Letters of evaluation are critical elements of a competitive medical school application. A strong letter will complement your essays and experience descriptions, giving admissions committee members a valuable outside perspective on your potential in the field of medicine. Medical schools accept three types of letters: individual letters, letter packets, and committee letters. However, many prefer…
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
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?…
Practicing for Your Med School Interview
Most applicants come away from their first medical school interview saying, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” As with many things in life, the anticipation of a stressful event can sometimes be worse than the event itself. Although many med schools work hard to make applicants who are interviewing feel relaxed, this…
How to Project Confidence, Professionalism, and Positivity in Your Essays
So you’ve sat down and brainstormed, and you’re now ready to hit the ground running with your essays. Great! You might be wondering how to best convey your reasons for pursuing graduate school to the admissions committees. What kind of tone or approach should you use? A good rule of thumb is to project three…
The MMI: Everything You Need to Know
The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) has become a very common med school interview format – one that is meant to provide a fairer, more comprehensive assessment of applicants. It’s grown in popularity since 2004, when Canada’s McMaster University published a study illustrating the flaws in the traditional interview format, especially in the ways that interviewers…
How to Get a U.S. Student Visa – Even When There Are Complications [Episode 589]
Show Summary This week, we hear from Marla Schechter, a US immigration lawyer with 20+ years of experience. Marla shares her expertise on various topics related to obtaining a visa for studying in the United States. She covers the process of obtaining an F-1 visa, the advantages of studying in a STEM-certified program, the H-1B…
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips [2024 – 2025]
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine maintains a strong emphasis on integrating scientific innovation with patient care. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school #1 in multiple specialties (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Rheumatology), #2 in Anesthesiology, and #3 in Psychiatry. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine follows a “Genes to Society” curriculum…
Make the Most of Your Experiences for ERAS
The 2025 ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) application follows on last year’s restructured application, with a few changes. As in the 2024 ERAS, rather than including every relevant experience you’ve had, as you might on a CV, you must choose ten experience entries that communicate who you are and what’s most important to you. And…
First Drafts of Residency Personal Statements: Let Yourself Go
For many residency applicants, writing the first draft of their personal statement is the most difficult part of the entire application process. And the most difficult part of composing that first draft is often getting the first few words on the page. Don’t fret – even accomplished novelists and famous journalists struggle to get started…
Do’s and Don’ts of Medical School Recommendation Letters
Your letters of recommendation for your medical school application are critical documents. Many premed students submit a letter of recommendation, called a committee letter, that is provided by a pre-health advisor (also called a health professions advisor) at their undergraduate school or post-baccalaureate program. This letter is a summary written by the pre-health advisor about…
Applying to Medical School? Here Are Some FAQs about the AMCAS Application
1. What is the AMCAS application? AMCAS stands for the American Medical College Application Service, which is a centralized application service available through the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It allows candidates to apply to multiple allopathic (MD) medical schools using a single application. You can access the AMCAS application through the AAMC website….
Getting Into Med School Isn’t Easy…But This Applicant Did It! [Episode 583]
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham interviews Yael Bruk, a recent graduate from Binghamton University who was accepted to multiple medical schools. Yael shares her advice for pre-med students, including the importance of taking notes during clinical experiences and writing down meaningful stories to include in applications. She also…
Writing Compelling Activity Descriptions to Boost Your Med School Application
Having worked in admissions for over two decades, I have read thousands of activity descriptions for medical school and related healthcare fields. Some candidates seem to view this element of their application as less important than their personal statement, writing only cursory descriptions of their tasks. Other applicants fill out only a few of their…
How Your Academic Statistics Influence Your Medical School Choices
The most reliable source of information about allopathic medical schools is the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) website, offered by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges). The statistics in this database can be extremely valuable in helping you decide where to apply. Most applicants look immediately at the data on MCAT scores and GPAs,…
Get Accepted to Loyola Stritch Medical School [Episode 580]
Show Summary In this episode, Linda Abraham interviews Darrell Nabers, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. They discuss the distinctive elements of the Loyola Stritch approach to medical education, the importance of faith and compassion in the application process, the impact of AI on medical education,…
What’s New with the 2025 AMCAS Application?
If you are a medical school applicant with the goal of matriculating in the fall of 2025, it is time to submit your primary application! The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) opened on May 1, 2024, and fully completed applications can now be submitted (as of May 28, 2024). If you are still working…
Highlighting Your Leadership Experience in Your Application
Mike knew that an intern on his team was struggling with speaking up on client projects, so he mentored the individual throughout the summer and encouraged them to take on a key role on a final presentation. Amy worked part-time throughout college but still found ways to volunteer as a Big Sister, all while earning…
When to Send Letters of Interest to Med Schools
If you have been placed on a medical school’s waiting list, you can send the admissions committee a letter to reiterate your interest in the school. Keep in mind that this letter of interest (LOI) will not make or break your application. Where you are placed on the waiting list plays a much larger role….
Applying to Medical School with a Low Science GPA
The process of applying to medical school is already stressful. And since selection committees are looking for evidence that you are ready for medical school, applying with a low science GPA can make the process even more nerve-wracking. In fact, in a 2023 study of 128 U.S. medical schools, admissions officers said that an applicant’s…
Submit Successful Secondaries for Medical School [Episode 578]
Show Summary In this episode, Linda Abraham discusses successful secondary applications for medical school. She highlights the key differences between primary and secondary applications and provides 6 tips for submitting a successful secondary application. Additionally, Linda offers practical advice on when to submit and how to write concisely to meet word or character limits as…
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