Next up in our series of featured med school bloggers is Natalie, aka Doctor Model, a medical student, mother, fashion model, and blogger at doctormodel.wordpress.com. If you’ve ever wondered how someone can combine medicine, motherhood, and modeling – and even if you didn’t – you’ll enjoy Natalie’s thoughtful perspective. Use it to help you make…
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
University of Washington Medical School 2015 Secondary Application Essay Tips
Given UWSOM’s top ranking in primary care, they will be looking for applicants with a strong interest in patient education and community health. This secondary application will require that you provide an autobiographical essay and answer three to four short essay questions. In constructing your responses, focus on highlighting those life experiences that will demonstrate…
Athletic Appeal in Admissions
Long before Gabby Douglas flew through her floor exercise and Michael Phelps dominated the pool, admissions directors have been impressed by athletes. From stories about the perfect basket, goal, spike or serve, athletes have wonderful stories that display their endurance, strength, leadership and team skills. Fascinated by the applicant who used his marathon run as…
Med School Blogger Interview: Steven’s MD Journey
Next up in our series of featured med school bloggers is Steven, author of the blog MD Journey and student at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. Enjoy Steven’s thoughtful answers and use them to help you make your way through the med school admissions process. Accepted: First, can you tell us a…
Med School Blogger Interview: Mrs. Mommy MD’s Journey
Next up in our series of featured med school bloggers is Jasmine Johnson, author of the blog The Mrs. The Mommy, The M.D., mother, wife, and last but not least, future doctor/med student. Enjoy Jasmine’s thoughtful answers and use them to help you make your way through the med school admissions process. Accepted: First, can…
Medical School Student Interview: Ari’s Journey
Next up in our series of med school applicants and current students is Ari Shapiro who just completed his second year of med school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Enjoy Ari’s thoughtful answers and use them to help you make your way through the med school admissions process. Accepted: First, can you tell…
Med School Blogger Interview: ShoTyme Doc
Next up in our series of featured med school bloggers is ShoTyme Doc, author of the blog Journey of an Aspiring Doctor, father of five, and med school applicant. Enjoy ShoTyme’s thoughtful answers and use them to help you make your way through the med school admissions process. Accepted: First, can you tell us a…
Medical School Admissions Navigation Tips: Your Interview
If you have an upcoming interview, you are one of the lucky ones. Only a small percentage of applicants are interviewed. So if you have made it to this select applicant pool, then your admission chances have definitely increased. Knowing this – what should you do to be best prepared? Travel Plans Make sure you…
The 6 Commandments for a Successful CV
Your resume is a key part of your application materials for med school or residency. You may think that because you’re uploading all your materials through the AMCAS or ERAS system, you won’t need a stellar paper CV. Not so. Here’s why: A CV is a vital précis of your achievements. It can help you…
Med School Blogger Interview: Little White Coats’ Journey
To launch our new med school bloggers series, we have Rick Pescatore, a current osteopathic med student and the author of the blog Little White Coats. Enjoy Rick’s thoughtful answers and use them to help you make your way through the med school admissions process. Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself…
Medical School Admissions Navigation Tips: Your Resume
Be careful that you are not selecting activities just because you think they will look good on your medical school application. Leadership roles are very important. Spend a significant amount of time doing things that you enjoy — and do them well. Admissions committees are looking for quality over quantity. Find a balance that you…
4 Things To Do Before Submitting Your AMCAS Application
1. Check that your application paints an impressive, holistic, and accurate picture of you. Each section of your application – your essays, your CV, all those boxes and fields, your letters of recommendation, your MCAT score – should provide a snapshot of who you are. Double check that all information is accurate, and that your…
Medical School Admissions Navigation Tips: The Importance of Clinical Exposure
Want to know how important clinical exposure is to your med school profile? You can have a GPA in the high 3’s and an MCAT score in the high 30’s and still get rejected from a top med school. Throw in some clinical exposure or shadowing with those top marks and you’re practically a shoo-in….
Medical School Admissions Navigation Tips: Application Timing
Of course your credentials are extremely important when applying to medical school, but equally important is WHEN you submit your application. The medical school application process is extremely competitive. Since tens of thousands of students apply every year, your success is dependent not only on your academic and extracurricular credentials, but also on the timing…
Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them
In this short video, Linda Abraham explores the two kinds of optional essays, who should write them, and what should go into them. Don’t miss the crucial warning at the end. Related Resources: • 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application Essays, a free guide • How to Edit Your Application Essays, a podcast…
U.S. News 2013 Medical School Rankings
U.S. News provides two overall rankings of medical school: research and primary care. Here are the ten best in each category. 2013 Rank Best Medical Schools: Research 2012 Rank 1 Harvard 1 2 Johns Hopkins 3 3 University of Pennsylvania 2 4 Stanford 5 5 UC San Francisco 5 6 Washington University (St. Louis) 4…
The President Wrote My Letter of Recommendation!
“Wouldn’t that be great. I’m in!” Or are you? On this President’s Day, let’s think about it: Would a letter of recommendation from President Barack Obama, POTUS himself, ensure your acceptance? I’m sure a letter from President Obama would get passed around the admissions office. That presidential seal and signature (even if from a machine)…
Adcoms’ New Tool to Detect Plagiarism in Essays
Rather than go through the hassle of writing your application essays yourself, especially since you’re not the most effective or practiced writer (or since you don’t have enough time), why not have someone who really knows how to do it well write them for you? That someone could be a friend or colleague who’s offered…
Hispanic Med School Students Living the Dream
The Chicago-Sun Times (“Hispanic Students Filling Medical Schools Nationwide”) looks at the story of Anthony Acosta, a young Hispanic fourth-year medical student at University of Illinois who is the first member of his family to complete medical school. Acosta is living his family’s dream by becoming a doctor, but he is also fulfilling a larger…
4 New Year’s Resolutions for Medical School Applicants
Do you want to be in medical school in Fall 2013? Then resolve to: Sign up ASAP for an MCAT course so that you are fully prepared to take the test early. Ideally you want to ace it no later than the April 28th administration because then your scores should be released by May 30,…