Atlantis students walking out of the entrance of the hospital (Genoa, Italy, 2019).

Applying to Med/PA School

Best Medical Schools: A Comparison of Different Rankings

October 25, 2021 4 mins Alexia Katsaros

About Alexia

Alexia Katsaros is a Purdue graduate (’21) and a pre-medical student enjoying a gap year on the Atlantis admissions team. As an undergraduate, she majored in psychology and minored in biology and sociology. In the summer of 2019, she shadowed doctors at KAT hospital when she journeyed to Athens, Greece through the Atlantis shadow abroad program.

When you’re on the hunt for the medical schools you want to apply to, there is a lot to consider. Some schools prioritize research, while others focus on bringing aid to underserved communities. For some students, location is everything. Moreover, some schools are attractive because they are top-tier, world-renowned institutions. Whatever your preferences are, it is extremely important that you understand that different criteria will ultimately rank schools along different lines. To help you determine the best ranked medical schools, I have decided to break them down into some of the criteria that distinguish them. I’ll also include a list of the best ranked medical schools at the very end. By laying it out like this, I hope to encourage you to think critically about what you value most in a medical school and see how your wishes can realistically be fulfilled.

Most Diverse Schools

Diversity has always been high on my list of desired medical school traits. As a pre-med, I made it my mission to seek the unfamiliar. When I shadowed abroad with Atlantis, I was able to surround myself with a culture that I did not grow up in. When volunteering and shadowing domestically, I stepped out of my comfort zone to help people who were in situations vastly different from my own. Diverse experiences truly open your worldview and make you a more empathetic person which is definitely advantageous to your future career in medicine. According to US News, these medical schools have been ranked by their diverse student bodies.

Howard University
University of Vermont, Larner
Florida International University, Wertheim
University of California, Davis
University of New Mexico
University of California, Riverside
Ohio State University
University of Miami, Miller
University of California, Los Angeles (Geffen)

Schools with Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas

There is a nationwide shortage of doctors practicing in rural areas. Since rural health care practitioners are in such high demand, they often start out with competitive salaries. If you would like to help in rural areas of the country, I would strongly consider checking out the schools listed below. The campuses are either located rurally or are in states with a larger rural population.

University of Pikeville
William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Mississippi
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville
University of Nebraska Medical Center
University of South Dakota, Sanford
Des Moines University
Rocky Vista University
University of North Dakota
Oklahoma State University

Best Research Schools

If you value it, you might want to apply to the programs listed below. Schools that are superior in research are not always as strong in other areas, so make sure you take note of that when trying to find the schools that interest you.

Harvard University
New York University, Grossman
Duke University
Columbia University
Stanford University
University of California, San Francisco
Johns Hopkins University
University of Washington
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman
Yale University

Best Primary Care Schools

Primary care always has a huge demand. If you are interested in primary care, check out the list of schools below. They have the top primary care programs in the country and might give you a competitive edge when it comes to establishing yourself outside of medical school.

University of Washington
University of California, San Francisco
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Oregon Health and Science University
University of Minnesota
University of Colorado
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Harvard University
University of Kansas Medical Center
University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Schools With the Best Surgery Programs

When I was in Athens, Greece through my Atlantis 360 shadowing trip, I was able to observe some amazing surgeons. Some of the methods used in the hospital I shadowed in, KAT, were quite unlike the practices I had heard of and seen taking place in the States. I realized how important top surgical training can be for the outcome of the patient and the effectiveness of the treatments the physicians perform on them. Pursuing a medical education at schools with quality surgical programs is a surefire way to become an excellent surgeon in the future.

Johns Hopkins University
Duke University
Harvard University
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of California, San Francisco
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman
Stanford University
Columbia University
University of California, Los Angeles
Washington University in St. Louis

Best Overall Medical School

I’ve taken this list off Shemassian Academic Consulting. I generally agree with this top-tier school listing; in my searches, and from my own experiences, I know that these schools, such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins, are simply the best of the best. I really like how this table highlights everything you should know about these schools, from the average matriculant GPA to the class size. All these schools are the most competitive, and arguably offer the most esteemed training programs in the world.

With the different rankings listed above, I hope I have shown you how not all medical schools are created equally. Take the time to figure out what you really value in a medical school, based on some of the criteria above, and use that to help guide you in your application and decision-making process.

Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools

John Daines

Atlantis '17
Brigham Young University '19
Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23

Zoey Petitt

Atlantis '17
U. of Arizona '18
Duke MD '23

Yong-hun Kim

Atlantis '17
Stanford '19
Mayo Clinic MD '24

Megan Branson

Atlantis '18
U. of Montana '19
U. of Washington MD '24

Sarah Emerick

Atlantis '19
Eckerd College '20
Indiana U. MD '25

Snow Nwankwo

Atlantis '19
Catholic U. of America '21
Georgetown U. MD '26

Tiffany Hu

Atlantis '16
U. of Maryland '17
U. of Michigan MD '22

Tiffany Hu

Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School

Program:

Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016

Undergraduate:

University of Maryland class of 2017

Admitted medical student at:

University of Michigan Medical School

Major:

Neurobiology

Honors:

Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship

Extracurricular Activities:

American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern

Describe Atlantis in Three Words:

Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.

Why did you choose Atlantis?

I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.

What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?

Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.

What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?

Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.

What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?

I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.

How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?

Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.

Lauren Cox

Atlantis '18
Louisiana Tech '20
U. of Arkansas MD '24

Kayla Riegler

Atlantis '18
U. of Kentucky '20
U. of Kentucky MD '24

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