot more hours and scut work than others.

One of your best bets is to talk to current medical students or residents. Oftentimes they will be very honest about the pros and cons of their institution.

Once you’ve assessed all of the above – narrowing down your list by geography and quality – I would analyze the vibe you have. If this sounds too touchy-feely, remember that intuition is not a magical assessment; it’s based on major and minor facts that you consciously and subconsciously analyze.

Remember: If you’re a medical school applicant, consider yourself fortunate if you have more than one option to choose from. Earning admission to medical school is extremely challenging; it’s a great problem if you have to struggle to decide among multiple schools!