When looking for activities to include on your American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) or American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) application, shadowing/clinical observation is a powerful way to demonstrate your interest in and realistic knowledge of the medical field. Shadowing a breadth of different specialties in as much depth as …
by Marie Todd
The central theme of your essay doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering or particularly amazing, but it does need to be something that genuinely matters to you and will therefore convey key aspects of your character. Your theme might be something that engages you, something you’re interested in describing, or something you want to explore …
Law schools are still requiring that candidates take a standardized exam as part of the application process (at least for now). In the past, law school applicants had only one testing option – the LSAT – but a growing number of law schools now accept the GRE, too, including Harvard, Columbia, Yale, the University of …
by Marie Todd
In our post “A Stress-Free Brainstorming Plan for Your College Essays,” we outline the basic process of brainstorming to prepare for writing your college essays. In this post, we offer a more-detailed, “circular” method that can help you uncover additional ideas and stories. This circular method is also called “clustering.” To begin, write the essay …
by Marie Todd
A valuable first step in devising a writing plan for your college essays is identifying the attributes that are most important to your target schools, which you can glean from their websites and promotional materials. If you have not already done so, download the current Common App essay questions, as well as any supplemental essay …
by Cydney Foote
Each year, I talk to at least one applicant who says they don’t want their ethnic or racial identity to be part of their medical school application. Their hesitation usually stems from a desire to be judged purely upon their merits. This is a noble principle that I respect. However, from the general perspective of …
Most people know that law schools utilize rolling admissions, but it’s not always clear what that means in terms of an ideal application timeline. There’s the “hard” deadline, which means the school literally won’t accept your application after that date. But an ideal deadline is often much earlier – even months earlier. That’s because many …
If you are applying to allopathic medical schools, the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) online database is an invaluable resource. Created by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the MSAR is a comprehensive guide of all MD-granting, Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)–accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada. Applicants can use …
by Mary Mahoney
A 2018 study published in MedEdPublish reveals that medical students who reported having physician parents or grandparents were less likely to express intentions to practice medicine among the underserved. If you have a parent who is a doctor, to gain admission to medical school, it’s vital to demonstrate that you really care about medicine and …
by Mary Mahoney
Once you file the AACOMAS application and choose your schools, the process is not yet over. You will start to receive secondary essay prompts for each school, often with a two-week deadline. Although some prompts are common and expected (e.g., “Explain your biggest challenge” or “Tell us about significant volunteer experience with a vulnerable population”), …
by Cydney Foote
The medical school application process is complex, with multiple steps and potential missteps around each corner. Because each medical school receives thousands of applications every year for a very limited number of seats, both first-time applicants and reapplicants must be extremely careful to avoid the eight most common mistakes that can result in rejections: 1. …
by Karin Ash
A master’s in electrical engineering is a versatile degree that can unlock diverse career opportunities in multiple industries and roles, including Who is the ideal candidate for an electrical engineering master’s degree? These programs seek applicants with a strong background in engineering, math, and physics. If you are coming from another discipline, consider taking some …
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