Yale University

At the Yale School of Medicine, students are not given grades or a class rank for the first two years of education. To encourage students to take responsibility for their medical school education, preclinical classes are often small seminars in which attendance isn’t taken and tests are optional and self-directed.

Students can earn two degrees through joint programs like the M.D./M.P.H. (Master of Public Health) and M.D./M.H.S. (Master of Health Science); an M.D./M.B.A. through the Yale School of Management; an M.D./M.Div. through Yale Divinity School; and an M.D./J.D. through Yale Law School. There is also an M.D./Ph.D. degree and a Physician Associate program.

The School of Medicine is affiliated with highly ranked institutions including the Yale-New Haven Hospital. All medical students must complete a thesis on original research in order to graduate. For research help, students can go to their personal librarian, a resource assigned at the beginning of a student’s time in medical school to help them navigate through their four years of education. Students can enroll in an optional fifth year of school if they want to do more research or study or work abroad.

There are more than 50 medical student organizations to check out, and the school hosts a handful of prominent speakers each year through the Perspectives on Medicine series. Students can get involved in community service through initiatives like the student-run Haven Free Clinic and science teaching programs at local schools including Hill Regional High School. The medical school campus is located next to the main campus of Yale University, and students can live on campus in the surrounding area of New Haven, Conn.