8 Ivy League Medical Schools in The USA and How To Get Into Them

The fierce competition and strict admission process at Ivy League medical schools in the USA have made prospective students wonder if they could ever be admitted.

These eight elite schools are highly celebrated and famous for the qualitative medical degree programs they run.

And they are equally known to be tough and incredibly strict when it comes to admission selective processes.

This blog post will, therefore, go on to reveal all the important admission requirements, and some facts about Ivy League medical schools you need to know.

You will also be introduced to the school’s admission selection processes, factors and strategies you can adopt to get accepted.

Benefits of Attending An Ivy League Medical Schools

• Attending any Ivy League medical college comes with some benefits. One, you have a better chances to secure employment via a decent alumni network.
• You walk and dance around with some prestiges that are only comparable to that of Princes and Princesses.
• Most of the United States of America’s past presidents attended an Ivy League College.
• You will also get access to quality accademic and research materials.
• You will be tutored by award-winning professors, etc.

What is Ivy League College?

Before going further, it’s important we simplify the meaning of Ivy League College. Ivy League is an American-based Collegial Athletic Conference.

It is made of sports teams of eight distinct private universities in the Northeastern part of the United States.

So, because of their popularity, people now call these Northeastern universities as Ivy League Colleges. Or simply put; “The Ivies.”

Seven out of these eight Ivy League Universities began their operations during the colonial era.

And they have grown in excellence over time to become elitist colleges and command respect anywhere across the globe.

Top 8 Ivy League Medical Schools in The USA

Without further delay, the following are the eight Ivy league medical schools in the USA.

Stay tuned…

1. Harvard University Medical School | Cambridge, MA

I believe you are not surprised to see Harvard University Medical School topping the list of the Ivy league medical schools in the USA.

It is one of the oldest medical colleges in the United States, and it has trained lots of Nobel Prize winners, CEOs, University presidents, etc.

What’s more, the U.S. News and World Report had put Harvard medical school in the second position in a variety of programs such as anesthesiology, radiology, internal medicine, and pediatrics.    

Thus, studying in this Ivy league medical school requires outstanding credentials, such as a 3.91 GPA with 35 on the MCAT.

The school operates in line with her $804 million endowments.

Such is the amount it uses in pursuing her research projects dealing with environmental changes, global pandemics, gene therapy, etc.

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2. Princeton | Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton medical school is another elite University that forms part of the Ivy League medical schools in the USA.

It is ranked 1st in the USA as the best University in the nation and has 5.8% as its overall acceptance rate. Princeton University is, thus, situated in Princeton, New Jersey.

Other than Medicine and medical programs, Princeton is also known for her memorable programs in engineering and international affairs.

Some of the notable alumni of this lvy league elite college are President Woodrow Wilson, Michelle Obama, actress Brooke Shields, etc.

3. Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (Columbia University ) | New York, NY

The Columbia University is yet another elite University located around the Washington Heights district of downtown, Manhattan.

The school as a whole receive over 7,500 applicants every year leaving the school with 4.5% admission rate.

Students attending this Ivy league medical school have a median Grade Point Average of 3.91 and 521 MCAT median scores.

The U.S. News and World Report placed Vagelos on the top ten list of the medical schools with variety of disciplines.

These programs includes anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, psychiatry, and surgery.

Additionally, the same magazine ranked the Columbia University as the #4 in the country for overall research.

4. Perelman School of Medicine (University of Pennsylvania) | Philadelphia, PA

The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania is the nation’s oldest and one of the most important medical schools.

It was founded in 1765 and has birthed four Nobel Laureates recipients, two Medal of Honor, and several decorated doctors.

Being a member of Ivy League Medical Schools in the USA, Perelman University boasts an agile research agenda that includes a breakthrough in the study of heart failure in pregnant women.   

A student of Medicine in this University will spend four years understudying the science of medicine, the practice of medicine, professionalism, and humanism, etc.

The Ph.D. students on the other hand will spend two years doing course work and three to five years for other intensive research.

To join this program as a future doctor, you’ll need a GP of 3.91 on average and with a median MCAT score of 521.

5. Yale University School of Medicine | New Haven, CT

The Yale University School of Medicine also belongs to the group of Ivy league medical Universities in the U.S.

In 2020, Yale Universities College of Medicine was ranked fourth on the NIH grants list. Thereby netting over $512 million to advance her qualitative research goals.

The money was judiciously used to further the University research such as Tourette’s Syndrome, Lyme disease, and other disorders.

In fact, the Yale University College of Medicine’s commitment towards research is reflected in the quality of the school’s staff.

There is Marcella Nunez-Smith who is a Co-Chair of the COVID-19 task force under this Biden administration. There’s Nobel laureate James Rothman, serving the community in his capacity too.

6. Weill Cornell Graduate University of Medical Sciences | New York, NY

The Weill Cornell Graduate University of Medical Sciences was founded in 1952. In its over 60 years of existence, the school has produced notable alumni.

So to join the list of medical luminaries produced by this Ivy League University, you will need good grades.

Weill Cornell University of Medicine sciences admits only 5% of its applicants with whom an average GPA of 3.5 and a median MCAT of 520 scores.

This leading Medical School in the USA also supported its students $275 million to facilitate their research.

This endowment had enhances several researchers from the faculty to reach a breakthrough in the study of Tuberculosis treatments, mammalian brain atlas  (high-resolution), etc.

7. Alpert Medical School (Brown University Warren ) | Providence, RI

Alpert Medical School is the 7th Ivy league medical school in the USA.

According to the U.S. News and World Report, Brown University Alpert Medical school is regarded as the 19th best medical college for primary care.

The magazine equally placed it as the 36th best medical school for research in the country.

Accordingly, Alpert College of Medicine has a low admission rate of 2.7%, with only 293 admitted students out of the 10,500 applicants.

To gain admission into this Ivy league medical college, you must have a GPA of 3.66 with a median MCAT score of 511 accompanying it.

This may sound like a high bar to reach but to be sincere, it is worth it.

Moreover, being a student at the Alpert Medical School means you will be under the tutelage of gynecology pioneers like Eli Adashi.

8. Geisel School of Medicine (Dartmouth College) | Hanover, NH

All of the Ivy league Medical Schools in the USA have excellent faculties publishing only respected academic journals.

Geisel School of Medicine, however, is the only Ivy medical college to house a Lifeline literary journal.

In addition, the Geisel School of Medicine only accepts top-notch students with GPAs of 3.65 and 515 composite MCAT scores.  

Hence, for you to be considered for admission into this top Ivy league medical school, start studying now!

Similarly, Medical students in this school are studying under great luminaries like astronaut/doctor/politician Jay Clark Buckley, Ira Byock who is a best-selling author, and Lienhard award winner, John Wennberg.

All these excellent doctors are products of Geisel Ivy league Medical School and thanks to them for using their $6 billion endowment grant judiciously.

In fact, such endowment is what the students and the school used to win several other awards with $42 million NIH grant inclusive.

How To Get Into Any Of The Ivy League Medical Schools

It has been clearly stated above that the Ivy league medical schools are comprised of eight elites Universities. And getting into any of them is, without a doubt, a thug of war.

So if you will like to dine and wine with magnificent professors and highly celebrated medical luminaries, then follow the below strategies.

1: Improve Your Grade Points Average (GPA) and MCAT scores

To gain admission into any of the Ivy League medical schools, the first thing to do is to improve your GPA and composite MCAT score.

Although there are numerous outliers stories about medical school admissions. Stories of how students with low GPA and poor MCAT scores secured admission into medical school.

But the truth here is that tour chances of getting admission into the Ivy league medical school in the U.S are very high with excellent grades.

Other than that, some medical Universities may overlook your lower GPA if your composite MCAT score, at least, compensates for it.

This is, however, not the case for any of the Ivy League medical schools. The competition is enormous and as such, both your GPA and MCAT averages score must speak for you.

2: Impress with Extra-curricula

You equally need remarkable extra-curricular activities that would highlight your passion and dedication for a beautiful career in medicine.

Let the AMCAS Work and Activities part depicts your versatility and readiness. As usual, let the quality of your extra-curricular activities trumps quantity.

More so, having one extra-curricular could jeopardize your chances of getting admission as it’ll limits your experiences.

Accordingly, research shows that students who get admission into Ivy League medical schools in the USA have impressive premedical experience.

And more than 90% of them had an in-depth research and laboratory experience.

Thus, with high grades, excellent MCAT, and impressive extra-curricular activities, your chances of getting into Ivy league is higher.

3: Write outstanding Essays

Since writing few essays is part of the requirements for getting into the Ivy league medical colleges, then writing an outstanding one is advised.

While there’s no doubt that many pre-med students have a similar experiences, your personal statement content and delivery must stand out.

Nonetheless, organizing all your accomplishments and hard work into a coherent story may not be possible considering the available space in the AMCAS application.

Yet, it’s important you prioritize and settle for three to four distinct points for the personal statement.

Lastly, make sure that your essay’s first sentence is captivating, and the conclusion part is memorable.

4: Stellar Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters play an important role in the Ivy League medical schools’ decision-making process.

And this is one of the reasons why your reference or recommendation letters must be strong and stellar.

Hence, you are advised to submit as many reference letters as you can. If the Ivy league medical school you are applying to request for 3 letters on minimum and 6 on maximum, then aim to have as many as 6.

In the same vein, be enlightened that letters from the science faculty are highly encouraged. Although letters from non-sciences are not discouraged, too.

Alternatively, if you have experience in any substantial research, you can ask the principal investigator (PI) to write a recommendation letter for you.

If you have engaged in any clinical practice or shadowing before, endeavor to collect a reference letter from the supervisor as a glowing recommendation.

Conclusion

If you, therefore, add all these strategies together to make one, you come to the realization that getting admission into the elites medical schools is easier.

In fact, your eyes will be opened to the fact that Ivy League medical schools in the USA are not impossible to get into.

It all only requires adequate preparation, determination, and ability to try again, if failed.