The 5 Most Important Tips for Your Medical School Interview Looking for med school interview secrets? You’ve come to the right place. Read on to discover the 5 most important tips for acing your medical school interview. Stay informed. It’s important that you know what’s going on in the world of medicine. Stay abreast of…
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Worry about Your Med School Interview Invite
Yes, it’s November and some of your fellow applicants may have already been invited to their medical school interviews. But that doesn’t give you due cause to throw a fit and assume you’re as good as dinged. Don’t worry. There’s still hope for you. Consider the following: When did you submit your application? Did you…
U.S. News’ Best Medical Schools 2012
U.S. News released its 2012 best medical schools report today. The lead article in the med school component of the rankings reports a few of the highlights. You’ll see that Harvard Medical School again snagged the first place spot among the best research universities. While that seems to be pretty constant year-to-year, there were…
Do Not Bring Your Parents or Significant Other With You to Your Interview
So you are thinking, “No kidding!” I wish I could say that it never happens, but it does! Moms, dads, girlfriends, and boyfriends should all be left at home. The interview process should demonstrate your independence and maturity. You do not want to stand out among the other applicants and be remembered as the applicant…
It’s Not Fair! How to Deal with Dings
It may or may not be fair, but many of you are going to get at least a few rejections. What are you going to do about them? First and foremost—if you’ve gotten dinged at your top choice school, that doesn’t mean that you’re never going to get in. It doesn’t even mean that you…
Personal Branding in Admissions
The term “personal brand” is bandied about a lot in admissions. I don’t claim to be an expert on branding, but after fifteen years editing essays and advising applicants, I know a bit about admissions. I see the concept of “personal brand” as a threat and opportunity for applicants. Want to know more? See this…
In your medical school personal statement, do not generalize, criticize doctors
Do not forget that physicians will be reviewing your application; therefore it is probably not a good strategy to suggest that most physicians are incompetent and you are going to be the ideal doctor and will rescue our health care system. Also, be mindful of the fact that the people evaluating your application have many…
Do Not Blame Your Professors For Your Poor Grades
Do not try to make excuses for your poor grades or try to defend them. If you are invited for an interview, be prepared to discuss those grades, but instead of placing the blame on someone else, focus on the positive and perhaps highlight your academic performance since then. Emphasize what you learned from the…
Admissions Resume: What to Include
Recently in “MBA Admissions:The May-October Romance,” I suggested that applicants for Fall 2011 entry begin assembling materials for their applications now – a full five months in advance of the first fall deadlines. One of the ideal documents to begin now is a resume, something that any professional should always have updated and at the…
Application Boxes Should Do the Heavy Lifting
For one of Accepted’s first forays into video, I decided to focus on application boxes, the mundane, pedestrian elements of an application that frequently are not given appropriate attention. Please watch the video to see how you make the ordinary into extraordinary, value-added elements of your application. Since this is our first attempt at providing…
Medical School Admissions: Apply Early!
Medical school admission is very competitive, so you must get your applications in early. Schools with rolling admissions review their applications as they come in. As students are accepted, there will be more and more competition for the smaller number of remaining spots available. Admissions committees will then have a greater number of other applicants…
Grad Admissions: Helicopter Parents
The New York Times published an article this week “Letting Your Grad Student Go “ on the phenomenon of helicopter parents in graduate schools admissions. Yes, I mean graduate, not undergraduate, admissions. I have a dual perspective on helicopter parenting. I have been working in graduate admissions as a private consultant for the last fifteen…
Personal Statement Tip: Story Time (Part 1)
The moment I found the lump, I suspected my life was about to change—in a big way. Good enough for an opening line? Want to read more? I hope it’s yes on both counts. Because I’m going to tell you a story. A short one. A true one. Not so much for the sake of…
Tips For Applicants With A Low MCAT Score (Part 1)
Options Without Retaking the Exam All medical school applicants (or any other professional school applicant) must assess their credentials realistically in order to present themselves best during the application process. Since applicants are evaluated based on specific academic (undergraduate and graduate GPA and MCAT scores) and non-academic (research and clinical exposures, leadership skills, mentoring experiences)…
What Does It Mean to Write from the “Inside Out”?
After devoting many days and countless revisions to his 250-word Stanford GSB Reliance Fellowship essay, the blogger at MBAdreamz concludes: “The mantra for writing essays should be bringing one’s ‘INSIDE OUT.’ The more one knows and reveals (about himself) in the essays, the more comfortable and confident he would be with the essays.” Having worked…
Medical School Admissions: Deferral?
“Suppose I want to defer….” Congratulations! You’ve made it into medical school! All your hard work has paid off, and you’re free of stress for the first time in years. Not exactly. Maybe you’re feeling more than a little burned out with the school scene. Maybe you’re thinking about the travel and study abroad opportunities…
Approaching the Ethics Essay
No b-school application essay may be harder to write than the ethics essay. For most applicants, one challenge is simply identifying an appropriate story. Many applicants assume that the ethics essay is designed to put their morals to some stringent litmus test. They brainstorm for examples that show them proudly refusing bribes, pointedly excusing themselves…
Accepted Admissions Almanac Adds Authors
As of today, the Accepted Admissions Almanac will start to present the posts of different Accepted editors. The first guest post on the Accepted Admissions Almanac will appear later this morning to be followed by the posts of other Accepted editors in the future. They will all post regularly going forward. And for my fans:…
What is an Accomplishment?
Accomplishments constitute the bread and butter of personal statements and application essays. Nothing too exciting in that statement. However, a fascinating brainstorming session on Accepted’s Editor Mailing List reveals that applicants don’t always know what an accomplishment is. What goes into this application staple? The bread: Impact. Your accomplishment must show you as a contributor…
Admissions Tip: Thanksgiving Appreciation
I could write now about the aspects of my life I am thankful for: my husband, five healthy children, two delightful, adorable grandchildren, my daughter’s recent engagement, a thriving business, work that I enjoy, and good health. I have done so in the past as I wished you a Happy Thanksgiving, a US holiday that…