Many parents of premeds want to offer support and encouragement when their adult children are applying to med school. But first, they need to understand what goes into this arduous and lengthy process.
Our popular workshop Parents of Premeds: Understanding the Med School Admissions Process and How YOU Can Help! is available for viewing online and provides a concise but thorough primer for parents on this very topic. Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted, led the workshop, in which she explains the foundations of a successful med school application, beyond one’s MCAT scores and GPA.
For example, in the video, Linda discusses the value of gap year programs, leadership and teamwork experience, clinical exposure (including physician shadowing), and community service in building an applicant’s profile. “Service is foundational for medicine,” Linda says. “Med schools want to see that commitment, as well as service to the disadvantaged and multicultural fluency.” With the average age of entering med students now 24, premeds have more time to pursue these formative experiences, which give them the opportunity to demonstrate impact. They also gain important insights about themselves and their career goals.
The AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS applications offer space for candidates to reveal the kind of self-awareness and maturity that are required for future physicians and which they will have developed through their leadership and teamwork experiences.
“These applications ask applicants to list various activities they have participated in. Each element can reveal a different piece of the applicant’s story and show the fitness to be a doctor that schools are looking for,” Linda explains.
She cautions parents to temper their enthusiasm to help their adult children with their med school applications. Too many offers of help, or the wrong kind of help, could unintentionally create friction in the relationship, adding stress to an already stressful process. But there are ways to smooth this path. “If your kids ask for your input, offer it in a constructive, positive way,” Linda counsels. “Never nag about any aspect of their application. It’s completely counterproductive. To ensure your applicant is following ‘best practices,’ it can be helpful to offer to pay for guidance from an experienced med school admissions consultant. This lets them work with an outside expert who is active in the field but with whom there is no personal or emotional ‘baggage.’”
A consultant who specializes in this field can guide the applicant through the flurry of secondary applications and the tailoring they each require. They can also conduct mock interviews with the candidate to help them prepare for their official interviews. These meetings are critical opportunities for the applicant to further demonstrate their “fit” with a medical career in general and with the interviewing med school program in particular.
While rejection from med school is tough, it’s also surprisingly common. “Most med school applicants are rejected,” Linda admits. “Sixty-five med school programs in the U.S. accept fewer than 5% of all applicants.” Disappointment could lead to anger, and parents might find themselves on the receiving end of any subsequent venting. “Let them have their moment of disappointment,” Linda advises. “Give them time to absorb the blow before they reassess their plans. If they still want to become doctors, something needs to change to create a different outcome.” A good next step is evaluating their credentials, how they presented those credentials, and their suitability for the programs they applied for.
Linda concludes with a warning about the many free resources on the internet meant to help premeds in their application journey. “Some advice may be good, but it was also written for a generic, faceless population. None of these resources can take into account your adult child’s unique situation, strengths, weaknesses, goals, or dreams,” she cautions. Accepted’s expert consultants advise clients in ways tailored very specifically for each individual. This advice is based on many years of experience and seeing what works. Accepted also offers a Facebook group – Parents of Pre-Professional Students – where parents can share their experiences, frustrations, and successes with a supportive community.