When it was time to choose where to go to medical school, I didn’t think all that hard. Indiana is unique. There is only one medical school in Indiana, at least there was when I was applying. (There is now IU, offering an MD degree and an osteopathic program affiliated with Marian University in Indianapolis.) Indianapolis serves as the hub, and there are eight satellite campuses spread throughout the state. The first two years can be done at any of the nine campuses. Some aspects of the third and fourth year can also be completed at satellite campuses, each with a different focus.
In-state tuition compared to going to an out-of-state or private school was a no-brainer. We’re talking double the price of tuition and fees, and I didn’t see the benefits as being worth the price.
Of course, we’re talking about getting into medical school here. You have to apply to more than one place. We’ll talk about this more when we get down the road to the residency match, but a large portion of this is a numbers game. Nothing is guaranteed in medical school admissions. There are more qualified applicants than there are spots. You have to position yourself to be within the pool of qualified people and hope something you do during the process sticks out enough to get you accepted.
The process isn’t simple, and it should begin as soon as possible. Check out this post for more on my thoughts regarding the application process.
If you live in a state where more than one medical school is available to you, do some research. Different medical schools have different focuses. There may be small nuances in the curriculum that are preferable to your learning style or career goals. You may find a school focusing on primary care and a program that offers a fast-track to residency. Maybe the school has a focus in public health.
I wanted to go to one of the small IU campuses because I wanted more one-on-one time with professors and a focus on in-person classes. I wanted to be able to focus with a small group of people on my first two years. This was quite the opposite of my reasoning when it came to choosing an undergraduate school. Bloomington also had full-year classes for the first two years. More time in courses like anatomy and physiology allowed for more time to focus on details.
I’m not trying to say out-of-state or private schools are bad. You can earn the same medical degree at the end of the day. It’s also important to note that I’ve never been involved in a discussion regarding residency applicants where a degree from Harvard or Yale was considered more important than a degree from a state medical school. A medical degree and the appropriate requisite credentials are more than enough to get you into almost any residency, anywhere.