Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine Admission
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine Application

The Facts

Northwestern University is a rather large, private institution located in the city of Chicago, Illinois, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 28,000 students. The university's Feinberg School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 700 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 23, and it is fairly rare for any of the student to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its unique blend of a traditional medical education with innovative instructive and research techniques. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers joint degrees in the MD/MPH, the MD/MBA, and the MD/PhD in the Medical Scientist Training Program.

Admission to Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 6,050 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 322 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 170 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 11.3 in Biology, 11.6 in Physics, and 10.2 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.0. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The Feinberg School of Medicine has about 3,265 faculty members, all of whom come from a wide spectrum of medical and academic backgrounds. The school boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 4:1, 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 most prestigious and competitive residency programs throughout the nation.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical clerkships including 12 weeks of general medicine, 12 weeks of surgery, 6 weeks of pediatrics, 6 weeks of ob/gyn, 4 weeks of psychiatry, 4 weeks of neurology, as well as 4 weeks of primary care. Students complete their training at affiliated facilities including the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Healthcare System, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, as well as the Children's Memorial Hospital.

What's Good

"I really appreciate all of the patient contact we get. It puts human faces to the concepts we're learning."

"The faculty here is absolutely incredible. It's obvious they really care about sharing what they know."

"There are a lot of really interesting research opportunities open to you here."

What's Bad

"There can be some petty competition between students."

"The workload is staggering, and it can drain you very quickly."

"Tuition is incredibly high, and the administration doesn't give out too much help financially."

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