Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

What is the typical medical student like?

• Our students are here because they have chosen to be here. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds, because we know that learning is enhanced when multiple perspectives are considered when trying to solve tricky problems. What they share is a high level of excellence in all their endeavors, a commitment to caring for the most vulnerable patients, and a desire to roll up their sleeves and get to work solving the biggest problems for the neediest people. They are very capable, motivated and invested in the work we do together. Students describe themselves as being collegial and cohesive.

What is the atmosphere like for students?

• Engaged, hardworking, and very collegial. Since class attendance is required, students and faculty see each other every day, so there is an unusually strong bond among students and between faculty and students. Ongoing surveys of the learning environment and a commitment to collecting and honoring student feedback means that students’ voices are key in the continuous improvement of our curriculum. The Advising Network brings together students and their mentors in a personal and professional relationship that builds over time, beginning during the first several weeks of the medical school curriculum.
• The Student Affairs office is very committed to providing a supportive and flexible environment. Through programs for advising and mentoring, career counseling, tutoring, and through cooperation with the student government (SCOMSA), a broad foundation is built to enhance the personal and professional growth of our students.

What are the housing options for students at the school?

• A new, on-campus, medical student residence is available for the new medical students, developed as part of our effort to support a campus, student life experience. This state-of-the-art facility, with 104 two-bedroom suites, is a short walk from the core educational facilities of the medical school. Each suite includes two private bedrooms, with a shared living room, kitchen and bathroom. Utilities, basic cable, broadband internet access, on-site exercise room, laundry and event space are included in the rent. All students who live in the building will receive a housing scholarship grant, intended to reduce their overall cost of attendance. For a virtual tour of the building, click here. See what current residents have to say here.
• Off campus housing is available in a wide variety of neighborhoods in and around Boston, accessible by car or public transportation. The Office of Housing Resources on campus is an excellent resource to help new and current students plan their accommodations.

• The faculty are committed to supporting medical students’ journey through school. Our faculty are known to be kind, caring and receptive to student feedback. Faculty regularly interact with student advisory committees whose sole purpose is to provide critical feedback on curriculum and instruction during the school year. Furthermore, many faculty serve as advisors for students, helping them with the many career decisions that occur during medical school and beyond.

• In recent years, the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step I pass rate among first-time takers at the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has been 92-99%.  Step II performance has been rising over the last 3 years, during which time a new, integrated curriculum has been the model for foundational science instruction. The Step II scores are typically higher, with pass rates in the 99-100% range for first-time takers.
• Each year, 15-25 graduating students choose to pursue their internship and residency within the BU system. About 40 students in each class end up matching into programs in Boston.  Considering the national reputation of many of our post-graduate training programs, this speaks well both for the students and for the training programs. Our students match into every specialty based on their own interests.  The distribution of specialty choice among our students mirrors the distribution of physicians into specialties in the nation.
• BU students have, for many years, been considered among the strongest candidates for the most competitive post-graduate training programs. The scope of clinical training and our emphasis on active, hands-on learning for students at Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is widely recognized as outstanding preparation for a rigorous internship and residency.

Are there opportunities for students to participate in research?

• The medical school is a large research institution, with a broad and diverse research agenda. Despite not having a research requirement, more than 85% of our students conduct research in basic, translational, and clinical science, public health, and education among others.  The Medical Student Summer Research Program provides financial support for students doing eight-week research electives during the summer between their 1st and 2nd year.  Research electives can be completed in the third and fourth year, and many students will choose to take an entire additional year to conduct research.  There is an Assistant Dean for Student Research who helps identify excellent mentors and good projects that are available for students to take part in. More information about MD student research is available at the Medical Student Research website.

What is it like to be a student in Boston?

• Boston is a diverse, fun, student-friendly city that hosts over 250,000 full time students during the academic year. There are three medical schools, and many more hospitals than one would typically find in a city of this size.  This means the city is filled with the energy that comes from so many young people working hard at something they know will make a positive difference in the future.  Boston is the best place in the nation to be a medical student.
• There are scores of educational, cultural and recreational opportunities in and around the city and good public transportation to take you there.  The city is filled with excellent restaurants and historical sites, and in 1-2 hours you can be hiking in the woods, skiing in the mountains, or laying on a sandy beach.

What kind of advising, mentoring, and support is available for students at Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine?

• The Student Affairs office has an extensive advising, mentoring, and career development program.  The advising, support and workshops offered to students focus on several areas, including:
  • Professional Identify Formation – becoming a doctor
  • Advancement to Residency and Career Planning
  • Techniques for Lifelong Learning and Resiliency
  • Humanistic conduct toward patients
• We offer formal and informal networks of advising to support our medical students.  Incoming students are assigned to second-year students who volunteer as Peer Advisors to assist students with meeting the demands of medical school, with a non-academic focus.  First-year students are also assigned to faculty who will serve not only as their problem-based learning class facilitators but also as their Faculty Advisors throughout medical school.  As students develop career and specialty interests, they are assigned to Field-Specific Advisors.  Student Affairs deans meet with students for casual conversations or guidance, throughout medical school.  Meeting with students is our favorite thing to do!  Informal advising and support is provided by available faculty members, educators and residents, along with open office hours to meet with a dean.
• In addition, specialty-specific advisors are chosen by students as they begin to refine their career goals during their third-year clinical clerkships.
• The Diversity & Inclusion office, led by Associate Dean Angelique Harris, PhD, MA, an active clinician and teacher, is critical to our efforts to develop a physician work force reflective of our diverse society.
• Academic tutoring and support is available for any interested student, and numerous members of the faculty in the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Graduate Medical Sciences, mentor students with research interests.
• Perhaps more important than the formal programs is the fact that our faculty are extremely accessible.  Both in the basic sciences, as well as in the clinical disciplines, faculty here share a deep commitment to our students and to their success as medical students and physicians.

Why is Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine so expensive and what is being done about it?

• Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is in the group of private, non-profit medical schools in the US that do not receive public funding to support their educational programs. This group of schools has no obligation to discriminate among applicants on the basis of geography of residence and therefore have the opportunity to select a very diverse student body. Unfortunately, this also means that the cost of each student’s education must be covered by institutional funds, with no supplement from local, state, or federal governments.
• At the national level, it is estimated that tuition currently covers only 35-50% of the cost of educating an individual student. The picture here is no different, and the school makes up the gap through research grants, training grants, institutional funds, endowment income and gifts of various types. Although our medical school shares a campus with the hospital, the school of public health, the dental school and several other institutions, the finances and budgets of these programs are all entirely separate.
• The  BU president, medical school dean and board of trustees have all declared that tuition support and scholarship aid are the highest fund-raising priorities. Approximately 80% of the students receive some sort of financial support, with scholarships accounting for a rising proportion of that aid. In addition, those entering students who choose to live in the Medical Student Residence (MSR) receive an additional housing grant, substantially reducing the out-of-pocket cost of attendance.
• The Office of Student Financial Services (OSFS) is charged with ensuring that every student is able to graduate with a manageable educational debt.  Through the use of need-based scholarships and loans, the professional staff of the OSFS assists each individual student in assembling a financing package that works for him or her.  The OSFS office also provides financial counseling to our medical student graduates.
• As an institution we are concerned with the cost of medical education and are working vigorously to help students reduce the amount of debt they accumulate during the course of their studies.

Do I need a car?

• Parking is limited and expensive in Boston. Public transportation is very good and clinical experiences in the pre-clerkship phase will all be located either at BMC or at a site accessible by public transportation. All students will have some clinical rotations outside of BMC during their clerkship year, and a car is necessary to get to many of our clinical sites. While a few students manage without a car, almost everyone finds it to be necessary to have one. On-campus parking for third- and fourth-year students is more readily available, especially when they are on a campus-based clinical assignment.

What about extracurricular activities?

• An abbreviated list of popular organizations and activities includes the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), the Outreach Van Project (providing basic medical care for homeless people in Boston), the Center for International Health, the Creative Arts Society, Student Committee on Medical School Affairs (SCOMSA, the student government), the Primary Care Society, BU Medical Campus Pride, Medical Students for Choice (MSFC), Students for a National Health Program (SnaHP), American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)  the Family Medicine Interest Group, Domestic Violence Awareness Project, International Health Organization, and the Pediatric Education and Development Society. We also offer groups focused on emotional, social and intellectual wellness. A list may be found here.