8 Questions To Ask When Choosing A Medical School

Choosing a college to attend is no easy task so we’ve come up with eight questions to ask yourself to help narrow down your selection:

• Will my current high school grades get me into medical school and if not, what can I do to make it happen?
  (Note: According to an article on Yahoo! Education, “Many medical schools do not include community college grades when calculating GPAs”.)
  
  
• Do I work better in a large classroom or small classroom?
  
  
• Do I want to sacrifice attending the best medical school (academic recognition) to be closer to family and friends?
  
  
• Do I want the best education money can buy or do I want an education that fits within my current financial situation?
  
  
• Do I want more hands-on training sessions (patient contact) or more lectures and book learning?
  (Note: IAMP offers clinical and didactic training.)
  
  
• Do I want a certificate or diploma so I can start working in the medical field right away? And if so, will the job and certification I receive offer early training for further studies?
  
  
• Will the college help prepare me for further education should I want to obtain a bachelor’s, master’s or PhD or need to transfer to another medical school?
  
  
• What does the college require upon entrance and can I meet all those requirements? (i.e. application; entrance exam; letters of recommendations from teachers, employers, colleagues, etc.; certain grade point average and school records, extracurricular activities, etc.)
  

Finally, medical school is expensive. Don’t forget to ask, “Does the medical school offer private scholarships, work-study programs, and a qualified financial aid counselor?”

Come back on Friday as we discuss financing your college education.