First, the Accepted team and I want to extend our best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery to those who are sick or who have ill family members. We also know that some of you or your families are experiencing financial difficulties because of the pandemic and lock-down. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with…
Tips for Getting Into Medical School When Your Parent is a Doctor
There has been an interesting shift in medical school admissions for applicants whose parents are doctors. In 1989, these applicants were 15% more likely to get into medical school. When I first became involved in admissions over ten years ago, students who had a physician for a parent were still more likely to get accepted…
How to Prepare for Medical School: 4 Important Things to Do Before You Get Started
As I become inundated with science coursework, buried under electronic books, and finally set into the rhythm of my first year of medical school, I can’t help but notice the things I am so thankful I did, and some things I wish I would have done. The importance of understanding your strengths and weaknesses When…
How Much Does Your Social Media Presence Factor Into the Application Process?
On January 13th, Kaplan Test Prep released the results of their annual survey of business schools, speaking to admissions officers from 288 top schools around the country. The results clearly indicate that an applicant’s social media profile could well be a factor in the application process. Here are some particularly important stats: 36% of admissions…
How Should I Prepare For Medical School in College? [Timeline]
Follow the guidelines below 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 below.) Freshman year Look for possible mentors. Volunteer. Explore Research. Maintain personal interests. Get your feet wet by shadowing. Click here…
What Do Medical Schools Look for in Applicants
Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel? Your undergrad career is coming to an end, and it’s time to start applying to med schools. Having done your research, you know where you’d like to apply. But what are med schools looking for in an applicant? Here are the 14 things that…
Predoc & Premed Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
Often, top medical schools in the U.S. offer predoc and premed summer undergraduate research programs. We’ve compiled an all-you-need-to-know chart that includes school name, deadlines, and links to the specific predoc/premed programs for more information. Why do these undergraduate research programs exist? The purpose of these programs is to expose ambitious, talented college students to…
How to Decide if You Should Retake Courses in Preparation for Applying to Medical School
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) has applicants manually enter all coursework and grades into the AMCAS application. You may wonder why they have you complete this seemingly repetitive and arduous section, given that they collect official copies of all transcripts. It allows them to create a standardized GPA calculation from which to compare…
Improve Your MCAT Score for Medical School Acceptance
Fortunately, it’s easier to tackle a poor MCAT score than a poor GPA. While you should not retake the exam too many times, a better-prepared second or possibly third attempt can be a sound strategy. Many people find that studying independently or with a group of friends works well. Reviewing your old class notes and…
What I Learned from My Shadowing Experiences
As a pre-med, I was grateful to shadow seven physicians in different medical environments. Some were primary care doctors, others were D.O. physicians. I even had the opportunity to learn alongside an orthopedic surgeon. People constantly say shadowing is important for resumes, applications, and medical school acceptances– and that’s true. But shadowing is more than…
Get Accepted to Med School: Now Available Online!
Get Accepted to Medical School in 2020 is now available on demand for anytime viewing! Guided by Accepted med expert Alicia McNease Nimonkar, you’ll learn how to approach each step in the med school admissions process – and start to formulate your personal application strategy. From the application timeline, to questions about letters of rec,…
How to Shadow a Doctor
When looking for activities to include on your AMCAS application, shadowing is a powerful way to demonstrate your interest in and realistic knowledge of the field of medicine. Shadowing as many different kinds of doctors as you can is helpful; the only way to know whether you will enjoy a career in a particular area…
How Important is Volunteering for Medical School Admissions?
Volunteering is crucial for medical school applicants. Here’s why: Med schools aren’t just looking for science geeks who’ve never stepped outside the lab. They’re looking for students who will not just succeed in the classroom, but who have also had rich and varied experiences that will make them stand out as interesting and passionate individuals…
Connections Count. And You Can Create Them.
I worked with a client, who due to medical reasons, only earned a 2.2 GPA in a social science degree program. After graduating, he decided that the right career path for him was computer science so that he could realize his dream of becoming a tech entrepreneur. He had an ideal school in mind and…
8 New Year’s Resolutions Med School Applicants Need to Keep
Everyone knows that New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken, but if you want to get into med school in 2020, then you’ll want to keep these New Year’s resolutions: Resolution #1: Sign up ASAP for an MCAT course so you’re completely prepared to take the test early. It’s preferable that you take the…
How to Spend Your Gap Year Between College and Medical School
Many students do not attend medical school immediately following undergrad for a variety of reasons. Many traditional applicants spend the year in between college and med school – their “gap year” – improving their academic credentials and gaining additional research or clinical experience. While improving premed credentials is probably the most common reason for the…
What Are the Pros of a Gap Year Before Medical School?
You’re almost at the end of four years of undergrad school and are thinking about your GPA, MCAT, and everything else that goes into your medical school application. Are you ready to go straight to med school, or do you want to take a “gap year” – a year off between college and medical school?…
Determine Your Career Goals in Medicine
This post is the fourth in our series on applying to med school in the most efficient and timely manner. You’ve got six months to make this happen. Make sure you do it right by following the tips in Med School Action Plan: 6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply. One of the…
Applying to Medical School: Selecting Extracurricular Activities
When considering your goal of attending medical school, you need to choose extracurricular activities that you will enjoy and that will also help you highlight the characteristics that med schools are seeking. 3 strategies for choosing the right extracurriculars Below we will provide you with strategies for finding and selecting activities that will set your…
Premed Planning: Does it Matter Where You Go to College?
On Twitter, a follower recently asked us: Do you have any posts on whether it is worth a premed paying $$$ for a degree at a top 20 college over a quality state university? For a short question, there’s a lot going on here, and we thought it would be worthwhile to discuss it. First,…
