University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Admission
University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
University of North Carolina, School of Medicine Application

The Facts

The University of North Carolina is a rather large, public institution located in the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 15,000 students. The university's School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 800 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 24, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its emphasis on research and medical research training, as well as for the high degree of early patient contact. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers a joint MD/PhD degree in various areas of medical and biological research.

Admission to the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 3,200 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 400 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 200 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 10.6 in Biology, 10.5 in Physics, and 10.3 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and are able to take advantage of the school's early application program if they so choose.

The university's School of Medicine has about 1,200 faculty members, all of whom come from relatively diverse medical and academic backgrounds. The school also boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 1:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Graduates of the School of Medicine often go on to be accepted to some of the nation's most prestigious and competitive residency programs in the nation, and most frequently specialize in the areas of medical research, pediatrics, orthopedic surgery, neurology, psychiatry, as well as pathology and immunology.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical training including 12 weeks of medicine, 6 weeks of ob/gyn, 8 weeks of pediatrics, 6 weeks of family medicine, 6 weeks of psychiatry, 8 weeks of surgery, 4 weeks of an ambulatory care selective, 4 weeks of an acting internship, as well as 4 weeks of a neuroscience selective or a critical care/surgery selective. Students complete their clinical clerkships at affiliated facilities including the university's own wonderful learning hospital.

What's Good

"Students here tend to be surprisingly supportive of one another."

"The faculty are very passionate about teaching, and they love nothing more than to share that passion with others."

"The clerkships are wonderful, and they really prepare you for the real medical world."

What's Bad

"If you are an out of state student, tuition is astronomical."

"There is never enough on campus graduate housing, which gets on my nerves from time to time."

"The administration often seems more concerned with the undergraduate students."

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