Middle Tier Medical Schools
SHARON HADRIAN
COLLEGE
Medical school applications have increased by more than ten percent from 1998 to 2008, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (see Reference 1) That makes places at top medical schools even harder to obtain.
While top-tier medical schools often have a better reputation, students can also receive a great education from a middle-tier school. The faculty, teaching facilities and specialties available at middle-tier medical schools are still among the best in the nation, and in many instances these factors may be better suited to a student's goals.
1 University of Virginia School of Medicine
The University of Virginia has offered medical programs since the school was founded in 1819. Only 20 students were enrolled in the medicine program the first year; since then, the School of Medicine has grown to accommodate more than 500 students, as of Fall 2009.
UVA's School of Medicine confers undergraduate degrees in medical education, in addition to MD and PhD degrees in medicine and post-doctoral research, respectively. The school also collaborates with UVA's Darden School of Business Administration to offer dual MD/MBA degrees.
U.S. News and World Report ranked the UVA School of Medicine as the ninth-best public medical school in the country and the 25th-best school for medical research.
University of Virginia School of Medicine P.O. Box 800793 Charlottesville, VA 22908 434-924-5118 virginia.edu
2 Ohio State University College of Medicine
Founded in 1834, the Ohio State University College of Medicine is part of one of America's largest universities. The school has a strong academic record: In 2009, Ohio State's incoming medical students had a cumulative GPA of 3.72 and an MCAT score of 33+.
According to U.S. News and World Report's 2011 rankings, Ohio State is the 27th-best research-based medical school in the country. The magazine also named Ohio State's teaching hospital as one of the best in the country, and more than 750,000 patients are treated in the OSU health network every year.
Ohio State University College of Medicine 155D Meiling Hall 370 W. 9th Ave. Columbus, OH 43210 614-292-7137 osu.edu
3 Boston University School of Medicine
The Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) was founded in 1848. The school was originally founded as the New England Female Medical College, the first institution in America to educate female doctors. In 1873, It merged with Boston University, was renamed, and became a coeducational medical school. BUSM is affiliated with the off-campus Boston Medical Center, as well as 15 community health centers throughout the region.
The Boston University School of Medicine offers eight MD-degree paths, including four- and seven-year programs and MD/PhD, MD/MBA and MD/MPH combination degrees. The school has a low student-to-faculty ratio: Two to one as of 2010.
In 2010, U.S. News and World Report named Boston University as the 34th best medical school in the country, on par with Dartmouth and the University of Southern California.
Boston University School of Medicine 715 Albany St. Boston, MA 02118 617-638-5300 bu.edu
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