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Boost your GPA for Med School Acceptance

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Med School Student

If you keep your eyes on the prize, then in all likelihood you’ll be wearing a white coat someday.

In our last Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success segment, we talked about how to best present yourself in your secondaries and interviews. Today we’ll move forward and discuss ways to boost your GPA, another important feature of your med school application profile.

Feeling a bit fragile after these first two sections? That’s to be expected – you’ve just gone undergone a pretty brutal review of your life. But the admissions committee is scrutinizing submissions with the same critical eye. Anticipating the problems so you can correct them is critical for success in your next attempt. And to start out, let’s look at how you can “fix” a poor GPA.

A low GPA is probably the hardest area to improve. This makes sense – it was years in the making, and can’t be undone without time. It can take about a year in advanced level science courses to bump a high 2.x GPA over 3.0. The lower your GPA, and the more classes you’ve taken, the longer it will take to reflect improvements in your academic record.

Fortunately, whether your GPA is just a bit off the mark or well below the competitive level, there are steps you can take.

Apply to an international medical school. Pursuing a medical degree abroad might be a viable option for you. The required GPA is often lower than the U.S. average and in some programs, the MCAT is not required. Courses are often taught by U.S. academic physicians with clinical rotations in the U.S. But if you do decide to attend an international medical school, realize that you will have to contend with many different challenges – from language barriers to culture shock – that could affect your studies.

Probably the biggest challenge for international medical graduates is securing a residency program after completing medical school. Only 54% of IMGs match to PGY1 programs, although the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates reports a consistent increase in this number over the past decade. I’ve worked with many successful IMGs over this same time period. What sets them apart is that they make up for any lack in their initial qualifications by working harder than the average medical student. They’re heavily involved in university activities, community healthcare initiatives, and international competitions. And significantly, they’re the ones who can express the advantages of their non-US medical education, including resourcefulness and the deep grounding in diagnoses that comes from doing without modern diagnostic equipment.

If you’re interested in an international program, do your research. Some Caribbean programs such as Ross University, St. George’s University, and the American University of the Caribbean have consistently high placement rates. Israeli programs like Sackler and Ben-Gurion have partnerships with American programs; likewise, the University of Queensland has an attractive option for U.S. students. And Ireland’s Atlantic Bridge program, although quite competitive, is flexible in its approach to the GPAs of qualified American and Canadian students.

Apply to a DO program. If your application is competitive but you just didn’t make the cut, you might consider an osteopathic medical program. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) focus on integrating the whole person into the healthcare process, which makes them especially strong in family practice, general internal medicine, and pediatrics. They are fully licensed physicians; they train in the same residency programs, take the same national board exams, and sit for the identical USMLE exams that the MD students do. Your chance of securing a residency might be less – in the most recent residency match, 75% of DOs matched compared to 94% of MDs – but the steady rise in DO matches suggests that any stigma against osteopathic physicians is changing.

The good news for borderline candidates is that DO schools have lower GPAs and MCAT requirements: The mean GPA in 2012 was 3.42 while the mean MCAT score was 26 (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine). There are a number of programs worth exploring: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lincoln Memorial (Harrogate, TN), Nova Southeastern (Ft. Lauderdale), Touro (Vallejo, CA, Lake Erie (Erie, PA) and Western University (Pomona) all have strong programs that are less competitive. West Virginia, for instance, had the lowest reported average GPA (3.4) of all medical schools and an average MCAT score of 25. However, 55% of their graduates matched at their top residency program.

If you care more about being a doctor than the letters after your name, the DO route is definitely something to think about. However, getting into one of these programs is still going to require a strong GPA. So what can you do if your grades are lower?

Boost your GPA with post-baccalaureate classes. This is a popular route, especially for applicants who did well on the MCAT but need some help with their GPA. Retaking science classes can show you’ve mastered the material, but a better strategy is to take advanced classes and do well. If you have any doubt about your ability to get an A, then this is probably not the best path for you.

The quality of the institution offering the courses is important – community college won’t cut it. The best option is to see if your own alma mater will allow you to take additional courses; often this can be done at a reduced cost. If this doesn’t work out, Syracuse University has a very useful list of programs that offer post-bac courses in the sciences.

Improve your GPA with a science-based master’s program. This is another preferred route for would-be reapplicants, because it provides opportunities for more independent, self-directed research and demonstrates scientific acumen. It can be especially useful if you don’t have a research background already. Keep in mind though that you need to excel in your coursework and that you will have to finish the entire program; making below-average grades or dropping out before the program ends will do you more harm than good when you reapply to med school.

Master’s programs aren’t right for everybody – you might not want to commit to a multi-year program, or you might not be confident about your academic performance. Or you might not have the minimum GPA required for admittance in the first place. In that case:

Prove your potential in a special master’s program (SMPs). These programs, usually a year long, are often associated with a medical school. Students are immersed in a rigorous science-based curriculum almost identical to what they will face in medical school; often, they are even taking classes or being graded alongside first year med students. Success in these courses can show the admissions committee that you’re ready for medical training, which means that once you’re accepted into a SMP, the odds are very good you’ll eventually get into medical school.

Several programs cater to the lower end of the GPA/MCAT spectrum:

• East Virginia Medical School M.S. in Biomedical Sciences: In the past five years, 90% of students have been accepted to med school after completion of EVMS’ program. The program runs for two semesters; the majority of courses are taught by faculty in the medical school. They require at least a 2.75 GPA and a 27 on your MCAT. They recommend applying by April, but applications are accepted through May.

• The Virginia Commonwealth University: Pre-Medical Basic Health Certificate Program: Graduates completing the program with a 3.5 GPA/28 MCAT are guaranteed an interview at VCU School of Medicine. They require a 3.0 GPA and 25 MCAT for admission, and applications are accepted until July 1st.

• Drexel’s Medical Science Program (MSP): The year-long MSP offers graduate-level biological science coursework, formal MCAT preparation, community outreach, and undergraduate review courses in chemistry, physics, and organic chemistry. A 3.0 GPA and either a 17 on the MCAT or 70th percentile on the GRE is required for entry to the program. Success in the program guarantees admission to Drexel’s Masters of Biological Science or the IMS course.

• Drexel’s Interdepartmental Medical Science (IMS) Program: Students spend 18 months in first-year medical school classes. Successful completion of their coursework enables them to continue on for another year to earn the MS of Medical Science. They are also guaranteed an interview at the Drexel School of Medicine. Applications are accepted year-round; a 3.0 GPA and an MCAT score of 27 or better is required.

Because SMPs have a reputation as a more certain path to medical school, they can be quite competitive. If you are still determined to be a physician but don’t have the GPA to get into a program, there’s one more route available.

GPA bump followed by an SMP. This method is a bit circuitous, but it does work. First, you need to get your GPA up – a year of good grades in upper-level science courses might be enough to get you up to a 3.0. At that point, you can apply to an SMP with strong links to a medical school. This will take you a minimum two years, which might not seem appealing at this point. However, look upon it as a way to build your confidence and shore up the science and study skills that will enable you to excel in medical school.

Boosting your GPA is likely to test your resolve to be a doctor. The next year(s) won’t be quick or easy, and you may question whether the effort is even worth it. You might find it’s not, and that is fine – there are many other worthwhile careers you can pursue. But if you keep your eyes on the prize, then in all likelihood you’ll be wearing a white coat someday.

Next, we’ll look at some of the other concrete steps you can take to improve your profile – and your chances of succeeding in medical school. Still have questions? Contact Accepted.com to see how our admissions.







Cydney Foote By , Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

 

Filed Under: Medical School Admissions Tagged With: , , ,

Improve Your MCAT Score for Medical School Acceptance

May 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
MCAT Prep.

It’s a good idea not only to focus on what you’re studying but how you’re studying.

In the next section of our Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success series, we’ll move from increasing your GPA to improving your MCAT score.

Fortunately, it’s easier to tackle a poor MCAT score than a poor GPA. While you should not retake the exam too many times (don’t bother retaking if you’ve scored above a 30), a better-prepared second or possibly third attempt can be a sound strategy.

Many people find that studying independently or with a group of friends works well. Reviewing your old class notes and introductory tests provides the most solid basis for your test preparation. Scrutinizing old tests remains one of the best ways to identify the areas where you’re weak. And, as Baylor College of Medicine recommends, practice the test questions “until they come out of your ears.”

There are numerous resources available for self-study. The AAMC should be both your first and last stop. Focusing on their practice tests, both at the start of your study and again in the weeks leading up to the exam, can put you in the right frame of mind. Alongside the AAMC guides, the Princeton Review comes highly recommended for studying the physical section, while Examkrackers tops the list for both the verbal reasoning and biological sections. (Note that a new optional trial section has replaced the writing component as of January 2013.)

For some people, professional test prep services can give their MCAT preparation a jump start. Taking an MCAT prep class doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a good score – you get out of them what you put in – but they can help by providing structure and keeping test-takers focused and on track. They can also really force you to tackle head-on those areas you’d rather avoid.

Whichever method you prefer, your goals in preparing for the MCAT should be to:

1. Understand why you got each wrong answer. If you understand the material, you may be having issues with the format of the question, and this is something you need to straighten out before test day.
2. Be able to choose right answers even when you don’t know the material. It’s unlikely that you can answer every question, but a keen test taker can read clues in the question that help narrow down the possible answers.
3. Finish every question in your timed practice tests with at least five minutes to spare.

And it’s a good idea not only to focus on what you’re studying but how you’re studying. Your university most likely has a wealth of information on study habits, like these helpful handouts from Princeton University, while sites like Lifehacker collect information about topics such as managing stress and establishing routines. Better time management and more effective study habits will help you not just on this exam but in your later studies.

If you identified test anxiety as one of your obstacles, then you have to address this before tackling the MCAT a second (or third) time. Exercise, breathing techniques and yoga can help alleviate stress for some people; other test-takers might benefit from addressing learning disorders and engaging in psychotherapy, as the Mayo Clinic suggests. College counseling centers, like the University of Washington’s, even offer biofeedback training as an option to combat test anxiety. And putting the books away and relaxing the day before seems to be a pretty standard ingredient for success. But only you can know what works best for you.

So how will you know when you’re ready to retake the MCAT? Again, this is a question that only you can answer, based on your performance in practice tests and your confidence levels. But try to sign up for an early exam so you can get your application to AMCAS in June. By counting backwards from your test date, you’ll be able to determine how much time you have to study, and what arrangements you’ll need to make to be as prepared as you possibly can be. (Some people consider studying for the MCAT a full-time job. This is great if it helps you get in the mindset of intense study, but try to maintain a good work-life balance or you’ll be miserable. If you manage your time well, you’ll also be able to eat healthy meals, exercise, pursue some semblance of a social life, and even sleep!)

In the end, there is no magic formula that guarantees MCAT success. Nonetheless, knowing yourself, including your study habits and needs, will go a long way toward building your confidence.

Next we’ll look at ways your experiences section can be strengthened. If you’d like to know more about formulating a study schedule and sticking to it, our Accepted.com editors would be happy to help. 







Cydney Foote By , Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

 

Filed Under: Medical School Admissions Tagged With: , , ,

Presenting Yourself to Medical Schools: Other Communications

May 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Med School MazeIn the last part of our Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success series we discussed the importance of assessing your dinged application, especially your personal statement. Today we’ll talk about other opportunities for you to shine – not through the personal statement, but through secondary essays and interviews.

With the multi-staged admissions process, applicants can make an impact at each step – or be weeded out. Your assessment continues by looking at other ways you communicated with the admissions committee, and whether or not they helped you past the next hurdle.

Secondaries: Your secondary essays go beyond the initial introduction and flesh out your application. The questions asked will generally give you a good indication of what the program values. In your review, you need to determine how well the information you provided demonstrates your fit with the values and offerings at that particular program.

• Did you answer the particular questions asked?
• Did your secondary essays offer a new or deeper look at your activities rather than regurgitating your personal statement? Viewed alongside your initial application, do they create a consistent but broader profile or is there a significant divergence from what was presented before?
• Did you research each school to see what made it unique? Did you bring this information into your answers, even if it was not specifically asked?
• If you recycled secondary essays from another program, did you tailor it to fit the new program? And did you make sure to use the right school name?
• Did you integrate their particular strengths and offerings into your skill set and interests?
• Did you return the secondaries in a timely manner?
• Were your secondaries free of typos and grammatical errors?

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, your secondary essays are probably not the source of your rejection. But if you aren’t confident of your answers, this is an area that you should note for your reapplication. Another sign of a problem is being invited to fill out a secondary essay, but not being invited to interview. This is a natural “weeding out” that happens throughout the season, but it indicates that your secondary essays need more punch to move to the next stage.

Interviews: If you were invited to interview at a number of schools, but didn’t receive any acceptances, it’s a pretty good signal that your interview skills need a polish.

• Do you think you practiced enough? Were you comfortable talking about yourself?
• Were you exceptionally nervous at the interview or did you feel at ease? If you were nervous, was it your first interview? If not, was there anything in particular that triggered your nervousness?
• Could you speak credibly about each program and did you know what made each one unique? Were you able to explain why you wanted to attend each program?
• If you had a multiple mini-interview, were you prepared for the format?
• Were there any questions that stumped you? Did you address these either in your thank you notes or in later communications with the program?

If you didn’t get any interviews, you should examine the issues in the sections above – you’re likely to find clues that explain your rejection there.

Finally, there are two remaining issues that have can significantly affect your application success:

Timing: Applying late might not be the only concern in your application, but your chance of admission declines as the season goes on. Those who start the process early tend to have much better results.

• Did you register with the AAMC and/or the AACOM in May and submit your application in June?
• Did you line up your recommenders early? Did you follow up to make sure they sent their recommendations in a timely manner?
• Did you take the MCAT early? Were your scores available when you submitted?
• Did you return your secondary essays in a timely manner?
• After an interview, did you send promptly thank you notes expressing your interest?

Answering “no” to any of these questions could signal a problem. Although some extremely competitive applicants do manage to secure acceptances late in the season, many more are “held,” wait-listed, or just rejected. Those who do apply later must face a larger applicant pool competing for fewer interview slots and, in many cases, fewer seats in medical school.

School Choices: It should go without saying that you need to make sure you meet each program’s admission requirements. But there are other issues to examine:

• How many medical schools did you select?
• Did you choose a spread of schools, including programs both above and below where you think you might be competitive?
• Were your state’s medical schools included in your list?
• Above all, did you consider your fit at these programs or did you just choose schools out of the blue?

The average med school applicant submits applications to 14 programs. Some submit fewer applications – if, for instance, they will only consider a particular geographic area – while some submit 30+. Highly competitive applicants can target fewer schools, but if your profile is less competitive, the number of schools should be higher.

How do you know where you’re competitive? Your basic stats are a good indication. Being within 2-3 points of a program’s mean indicates that you are a strong contender for that program – in other words, if a school’s mean GPA is 3.5, a 3.2 GPA with a strong MCAT score can be competitive. While it’s fine to deviate with a few “reach” schools, these should not make up the majority of your choices.

Also take a look at the percentage of applications accepted. Oklahoma State University accepts one in every 5 applications; Mayo and GWU accept one in 50. If all your chosen schools have a low acceptance rate, your profile will have to be much better than average.

Beyond your chosen program’s requirements, it’s also important to look at their admission preferences. Did you choose a lot of public programs in other states? Many state schools accept only a handful of out-of-state applicants. (And if your state’s medical schools aren’t on your list, this is a serious omission.)

Finally, take a good, hard look at your list of schools. Do you know something about each of them? Are these places you’d really like to attend? If you’ve completed the secondaries for each school and still can’t answer “yes” to these questions, that is a problem – one you can rectify when you reapply.

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of any missteps in your application. Unfortunately, addressing them is rarely a fast process. Often it takes years. Many people, fearing the time is ticking away, get impatient and reapply before they’re ready. Nine out of ten times, this backfires.

Instead, reapply when you are at your strongest. This will take time, but now that you have a good idea of where you went wrong, you’ll be able to focus your energies, enhance your profile, and ultimately submit a successful application.

In the next post, I’ll show you how to enhance your profile. If you want to improve your chances even more, take advantage of Accepted.com’s application review service to get a tailored assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.








Cydney Foote

By , Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

Filed Under: Medical School Admissions Tagged With: , , , ,

Presenting Yourself to Medical Schools: Your Primary Application

April 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

med

In Part 1 of our Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success series we talked about taking a step back and reevaluating your desire to go to med school, as well as your qualifications and skill. Today we’ll move on to assessing your application to determine what went wrong.

The second part of your assessment will examine how you presented yourself to the admissions committees. Keep in mind that these aspects of your application are necessarily subjective – there are often no right or wrong answers – but they should be subjected to the same rigorous critique as the previous section. Unlike your MCAT scores or grades, however, applicants have a lot of control over the elements in this section. Did you take full advantage of this to show yourself in the best light? This question is especially relevant when we look at the written portion of your application.

I find the accuracy of an assessment improves when it’s distinct from the remedies. This kind of critical review is not for the faint of heart. Chances are, you poured your hopes and dreams into your application the first time around. Figuring out where you went wrong is painful. For this reason, we’re not going to examine how to address your weaknesses just yet. That will come in future sections. For now, let’s focus on how the admissions committee saw you, based on your interactions.

Personal Statement: There’s no doubt that personal statements are highly subjective – what works for one reader might not work for the next. Nonetheless, it’s important to ask whether, in your honest opinion, you’ve presented the strongest possible personal statement.

• Was it enjoyable and interesting to read? If you were reading this about another person, would they come across strong? Would this be someone you might want as your physician?
• Did your essay begin with a strong lead paragraph that inspired the reader to continue?
• Did it tell a compelling story and describe your experiences instead of just listing what you’d done? Did you support claims about your abilities with anecdotal evidence?
• Did the essay focus on you rather than your projects or mentors?
• Did your stories demonstrate the key qualities desired in medical students: commitment, compassion, leadership, curiosity, critical thinking, maturity, etc.?
• Were there any typos or grammatical errors?
• Did you have anyone else review it for content and style before submission?

Whether you’re a first-rate candidate or a borderline student, your personal statement will make an impression on the med school admissions committee. If you can’t answer “yes” to all the above questions, that impression might not be the one you want.

Experiences: The experiences you choose to include in this section must reflect that you are a multi-dimensional person – one with the passion, curiosity, and integrity to excel in medical school. The experiences section is your chance to include any aspects of your background where you made an impact and showed your commitment.

• Did the activities you described reflect a breadth of activities and intellectual pursuits?
• Did you focus on your responsibilities rather than just describing the experience?
• Did you identify what impact you had on each organization/project?
• Did you identify why each experience affected your commitment to enter medicine?
• How did you justify the choice of your most meaningful experiences? Were your longer essays personal and authentic?
• When writing about the experiences in your primary essay, did you provide additional details rather than repeating information?

The AMCAS application only allows 700 characters to describe each activity, while the AACOM allows 750 characters. Cramming relevant, compelling information into these shorter essays can be awfully challenging. In your review, you need to examine whether you made each character count.

Letters of Recommendation: Although not technically how you represent yourself, recommendation letters are an extremely important part of the application process and your challenge is to find faculty members who can write a compelling letter.

• Did you select recommenders who know you well, preferably beyond the classroom?
• Did your chosen recommenders represent different areas of your life to reflect your diverse pursuits?
• Did you supply them with your CV or a list of activities so they have a better idea of your pursuits?
• Did you advise them of any areas that you specifically wanted them to address to balance the rest of your application?
• If you were asked to write your own recommendation, did you do so in a timely manner so they would have time for edits?
• Did you provide each recommender with clear instructions about submitting them to either the AMCAS Letters service or for the AACOM?

You might be feeling a bit fragile after such a critical review. If so, you’re doing it right. This exercise demands that you be ruthless and identify every potential flaw. Your ego might not like it, but you will when you have a clear roadmap to address your weaknesses.

Next post looks at the next hurdles in the admissions process, and how well you cleared them.

If you feel like you need another pair of eyes on your application, take advantage of Accepted.com’s review service to get a tailored assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.







Cydney Foote

By , Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

Filed Under: Medical School Admissions Tagged With: , ,

Reapplying to Med School: Evaluating Your Medical School Profile

April 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Rejected. What's Next?

This is the first blog post in our new series, Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success. 

Hopefully by now, you have your acceptance in hand and are gearing up for Fall. If so, then congratulations and good luck!

But what if all you’ve received are rejections?

To start with, know you’re not alone. Last year, only 43% of applicants made the cut. And although the number of available places has increased slightly (by 1.5%, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges), it hasn’t matched the pace of applications, which were up 3.1% from 2011.

So what’s your next step, now that you won’t be starting med school?

Next Step

Use this time to reevaluate your commitment to being a doctor. The ache of rejection might cloud your immediate judgment, but do your best to project yourself into the future. Do you still envision yourself as a doctor? Have any of your reasons for pursuing medicine changed? If so, then how? Are there other paths that appeal to you – do you think you could find happiness and fulfillment in another profession?

For many people, the process of applying for medical school is the first time they have critically examined their desire to be a doctor. Sometimes the answer is surprising. There’s no shame in deciding that medicine might not be right for you – there is a myriad of other options, either in healthcare or other fields. But it is vital that you know whether getting rejected is merely a setback or a watershed.

Evaluate Your Application

Assuming that your commitment remains strong, it’s time to take a good, hard look at your application. It would be misleading to say this process is an easy one. But what I’d like to do, in this post and the following ones, is break it down into manageable parts that will help you identify your weaknesses and strengthen your next application. In future posts, we’ll look at how your profile appeared to the admissions committee and the concrete steps you can take to address your weaknesses. But first, we’ll take a look at your fundamental profile and see how it stacks up against successful applicants.

Academic record and GPA: Is your GPA competitive? Does your transcript reflect a breadth of interests (humanities, social science and foreign language classes as well as sciences)? And if you had difficulties, were they early in your college career – did your grades show an upward trend?

Time and again, medical schools say that students should not be obsessed with perfect grades. This statement is hard to swallow when applicants’ GPAs keep rising. In 2012, the mean GPA for applicants was 3.54; for matriculants, it was 3.68. Of course, not everyone who got in had these grades – there’s always a range above and below. However, it does suggest that the applicant pool is getting more competitive. If your GPA doesn’t fall within .2-.3 points, you should consider ways to improve your grades.

Mistakes linger and it’s hard to fix your GPA after the fact, but there are some concrete steps you can take – more on that in the third post.

MCAT: In 2012, the mean MCAT score for all applicants was 28.3; for matriculants, it was 31.7. Obviously there is a spread of scores on both sides of these numbers, but if you’re more than a couple of points below, this could be a problem in your profile.

If you scored lower than expected, you should also assess what went wrong. Were you unprepared for the questions that were asked? Did any particular areas give you trouble? If so, you should question your study practices and take additional steps to prepare. On the other hand, if you scored significantly higher on practice tests or ran out of time, it could signal test anxiety – a not-uncommon affliction. It’s not unusual to be nervous the first time you sit the exam, it’s an unusual situation after all, but if you feel that your nervousness was extreme and impaired your performance, it’s likely to be something you should address.

Keep in mind that a good MCAT score can help mitigate a lower GPA, and vice versa, but a significant discrepancy between the two can signal a problem. A 32 with a 3.5 is better than a 25 with a 4.0 or a 37 with a 2.8.

Clinical experience: Medical schools look for a working knowledge of the health professions as demonstrated through volunteering or shadowing. Too many applicants present an impressive list of accomplishments, but lack any serious engagement in the healthcare field. You’ve got to demonstrate that you understand the realities of the profession, that you are service-minded, and that you’re committed to practicing medicine.

But all positions are not equal. Commitment and quality, exhibited through substantive, longer term experiences, hold more value than a series of short-term shadowing opportunities. At least two substantive experiences are recommended to demonstrate commitment and interest. If you have less, this is definitely an area that you can improve.

Research experience: Some medical schools value research more than others; clinical volunteer work and community service are enough for others. But as the applicant pool grows more selective, research has gone from being a way to distinguish applicants to a more basic part of a well-rounded application. If you left this section blank on the AMCAS, it’s worth revisiting, perhaps through a master’s degree.

Leadership and public service: As important as grades are, the successful med school candidate needs to balance good grades with leadership and service positions outside the classroom. The range of acceptable activities is endless, so it’s important to seek out something that you enjoy. Together, these experiences demonstrate a commitment to serving others and an appreciation of human connections – one that ultimately reflects the human dimension of medicine.

Medical schools have always been competitive, but as they become ever more selective, it’s critical that you present the strongest application you can. Honestly assessing your application is your first step to improving your chances next year.

In the next post, we’ll look at the second part of your application – how you present your experiences to the admissions committee.







Cydney Foote

By , Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

Filed Under: Medical School Admissions Tagged With: , ,

Rejected MBA’s: Now What?

February 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
B-School Rejection

Rejected? You have four options…

You just received your final rejection letter.  You have four options. You can:

a)      Mope and sulk.

b)      Decide you don’t need or want an MBA.

c)      Reapply next year.

d)     All of the above.

Listen, we’re not going to deprive you of your right to be bitter about rejection. Do what you need to do, but then please try and get over it so you can start making decisions and being productive.

Once you’ve calmed down, we recommend that you objectively (to the best of your ability) analyze your profile based on the programs you applied to: Were your qualifications competitive at those programs? If you were qualified, then did you do something wrong in your MBA application?

If after you coolly analyze your application you conclude that you simply shot too high, then I encourage you to consider MBA programs that are ranked lower than those you already applied to. If you only applied to top ten schools, broaden your scope. Look at programs in the top 30 range instead. Are any of these programs strong in your area of interest? Will they support your MBA goals? Are they well respected where you plan on living and working? If yes, then perhaps you should submit applications to the best of these schools (best for YOU, that is) during the next rounds of this application season.

If you happen to be reading this in the future, like after a round 1 or 2 rejection, realize that schools outside the top 10 understand and expect that exceptional students will be applying to their programs in later rounds after being dinged at other top schools. Later admissions rounds exist for a reason: to offer competitive qualified applicants a chance at acceptance late in the game. Don’t let the number 3 or even 4 scare you off!

If, however, you are reading this post after the late round deadlines or you simply have your heart set on attending one of the programs that dinged you, and are not willing to consider applying to any others, then I say save your time and money and jump straight to your reapplication effort.  Focus on what you need to change in your application to also change the outcome.

Not sure if you can objectively analyze your application and qualifications? Invest in an Accepted.com Application Review and have an experienced professional evaluate your application and provide advice on what steps to take next.

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Spotlight On You MBA Admissions Q&A Available Online

December 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
MBA Q&A

“Spotlight On You” MBA Q&A

Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent Spotlight On You MBA Q&A, an open forum during which Linda touched on a wide range of topics. Here are some snippets from Linda’s responses that we thought you’d enjoy.

  • 1-Year Programs vs. 2-Year Programs

“In general, for career changers, internships really, really facilitate that career change. Now, if you take, let’s say, INSEAD’s one-year program and you start it in January, there is time for a six-week internship in the middle of that program. So it also depends on how the program is structured whether you can get that internship in…So an internship is very important for career changers, but I’ve interviewed many of the European one-year programs in particular, and they say that they facilitate career change just like two-year programs do, just with much lower opportunity cost, and I think lower tuition cost also.”

  • Older Applicants

“First of all, when we talk about older applicants, realize that most MBA programs, there are some differences among the programs, Stanford tends a little big younger, for example, Kellogg, INSEAD, IMD tend to older. So you want to look at the school’s average amount of work experience in particular and average age of matriculation and see what the range is, especially, again, that 80% range…If you’re above the 80% range, then you are getting in that area of experience–it’s more experience level than age – where the schools will question whether you can benefit from the program and benefit from the career placement.
…If you really want the traditional MBA program, then one thing you can do is let the school know that while you need the education provided by the MBA, you have the career contacts and connections to get a job afterwards or maybe you even already have a job…The other thing you can do is apply to programs that are friendlier to older applicants and more experienced applicants. Apply to those programs that have higher average ages of matriculation because those program tend to value experience more.

See if those programs, which are aimed at older applicants…may just be a much, much better fit for you. You would be taking classes with people at your level of experience who it would be easier for you to learn from. The classes would be geared for people at your more experienced applicants and you would simply belong much better.”

  • Jargon in Essays

“In general, you want to minimize use of technical jargon…So if your mother understands it, it’s probably okay for a general audience. But if your mother is technically minded, then try your grandmother or your aunt or your father or somebody who is not technically minded and see if the jargon is such that they understand it or don’t. If they don’t…you should get rid of it… You want to talk in terms that your reader will understand…if you can’t express it without jargon or without very technical terms that lay people are unlikely to understand, then my suspicion is that you are writing an essay that is not going to be effective in a business school context because you’re talking about technical achievements, and not the kind of leadership management, teamwork skills that business schools value. So big warning there on jargon.”

  • Reapplicants

“If it didn’t work last time, you have very little reason to believe it will work this time….No, reapplicants are not at a disadvantage as long as they can show improvement and growth since their last application. In general, reapplicants are actually at a slight advantage provided they can show growth and improvement in their applications.”

Read the rest of the Spotlight On You MBA Q&A transcript or listen to the MP3 audio file for more info on choosing schools, mitigating weaknesses, displaying leadership experiences, and much more!

To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast.


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Rejected MBAs: Now What?

July 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Rejected to B-School


You just received your final rejection letter. You have four options.

You just received your final rejection letter.  You have four options. You can:

a)      Mope and sulk.

b)      Decide you don’t need or want an MBA.

c)      Reapply next year.

d)     All of the above.

Listen, we’re not going to deprive you of your right to be bitter about rejection. Do what you need to do, but then please try and get over it so you can start making decisions and being productive.

Once you’ve calmed down, we recommend that you objectively (to the best of your ability) analyze your profile based on the programs you applied to: Were your qualifications competitive at those programs? If you were qualified, then did you do something wrong in your MBA application?

If after you coolly analyze your application you conclude that you simply shot too high, then I encourage you to consider MBA programs that are ranked lower than those you already applied to. If you only applied to top ten schools, broaden your scope. Look at programs in the top 30 range instead. Are any of these programs strong in your area of interest? Will they support your MBA goals? Are they well respected where you plan on living and working? If yes, then perhaps you should submit applications to the best of these schools (best for YOU, that is) during the next rounds of this application season.

If you happen to be reading this in the future, like after a round 1 or 2 rejection, realize that schools outside the top 10 understand and expect that exceptional students will be applying to their programs in later rounds after being dinged at other top schools. Later admissions rounds exist for a reason: to offer competitive qualified applicants a chance at acceptance late in the game. Don’t let the number 3 or even 4 scare you off!

If, however, you are reading this post after the late round deadlines or you simply have your heart set on attending one of the programs that dinged you, and are not willing to consider applying to any others, then I say save your time and money and jump straight to your reapplication effort.  Focus on what you need to change in your application to also change the outcome.

Not sure if you can objectively analyze your application and qualifications? Invest in an Accepted.com Application Review and have an experienced professional evaluate your application and provide advice on what steps to take next.

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I Was Accepted…But Can I Do Better?

June 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you relate to any of the following scenarios, then this article is for you:

“I was accepted Early Decision at Columbia, but am considering losing my deposit and applying to Harvard next year because ED admissions at Columbia probably means I can get into HBS.”

 Or…

 ”I have been accepted to NYU Stern, but am thinking about rejecting NYU and applying to Wharton next year – I had been waitlisted and then rejected from Wharton this year.”

 Or…

 ”I have been accepted to MIT, but prefer Stanford because of the better brand.”

Here are my thoughts on the above situations:

  1. If the top school that accepted you supports your career goals and provides an educational environment that you’re comfortable with (and it should, otherwise why would you have applied there in the first place?), then I’d say, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. You should be thrilled with your acceptance at Columbia, NYU, or MIT, and attend!
  2. Don’t assume that you’ll get accepted to another elite school (H/W/S) simply because you received another an at a top school, even an Early Decision acceptance at Columbia. The adcoms won’t be checking with the other schools to see where you were admitted; admissions decisions are independent events, so don’t draw conclusions from unrelated circumstances.
  3. Now, taking 1 and 2 into account here, there is something to be said for not giving up hope on your dream school. NYU Stern is truly a fantastic school, and it may even be fantastic for you. But if your heart is set on Wharton and you can’t get that nagging “What if?” question out of your mind, then you may decide to reject your NYU offer and try again for Wharton next year. I personally wouldn’t do it, but they’re YOUR dreams.

Here are some other reasons why you may decide to request a deferral or reject an offer from a top b-school:

  • Personal circumstances: There’s a major illness in your family or you have an elderly parent who needs you close by, for example.
  • A relationship: Your significant other will be attending a one-year program in your hometown, so you will defer for a year so you can stay together.
  • A change in your goals: Since you applied, you’ve done some serious soul searching and/or have had some new developments on the career front that make the right school choices then no longer the right choices for now. This is not so common, but if you find yourself in this scenario, then you should reject your offer and start from scratch next round or next year with a fresh list of programs.

Deferral tip: Schools really hate to give deferrals. If you wish to defer and are serious about attending the program the following year, offer to pay a large deposit that will go towards your tuition upon matriculation and be lost if you decide not to attend.

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MBA Admissions A-Z: K is for the 4 Keys of Reapplying to B-School

April 4, 2012 by

Letter KShould you reapply to business school? Which programs should you apply to? And when? The following tips will help you answer these questions to determine if MBA reapplication is the right decision for you.

  1. Analyze your profile. Were you really qualified for the programs that you applied to? Were your test scores really high enough? Did you have enough work experience or extracurricular activities to showcase?
  2. Evaluate your application. This is easier said than done; it’s hard to objectively judge something that you’ve put your heart and soul into. But it needs to be done. Did you present your qualifications in the best light? Were your application essays well written and persuasive? Did you interview well? If these aspects of your application were okay, then what went wrong? If you’re lucky enough to receive application feedback from the school(s) that dinged you, then you should review and internalize that feedback carefully. If you plan on reapplying, this information is crucial.
  3. Examine your school choices. Did you apply to programs based on your post-MBA goals and qualifications? Did you aim too high? Or is it possible that you were qualified for these programs but that you didn’t properly establish “fit”? Did you focus too heavily on rankings and brand instead of on whether your target school was actually an appropriate target for YOU?
  4. Determine if you applied at the right time. For some top MBA programs, the earlier you apply the better. It could be that spots for students with your background and/or qualifications had already filled up by the time you applied.

Once you’ve critically evaluated each of the above points, you’re ready to answer the big question: Should you reapply? If you can fix what went wrong in the above items, then a future acceptance may be in your future. Can you improve your profile? Can you create a better MBA application? Can you choose schools that best reflect your needs and wants? And finally, can you submit Round 1 to further increase your chances of acceptance?

Completing the thinking/analyzing part of the reapplication process may be tough, but one thing is certain: It’ll make reapplying next year go much, much smoother if you lay the groundwork now.

To access an objective, knowledgeable MBA admissions expert to evaluate your qualifications and your dinged application, please consider Accepted’s MBA Application Review.









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