Each year on Match Day, thousands of medical school students and graduates discover where they will receive their specialty training. The matching process, overseen by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), is determined by an algorithm that pairs eligible applicants with available residency training positions. With a record 42,952 applicants for 40,375 certificated positions, Match…
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
Four Tips for Displaying Teamwork in Your Application Essays
Teamwork and its close cousin leadership are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. But if you haven’t worked in teams on any regular basis, don’t worry! You’ve probably got a number of examples of teamwork in your back pocket that you didn’t even realize were there. Consider the following four ideas when you are writing…
Can You Use the Same Personal Statement for Different Schools?
One of the questions we are asked most often by college and graduate school applicants is this: “I’m applying to six different schools, and each one requires two to seven essays/personal statements. That’s so much writing! Can I reuse the same essay for different schools? How can I keep up the quality and not burn…
Admissions Tip: Be Yourself!
Would you like to know one thing that admissions committee members really want from applicants? Here it is: they wish – really, truly wish – that applicants would not try to write what they imagine the adcom wants to hear but instead just be themselves. Time and time again, admissions committee members tell us they want applicants…
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…
Four Tips for Highlighting Your Strengths in Your Application Essays
One of the most important pieces of advice you can receive regarding your personal statements and application essays is this: Show, don’t tell. But you might have been given this advice before and are wondering how to go about it. Let’s dive into how to show effectively. Here are four tips to help you achieve…
Writing a Lead That Pops
How many times have you sampled the first few lines of a book and decided, “Nah, this isn’t for me.” Whether you picked up the book in a store or library, or tested the free sample on your e-reader, you probably made a pretty speedy decision about whether it would hold your interest. The human…
The Best Medical School Letter of Recommendation Advice for 2023
The best letters of recommendation are offered by people who have seen you perform in some capacity – as student, student leader, employee, researcher, volunteer. The weakest letters are of the “character reference” variety or from influential individuals who barely know you. How long should a med school letter of recommendation be? On average, these…
Casper, A Situational Judgment Test: All You Need to Know [Episode 513]
Shortcuts to Key Insights from this Episode Do you have to take the CASPer for at least some of the programs you are applying to? Are you concerned about? This interview with the co-founder of Acuity Insights, the folks who provide the Casper, is for you! [Show Summary] Dr. Dore discusses everything applicants need to…
Welcoming Sadie Polen
The Accepted consultant team is thrilled to welcome Sadie Polen, who previously ran highly selective summer programs at Harvard University, where she reviewed more than 1,000 applications a year. Through these programs, Sadie worked with partner individuals and organizations across the public service and political spectrum, including economic development, journalism, elected officials, law, civic tech,…
The CASPer Exam: A Situational Judgement Test
In 2010, McMaster University, the Canadian university that created the MMI (multiple mini interview) format, implemented a new test called CASPer (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics). This situational judgment test (SJT) assesses core competencies related to social intelligence and professionalism, including collaboration, problem solving, empathy, and ethics. As of this date, nearly 600 programs…
The AAMC’s PREview: Everything You Need to Know
What is AAMC’s PREview exam? This assessment tool is called PREview, and it is a type of situational judgment test. The AAMC’s new exam, PREview, was beta tested in the 2019-2020 cycle by two medical schools (the University of California, Davis, and the University of Minnesota). This group expanded in 2020-2021 to include Geisinger, Morehouse,…
How Should I Prepare for Medical School in College? [Timeline]
Follow the guidelines offered here 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 presented here.) Freshman year Lay a foundation in your science coursework. Look for mentors. Volunteer. Explore research opportunities. Maintain personal…
Get Accepted to the Medical College of Wisconsin [Episode 511]
Exciting changes to the curriculum at the Medical College of Wisconsin. [Show Summary] Dr. Jane Machi, Assistant Dean, Admissions and Recruitment at the Medical College of Wisconsin, explores the MCW Fusion Curriculum – and completing med school in three years. Interview with Dr. Jane Machi, Associate Dean for Admissions at the Medical College of Wisconsin….
Proving Character Traits in Your Essays
When you write an application essay or statement of purpose, you’re trying to accomplish two equally vital goals at once. First, you need to prove your worthiness for acceptance at your target school. Second, you need to show the adcom that you have the desirable character traits that their program values. But how do you prove…
Resilience: How Flaws and Failures Can Strengthen Your Application
A speaker recently told a story about traveling in Asia, where he saw a stunning emerald. Enchanted by the stone’s beauty, he decided to buy it – on the spot. He returned home and took the emerald to a jeweler for appraisal. The jeweler began examining the stone through his magnifier, and as he did…
Revise and Polish Your Application Essays
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: You’ve completed your first essay draft – this is a great milestone! Now it’s time to revise and edit that draft. Outstanding essays are not sprung into the world on the first try. Here’s how to edit and polish your essay until it shines: 1. Let…
How to Start Your First Draft of an Application Essay
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: Now that you have reflected on the questions that helped you identify and develop your theme, you have a clear sense of what will make your essay effective. Time to start writing! First, make an outline. An outline can be formal, with clearly delineated categories…
Writing Your Career Goals Essay
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: The career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. Unlike personal statements that can cover one’s career goals but also allow for more flexibility in content, the career goals essay has a specific and packed agenda. In fact, a career goals essay prompt could actually involve…
Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
Check out all of the blog posts in this series: All effective essays have a distinctive theme. Referring back to the essays we examined in the previous post, we might say that was her passion for finding answers to significant public health issues. Our law school applicant’s theme was his yearning for greater intellectual challenges while remaining in the…
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