UAB Medical School – Insider Review

UAB Medical School – Insider Review

UAB Medical School is one of the best medical schools in the United States and one of the Alabama medical schools,ranking number 30 in the 2011 US World and News Report medical school rankings.

uab medical school
 

If you are interested in getting accepted to the University of Alabama Birmingham Medical School, there are a lot of things that you will

need to do to make you a competitive applicant. Probably the best resource to really understand the UAB medical school admissions process is my eBook, 10 Steps to Accepted. I draw from my experience on the UCLA admissions committee to tell you exactly what you need to do to get accepted to Birmingham medical school.

You can also check out my page on admissions to understand what UAB medical school is looking for.

Now back to information about UAB medical school!

  • Basic Information

    • Name: The University of Alabama School of Medicine
    • Location: Birmingham, AL
    • Public or Private: Public
    • School Website: Click here

 

  • Admissions

    • Competitive. As with any of the Alabama medical schools, the University of Alabama at Birmingham medical school admissions are very competitive. There were 2,495 applications for the 176 available seats.
    • Average MCAT: 32 (24 minimum)
    • Average GPA: 3.85 (science 3.82)
    • Selection Factors. The selection factors for UAB medical school are very similar to those of other good medical schools and Alabama medical schools. They look for academic achievement, community service, and compassion, admong others. Also, as with other public schools, Alabama residents are given preference in admission. Also, the school is dedicated to meeting the needs of Alabama’s underserved population, which is a good goal for an Alabama medical school. Click here for a detailed explanation of criteria schools are looking for. Click on these links to find out how to make these characteristics stand out on your interviews and personal statement.
    • Multiple programs available. As other good medical schools do, UAB Birmingham Medical School offers various combined degree programs for those interested. These include MD/MPH, MD/MS, and MD/PhD. There are also various programs for specific interests in medical practice, which will be described below.
    • Accepts international students: No
    • For full information from the admissions page, click here
  • Financial

  • Tuition: UAB medical school is $21,873 for AL-residents/$59,783 for non-AL
  • Loans: Federal loans are available as with other US medical schools. Click here to find out more about loans
    .
  • Scholarships: As with other medical schools, there are not a lot of scholarships available, and those that are available are need-based. Click here to find out more about scholarships.
  • Cost of Living: The cost of living is pretty cheap in Birmingham, which is a benefit of Alabama medical schools. You can expect to pay between $400 and $600 for a one bedroom apartment near UAB Birmingham medical
    school.
  • Insider Information

  • UAB medical school has a good mix of primary care and research. This is a medical school that has both a solid research ranking and great programs for working with underserved groups. So, on your application, you’ll want to make one or both of these characteristics stand out. If your interest is research, make that stand out. If it’s working with underserved, make your community service stand out. Check out my eBook to understand how to do that.
  • Early decision program available. This Alabama medical school gives you the chance to know by October that you have been accepted! To do this, you apply only to UAB Birmingham medical school by August 1st. Requirements include an MCAT of 30, a GPA of 3.6 and being an Alabama resident.
  • Dedicated to Rural Health.If you are interested in working in rural areas, there are two rural programs available at UAB medical school. The rural medicine scholars program and the rural medicine program. The RMSP is a 5 year program designed to help you learn how to be an excellent rural physician. You will spend your last two years of medical school in Tuscaloosa in a rural environment. The requirements for these programs include being an Alabama resident and living in a rural area for at least 8 years. The MCAT and GPA requirements are less stringent if you choose these programs. The MCAT requirement is 24 and the GPA 3.0. You may also qualify for special financial assistance through this program and you will definitely qualify for loan repayment if you practice in a rural area. For more about loan repayment, click here. For more about these programs, click here .
  • Early acceptance program available. This Alabama medical school also gives you the opportunity to have guaranteed admission to Birmingham medical school! If you apply to the University of Alabama as a high school senior with a 3.5 GPA and a 30 on the ACT (or 1340 on SAT), you may qualify for this program. You will get to spend time doing volunteer and clinical activities through your undergraduate degree to help prepare you for medical school. You will need to maintain a 3.6 overall GPA and a 3.5 science GPA to remain in good standing in this program. This is a great way to get guaranteed acceptance to UAB medical school! For more info about this program at this Alabama medical school, click here.
  • The curriculum is organ-system based. This means that you study, for example, the musculoskeletal system for 5 weeks, including the anatomy, physiology and pharmacology of that system.
  • Great football team! Alabama consistently has one of the best football teams in the nation. Take some time to watch your Crimson Tide dominate the competition!

Summary

UAB Medical School offers great programs and earns its title as one of the best medical schools in America. What impresses me about UAB is its excellence in both research and rural health. They are leaders in both, making it one of the great Alabama medical schools. As with other public schools, being an Alabama resident will help you here. Also impressive to me is the ability to get into the rural health programs with an MCAT and GPA that would often keep you out of medical school, or at least be screened out by the computer (for more on that, check out my eBook ). So, UAB Birmingham medical school would absolutely be a great choice for your medical education. If you are an Alabama resident you should absolutely apply here. Even if you’re not, you should seriously consider this one of the Alabama medical schools!

Get Accepted to UAB Medical School

The medical school admissions process can be very difficult. Getting into your best medical school is not something that you should leave to chance! This site is designed to help you get into the school of your choice, maybe that’s UAB medical school! Check out my admissions page for understanding the admissions process. And, check out my eBook to understand exactly that it takes to be accepted!

Some students find it useful to employ a service to help them with getting into medical school. I offer editing services of your AMCAS and personal statement here. There are also many companies that will help you with this, but my recommendation is MedSchoolCoach.

MedSchoolCoach is run by doctors with experience on admissions committees. This makes a big difference as many companies are run by business people or others without this essential experience. They also have an excellent track record, placing 100% of students in an MD or DO program and 87% in an MD program for those who sign up for their gold package. They also offer help with personal statements , interviews and help on choosing which schools to apply to. They are the company I recommend.

I also like them because their prices are very affordable compared to other companies you could choose. Also, click here for current deals from MedSchoolCoach.

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