The previous posts have focused on identifying problem areas in your application and offering ideas to help you address them. You might be feeling a bit fragile after such a critical review – if so, then you’re doing it right. This exercise demands that you be ruthless and identify every potential flaw. Your ego might…
How to Improve Your Experiences for Your Med School Reapplication
In this section of our Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success series, we’ll discuss how reapplicants can improve their service experiences. Another factor that can seriously hurt your chances is a lack of substantive, ongoing service experiences, both clinical and non-clinical. Medical schools want students who are passionate and committed – to the…
Improve Your MCAT Score for Medical School Acceptance
Fortunately, it’s easier to tackle a poor MCAT score than a poor GPA. While you should not retake the exam too many times, a better-prepared second or even 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…
It’s a Match
Each year on Match Day, thousands of medical school students and graduates learn where they will receive their specialty training. This year’s Main Residency Match took place on Friday, March 18th. And with events at many medical schools – many of them in-person this year! – it was a cause for celebration for many participants…
Boost Your GPA for Medical School Acceptance
In our last post, we talked about how to assess your application weaknesses. If you’re feeling a bit fragile now, that’s to be expected – you’ve just undergone a pretty brutal review of your application! But the admissions committee is scrutinizing submissions with the same critical eye. Anticipating the problems so you can correct them…
Reapplying to Med School: Evaluating Your Medical School Profile
What should you do if you applied to med school and all you’ve received are rejections? You knew there was a possibility that this would happen, but that doesn’t erase the sting. What can you do now? How can you move forward? To start with, know you’re not alone. In the 2021 application cycle, only…
Tips for Applicants With a Low MCAT Score
Medical school applicants (or any other professional school applicant) must assess their credentials realistically to present themselves in the best possible way during the application process. Since applicants are evaluated based on specific quantitative criteria (primarily undergraduate GPA and MCAT scores) and non-quantitative criteria (research and clinical exposure, leadership skills, mentoring experiences), as well as…
AMCAS Traffic Rules: How to Use the “Choose Your Medical School” Tool
Everyone is probably aware that this is an “unprecedented time” for medical school applications. With applicant numbers at an all-time high, admissions staff working remotely, and interview dates stretching into the spring and possibly later, this application season has been like nothing we’ve seen before. But there is one constant in the application process –…
Get a Head Start on Your Med School Secondaries
Right now, most premeds are counting down the days until May 28th, when the 2021 AMCAS application will open. After you put the final touches on your application and click “submit,” how do you plan to spend your time? Rewatching all nine seasons of The Office on Netflix Perfecting your indoor hoops game Finishing that…
Med School Admissions: Challenges and Solutions for Older Applicants
“You’re going back to medical school? Why would you do that? Are you crazy?” Hopefully most people won’t react so strongly to your decision, but the question is probably still on their minds. And similar reservations are bound to pop into the heads of medical school admissions committee members reviewing your application. While the experiences…
Can You Submit Your AMCAS Application BEFORE Taking the MCAT?
It’s risky to apply to med school before taking or retaking the MCAT for a few reasons: 1. Applying to med school is expensive and time intensive. It’s hard to know where you might be a competitive applicant if you don’t know how your scores compare to other students at a school. Your practice scores…
6 Tips to Improve Your AMCAS Application Activities Section
It’s almost summer, and for me that means barbecues on the deck, specifically with the company of friends. I was recently enjoying a cook-out at one friend’s home in particular, and gracious as my hosts were, I felt a bit daunted by the huge piece of steak that filled my plate, accompanied by a small…
How to Use Your Research Background to Get into Medical School
You’ve always been great at science and figured your research – whether in college, grad school, or professionally – would help you get into medical school. Now you find it a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you probably aced the MCAT science sections. On the other, you may be viewed (rightly or not) as…
How to Get into Medical School for Non-Science Majors
Will your undergraduate degree in Music, English, or Economics put you at a disadvantage when the time comes to apply to medical school? Not at all! Medical schools want well-rounded students with the potential to become passionate, dedicated physicians, and following your heart into art or another non-science discipline can demonstrate that you have varied…
7 Medical School Acceptances: The Early Bird’s Story
Cydney Foote, one of Accepted’s most experienced medical school admissions consultants, worked with a client, Ben (not his real name). Ben started working on his personal statement in February and received medical school acceptances by October. He certainly had good grades and MCAT results, but he also actively maximized those assets by applying early. Read…
Med School Applicants: It’s Not Too Late to Interview!
As the medical school application season progresses, you might be getting anxious, especially if you haven’t gotten the response you want yet. Don’t be discouraged. While it is late, medical schools are still (and will be for some time) inviting applicants to interview. Here are a few things that you can do to maximize your…
Tips for Applicants With a Low MCAT Score (Part 2)
To learn more about your options without retaking the exam, check out Part 1 of this series. Your MCAT score is crucial to making it to the interview stage of the medical school application process. For those with low MCAT scores who want to attend a US allopathic medical school, the only real option is retaking…
3 Things to Watch for During Rotations
In the past, I’ve blogged about keeping a journal during your rotations. Here are three things you can watch for during your rotations that will get you in great shape for later: 1. Watch your attendings. What did your attending do today that struck you? This can be anything, from observing how they reacted to…
3 Tips for Requesting Residency Letters of Recommendation
Have you started collecting recommendation letters yet? The LoR Portal explains the process of submitting your letters to ERAS, but how can you ensure that you receive the strongest possible recommendation letter? 1. Ask as early as possible. Your recommenders are busy people, and you don’t want to wait until the last minute to add your request…
13 Postbac Program Recommendations
As the clock winds down for medical school admission decisions, many applicants are wondering what’s next. Post-baccalaureate programs can be a great way to strengthen a future application, as well as to take advantage of dedicated professional development opportunities. However, you’ll need to act fast if you hope to join a program this year. Here…