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Medical School Admissions Navigation Tips: Is My Profile Competitive?

April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Tips for 2013 med school applicants

Tips for 2013 med school applicants

Welcome to Accepted’s newest med school admissions tip series, Navigating the Med School Maze. Get ready to make your way through this complicated maze!

Whew! You’re in the midst of applying to medical school, and it’s time to write your AMCAS and non-AMCAS personal statements. But first, before you start filling in the boxes on that medical school application, stop. Take a deep breath. Let’s assess your status: You have your GPA. You studied for and took the MCAT. You’ve volunteered and perhaps researched a topic of interest. Hopefully you have even carved out time for your own recreational interests. Now you are about to begin the last stage:

  • Completing the medical school applications
  • Writing your personal statements
  • Drafting and submitting secondary essays
  • Interviewing

This is the only part of the admissions process that you still have any influence over. You can’t change your competition, and you can’t change what you’ve done to date, but you can make sure that what you submit in the future is your best.

Many students hoping to go to medical school wonder when the right time is to apply. Well, the answer is simple – the right time to apply is when your credentials are competitive.

Having competitive credentials is critical to being offered an interview. Each applicant is considered as a package. Credentials considered in this package include your “numbers” (your GPA undergraduate/post-bac/graduate GPA and your MCAT score), your letters of recommendation and your experiences. Not every applicant will have superb credentials in each of these fields but overall the general guidelines are:

  • MCAT of 30 or high
  • GPA of 3.5 or higher (including BCPM)
  • Strong Extracurriculars that show long term commitment
    • Service – in the general community and/or medical field
    • Leadership position(s)
    • Clinical exposure (shadowing, volunteering in hospital or medical facility)
    • Research exposure (basic science and/or clinical research, some bench work recommended)
    • Mentoring (TA, tutor, organizations like Big Brother/Big Sister, camp or sports counselor )
  • Minimum of 3 Strong Letters of Recommendations
    • Hard science Prof (1 or 2),
    • Extracurricular (service, leadership, mentoring or sports)
    • Medically relevant (volunteerism, clinical or basic science research, shadowing)
  • Strong personal statement that shows the admissions committee who you really are – remember you are not just a number!

After realistically assessing your credentials you should make the best choice about applying this year or waiting a year. Waiting a year and improving your credentials by enrolling in a postbac program, completing extra coursework, working in clinical medicine, gaining basic science bench experience, or retaking the MCATs might be the best way for you to succeed in gaining entrance to medical school. Sometimes waiting a year and applying early next year, with all your credentials in order, is the best decision you can make.

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AMCAS Resources for 2013 Med Applicants

April 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
2013 Med School Applicants, Start Your Engines

Start your engines, 2013 med school applicants!

Applying to med school and don’t know where to begin? While the application will only open on May 1, in the meantime you can check out AMCAS’s resources for 2013 applicants.

AMCAS has provided you with plenty of reference documents, such as a Quick Start Guide, which addresses everything you need to know to start your application. The Checklist ensures that you don’t miss anything in the process, and the Glossary will hopefully assist you with any confusion.

Plus, make sure to check out the Tips for some useful advice, and review the Course Classification Guide and Grade Conversion Guide before filling out your application. If that’s not enough, there are also video tutorials, covering everything from How to Enter AP Coursework to How to Match a Letter to Your Application. So take advantage now, and you’ll be all ready to begin once May 1 rolls around.

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The Superficial Applicant’s Guide to Choosing the Best School

April 1, 2012 By 1 Comment
April Fool's Guide to College and Grad School Admissions

An April Fool's guide to college and grad school admissions

Where you choose to go to college or grad school will define what you do in the future. It’ll set you out on a certain career path; it’ll be where you meet lifelong friends; and it will influence the way you think, the books you read, and the professors you connect with.

Some smart people (who clearly have loads of time to just sit around and THINK) choose a college or grad school based on “fit” – that is, where they’ll fit in culturally and academically. They choose a school based on professional and educational goals, curriculum, intellectual rigor, extracurricular opportunities, social or religious diversity, location, cost…and the list goes on and on. Who has time to think about all that?

Here – we’ve made this silly decision-making process easy for you by boiling down your decision points to the following 4 criteria:

  1. Published rankings – If U.S. News or BusinessWeek say that Harvard or Stanford or Princeton (or whatever school they choose this year) is the best, then it really must be, for you and for everyone…no questions asked. The rankings should be the most prominent guide in helping you decide which schools are best for you. Don’t even consider applying anywhere that’s not in the top 5. Imagine what people will think of you if you don’t end up at one of the world’s best schools?
  2. What your parents or best friend or the most popular kid in school want – Your dad went to Penn, your best friend is a freshman there this year, and the most popular kid in school just got in Early Decision. You would be a fool to consider going anywhere else. After all, if Penn was the best choice for these super important people, then it’s obviously the best choice for you.
  3. Which school has the best weather – Obviously sunshine implies educational excellence.
  4. Where you’ll get the best grades doing as little work as possible – Ever hear of grade inflation? You want to choose a school that’s known for making its students work as little as possible. College/grad school isn’t the place to work; it’s the place to slack off and party! Go with the school that will challenge you the least.

I know, I know. The above points still require you to think a bit more than you may like. If this is causing too much of a brain-ache, then I would recommend the following for you: Slap together an application, do a Find and Replace to change the name of the school you’re applying to, and send it off to 20-30 schools whose websites feature the best looking people. One of them is bound to accept you. And who knows, maybe after you’ve partied your way through the first year, you’ll earn a spot on the school’s website too!

HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY!

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Filed Under: College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions

MD/MBA Programs on the Rise

March 28, 2012 By 1 Comment
Joint MD/MBA Programs Gain Popularity

Joint MD/MBA Programs Gain Popularity

Why stop at an M.D. when you can get an M.B.A as well? As reported by The New York Times, “under heavy pressure from government regulators and insurance companies, more and more physicians across the country are learning to think like entrepreneurs.” Accordingly, the number of joint M.D./M.B.A degree programs in the U.S. has soared from a mere five or six about 15 years ago to 65 today, with an estimate of 500 students enrolled in these programs.

NYU has just launched its own joint degree program, a partnership between the School of Medicine at NYU and NYU Stern. Students may apply to the five-year program either concurrently, and then upon acceptance to both schools “defer starting the MBA until completion of their third year of medical school,” or as third-year NYU med students.

With all this interest, what are physicians doing with a business degree? Those with funding or looking for research grants can benefit from some business training, while someone with expertise in both medicine and business can certainly aid the “nation’s troubled health system.” And, of course, there are more start-ups run by doctors, and positions such as medical director and chief medical officer of insurance companies and hospitals. Plus, while not long ago hospital boards were looking for nondoctor candidates, now physicians are preferred. A joint degree can also come in handy for someone in the medical device industry, opening up even more possibilities.

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High Match Rate and New SOAP Program Brings Med Students Some Hope

March 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
High Match Rate Gives Med Students Something to Smile About

High Match Rate Gives Med Students Something to Smile About

This year, U.S. medical seniors have achieved the highest match rate in 30 years, with over 95 percent having matched to residency positions, AAMC STAT reports. Of the “22,934 applicants successfully matched to first-year positions,” 15,712 of them were U.S. seniors. Although family medicine positions have grown substantially recently, they only had an increase of 1.1 percent this year. The specialties that saw the biggest increase in positions were anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and internal medicine. The number of positions offered in 2012 rose by 614 from last year to a total of 26,772. While this rise is somewhat hopeful, “concerns remain that the increases are insufficient to meet the nation’s health care needs and to alleviate future physician shortages,” according to AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D.

Despite the high match rate this year, there were still those seniors left without positions. This year, they are able to participate in the new Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP). SOAP is a more streamlined version of “Scramble,” the previous process used by unmatched applicants: “Using technology created and executed by the AAMC IT staff, SOAP allows unmatched students to learn the locations of unfilled positions and submit applications for these positions through the AAMC’s Electronic Residency Application Service.” After three rounds, over 90 percent of the positions found through SOAP were filled this year. Med students can breathe a sigh of relief—looks like the matching process has just gotten a little bit easier.

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Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them

March 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In this short video, Linda Abraham explores the two kinds of optional essays, who should write them, and what should go into them. Don’t miss the crucial warning at the end.

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U.S. News 2013 Medical School Rankings

March 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

U.S. News provides two overall rankings of medical school: research and primary care.

Here are the ten best in each category.

2013 Rank

Best Medical Schools: Research

2012 Rank

1

Harvard

1

2

Johns Hopkins

3

3

University of Pennsylvania

2

4

Stanford

5

5

UC San Francisco

5

6

Washington University (St. Louis)

4

7

Yale

5

7

Columbia

10

7

Duke

5

10

University of Chicago (Pritzker)

12

10

University of Michigan  (Ann Arbor)

10

10

University of Washington

9

A little reshuffling of the deck chairs here. This year’s three-way tie for tenth place expanded the “top ten,” but the same players got the seats. Every school in this year’s expanded top 10, was in last year’s top twelve with only minor movement.

2013 Rank

Best Medical Schools: Primary Care

2012 Rank

1

University of Washington

1

2

UNC Chapel Hill

2

3

Oregon Health and Science University

3

4

UC San Francisco

5

5

University of Colorado–Denver

4

6

University of Nebraska Medical Center

7

7

University of Massachusetts–Worcester

8

8

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

20

8

University of Minnesota

6

10

UCLA (Geffen)

16

I find it noteworthy how little overlap there is between these two groups. Only the University of Washington, UC San Francisco, and University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) are in both groups. Also, while the research schools were very stable, the schools known for primary care had a moderate amount of change. Michigan shot up 12 positions to #8 and UCLA jumped six to join the top ten.

How meaningful are these rankings?  First, you need to understand what U.S. News is weighing and evaluating. Check out its methodology and then decide whether these criteria match yours in choosing a medical school. If they don’t, then you need to develop a list of qualities you consider important and choose where to apply based on your list, not U.S. News’.

Keep in mind that given the high cost of medical school and the intense competition for medical school slots – most of the schools listed above have acceptance rates of less than 10%, and many are south of 5% — you need to be realistic. Don’t get your heart set on one school unless you have stellar stats and experience.

Also, keep the rankings in perspective. You don’t need to memorize them or cite them chapter and verse. You can use them as a useful repository of data. Remember the counsel given by Robert Morse, director of data research for U.S. News & World Report:

It’s important that you use the rankings to supplement—not substitute—careful thought and your own inquiries. The rankings should only be used as one tool to help you choose the right graduate school or program, not as the only factor driving your choice.

That’s good advice.

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How to Give the Adcoms a Good Nap

March 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Put the Adcom to SleepIt’s National Sleep Week! You’re probably too busy to observe the annual NSW Snooze Fest, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do your part to help others enjoy a deep siesta! The following tips will ensure that when the adcoms pick up your application essay, they’ll be transported to Lala-land in no time. Trust us – this is tried and true advice.

  1. Start your essay with the dry facts. To put the adcoms to sleep, you should NEVER start your essays with a compelling story. That would only draw them into your essay and get them excited to read more, completely defeating your goal of putting them to sleep. Instead, begin by offering them some very serious data about who you are. “My name is X” or “I come from X” or “I want to go to Top School X because” are all excellent essay openers, virtually guaranteed to nurture disinterest and dozing.
  2. Include all of the details of your resume in your essay. Most schools require you to submit a resume along with your application. If yours does, then you’re in luck because you now have another great opportunity to put your readers to sleep: Repeat the info from your resume in your essay, the closer to the original wording, the better. Your readers will definitely want to throw your essay aside and put their heads down on their desks to rest if you go this route.
  3. Use the same stories in each of your essays. Instead of choosing difference experiences to highlight in each of your application essays, choose one amazing experience and then go to town with it, talking it up over and over again for each essay question. The tedium of this technique is as somniferous as it gets.
  4. Don’t let the adcoms see your personality. You are an absolutely hysterically funny individual. Not only that, but you’re an excellent writer who knows how to make your voice heard through your writing. BE CAREFUL. Infusing too much personality into your essays may encourage the adcoms to skip their nap, and that would be terrible. Toss your warm and witty personality out the window and write your essays in the most drab, monotonous, flavorless tone you can muster.

What – you think it’s easy to write a boring, uninteresting, sleep-inducing essay? You’ve got lots of writing and rewriting to do, so get to work!

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Filed Under: Admissions, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions

How To Manage Your Time Better

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Classy Career GirlDo you ever feel like your life is moving too fast without you being in control of your time?  Often, I find that instead of me telling myself what I want to do, my calendar tells me what to do. If you are sick of being run by your calendar, here are ten tips to get back in control of your time:

  1. Plan ahead. Eisenhower once said, “Plans are nothing.  Planning is everything.”  Take a few minutes every day to plan out what you are going to do and set goals.  Try to focus on three really important things that you want to get done each day and then do them!  Focus on the 20% of the things that will account for 80% of your results.  At the end of each workday, I create my to do list for the next day.  That way I can focus on the important items I need to get done right away in the morning when I am the most productive.
  2. Don’t procrastinate.  Most people look at their to-do list and complete the thing that is easiest first.  Don’t do this!  Instead, tackle the item that you fear the most.
  3. Know when you are at your best.  If you are more productive in the morning, make sure you are focusing on the critical 20% of things you need to get done.  Don’t do the easy tasks during that time that don’t require you to be at your best.  I schedule my important tasks at the very beginning of the day because that is when I am at my best.
  4. Focus.  Set a timer for 50 minutes, turn off all your distractions (email, phone, Facebook) and focus intensely on doing as much real work as you can.  Then take a break.
  5. Learn to say no!  If you learn to be more efficient than the rest of your coworkers, others will ask you to take on their work.  Be aware and be ready to say no!
  6. Set and respect deadlines.  Have you ever noticed how fast you can get things done the day before you leave for vacation?  That’s because you made a deadline that you had to meet.  Make little deadlines for yourself like and feel so great when you accomplish them.
  7. Review where you are spending your time.  Do a four-quadrant test (recommended by Steven Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Take a piece of paper and dissect it into 4 quadrants.  Write down everything you did the entire day and put it into one of the four quadrants.  Quadrant 1 is for routine things.  Quadrants 2 is for things that happen unexpectedly.  Quadrant 3 is for things that other people delegate to you. The fourth quadrant is for your dreams and goals. If you aren’t careful, Quadrant 1-3 will take up most of your time, leaving little time for your dreams and goals.  This will also help you see where you are wasting time.
  8. Email management.  Email alerts are a great way to get distracted and focus on unimportant things.  Have a certain schedule to check your email everyday instead.  Many times it is important to reflect on emails before responding.  I often leave emails in my inbox to respond to the next day.  When I do this, I always think of a completely different response that is much better while driving home.  Don’t be afraid to wait to respond!
  9. Reward yourself.  If you reward yourself for something, it will most likely get done.  Only reward yourself for completing the critical 20% of activities.  Don’t reward yourself for crossing the easy, 1 minute tasks off your to do list.
  10. The world needs you to do what you love.  Make sure you plan out ahead of time when you will make time for yourself each day to exercise or spend time doing what you are passionate about.  By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can actually improve your focus and concentration, which will help improve your efficiency.

How do you manage your time?

Classy Career Girl, a blog written by Anna Runyan, provides advice to young professionals on how to be classy as they climb the corporate ladder.  Her blog covers topics such as business chic fashion, career motivation, personal development, networking, and office etiquette. Connect with her at http://www.classycareergirl.com.

Filed Under: Admissions, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions

The President Wrote My Letter of Recommendation!

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

President's Day“Wouldn’t that be great. I’m in!”

Or are you?

On this President’s Day, let’s think about it: Would a letter of recommendation from President Barack Obama, POTUS himself, ensure your acceptance?

I’m sure a letter from President Obama would get passed around the admissions office. That presidential seal and signature (even if from a machine) would be an eye catcher, but is it equivalent to “I’m in!”

How about from a past president? Maybe a senator? Or governor? The president of a Fortune 500 company? Maybe Mark Zuckerberg? Would he do it?

Actually, the title after the author’s name doesn’t matter nearly as much as the substance above the signature. Can the author, whatever his or her title, talk from personal experience about your character when answering  the questions posed in a recommendation form or in writing the typical letter of recommendation?  If the recommender doesn’t have that personal perspective, can’t bring detail and example to the letter, the title may be a curiosity, but no more. That VIP letter could be less effective than a detail-filled letter from your twenty-something team lead who writes with specific examples and persuasive substance about your contribution to her organization.

Now if President Obama were to write about:

  • The difference you made to his campaign or your contribution to nabbing Osama bin Laden,
  • Your ability to organize his brilliant social media campaign,
  • An example of integrity, or
  • Your initiative during the budget ceiling crisis.

Then you would have an extraordinarily powerful letter of recommendation. However if he (or his third secretary twice removed) just wrote a general, flowery ode to how wonderful you are with no specifics, it would be no value. It would just be a shiny seal and sig.

Of course if your team lead wrote about:

  • Your contribution to the team and the difference you have made to the bottom line.
  • Your ability to organize a social media campaign or just about anything else of significance.
  • An example of integrity.
  • Your initiative and cool during a crisis.

You would also have a compelling letter of recommendation.

So on this President’s Day, keep in mind that a powerful letter of recommendation is much more about substance than station, personal insight than position, examples than eminence.

Linda AbrahamBy Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and author of MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

The Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog covers the college, MBA, medical school, law school, and graduate school admissions scene. You’ll find everything from testing tips, essay advice, and interview guidance to rankings. Subscribe now!

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