It is important that your experiences and activities be an ongoing process. Do not start your extracurricular experiences right before applying to medical school. This will be viewed as simply getting the experiences because you have to, instead of doing them because of your own interest or desire. Also, keep in mind that the applicant…
You Are Always “On the Record”
Keep in mind that there is always some type of evaluation process taking place, even if it is informal or “off the record.” Always be polite and respectful. If student hosts take you in and allow you to stay overnight in their home, be thankful. Sometimes they are studying for exams, and they are always…
Make the Most of Your Interview Day
Sit in on classes, check out the library or the computer clusters, hang out in the student lounge, or take a walk outside to see what the local community is like. Sitting in on classes is critically important. Not only will you learn how the classes are taught, but you can observe the dynamics between…
Do Not Answer Your Interview’s Questions With One-Word Answers
Often applicants are nervous about the interviews. It is okay to be nervous and even to admit that you are nervous, but be careful that your anxiety does not get the best of you. The interview is your chance to really “sell” yourself. Answering your interview questions with one-word answers will not allow your interviewer…
Practice Your Interviews
Try doing some mock interviews with someone at your career center or with someone you do not know very well. It will be very important that you do these tin a setting similar to that in which you will be interviewing. Wear a suit, shake hands, sit across from your interviewer, have your interviewer prepare…
Do Not Give “Canned” Answers to Interview Questions
Although it is important to practice your interviews, interviewers are looking for genuine, unforced answers to their questions. You do not want to sound rehearsed – and please, do not answer their questions with answers that you think they want to hear, instead of what you really think or feel. There might not always be…
Do Not Go Out And Get “Smashed” The Night Before Your Interview
If you happen to have friends in the vicinity of your interview and if you get together the night before your interview, try to keep it low key. If you do go out for a night on the town be sure not to talk about the previous night’s events in great detail with your interviewer…
Watch Colloquialisms and Profanity in Your Personal Statement
Admissions committees actually do read personal statements. They are a really important aspect of an application. Quoting a profanity in a pertinent personal story can be risky. What seems to you to be a vivid re-creation could actually offend some members of the admissions committee. Why take that chance? You know the words to avoid,…
Be Careful Not to Start Every Sentence in Your Essay or Personal Statement with “I”
Admissions committees want to learn about you, but be careful that it does not sound like bragging. There is a fine line between confidence and overconfidence or cockiness. A narrative about some experience you have dad might make your application stand out, but be careful not to inflate the importance of what you have done….
Be careful not to “pad” your resume with things you think the committee wants to see
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…
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…
Know How to Overcome a Low GPA or MCAT Score
GPA and MCAT scores are usually the first items that an admissions committee looks at when evaluating a student’s application. Grades and MCATs combined may carry 65% to 70% of the weight in the admissions decision. Admissions committees want be sure that, if you are accepted, you will be successful academically in medical school and…
Do not make Excuses for Poor MCAT Scores
Right after the MCAT scores are released, phones go wild in medical school admissions offices. It will not help to panic over disappointing scores, or to call or e-mail blaming your scores on “bad sushi” the day of the exam. Take responsibility for your disappointing scores, and be honest with yourself and the medical schools…
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…
Do Not Quote Robert Frost in Your Med School Personal Statement
Be original. Quotes from Robert Frost are very popular on medical school applications. You should probably leave him out of the process. You can be serious or use a bit of humor, but be creative, original, and yourself. One student, with research experience in entomology, began his essay by comparing the different roles of ants…
Do Not Leave It Up To The Admissions Committee To Decide Why Your Grades Were So Poor During A Particular Semester
If your grades were weak during a particular semester or year, it is important that you address this somewhere in your application or in a letter to the admissions committee. Do not leave it up to the admissions committee to determine what was going on in your life during that time. The committee will notice…
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…
Take Advantage of any “Second Visit Day” Opportunities at the Medical Schools to Which You Have Been Accepted
“Second Visit” or “Second Look” days are great opportunities to revisit the medical schools that you are truly interested in. This time you will be more seriously evaluating what each medical school has to offer you, what makes it unique, and whether it is the right “fit” for you. Since you are no longer being…
