Transcript The Medical School Admission Process: From MCATs to

The Medical School Admission Process:
From MCATs to Interviews –
What You Need to Know
Jonathan K. Muraskas, M.D.
Professor of Pediatrics & Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Research,
Fellowship Program & Perinatal Center
Chairman of Medical School Admissions Committee
Loyola University Medical Center
March 10, 2006
Admission Committee 19 Years
• Applicants interviewed to date
1500
• Time spent yearly on committee 300 hours
• For Loyola, you need a passion for
medicine
• You can have a MCAT of 38 T with a 3.99
and be rejected if you have not explored
medicine
There is grade inflation at certain
schools and the MCAT often will
prove or disprove this
The Interview
• Be yourself
• We really just want to get to know you
• Group Interviews - Northwestern
Interview Evaluation Form
Educational Development
and Self Education
• Is there evidence the applicant has a
genuine interest in learning and would be
capable of the continuing education
required of a physician? Has the applicant
ever sought education outside the traditional
classroom structure?
Rigor of Activities
• Has the applicant sought out challenging
extracurricular activities and employment?
How seriously has the applicant pursued
interests or hobbies?
• You were a varsity athlete, RA and TA!
• You bet we think that is time consuming
and it also shows strong character and can
sometimes justify a lower GPA
Community Involvement
• Has there been any effort to assist the
people with whom the applicant lives, either
at school or at home? What has the
applicant accomplished that improved the
society in which he or she lives? What has
the applicant learned from this community
involvement?
• You cannot spend 18 hours a day in a
classroom and library
• Communication and common sense will go
a long way in being a good physician
Human Relationships
• Do the activities in which the applicant has
engaged provide evidence that he/she can
initiate and sustain good interpersonal
relationships? Is there any evidence the
applicant is comfortable with a wide range
of people? Was the applicant’s behavior
appropriate during the interview?
• If you lack social skills, unless you spend a
career doing bench research on animals,
you’re going to get sued
Maturity
• Does the applicant have a sense of his or her
strengths and weaknesses? Is there
evidence the applicant can handle success,
frustrations, uncertainties, or failure?
Responsibility and Leadership
• Is there evidence the applicant assumes
responsibility for his or her actions? Would
the applicant inspire the confidence of
others?
Motivation
• Does the applicant demonstrate a realistic
and progressive exploration of the field of
medicine? Does the desire for a career in
medicine originate with the applicant?
• Medicine is not what it use to be like
• Unless you have a passion for it, you will
have a miserable life
Issues and Ethics
• Has the applicant considered current issues
in medicine which may affect the
professions and the public? Consider his or
her ability to discuss the question with
intellectual honesty, rather than your
agreement with the position taken. Do you
have any reason to question the applicant’s
integrity?
Letters of Evaluation
• Please rate the degree of support indicated
by the letters, taking into account your
opinion of their usefulness in evaluating the
applicant. Is there anything in the letters
that should be brought to the attention of the
Committee? Does your assessment of the
applicant agree with that contained in the
letters?
What If:
I got 3 C’s my freshman year?
I got 3 C’s my senior year?
I got a D or F in organic chemistry?
I am in varsity sports and practice before
and after classes?
5. I come from a disadvantaged background?
6. I went to a gang infested high school and
got a poor education in the sciences?
1.
2.
3.
4.
What If:
7. I came from an alcoholic dysfunctional
family and parents are divorced/separated?
8. I am terrible taking standardized tests?
9. I broke up with my girlfriend/boyfriend in
my first semester of my sophomore year?
10. I was written up for a 12 pack in my
dorm?
11. I did no research?
If I interview in the spring and get
put on the Wait List, is that the
kiss of death?
Loyola’s Secondary Application
1. What do you consider a valuable experience in
your personal development? This might be a
decision you have made, an achievement of
which you are particularly proud, or a person
who has influenced your life.
2. Describe briefly how you have dealt with a
personal or academic problem you have
encountered.
3. How did you reach your decision to enter
medicine? Describe your participation in any
health care or other activities which reinforced
your decision.
4. What self-education, research, or independent
scholastic work have you undertaken and what
do you feel you have accomplished in this work?
5. If you will not be enrolled as a full-time student
during the current academic year, please explain
what you will be doing prior to your planned
matriculation into medical school.
Bio (BS)
8
12
11
9
10
Chem/Phy (PS)
8
11
11
9
9
Verbal (VR)
8
6
11
9
10
Writing (WS)
P
P
M
0
0
Bio (BS)
10
13
13
7
9
Chem/Phy (PS)
6
13
7
6
10
Verbal (VR)
8
13
9
6
5
Writing (WS)
0
T
P
N
0
Red Flags
• I spent the last 2 summers working in my father’s
trucking business.
• My parents are physicians and I shadowed them
often.
• I did a Family Practice Practicum in my junior
year in --------.
• I am interviewing at this medical school because I
heard it has a good reputation.
• Health Care – “It’s not good”
Red Flags
• Bloomington is a happening town!
• I carry Allstate auto insurance
Ditka coaching 1 Illinois
Wesleyan basketball player
versus Duke
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine:
From 8 Ounce Babies to
Siamese Twins to Quintuplets
A Medical and Ethical Adventure
•
•
•
•
•
COMPETENT
CARING
CONCERNED
COMPASSIONATE
PASSION FOR MEDICINE