Your med school application is your sales pitch. If after reading your application, the adcom isn’t interested in hearing more from you, then you haven’t done an adequate job selling yourself.
There are FOUR things you need to reveal in your application if you want to convince the admissions committee that you understand the foundations of a strong med school application and that you’re worth investing in.
In your medical school application you MUST show that:
1. You can do the work.
High test scores, a solid transcript, and a good sampling of clinical work/research will prove to the adcom that you’ve got the brains and the know-how to succeed.
2. You share the mission of the school.
You must show your commitment to diversity, to working in underserved communities, to holistic healing, to osteopathy, etc. – if your target school focuses on any of the above (or other areas), then it would do your application good to indicate that those factors are important to you as well.
3. You will make a good physician.
Your letters of recommendation will come into play here. You need strong voices to vouch for your abilities and passion to become a physician. The more experience you have in the field here, the better.
4. You will contribute to your school community and medical profession.
A foundation of admissions is the belief that “Past behavior predicts future behavior.” Schools want to admit students who will be active participants in their community, and alumni who will make them proud. Show that you have been active in the past and that you have revealed the qualities medical schools value to persuade them you have what they seek.
If you’ve been involved in extracurriculars, contributed to your school or local community, and/or volunteered, then you’ll want to include this information in your application. Similarly, if you’ve participated in important medical research and can show that you’re passionate about continuing to contribute to medical advancements, then this should be explained in your app as well.
If your pitch is weak in even ONE of the above four areas, then it’s likely that the adcom readers will turn you down and move on to the next applicant on their list.
Do you need help strengthening your pitch? Check out our medical school admissions services.
Related Resources:
• Med School Rankings & Numbers: What You Must Know
• 5 Reasons Why Med Applicants Should Volunteer
• Med School Student Interviews
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