The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

About The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Ranking of The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine secures the 20th position among all the U.S.A’s medical schools for research (U.S. News & World Report, 2018).

Faculty at The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The faculty of the Feinberg School of Medicine is 4,000 members who provide patient care to tens of thousands of people a year.

Academic Medical Center of The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The Feinberg School of Medicine is part of the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. Other McGaw members are:

• Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• Northwestern Memorial Hospital
• Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago)
• Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (formerly VA Chicago Health Care System)

The students of the Feinberg medical get their clinical training at the above-mentioned hospitals. In these hospitals, almost all the attending staff members work as the faculty members at the Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Feinberg School of Medicine’s main teaching hospital is the Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The Northwestern Memorial Hospital was built in 1999, and the modern building of the hospital covers an area of almost a 2,200,000-square-foot.

Degree Programs of The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

1. MD

2. MD (through the Honors Program in Medical Education -HPME)

3. Dual Degree Programs

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree with a Master of Public Health (MPH),
• Master of Arts in Medical Humanities and Bioethics (MA)
• Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety (MS

4. Graduate Degree Programs

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
• (MMSc) in Physician Assistant
• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• Master of Science (MS) in programs such as Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Clinical Investigation, Genetic Counseling, Regulatory Compliance, or Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

5. Master of Medical Informatics (MMI)

6. Master of Prosthetics and Orthotics (MPO)

Admission Process at The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Admissions Timelines

All the applicants should keep a close eye on the admissions timeline so that they know the deadlines of all the admission related procedures.

MCAT – The Entry Test

The primary admission requirement is the MCAT. All the applicants should take MCAT before the given deadline. However, the MCAT scores from up to three years before the year in which student wish to enroll in the school are valid.

Find more information on the MCAT visit their official website.

Credit Hours

All the applicants should have completed 90 credit hours at the time of enrollment from a recognized American or Canadian Institution. Moreover, any course that has been taken in other English-speaking countries is also preferred.

Major

The Feinberg School of Medicine does not have a preference of major for the applicants. The students of all the majors are welcome in the school.

Primary Application

The Feinberg School of Medicine is a member of the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). All applicants of the Feinberg School of Medicine should apply through the AMCAS.

Supplemental Application

After the submission of the primary application through the AMCAS, the applicants will receive a Secondary Application by the Feinberg School of medicine. The fee for the Supplemental Application is $85. But, the fee waiver is available for those applicants who have received the AMCAS Fee Waiver for the primary application.

Recommendation Letters

All the applicants must submit at least one committee letter or a premedical advisor’s letter. The school requires at least three individual letters to fulfill the requirement of evaluation letters.

Assessment

When the application submission process comes to an end, the Admissions Committee of the Feinberg School of Medicine starts to evaluate the applications. The assessment procedure includes the evaluation of a candidate’s AMCAS application, secondary application, the letters of recommendation, and the past academic performance.

Interview Process

The Feinberg School of Medicine sends the Interview invitations via email. They are sent upon the recommendations of the Feinberg Admissions Committee. The interview consists of three rounds; two individual interviews with and one small group interview. The individual interviews are taken by the faculty members of the Feinberg School of Medicine while the group ones include a senior Feinberg student. Usually, an interview is for 30 minutes but the time can vary depending upon the individual interviewers and applicants. Applicants have to bear the travel expenses and arrange for the accommodation themselves.

Tuition Fee of The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The annual tuition fee at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is around $58,000 However, if the living expenditures and any other fees are considered, the fee becomes $87,700.

Financial Aid at The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The Feinberg School of Medicine understands that the medical education is an exceptional financial investment, and so many students are unable to pay for it conveniently. Therefore, Feinberg is committed to offering financial aid to the eligible and deserving students. Financial aid can be given in any of the following ways, depending upon the financial circumstances of the students:

• Federal student loans
• Need-based grants
• Merit-based scholarships

Loans

Students can avail either a federal or private loan. The policy regarding the loans can change any time, so an applicant should stay update while applying for a loan.

Federal Loans

To be able to get a federal loan, a student must be a U.S citizen or permanent resident. Federal loans offer students numerous deferment options and have extended repayment terms.

Private Loans

There are many agencies that provide credit-based loans to students. A student must be enrolled in a graduate and professional degree program to be able to receive this. However, it is advisable to check for a federal loan before a student applies for a private loan.

Scholarships & Grants

Feinberg Scholarships

Students of the MD program at the Feinberg School of Medicine are eligible for the scholarships and grants provided by the School. The merit-based grants are processed through the Feinberg Admissions Office. However, the need-based grant is funded through the Chicago Office of Financial Aid. A student does not have to apply since they are considered for merit scholarships automatically. However, for need-based grants students have to apply through the financial aid office. Moreover, both the merit-based grants as well as need-based grants get renewed annually for the full four years of medical school.

Scholarships outside the Feinberg School of Medicine

•    AAUW Educational Foundation

•    Abbott & Fenner Business Consultant Scholarship

•    Air Force Health Professions Scholarship

•    Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority

•    American Medical Association Excellence in Medicine Award

•    American Medical Association Minority Scholars Award

•    American Society of Hematology Minority Medical Student Award Program

•    Army Health Professions Scholarship

•    Auxiliary of Good Shepherd Hospital Scholarship

•    Baltimore City Medical Society Foundation

•    Blair County Medical Society Scholarship

•    Chinese American Physicians Society

•    Dr. Charles E. Gavin Memorial Foundation Scholarship (deadline April 28)

•    The DuPage Medical Society Foundation

•    Dr. U. R. Plante Medical Scholarship

•    The Expert Institute’s 2017 Annual Healthcare and Life Sciences Scholarship

•    The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society

•    Herbert W. Nickens Award

•    Hispanic Scholarship Fund

•    Howard Hughes Medical Institute

•    Howard Lapsley Memorial Scholarship Fund for Medical Education

•    Indian Health Service Scholarship Program

•    Jackson County Medical Society

•    Japanese Medical Society Scholarship

•    Jewish Vocational Service

•    Joanna F. Reed Medical Scholarship Trust

•    Kaiser Permanente Northern California Medical Student Scholarship

•    Kaiser Permanente Oliver Goldsmith MD, Scholarship

•    Korean American Scholarship Foundation

•    LaPorte Hospital Foundation

•    LaSalle County Medical Society Special Education Fund

•    League of Unite Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Scholarship Fund

•    National Medical Fellowships

•    Morris Hospital Foundation-Hugo Avalos Endowed Scholarship

•    National Health Service Corps

•    National Medical Fellowships

•    National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

•    Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program

•    Navy Health Professions Scholarship

•    Nesbitt Medical Student Foundation

•    Oliver Goldsmith, M.D. Scholarship

•    Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

•    Peter V. Westhaysen Medical Education Trust

•    Pisacano Leadership Foundation

•    Polish-American Medical Society

•    Richard Allen Williams Scholarship

•    Rotary Club of Miami

•    Ruth G. White Scholarship Fund and the Dorothy C. Wisner Scholarship Fund

•    Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara

•    The Dr. Max Thorek Student Loan Fund

•    Turkish American Doctors Association of Midwest

•    TYLENOL Future Care Scholarship

•    Vietnamese American Medical Association VAMA Scholarship Program

•    Wellsford and Mildred Clark Memorial Scholarship

•    Worchester District Medical Society

Departments at the Feinberg School of Medicine

The departments in the Fienberg School of Medicine are:

•    Anesthesiology

•    Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

•    Cell and Molecular Biology

•    Dermatology

•    Emergency Medicine

•    Family and Community Medicine

•    Medical Education

•    Medical Social Sciences

•    Medicine

•    Microbiology-Immunology

•    Neurological Surgery

•    Neurology

•    Obstetrics and Gynecology

•    Ophthalmology

•    Orthopaedic Surgery

•    Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

•    Pathology

•    Pediatrics

•    Pharmacology

•    Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

•    Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences

•    Physiology

•    Preventive Medicine

•    Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

•    Radiation Oncology

•    Radiology

•    Surgery

•    Urology

Curriculum of The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

From 2012, Feinberg has started to incorporate a new curriculum for the medical students. The curriculum is divided into three phases. The focus is to integrate the four main elements which are: medicine, clinical medicine, health & society, and professional development. The mission behind this new curricular system is to allow the students to uptake a more learner-centered educational approach. The educational approach incorporates the integration of scientific principles in a clinical context, encourages inquiry and investigation in students. Moreover, the new curriculum consists of an evaluation system that assesses student performance in the core competencies. The curriculum also promotes learning and caters to the individual needs of students as they learn.

Research in The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The Feinberg School of Medicine has been a pioneer in research. The School provides the environment that promotes inquiry and research. In the academic year 2016-2017, the school’s support for competitive research (including external resources) totaled $470,983,171. Feinberg is the center of more than 30 Core Facilities. The notable ones are the Bioinformatics Consulting Core, Genomics Core, and Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core. The faculty of Feinberg School that is involved in the Research at Feinberg is composed of leaders in a wide range of areas such as cancer biology, cell biology, chemical biology, drug discovery, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, genomics, medical biology, immunology, microbial pathogenesis, neurobiology, pharmacology, structural biology, biochemistry, epidemiology, behavioral sciences, preventive medicine, epidemiology, health outcomes, quality improvement, and translational sciences.

Diversity and Inclusion at The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Feinberg strives hard to create an environment that reflects and promotes the diversity of its community. Moreover, they work to make Feinberg School of Medicine into a setting that is inclusive of everyone in the community so that each can learn and influence to their full potential.

The Daniel Hale Williams Society

One initiative in this regard was the Daniel Hale Williams Society. The society, focused on the representation and recruitment of the African-Americans into the field of medicine and healthcare, was established in 2018. The society works to identify students, mentor them in their career path, and encourage them. Moreover, the society also arranges for grants and scholarships.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Furthermore, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion works hard to support different programs for the student body so that the students can develop individually and learn and develop empathy for other cultures. The office has launched many initiatives to help those students who come from areas or populations that have been underrepresented historically in medicine.

Clinical Training at The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Feinberg School of Medicine has always been a believer of the fact that that immediate clinical training promotes a culture of professional development, skill attainment in students and facilitates their learning of medical and health science.

Simulation-based training

The simulation-based-training helps students to obtain the state-of-the-art education. The simulation center has many aspects that are carefully designed to give students the best experience.

Surgical Simulation

Training in surgical simulation paves the way for safer surgery and improved patient outcomes in the future.

Clinical Simulation

Emergency medical scenarios such as cardiac arrest, trauma, etc. can be better handled by healthcare providers through training in simulated clinical exercises.

Innovations Lab

The Innovations Laboratory at the School teaches students through training devices. This way, the gaps in current medical education are filled.

Instructional Design & Development

Instructional Design & Development (ID&D) works to create interactive learning tools and incorporate them into the medical curriculum.

Dr. Najeeb Lectures    

Keeping up with the medical school curriculum is essential but hard. Students at the Feinberg School of Medicine are always working hard to keep a balance between study and out-of-class time.  Students at Feinberg use some resources to help them with their study and make the study process time-efficient. One of the most important secondary resources that can help students manage their medical education is Dr. Najeeb Lectures.  Dr. Najeeb Lectures is seen as the top medical lectures for the medical students. Currently, their subscriber base comes from over 170 countries implying that their lectures can be used at a global level.  The reason is that they do not confine themselves to some schools but cater to the general audience of medical schools worldwide. Moreover, the lectures are the most student-friendly as they not lengthy. A student will find them to match their attention span; they are not redundant. However, they are not too short either; no lecture is taught in a hurry. The lectures are concise, focused, and the content is straightforward. Dr. Najeeb avoids giving unnecessary details but gives enough that the concepts are clear.

Students can subscribe at a meager subscription fee. The subscription is not monthly or annually; rather one has to subscribe once. The subscription lasts a lifetime. However, if a student cannot decide if he/ she should subscribe or not, they can try a lecture for free. This helps a student knows everything about the teaching style of Dr. Najeeb before subscribing. Also, one can read the reviews from other medical students about their experience before signing up.

Moreover, Dr. Najeeb lectures cover numerous fields related to medicine and health sciences such as Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology and many more. Not only this, more video lectures are frequently added to an existing subscriber will have access to all the lectures that will be added in the future. To put it simply, the lectures by Dr. Najeeb will be an essential tool for anyone who needs help with their medical school study.

Student wellness at The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

The Feinberg School of Medicine works to cultivate an environment that promotes the physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial health of students. The school tries to teach students in such a way that they develop the skills necessary to live their personal and professional life with resilience, balance, and satisfaction.

Center for Global Health

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine conducts a global health program during the MD program. Nearly half of the student body participates in it. The goal of the Center for Global Health is to allow the MD Students to explore research and clinical work at the Feinberg’s various partners in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Moreover, the program is funded; the funding for travel is available through numerous external and internal sources.

Area of Scholarly Concentration

The program gives the medical students an opportunity to customize their studies. This way, they can gain expertise in a particular area and get experience by working with a mentor. The mentor designs and conducts a research project with the students on which student can work in their study span.

Organizations, Clubs, and Activities

Students find their extracurricular life exciting as there are a vast variety of activities, student organizations, etc. going on.  The Feinberg Medical School provides many opportunities for students to relax.  Yoga, daily exercises and running along Lake Michigan, volunteering in one of the many free clinics across Chicago, and other fun group activities including acapella, salsa, bhangra, yoga, painting, etc. are all ways that students at campus indulge to keep a balance in their life. 

Housing Options

The students that are accepted at Feinberg are not given housing unfortunately as the on-campus housing is not available. However, to facilitate students in their search for residence the Feinberg School of Medicine has provided some resources. The options are:

• $900-$1,100 for monthly rental: Furnished room in a professional home 36 minutes away from Northwestern Medical Hospital via CTA. Housekeeping, wi-fi, utilities, and linens all included. Please contact Drew Noble at 773-598-0709 or drew.noble@gmail.com for more details. 
• Chicago Getaway Hostel: International Hostel in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
• Chicago.craigslist.org
• Execustay
• Temporary housing and furnished apartments with a familiar name in downtown Chicago: Contact Susan Carter at susan.carter2@marriott.com or 312-729-5161 (office) or 312-804-0860 (cell).
• Hostelling International Chicago: Contact Faye DeJuarez, assistant general manager, at fdejuarez@hichicago.org or 312-583-2222.
• Justpassingthrough.com: Furnished private monthly rentals located in the Gold Coast within walking distance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Includes a full-size bed, kitchen, cable TV and internet access. Call 312-501-3310 or email info@justpassingthrough.com.
• MedBed, Inc.
• Student-space.com
• Sublet.com
• The Rotating Room: A Harvard medical student created this site so other medical students who are seeking temporary housing for an away rotation or would like to post a temporary housing vacancy can coordinate sublets with other students across the country.
• Oakwood Corporate Housing: Temporary furnished apartments near Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A Northwestern University rate is available for studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments. Please contact Megan Callison or 312-894-6517 for more information on availability and pricing.

Life in the City of Chicago

The Feinberg School of Medicine is located in the Streeterville area of Chicago. The neighborhood lies very close to the beautiful Lake Michigan. The neighborhood is developing rapidly; so many new eateries, grocery stores, shopping, and entertainment options are being built. Moreover, many apartment buildings appearing rapidly also add to the residence options in the area.

Apart from Streeterville, the city of Chicago is extremely exciting. It is a multicultural city with people from many parts from the world living together. The environment of the town is safe. The city life is excellent; there are endless options for sports, art, music, theater, fitness, and food. You can say that Chicago has everything for everyone.

For more information about the Feinberg School of Medicine, visit the official website of the Feinberg School of Medicine.