When premed students contact us about guiding them through the medical school application process, many of their questions are related to timing. “When should I…” is a frequent question-starter. While there is no one answer that applies to everyone, here are guidelines we use when advising our medical school applicant clients. The common thread throughout…
How Should I Prepare For Medical School in College? [Timeline]
Follow the guidelines below to create a winning medical school application! (If you are starting the process later than your first year of college, use this key to enable you to follow the advice below.) Freshman year Look for possible mentors. Volunteer. Explore Research. Maintain personal interests. Get your feet wet by shadowing. Click here…
What Do Medical Schools Look for in Applicants
Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel? Your undergrad career is coming to an end, and it’s time to start applying to med schools. Having done your research, you know where you’d like to apply. But what are med schools looking for in an applicant? Here are the 14 things that…
7 Tips for Matching at an Ob-Gyn Residency
One of the best things about being an Ob-Gyn is that you get to be both a surgeon and a primary care doctor. If you are having trouble choosing between these two areas, Ob-Gyn is the only specialty where you can do both. On the flip side, the hardest things about this specialty is that…
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips [2019 – 2020]
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine maintains a strong emphasis on integrating scientific innovation with patient care. Their “Genes to Society” curriculum moves medical students from a basic understanding of the human genome project all the way through risk, prevention, and disease outcomes. They also give students a grounding in public health, health policy and…
UCSF School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips [2019 – 2020]
“At UCSF, our mission is to advance health worldwide, and we are attracting some of the nation’s best and brightest students to help us achieve that goal. One of the reasons our students come to UCSF is to work in a culture of discovery and innovation.” The feeling that applicants often get from a UCSF…
Keck School of Medicine of USC Secondary Application Essay Tips [2019 – 2020]
“For more than a century, the doctors of the Keck School of Medicine of USC have cared for those of us who are most vulnerable. We accomplish this through excellence in research, clinical care and education.” The Keck School of Medicine of USC is one of the largest teaching centers in the United States, with…
Teamwork in Medical School Admissions: How to Show You’ve Got It
“Doctors save lives, but they can sometimes be insufferable know-it-alls who bully nurses and do not listen to patients.” – NY Times, GARDINER HARRIS, JULY 10, 2011 Why do medical schools value teamwork? When the Institute of Medicine published “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System” in 2000, medical schools were still training…
Practicing for Your Med School Interview: Conversation 101
Most applicants come away from their first med school interview saying, “that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” As in many areas of life, the anticipation of a stressful event can be worse than the event itself. Although many med schools work hard to make applicants feels relaxed, this doesn’t mean you…
UCSF School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips
“At UCSF, our mission is to advance health worldwide, and we are attracting some of the nation’s best and brightest students to help us achieve that goal. One of the reasons our students come to UCSF is to work in a culture of discovery and innovation.” The feeling that applicants often get from a UCSF…
The Benefits of Taking a Gap Year Before Medical School
A significant number of students are taking a year (or more) after college to improve their qualifications before applying to medical school. You might use this time to do research, retake the MCAT, or get clinical or other work experience. If your stats are on the low side, you might consider a postbac or MS…
Yale School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips
“The mission of Yale School of Medicine is to educate and inspire scholars and future leaders who will advance the practice of medicine and the biomedical sciences.” As a top ten research institution, Yale is not simply interested in training students to practice good medicine. They are searching for physician-scientists who will take medical knowledge…
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Secondary Application Essay Tips
“At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, we are dramatically advancing the art and science of medical care through an atmosphere of intense collaborative learning, social concern, and scholarly inquiry.” Icahn is known for its progressive stance towards education. They have an early admission program for sophomores in college, called the FlexMed Program,…
How Can Introverts (And Anyone Else) Do Well on the MMI?
The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) was designed at McMaster University in Canada to better evaluate an applicant’s interpersonal skills and predict performance in medical school. Like all other interviewers, MMI interviewers are looking for problem solving, communications skills, and the ability to listen to and respond to another person. The benefit of the MMI (to…
Allopathic vs. Osteopathic: Which Med School Program is Best for YOU?
Osteopathic (DO) schools approach medicine with a different toolbox than Allopathic (MD) schools, yet ultimately the training and opportunities for specialization are similar. In the past, DOs have had a harder time getting accepted to traditional residencies and even employment. Some osteopathic med students applied only to DO-specific residencies. However, as of July 2020, osteopathic…
Why Should I Consider Allied Health Careers?
If the road to medical school seems too long, or you have financial constraints that prevent you from applying, you might want to consider a career that offers many of the same experiences a physician can have, but without the extensive schooling. Weighing Your Options: Pros & Cons of Allied Health Careers While length of…
What to Expect After Medical School
For this section of our What to Expect After Medical School series, I’ll provide a brief run-down of what happens after you graduate from medical school. As you have probably realized by now, medicine requires a commitment to lifelong learning. There will always be new procedures, new medications, and new lab tests to learn about. Treatments we…
All You Need to Know About Residency Applications and Matching
You’re busy juggling med school and life, and if you don’t stay organized, one of those balls is going to come crashing down. Let’s take a look at what you need to do so you can stay focused, motivated, and completely on top of your juggling act. What are the Components of a Residency Application?…
What to Expect During Medical School
You’re about to embark on four years of learning, working, socializing, and then learning and working some more. The best way to prepare for the long road ahead is to know what to expect. This post will walk you through the various avenues of medical school education, from reviewing what and how you’ll learn to…
