Freshman-Sophomore Presentation
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Transcript Freshman-Sophomore Presentation
Lindsay Dawson, MS1
Stacey-Ann Whitaker, MS4
Derek Mazique, MS1
Nana Asabere, MS1
Although medical school is at least 2-3 years away,
there are steps you can take to better prepare
yourself for the application process, and for life after
graduation.
There is no magic formula to get into medical
school, and no Penn Med student has an
identical journey.
However, there are some basics which helped
all of us succeed.
Rule #1: Decide to devote a significant time commitment
to preparing for medical school.
Rule #2: Research national medical school acceptance
data based upon GPA and MCAT scores.
Rule #3: Seek advice from those well-versed in the
medical school application process.
Rule #4: Get to know your pre-med office!
Confer with premed advisors, mentors, and
upperclassmen who can support you through the
application process.
Attend a medical school recruitment fair to learn from
representatives about their schools.
AAMC Calender: http://www.aamc.org/calendar/careerfairs
Register with AspiringDocs for information, guidance,
and inspiration about preparation for medical school and
medical careers.
http://www.AspiringDocs.org
Read “Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors” which
assists premedical and medial students in their planning
for the financial aspects of the medical education.
http://www.aamc.org/md2
The
Medical School Admissions Requirements
(MSAR) profiles every medical school in the US
and Canada.
Check the
MSAR before applying to get a sense
of what a school’s numbers are, their
requirements, and their curricula.
For
example, more and more schools require
biochemistry, and same require two semesters of
calculus.
Before applying to medical school, you must take
the following courses (and LABS!):
Biology
General chemistry
Organic chemistry
Physics
English/writing
Meet with your pre-med advisor ASAP to discuss
your plan for taking these courses.
I am a wonderful, amazing person who…
Rescued children from burning houses
Built 50 houses with my bare hands by myself for 50
different families
Volunteered in the ER
Holds leadership positions in 10 different organizations
It doesn’t matter that I have a 2.9 GPA and a 25
MCAT score, right???
WRONG! Grades matter.
Don’t bank on being the outlier case.
It’s stressful to take that risk (both financially and
emotionally).
No one will see how wonderful you are unless your
numbers get by the screening.
Medical School Admission Committees WILL NOT read
every applicant’s personal statement and the rest of the
application.
Every school has to screen its applications to reduce the
number they actually have to read.
Once the screening process is done, then they start
reading the applications.
GPA
(Grade Point Average)
MCAT
(Medical School Admissions Test)
Fact and figures can be found at: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/
Table 19: MCAT scores and GPA’s for Applicants and Matriculants to US
Medical Schools by Race and Ethnicity, 2009
For example, if you have a 2.9 and a 25 total
MCAT…
MCAT
GPA:
2.802.99
18-20
Acceptees
21-23
24-26
27-29
30-32
33-35
36-38
39-45
17
56
89
65
33
8
.
.
Applicants
216
259
220
118
51
13
.
.
Acceptance
Rate
2.7%
6.3%
21.4%
26.3%
36.8%
50.0%
.
.
URM Applicants
GPA
Science
All Other
Overall
MCAT
VR
PS
BS
WS
2009/2010
3.48
3.67
3.48
2009/2010
9.0
10.0
10.0
P
URM First Year Matriculants
GPA
Science
All Other
Overall
MCAT
VR
PS
BS
WS
2010
3.68
3.77
3.71
2010
11.0
12.0
12.0
Q
Max GPA: 4.0
Max MCAT: 45 T (15 each section)
Your early grades can have a lasting effect on the
rest of college – make sure to maintain them!
Balance your schedule and major – you should be
challenged, but not to the point where you are
unhappy and aren’t doing well.
Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for help!
Go to professor AND TA office hours!
Work in groups to solve problems.
Don’t get caught up in the hype of how others are
doing (or how they claim they are doing).
When things don’t go quite right, troubleshoot – ask
yourself, “how can I do better next time?”
The MCAT is a multiple choice, standardized test required for
admission into medical school
Tested subjects include:
Biology
Physics
General Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
All sections except the Writing Sample will have many, many
passage-based questions
Don’t forget about the Verbal Reasoning and Writing sections of
the MCAT
You will need to get letters of recommendation that validate your
worthiness as a candidate for medical school from:
Pre-medical committee or adviser
Faculty members
Mentors
Supervisors
If possible, start an internship file at Career Services.
When a course is over, ask the faculty for a letter – if not then, keep lines
of communication open.
GO TO OFFICE HOURS!
Okay – good grades and MCAT scores
are important to get past the
screening.
What else should I be thinking about?
Extracurricular Activities!
Allows you to develop personal interests outside
of class and build leadership skills.
Demonstrates you’re a well–rounded individual.
Brings together people from different majors/
levels of education.
Provides a chance to serve the community.
Exposes you to health/medically – related project.
Tip 1: Join extracurriculars you're interested in
early, with the hope of a leadership role in
junior/senior year.
Tip 2: Don’t stretch yourself too thin! Seek quality
opportunities, rather than quantity.
Tip 3: Try to maintain a balance between
extracurriculars and good grades.
Activities in which you are genuinely interested.
Organizations that allow you to use your talents.
Outreach activities that acquaint you with
community issues.
Health or medically oriented programs/projects
that provide or reinforce reasons for wanting to
become a physician.
Activities that allow you to add to your sense of self.
Is there anything else I should
consider?
Shadow a physician!
It’s one of those “intangible” (and unofficial)
requirements to get into medical school.
It provides you with clinical exposure and
stories to talk about in the admission
interview.
Shadowing allows you to see what medicine
and a physician’s life are like every day.
It’s easy to set up and do.
Meet with your pre-med/pre-health advisor
Learn and know the required pre-med courses
Begin basic science courses
Seek volunteer experiences
Look for summer programs
Choose a major
Run for an office
Explore other health career options
Become familiar with MCAT
Seek honors and scholarships
Ask for letters of recommendation
Seek summer programs
Let’s keep in touch!
Lindsay Dawson, MS1
[email protected]
Stacey-Ann Whitaker, MS4:
[email protected]
Derek Mazique, MS1
[email protected]
Nana Asabere, MS1
[email protected]