Students with weaker academic records may only be accepted at costly private medical schools. Students with stronger academic records should wait until an offer of financial aid has been made before concluding that a medical school is too expensive to attend. Applicants have the right to hold two or more acceptances until final financial aid offers have been determined. Cost should be a factor in deciding between two offers but should not be considered in determining where to apply. Often the costlier private medical schools have private funds that may be distributed to accepted applicants.
Some applicants wish to attend a medical school that is noted for a particular specialization.
All US medical schools teach students the same basic subjects. Students specialize during their residency training which follows graduation from medical school. Some medical schools offer curricular innovations that will make them attractive to certain applicants. The most common curricular innovation is called Problem-based Learning. Problem-based Learning teaches basic medical courses using case studies and involves students in independent learning and group work rather than the standard lecture, and laboratory format.