Attending an Ivy League college comes with certain benefits. One, your employability chances look better through a strong alumni network. Two, you walk around with a certain air that is only comparable to those of Princes. Most United States of America’s president attended an Ivy League College. Three, you will get access to quality research materials as well as learn from award-winning faculty. To affirm this, some Ivy league medical schools claim the top 10 spots in the 2020 US News and World Ranking Best medical schools. Thus, in this post, we will rank all Ivy league med schools using certain criteria. We will also give you clear background information on what Ivy league schools are and answer other questions you may be asking.
What is Ivy League College?
Ivy League College came from the term “Ivy League.” Ivy League is an American Collegial Athletic Conference made of sports teams from eight private universities in Northeastern US. So, people now refer to these Northeastern universities as Ivy League Colleges or “The Ivies.” Furthermore, these schools are old schools in the USA with a rich history. Of the eight Ivy League Colleges, seven began during the colonial period. These schools grew in excellence over time and became very prestigious. They have consistently ranked amongst the best schools in the USA and globally. These schools are elitist schools and command respect anywhere in the world. If you don’t know these eight schools before now, you may be whispering “Harvard,” and you will be right. However, here are the eight schools that form the Ivy League. To go with their prestige, the Ivy League colleges are highly competitive and very expensive. They have some of the lowest acceptance rates but year in year out, they get a large number of students applying for their programs. So, you see getting admission into any of these schools could be an achievement on its own.
List of Ivy League Medical Schools
Now, there are eight Ivy League Colleges, but do all of them have a medical school? The answer is NO. Of the eight Ivy League Colleges, only seven have medical schools. Princeton University does not have a medical school yet. Therefore, if you’re thinking of attending Princeton for a degree in medicine, you may have to streamline your options to the other seven. So, here are the seven Ivy League Medical Schools In the following section, we will rank these Ivy League medical schools. But first, let’s share with you our criteria for ranking these Ivy League med schools.
Ivy League Medical School Ranking Criteria
By ranking Ivy League Medical Schools we are only suggesting to you a hierarchy of medical school preference. All of the Ivy Schools offering medicine offer great medicine or osteopathy programs and are ranking well on US News and World Report 2020 medical school ranking. However, there are two areas of ranking medical school – by Research and by Primary Care. This makes a general ranking of medical schools difficult. While some med schools rank better for research, some others do not rank so well for research. The same goes for Primary Care. This thus means that students may have to check specifically for the med school ranking in the area they are most interested in. However, whether studying medicine for research, to become a surgeon or other specialized area, or to become a family doctor, you will need a med school that is well-grounded in both areas. Based on this, we have ranked Ivy League Medical Schools based on US News & World Reports, 2020 Best Medical Schools ranking. We compared their ranking on both Research and Primary Care and established a balance between both. However, our ranking considers the best Research Med Colleges more than Primary Care Med Colleges. The reason for this is that you can still go on to become a family doctor by studying at a Research-focused med school. Also, research-focused med schools require higher MCAT scores and GPAs than primary care programs. So, they are more competitive. Furthermore, we considered the variety of medicine degree programs offering these schools offer. The more the programs, the better the ranking. We will then proceed to rank the 7 Ivy League Medical Schools.
1. Harvard Medical School
Havard Medical School (HMS) is a highly reputable Medical school among the Ivy League Colleges, the United States, and globally. The school began operating as a medical school in Boston, Massachusetts in 1782. HMS has a total student population of over 1500 students taking MD, Ph.D., DMD, MMSc, and DMSc degrees. However, the school has over 11,502 academic staff. Furthermore, US News and World Report 2020 ranks Harvard Medical school 1st for Research Focused medical school and 17th for Primary Care in the USA. This makes Harvard Medical School top our chart as the best Ivy League med school. This is in addition to their wide degree offering, however. At HMS you can get one of the best Doctor of Medicine degree, Master of Medical Sciences (MMSc) in Clinical Investigation, GlobalHealth Delivery, Immunology, and Medical Education. There is also the Master of Bioethics, Master of Biomedical Informatics, and Master of Healthcare Quality and Safety degrees, The Ph.D. program, and several other post-graduate certificate programs.
2. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania takes the second spot in our Ivy League medical schools. It ranks 3rd in US News & World Report 2020 Best Medical Schools in the USA under the research category and 10th under the Primary Care Category. Perelman School of Medicine or Penn Med began operating as a college of medicine in Pennsylvania in 1765, a couple of years before Havard Medical School. However, Penn Med has a student enrollment of over 2,500 students and a total of 3,200 academic staff. The Ivy League med school, like Harvard, offers a wide variety of medical programs. Medical students can get admission to take the MD program, Ph.D. program, MD-PhD, and Dual Degree Programs, and Master’s program in medicine discipline and subdisciplines. Also, Penn Med offers Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs and other Continuing Medical and Interprofessional Education programs to students its students.
3. Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) is another top Ivy League med school. It began operation as a medical school in the USA in Manhattan, New York in 1767, two years after Penn Med. This Ivy league medical has about 1,520 students taking M.D, MD./Ph.D., and Ph.D. programs with about 4,300 academic staff guiding them. Additionally, US News & World Report ranks P&S as 6th research-focused medical university in the USA and 39th for Primary Care. Already, by having a surgeon in its name, the school does not have the outlook of a primary-care focused medical school. Nonetheless, this ranking coupled with its large medical degree program offering sits it on our no. 3 top Ivy League med schools. At the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, you can take the MD Program, MD Dual Degrees and Special Programs, Program in Genetic Counseling, and Programs in Occupational Therapy. This Ivy league medical school also offers Programs in Human Nutrition, PhDs in Biomedical Sciences, as well as support Postdoc students.
4. Weill Cornell Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine is an Ivy League medical school located in New York, USA. It began operating as a private, nonprofit medical school in 1898 and has over 400 students who learn from a faculty of 1,814 lecturers and professors. Furthermore, this Ivy League Medical School and some of its affiliates – e.g. new York-Presbyterian Hospital – ranks well among Ivy League colleges and USA Colleges. The 2020 US News & World Report Best Medical Schools in the USA ranking saw Weill Cornell ranking 9th for Research-focused medical school and 48th for Primary Care Medical School. This, coupled with its rich option of medical degree programs lands it on our no 4 top Ivy League Med School. So, at Weill Cornell, you can take the traditional MD program, 7 multidisciplinary Ph.D. and Accelerated Ph.D./MBA programs, and 6 MS programs. Also, there’s the Tri-institutional MD-Ph.D. program – a collaboration between Weill Cornell, The Rockefeller University, and the Sloan Kettering Institute – to choose from.
7. Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
The Warren Alpert Medical School is Brown University’s medical school. It was formerly the Brown Medical School, and it began operation in 1811. Furthermore, Warren Alpert Medical School has a total student population of 466 students and a faculty of over 2,500 students to groom the students. While Warren Alpert Medical School has produced notable alumni, it is the least ranking Ivy medical school. US News & World Report ranks Yale Medical School as the 13th research-oriented medical school and 44th Primary Care medical school in the USA. With 62 National Academy of Sciences members and 40 Institute of Medicine Invigilators forming part of Yale Medical School’s faculty, the ranking comes as no surprise. When it comes to program offerings, Yale Medical School has one of the widest variety. In addition to the traditional MD degree, you can take the MMSc, MD/JD, MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD/Ph.D., and even an MD degree in Conjunction with Yale Divinity School at Yale Medical School. Of course, Yale also offers Ph.D. Programs in Medicine specializations. US News & World Report 2020 ranked this Ivy league medical school as the 45th research-oriented medical school and 18th Primary Care medical school in the USA. This goes to interpret that you should rather choose to attend Geisel School of medicine to a family doctor than a surgeon. Nonetheless, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth grants students the MD, Ph.D., MPH, and MS degree in medicine and medicine subdisciplines. Geisel is one of the Ivy League colleges to attend for an MD-Ph.D., MD-MBA, MD-MS, and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences degree. US News and World Ranking 2020 ranks Warren Alpert Medical School as the 36th research-focused medical school and 26th Primary Care medical school in the USA. Nonetheless, Warren Alpert Medical School offers a variety of medicine and medicine-related programs. At Warren Alpert Medical School, you can enroll in the MD program, MD/ScM program, MD/MPA program, and Master of Science in Medical Sciences or Certificate in Medical Science. Also, there are additional educational opportunities like Residency and Fellowship Training at Warren Alpert Medical School. The best Ivy League School for medicine is Harvard medical school. It ranks as 1st research-focused medical school in the USA and 17th medical school in the USA for Primary Care in US News & World Report’s Best Medical Schools in the USA. To get into Hravard Medical School, you must meet their admission requirements. Basically, you must have good academic record (GPA of 3.8 or MCAT of 35.2); write an application essay; submit letters of evaluation; involve in extracurricular activities; have taken up summer occupation; had life experiences; and most importantly, an experience in the health field, including research or community work. Cornell’s Weill Cornell Medicine does not offer a pre-med program. However, this Ivy League medical school advises you to major in Biology while waiting for Graduate School. To get into Yale Medical School, you must meet their minimum admission requirements. That is, you must have attended a three-year, or its equivalent accredited College of Arts and Science or Institute of Technology. Also, you must satisfactorily complete courses and laboratory work including general Biology or Zoology, general Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and general Physics. In addition to these, you must have the physical capacities and personal characteristics to meet the full requirements of the School’s curriculum. If you have a GED and you wish to apply for a medical school, you will first have to complete a four-year Bachelor’s program in preparation for Medical School. Your GED only qualifies you for a Bachelor’s program and not an MD. Columbia University and Cornell University are the two Ivy League universities in New York. While Columbia University is in New York City, Cornell is in Ithaca. Yes, Columbia University’s MD-Ph.D. program is a seven-year program. This program is broken into three parts namely: MD Program Part 1 (1st and 2nd year); Ph.D. Program (3rd, 4th, and 5th year); and MD Program Part 2 (6th and 7th year).
Conclusion
If you’ll be attending any Ivy League Medical College, you are sure to be attending one of the best schools in the USA. Ivy League Colleges are elitist colleges that provide quality education to their students. These colleges are very competitive and hence don’t accept so many students. However, a degree in any of these schools is reputable and graduates are quickly absorbed into the workforce through the influence of a strong alumni network. Meanwhile, you may find this post helpful if you’ll be needing to study in the best Ivy League Medical School in 2022 either based on research or primary healthcare. Feel free to comment in the comment section if you have some thoughts to share with us on this topic or questions you’ll need answers to.
