If you’re considering a career in medicine, such as becoming a doctor, then applying to medical school is where this journey begins. It’s a complicated, competitive, long and rigorous process that requires a lot of planning and preparation.
To help you navigate the process of applying for medical schools, this article is a guide on what to do, from discussing what to focus on before your application, how to pick the right school, what the application looks like — and, crucially, 10 top tips on how to ensure you submit a fantastic medical school application that will get your medical career off to the perfect start.
The paths to medical school
The route to medical school is arduous and takes a lot of time. You’ll need to start the process by focusing on achieving good grades and a high GPA in high school, as well as taking advanced placement courses in the sciences.
You must also complete a pre-med four-year undergraduate degree. You can major in most fields, but subjects like biology or chemistry give you the best foundation.
You’ll then prepare for and take the Medical College Admissions Test, aiming for a strong score of at least 510. You can then apply to medical school using the American Medical College Application Service centralized application process.
Types of medical schools
There are two main ways to categorize medical schools in the US.
Firstly, medical schools can focus on either Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees. Allopathic (MD) schools focus on reactive medicine such as diagnosing conditions, performing surgery and prescribing medicine, whereas osteopathic (DO) schools have a more holistic approach, looking at the preventive side of healthcare as well. DO schools will provide additional training on Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment.
Secondly, medical schools can be privately or publicly funded. Public medical schools often have more favorable tuition rates; both run to roughly the same curricula.
What do medical schools look for?
Getting into medical school is an intensely competitive process, and all schools will have a rigid set of qualifying requirements for entry. Here is a list of the main things they look for:
- Ethical conduct and professionalism: Applicants will be expected to demonstrate awareness of ethical and professional standards, as well as communicating professionally throughout their application and interviews.
- Extracurricular activities: Candidates should ensure their extracurricular activities showcase learning in leadership, clinical experience, research programs and other skills aligned with what’s needed in medical school.
- GPA and MCAT scores: A GPA of 3.5 or higher is essential, with a focus on the sciences and mathematics. An MCAT score of 510 or higher is the benchmark to aim for.
- Letters of recommendation: These should come from reputable sources and provide detailed insight into the candidate’s suitability, skills, professionalism and character.
- Personal factors: Medical schools look at the applicant’s motivations, their background and level of experience, and also whether they fit with the mission, values and purpose of the medical school they’ve applied to.
- Personal qualities: Applicants must evidence a wide variety of skills and qualities, including analytical ability, resilience, communication, empathy, teamwork, integrity and change management. An official list of competencies is available on the Association of American Medical College’s website.
What is the application process?
There are different stages of the medical school application process. Here’s what to look out for:
Primary application
The medical school application journey starts with a primary application via AMCAS in May or June, where candidates upload a personal statement, letters of recommendation, transcripts and their MCAT score.
Secondary application
After this is submitted, you’ll be invited to complete secondary applications for your preferred medical schools. AMCAS charges a fee of $175 for the first application and $46 for each subsequent application. Secondary applications will require essays or letters explaining your motivations for choosing those particular schools.
Interviews
All being well, you’ll then be invited to attend interviews for your chosen medical schools. Most — but not all — medical schools interview applicants.
You’ll either be asked to complete traditional interviews where you will be asked behavioral questions, or multiple mini interviews where you rotate around interview stations, being asked case-based questions for a few minutes each time.
Admission decisions
There’s no set time for how long you’ll need to wait to hear back about your applications. You will, though, eventually be “accepted”, “rejected” or “waitlisted”.
If you’re waitlisted, sometimes you’ll need to proactively stay in touch with the colleges to inform them of your intent. If you’re lucky enough to be accepted into multiple medical schools, you’ll need to accept one and decline the others by a certain deadline.
Tips for applying to medical school
So, having worked out that medical school is for you and understanding what kind of school you need to aim for, as well as their admission requirements, it’s time to start your application. This section takes you through 10 top tips that will help you ace your application for medical school.
1. Work out a plan
Applying to medical school is a vital element of being a doctor, and the work you do here sets the foundation for everything that is to come in your medical career.
As soon as you practically can, strategically plan your application. This will include plotting out your schools of interest, preparing for work experience and how you can achieve it, a study plan for school and for the MCAT, and key dates such as application deadlines.
Work everything into goals and ensure that they’re staggered and bite-sized so that you can get to the end of every week having ticked something off the list. This makes the route to application seem a lot more straightforward.
2. Write a compelling personal statement
Most medical schools — and certainly all the top ones — will require an insightful and well-written personal statement.
You must ensure that you prepare a bespoke one for each school you apply for, as a generic one for all will not do. Similar to a cover letter for a job, your medical school personal statement will be around one side of paper long, around 500 to 600 words.
Ensure it articulately and honestly reflects your passion for medicine, why you’re applying to that particular school, your journey, and your motivations.
3. Research medical schools
Every medical school is different, from their location and demographics to the way they teach the curricula. To get the most out of medical school and to enjoy what you do, you need to research each one meticulously.
Begin by researching their culture and mission, usually available on the “About Us” section of their website. Use interviews to learn more about this.
Stringently research their curricula, looking for differences in research programs, lectures, clinical time, and seeing if this aligns with your goals. Research the location, as medical schools primarily serve their local communities and will benefit from varying levels of government support.
4. Attend interviews
Medical school interviews are a crucial part of the application, as they allow you to showcase who you are beyond your written credentials. These interviews might take different formats, such as traditional interviews or MMIs where you rotate around stations and are given brief scenarios and a few minutes to respond.
Prepare for personal questions, ethical case studies and behavioral questions. Be familiar with your application and motivations, and ensure you’re up to speed with healthcare system knowledge, too. Prepare by undertaking mock interviews and using ChatGPT prompts.
5. Focus on academic achievement
Although there are many things to prioritize when you apply to medical school, admission criteria are heavily focused on academic achievement. This is because good academic performance will demonstrate that you can handle the intense curricula of medical schools.
As you complete high school or college, ensure that you do all you can to achieve and maintain good grades. Medical schools will look for high GPAs, especially in science-related subjects, and focusing on this is essential.
6. Gain work or volunteer experience
A good thing to be able to demonstrate in your medical school application is an early understanding of professional medical environments. Seek out work experience opportunities in these settings as soon as you can, quantify their completion, and add them to your résumé and medical school application.
Examples of such work experience can include working as an administrator in a clinic, doing voluntary work in a hospital, or shadowing medical professionals. These work experiences only scratch the surface of the profession but can add a lot of weight to your application.
7. Complete admission tests
The MCAT is perhaps the single most important part of your medical college application.
Create a study plan at least three months out from the exam, ideally six months ahead. Ensure you give yourself daily study goals so you undertake some MCAT work every day.
Start with the AAMC’s official MCAT guide and materials, but also invest in a few external study guides as well. Work on practice tests, and focus on areas that you’re scoring weakest in. Ensure you’re well-rested on test day, and leave plenty of time to arrive for the exam on time and mentally strong.
8. Get involved in extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activities can be added to your medical school application and provide a nice bit of color and a different dimension to what you can bring to the institution. These activities can help demonstrate your soft skills, such as teamwork, leadership capability, emotional intelligence and organization.
They can include volunteering for community service, research projects, and getting involved in local clubs or organizations. Seek out these opportunities and get stuck into them, and list your main achievements from them on your résumé and application; be ready to explain to interviewers what you have learned.
9. Tap into your network
Seeking out a network of people at similar stages of the medical school application process, as well as professors and other professionals who can support you, can be invaluable. Your network can support you and offer advice to navigate the application process, and sharing experiences with others can make the whole process a little less scary.
A professional network can also introduce you to work experience opportunities or extracurricular activities. Maybe even seek out mentorship from someone with whom you have developed a close rapport.
10. Ask for letters of recommendation
Approach professional acquaintances who will speak highly of you and vouch for your talents and suitability for medical school. These might include managers and professors from your clinical experiences but might also include teachers or people you worked with in voluntary experiences or extracurricular activities.
Ensure you request these letters in advance, as sometimes they can take some time to write. Politely email or write to the individuals to explain what you need respectfully and thank them in advance for their time to reply. Ask if they can recommend you on LinkedIn as well.
FAQs about applying to medical school
Applying to medical school is a big decision, and one not to be taken lightly. This section covers three questions to think about as you consider making this choice.
Q: How much does it cost?
Going to medical school is not cheap. Attending a private medical school will cost on average $58,968 per year, though bursaries and scholarships can be awarded to support this cost. Public medical schools are a little cheaper, with the cost coming in at $52,483 per year. With medical schools typically being four years, the total cost can be in excess of $200,000.
Q: How do I choose the right school?
Every medical school has its own learning style, so consider if you will cope better with traditional or problem-based learning. Research the schools’ clinical rotations, research opportunities, and prospects. Visit the campuses, get a feel for the environment, and try to talk to existing students to see what they think. Finally, read up on the medical schools’ values to see if they align with your own purpose.
Q: When do I have to get my application in by?
Primary applications open in late May to early June, so aim to start working on your application a month before this so you can submit it when the admission window opens. Secondary deadlines vary but typically range from October to December, depending on the institution. Ensure you are fully aware of dates so you know when cut-off days are, and complete these within two weeks of being asked to do so.
Final thoughts
Applying to medical school is the most important step on your journey to become a medical professional, an incredibly rewarding profession. That said, the application is a hard and incredibly long process.
You first need to get yourself prepared for medical school by working hard at school, going to college, researching what’s needed for the application, and deciding what schools you like the look of. Prioritize studying for your MCAT, and ensure your applications are thorough and well-prepared, and they showcase you as a brilliant and three-dimensional medical school candidate.
By working hard on their medical school application and approach, budding doctors can navigate the challenging path to medical school and embark on a rewarding career in medicine.
Got a question about applying to medical school? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article is a complete update of an earlier version originally published on August 14, 2018.
Source link
All Materials on this website/blog are only for Learning & Educational purposes. It is strictly recommended to buy the products from the original owner/publisher of these products. Our intention is not to infringe any copyright policy. If you are the copyright holder of any of the content uploaded on this site and don’t want it to be here. Instead of taking any other action, please contact us. Your complaint would be honored, and the highlighted content will be removed instantly.