Top Medical Schools

The top medical schools of 2009 all have one thing in common: they are respected by experts and students alike. The majority of the websites that professionally rank these top medical schools use a number of different criteria, but at the center of all of these rankings are students' opinions and post-graduation statistics.

In order to be a top rated medical school, a university could excel in one of two areas most commonly judged by experts: research and primary care. The top schools in research excel in producing medical professionals that go on to make enormous discoveries in the real world. Also, the top colleges in primary care generally do an excellent job teaching students how to perform in clinics and hospitals.

The three top research medical schools in 2009 include Harvard University, John Hopkins University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Notice that all three of these schools are on the Eastern side of the country. This could either be considered a perk or a drawback, depending on the preference of the medical student.

As far as primary care goes, the top rated universities are the University of Washington, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Colorado. These schools are spread across the country.

The University of Washington is the only medical school to appear consistently on professionals' lists as a top 10 medical school in both primary care and research. The school has two top-notch campuses, in Seattle and St. Louis, Missouri. Both these schools receive record amounts in donations to their medical departments, and are not that expensive to attend.

Overall, one can define a top medical school in two ways: research and primary care. The two lists vary a good amount, but the University of Washington is one of the best in both areas. After review, there are many spectacular medical colleges to attend, all possessing individual traits that make them special.