Transcript Getting in to Medical School

Navigating the Medical School
Applications Process
Brad Wertheim
Lafayette Class of 2007
Harvard Medical School Class of 2011
Caveat
Overview
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Freshman & Sophomore Year
Junior Year: MCAT
Junior Summer: Applications
Senior Year: Interviews
Beyond
Questions
Guiding Questions for The
Application Process
1. What makes me a unique applicant?
(And if I am not, what can I do about it ?)
2. How can I ensure that the admissions
committee will notice/remember me?
3. How can I “package” my application to
reflect my unique strengths?
Freshman & Sophomore Year
• Do well in school: #1 Priority
– The admissions process begins day one!
– Sets the stage: MCAT, GPA, interviews, and
medical/scientific/general knowledge base
– Take challenging courses—and do well
• They can smell a slacker/underachiever from a mile
away
– Use electives wisely: humanities are important, too!
– What major?
• Does not matter as long as you have a strong
background in the sciences; ideally, one that surpasses
the minimum med school requirements
Freshman & Sophomore Year
• What else?
• Research….while you still have the time
• Reading: books/articles about clinical
practice, science & technology, ethics,
health policy, etc.
– Build your knowledge base
• Clinical exposure: shadowing, EMT, etc.
• Learning about the applications process
ahead (AAMC website)
A Word on Research
• Some form of scholarly engagement is
highly suggested by most medical schools
(and an unspoken requirement for many)
• They seek intellectually curious medical
students, who will become intellectually
curious clinicians, researchers, etc.
• Understanding (or conducting) research is
a part of every physician’s job, regardless
of practice setting
A Word on Research
• Doesn’t have to be bench science:
humanities, writing, arts etc.
– Just find something that you’re interested in
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Gives you material for interviews & essays
You have the time fresh/soph yr.
EXCEL is even willing to pay you
A weak point in many Lafayette applicants’
files?
• For big name schools, research is a must!
Junior Year
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Coursework remains #1 priority
Keep reading, shadowing, etc.
Spring: MCAT
Summer: Applications
MCAT
• Challenging, but beatable. How?
• Do well in school; certain courses (biochemistry survey,
human physiology) may help
• Take a practice test early (soph summer/ junior fall) to
assess your baseline & build familiarity w/ test
• Buy old MCATs from the AAMC:
– Better to practice on the real thing
– They repeat questions/content year-to-year
– Take a few timed sections each time/session; study and
memorize your mistakes (consult school notes & books). Use
this as your framework for review.
– Available online:
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/practicetests.htm
MCAT
• Download “content outlines” from AAMC site
(http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/creatingstudyplan.htm).
– Review weak areas, learn areas missed by
coursework. Profs are a great resource.
• Refresh pencil-and-paper math; sounds silly, but
I made test day mistakes here
• Practice under timed conditions; build your
timing strategy
• Integrate it into your daily schedule (i.e. 1 hr/day,
etc.). Slow and steady prep keeps you sane and
increases retention.
MCAT
• Kaplan?
– Good motivator for some
– Expensive
– Taught by medical students/pseudo-professional
educators
– Kaplan questions/tests do not accurately represent
the real thing…….my opinion = buy from AAMC
• When to schedule test?
• As test day nears:
– Read rules (watches, breaks, etc.). Find location.
– Don’t panic; stick with your strategy
MCAT: Scores
• *2009 AAMC Data on Matriculants: PS 10.3, BS
10.8, VR 9.8; Total = 30.8
– GPA Science 3.60, non-science 3.74
• Acceptance = a complex relationship between
MCAT/GPA and the rest of your file
– Top schools: mean scores of 35-36
– If you have an interesting file, you can get away with
lower. Don’t let the score stop you from applying (as
long as you have a strong file).
*http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatric
ulant/table17-fact2009mcatgpa98-09-web.pdf
Should I take time off?
• Borderline applicants/applicants with low
grades, low MCAT, or holes in the file
• Taking time off to polish your
application may dramatically boost
your admissions chances
– Must be a productive use of the off-year:
research, service work, etc.
– Research at your school of interest may
give you inside connections w/ admissions
– You may need to take more than one year off
Should I take time off?
• Cheaper than applying more than once
• Admissions officers likely biased against
multiple-time applicants
• Ivy league health professions advisors
advocate this strategy (strongly!)
• Lafayette HPAC can help you decide
whether this is right for you
– Stay in touch w/ them during your gap year(s)
Junior Summer
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Complete electronic AMCAS application
Need official transcript
Describe extracurriculars (succinctly)
Must allow time for AMCAS to verify your
transcript (can be weeks) before they
forward your application to schools
• Most apply to 10 – 15 schools
• Set aside time to work on this; It is timeconsuming
• Essay
“Packaging”
• How you present yourself to the
admissions committee
• A strength of Ivy League undergrad
programs
• Your application, CV, and interview should
be thematically consistent, and crafted to
emphasize your particular strengths as an
applicant
The Essay
• Super-important: a gauge of your
intellect, personality, and interest in
medicine. Strive for a work of art!
– A hastily/poorly written essay is deadly
• They read thousands of these; make yours
interesting and “magazine quality”
• An opportunity to discuss aspects of your
file that you wish to emphasize
• English prof’s are an invaluable resource
The Essay: advice on content
• Answer the question carefully: “Why do you
want to become a doctor?”
– “I want to help people”…….go join the peace corps
– “I like science”……go to grad school and become a
scientist
– “I like working with sick people”…….go to nursing
school
• Our same questions apply:
– “What makes me a unique applicant?”
– “How can I ensure that the admissions committee will
notice/remember me?”
The Essay: miscellaneous
• Avoid clichés
• “Hit it on the one”....grab the reader’s
attention early
• Another weakness of Lafayette
applicants?
Junior Summer/Senior Year
• Secondary applications: time-consuming;
get them done over the summer if you can
– Get them done as early as you can (while
doing a good job)!
• Early submission/interview is an
advantage at rolling admission schools
• Interviews begin late summer/early fall and
continue through late winter
• Acceptances sent after October 15th
The Interview
• Another important test: most schools
looking for personality
• Know your file
• Open file vs. closed file interview
• Know the school: be prepared for “Why
(school name)?”
• “Why medicine?,” “Tell me about yourself,”
“Tell me about activity X” are the big ones
The Interview
• The stress interview
• Have some questions about the school
that you would like to ask at the end
• Again, keep the questions in mind:
– “What makes me a unique applicant?”
– “How can I ensure that the admissions
committee will notice/remember me?”
The Interview
• Preparation
– Longitudinal: reading, coursework, clinical
experiences
– School websites
– Studentdoctor.net interview forum: don’t take
this too seriously, but it can give you a
perspective on the questions they ask, and
the nature of the interview day
– Rehearse questions in your head
Studentdoctor.net Interview Forum
The Interview
• Some send thank-you cards after the
interview
• Make sure to bring up anything you want
the committee to know. Be your own
advocate!
• Bad interviews happen
– At many schools, you can still be accepted
even if 1 of 2 interviewers votes “no”
• It can be hard to gauge how well the
interview went
What next?
• Waitlist: stay in touch w/ admissions
– Send grades, thesis, publications, etc.
• What if you don’t get in?
– Don’t get discouraged: > 50 % of my class
took 1+ years off after college
– Use the time to polish your application
• Research, service work, job, scholarly activity, etc.
• Next year, explain what you learned from your
year(s) off and how that prepared you for medicine
Medical School: What to Expect
• “…..an excellent undergraduate
education…”
• Lafayette courses prepared me well
– Some (maybe many) Lafayette courses are
better than their Ivy League counterparts
– Many big name schools have weaker degree
requirements
• Don’t be intimidated
Medical School: What to Expect
• Pass/Fail for preclinical years (1 & 2); grades for
clinical years (3 + 4)
• Years 1 & 2: expect 20-35 hrs/week in class
• Years 3 & 4: up to 95 hrs/week in hospital
• 1 day med school = 1+ weeks of college
• Must be more organized & efficient
• Hardest part of medical school is
getting in?
• Difficult to predict what med school will be like
until you get there
A Word on Balance
(and advice)
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