Medical School Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-25-2022

Getting into medical school is extremely competitive, and the application process is long and complex. Keeping track of the application timeline is essential because early applicants are at an advantage when it comes to getting admitted to medical school. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a particularly important part of the admissions decision, and doing well on it will greatly enhance your chances of acceptance. Your primary application contains many elements of your application package, including your personal statement, course work, and activities, so make sure you invest the time and effort needed to present your candidacy for medical school as effectively as possible on this document.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-27-2016

Nervous about applying to medical school? There’s no need! With the right approach and preparation you’ll give yourself a head start of the competition. This Cheat Sheet gives you the key things to know about the application timeline, choosing the right school, writing your personal statement and preparing for entry tests.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

GPA and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores allow admissions committees to assess your academic potential; work, research, clinical, and extracurricular activities show your interests and the extent to which you’ve investigated medicine. However, schools also want to know about your motivation for pursuing medicine, your interpersonal skills, your personal qualities, and your character. The personal statement provides insight into how you see yourself and why you’re pursuing a medical degree, but schools also are interested in how you’re viewed by your professors, physicians, and other evaluators. What have these individuals observed about you as a student, volunteer, or employee? How do you interact with others? What are your communication skills and personality like? The perspectives these people can offer are valuable to admissions committees because they offer a glimpse into how you’ll function as a medical student, physician, and colleague. That’s where letters of recommendation (also known as letters of evaluation) come in. The interview gives schools only a 30- to 45-minute snapshot of your personality and interpersonal skills. They have to rely on letters of recommendation to determine how you perform over the long term. As with the personal statement, the quality of your letters of recommendation can help convince the committee to offer you an interview — or not. When it comes down to selecting among applicants with similar academic credentials, nonnumerical components of the application, such as letters of recommendation, can be the deciding factor. Qualitative factors can even outweigh quantitative ones; as a result, an applicant with a slightly weaker academic record whose activities and letters demonstrate a strong commitment to and suitability for medicine may get the nod over an applicant with a higher GPA and test scores but lackluster activities and mediocre letters.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

As an osteopathic (DO) medical school applicant, you find yourself faced with some form of the question “Why do you want to be an osteopathic physician?” many times during the medical school application process. Although DO schools have a lot in common with allopathic (MD) schools, they’re also proud of their unique history, traditions, and principles, and they seek students who are genuinely interested in attending an osteopathic medical school. Making the case to DO schools that the osteopathic medical profession is a great fit for you will make you a stronger candidate for admission. Questions about your interest in osteopathic medicine are popular ones on school-specific secondary (supplemental) applications and during interviews. Although you may have discussed your interest in osteopathic medicine on the personal statement on your American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) primary application, that space is also a place to discuss topics such as your interest in medicine in general and elements of your background that you want to highlight. Specific questions on secondaries and during interviews allow you to go more deeply into your reasons for applying to DO schools than you did on the primary application. The first step to crafting a strong response about your interest in osteopathic medicine is understanding the background of the DO profession. If you haven’t already researched the history and development of osteopathic medicine, spend some time reading up on it. A good starting place is What Is Osteopathic Medicine? page at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) site. If you want to dig more deeply into the history and philosophy of osteopathic medicine, the book The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America by Norman Gevitz (The Johns Hopkins University Press) is a good resource. With a firm understanding of how the osteopathic profession evolved in the United States, you’ll be much better equipped to explain why want to be a member of it. Although understanding the background and philosophy of the DO profession is essential to creating strong responses, the foundation of your answers should be built around your interests and goals as well as your experiences with osteopathic medicine: For example, if you envision practicing medicine in an underserved area, discuss how you believe that an osteopathic medical education will prepare you to work with this patient population. If you have an affinity for preventive medicine, talk about your desire to incorporate nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle changes into your work with patients and how the osteopathic philosophy fits ideally with that approach. Make sure that you also include your experiences with osteopathic physicians and how they’ve influenced your decision to apply to osteopathic medical schools. You may have seen osteopathic physicians demonstrating some of the approaches, such as holistic care and the use of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), that attract you to osteopathic medicine. Discussing those methods on your applications and/or with your interviewer make it clear that your interest in osteopathic medicine is based on careful exploration of the profession. Don’t denigrate allopathic medicine in the process of discussing why you’re interested in osteopathic medicine. Demeaning MDs won’t win you points with DOs; instead, it will make you look unprofessional. Stick with talking about what you like about osteopathic medicine. With that approach, you can’t go wrong!

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Along with absorbing vast amounts of information and learning clinical skills, an important task you need to complete as a medical student is choosing a specialty. The major exposure you have to various specialties occurs during your clinical rotations as a third- and fourth-year student. You spend time doing rotations in many different areas of medicine and get a sense of what you like — and what you don’t. In addition to doing required rotations in areas such as internal medicine, family practice, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology, you take electives that allow you to explore other fields. Take electives for specialties you’re interested in as early as possible so that you can have your decision about a specialty made in time to submit applications to residency programs in the fall of your fourth year of med school. Keep in mind that what you experience during a rotation may not give you a full picture of a specialty. For example, taking care of pediatric patients during a rotation in a hospital is very different from seeing patients on a mostly outpatient basis as a community pediatrician. Therefore, if you’re considering entering a field, be sure to speak with attending physicians in the specialty about their practices and experiences. Some of the factors to investigate as you research specialties are Patient population: Is the patient population seen in the specialty composed of adults, children, or people of various ages? Are patients generally healthy (think pediatrics), or do they suffer from multiple chronic conditions? Continuity of the physician-patient relationship: Do physicians in the specialty care for their patients over many years, such as with family medicine? Or do they typically see patients for a relatively short period of time, such as in emergency medicine or anesthesiology? Training requirements: Residency training can last from three to seven years, and fellowships required for some specialties can add another one to three years. Lifestyle: Some specialties have long, irregular hours. Others allow for set shifts and don’t involve middle-of-the-night emergencies. Job outlook: If you pick a specialty that isn’t in high demand, you may have to be more flexible about location when you go to establish your practice than you would if you chose a field whose practitioners are highly sought after. For example, physicians in primary care fields such as family practice and general internal medicine are currently in demand. To find out the need for various types of physicians in a state where you may be interested in practicing, search online for physician workforce studies that have been conducted by state medical societies, health departments, or task forces. Compensation: Physicians as a group are generally well compensated; however, some specialties typically pay better than others. Primary care fields tend to be less highly compensated than more specialized areas of medicine. Finally, how much you enjoy a field is one of the most important factors. You spend many years practicing your specialty, so take the time to make your decision carefully.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

You may have set out on one career path and started to feel a pull toward medicine along the way. If you’re in this position, you may be wondering just what becoming a physician requires and whether making such a major change is worth the sacrifice. For some career-changers, becoming a physician sounds good in theory, but the reality of the educational requirements and the job itself lead them to decide against it. Others go through with the switch to medicine and are glad they did. To make your decision about whether to pursue a career change to medicine, start by gathering information about the medical profession: The Aspiring Docs pages of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) site at have a wealth of information for those considering a medical career. Immersing yourself in a clinical environment is essential. Volunteer in a hospital, outpatient clinic, or other clinical setting to determine whether you enjoy working with patients. You should arrange to shadow several physicians to see firsthand what their jobs are like and speak with them to get their perspectives about being a doctor. As a volunteer, you may have very limited interaction with physicians, so you need to seek out shadowing experiences to get insight about a doctor’s work. To apply to medical school, you must take prerequisite courses such as biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics as well as the associated labs. If you’re unsure about pursuing medicine, taking one or two of these classes may help you make up your mind, especially if you don’t have a science background. You may find that you enjoy science course work or discover that a career that requires years of science classes isn’t a good fit for you after all. If you have a spouse or significant other, make sure you discuss your decision to go to medical school with him or her early on. Your becoming a doctor will require a major investment in time and money for your entire family. It may require relocating and other big changes in your family’s life, so having the support of your partner is important. Making the decision to change careers can be difficult, especially when you’re considering switching into a field that requires the level of commitment that medicine does. So take your time and investigate the field carefully. If you do decide to move forward with your plans to become a physician, know that you’ll be joining many other successful med students and doctors who pursued nontraditional paths to medicine.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

With so many things to fill out, submit, and keep track of during the medical school application process, you can easily overlook or mishandle a detail. However, every element of your application, from your personal statement to your performance on the interview, can make the difference being between gaining an acceptance and landing in the “rejected” pile. By being aware of potential pitfalls before you begin applying, you’re primed to optimize every step of your application. This list points out ten common mistakes applicants make as they navigate the sometimes-rough waters of medical school admissions, and it explains how to steer clear of them. Being unaware of course work, residency, or letter requirements When it comes to prerequisite course work, letters of recommendation, and requirements for state residency, each school has its own policies, and the best time to check into them is long before you apply: Although one school may be satisfied as long as applicants have taken a year each of biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics, another may insist on English, biochemistry, and myriad other classes. A school’s policies regarding letters of recommendation may leave applicants a lot of latitude in choosing evaluators or be very specific and stringent. When applying to public schools outside your home state, beware that some of these institutions accept only in-state applicants or accept so few out-of-staters that applying there is futile for all but the most competitive nonresident applicants. The only way to make sure that you meet the requirements for schools you plan to apply to is to check with each school individually. Usually, you can find the information you need on the admissions page of a school’s website, but if you’re unsure about a policy, contact the admissions office directly for clarification. Applying to med school late in the cycle Sending in your application late in the cycle is a formula that leads to frustration as you find yourself competing for only a few remaining interview slots or end up waitlisted simply because all the seats in the class have been filled already, not because of a deficiency in your application. By getting every step of your application done as soon as possible, you have a shot at being in one of the first groups of students to be interviewed and, hopefully, accepted. Some elements of the admissions process aren’t fully in your control; however, when you submit your application is, so use that freedom to benefit your candidacy for med school. Taking the MCAT before you’re ready Taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) by May of your application year (typically your junior year, unless you’re taking a gap year) so that you can have your scores available by June is wonderful as long as you can pull off a solid score. However, not everyone can, and recognizing when you need more time to prepare is essential. A higher MCAT score a little later in the cycle is often better than a lower one earlier on. No matter how early you send in your application, a noncompetitive MCAT score makes getting in very tough. Even if you have to delay the MCAT to make sure your score is a good one, you can still submit your application and get things moving. Although applying early is important with rolling admissions (where a school reviews application files as soon as they’re complete), rushing to take the MCAT before you’re ready just to stick to an idealized schedule is a setup for disaster. Delaying the MCAT until you’re ready may require pushing back your plans to apply by a year. However, if incorporating a gap year will help you succeed on the MCAT, consider rethinking your timeline to give yourself the needed preparation time. Aiming for unrealistic schools Having a few reach schools on your list is perfectly reasonable and even desirable; however, a list dominated by longshots may be a setup for disappointment. GPA and MCAT scores get significant weight in admissions, so make sure your list is anchored by schools that accept plenty of applicants whose GPAs and MCAT scores are in line with yours. Every year, candidates with solid application packages end the cycle without a single offer of admission; these students very likely would’ve been admitted somewhere had they not loaded up their lists with schools that were out of reach. When you’re confronted with the many schools to choose from, the bigger names may stand out to you; however, make sure you give programs that are less well known a chance as well. Research any program at which your numbers are competitive, and talk to any faculty or med students you know who are affiliated with the school to find out more about it. The goal is to craft a well-rounded list that gives you the best possible chance at admission, not to compile a set of selections that represents only the most elite institutions. Not allotting enough time for filling out the primary med school application Crafting an effective personal statement is an undertaking that takes weeks or more to achieve on its own. Add to that time spent entering every course you’ve taken (with grades), filling out your biographical information, and listing and describing each of your activities, and you should be thinking in terms of months, not days, when it comes to completing your primary application. At a minimum, allocate a month to working on your application. However, starting even earlier is optimal, especially for writing the personal statement. A good way to handle this time crunch is to take on the application in small segments starting during the spring break or even winter break of the academic year in which you’re applying. When you get to the final stretch in late spring, you have a huge head start on the process and don’t have to compromise on the quality to ensure an early application. Failing to proofread your medical school application When you find yourself under time pressure, you may be tempted to let the proofreading slide and instead spend a late-night session pounding out answers to a batch of secondaries, sending them off after a quick, bleary-eyed read-through. However, misspelled words and run-on sentences are more than just annoyances for the reader; they’re also a reflection of how you approach a job and of how important getting into medical school is to you. Someone who puts the time and effort into making sure that everything on the application is watertight is demonstrating that he has a strong desire to be admitted and that he makes a habit of taking the extra steps required to do a job well. After all, who wants to be operated on by a surgeon with sloppy work habits or diagnosed by an internist who may overlook abnormal results on a lab test? Find a teacher, an advisor, someone from your school’s writing center, or even a friend with a knack for grammar to act as a fresh set of eyes to ferret out small errors. Only after you’ve received an outside seal of approval is your application ready to submit. Managing secondary applications ineffectively Despite the name, secondaries shouldn’t be treated as a second-class part of the application process. Many applicants who are on top of their primary application lose their advantage by lagging during the secondary stage. Applicants who don’t take a systematic approach to secondaries may try to tackle too many applications at once, jumping from one partially finished document to another, picking and choosing the easiest parts to fill out, and then abandoning the harder parts of that application for “later.” Both the timing and quality of submitted material can suffer from such a haphazard approach. Having incomplete application materials Use a written record such as a spreadsheet or other log to track which items you’ve sent to a school, which ones the school still needs, and whether the school has deemed your file complete. Many schools have an online system that allows applicants to check their statuses and to see when their files are complete or whether items are missing. Use your status page to monitor your application; if your status is still incomplete two or three weeks after you’ve submitted all your materials, follow up with the admissions office. Underestimating the interview Your job as an interviewee isn’t simply to show the interviewer that you’re a pleasant person with basic social skills who’ll do fine at the bedside of a patient; it’s also to demonstrate that you have the motivation, depth of interest, and other intangibles that will make you a great medical student and doctor. You may need to call on critical thinking and problem solving skills in the course of your interview and explain or even defend particular aspects of your application. Entering a medical school interview unprepared is a risky approach, and you certainly don’t want your first interview to function as practice for the rest. Do your preparation and practice before you set foot at a med school on interview day to ensure that you give your best performance every time. Obsessing about your application Some anxiety and angst are understandable when you’ve invested so much energy into your application and feel that your future rides on the outcome. Try to combat your stress by setting aside the parts of the application that are complete and focusing on whatever stage is ahead (and therefore still in your control). Use the additional time you have now that you’re not spending every spare moment working on your application to resume or increase your outside activities. Keeping busy by volunteering, exercising, or just hanging out with friends does a lot more for your outlook than perusing posts from or comparing notes with premeds who are equally anxious as you. After you’ve done all you can and the decision is in the hands of the schools, keep your focus off of your application as much as possible and put it instead on the things you enjoy.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Your medical school primary application is the first step in getting admitted to medical school. The application services submit your primary application to every medical school you apply to, so completing it properly is an admissions must. The primary application contains detailed information about every aspect of your candidacy for medical school, from your academic record and list of activities to a personal statement and biographical information. Check out the following tips for guidance as you prepare to undertake this critical step of the medical school admissions process: Start your personal statement at least two months before you plan to submit your application. A compelling personal statement takes a long time to create, and you don’t want to end up rushing to finish it or delaying your application while you perfect your statement. Be aware of length limits. Each section of the application has specific character limits. Check the specifications for each element before you start working on it to avoid having to go back and cut down an essay or response that turns out to be too long. Compile a list of the information you need to fill out the work and activities section. This way, you aren’t scrambling around looking up details while you’re trying to finish this section. For each activity, you need the name of the organization, dates you participated, hours per week, location, and contact information of someone who can verify your participation. Start filling out the AMCAS and AACOMAS applications online in May. Although you can’t submit these applications until June, they’re available online in May so that applicants may begin entering information. (TMDSAS opens in May and may be submitted then.) Request copies of transcripts from every post-secondary institution you’ve attended to be sent to the application services you’re using. The application services verify the course work you’ve entered on your application against your official transcript. You must list every course you’ve taken and provide the application service an official transcript from each institution you’ve attended. Proofread carefully. Nothing looks worse than an application riddled with errors. Proofread every word of the application carefully, and have someone else read your application over as well.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Understanding the timeline for applying to medical school helps ensure you complete every step early in the application cycle. Submitting a timely medical school application improves your chances of acceptance to a med school. With rolling admissions (where schools review applicants’ files as they receive them), early applicants are at an advantage while those who delay face worse odds of admission to medical school. The following suggested timeline can help keep you on track during the admissions process. Med school preparation: What to do in your junior year of college In September through December: Become familiar with the application process and gather information about medical schools. Register and study for the MCAT if you plan to take the test in January. (Register at least two months prior to your planned test date.) Check with your premedical advisor to see whether your school provides a committee letter of recommendation. In January through March: Take the MCAT in January or prepare for a spring test date. Begin writing your personal statement. Request individual letters of recommendation or follow your institution’s protocol for obtaining a committee letter. In April through June: Continue working on your personal statement and other aspects of your primary application. Take MCAT by the end of May if possible in order to have your scores available early in the cycle. Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) opens (early May). American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) applications become available online. AMCAS and AACOMAS may be submitted beginning in early June. In July through August: Begin receiving secondary (supplemental) applications. Aim to submit secondary applications within one week of receipt. Some schools begin extending interview invitations as early as July. College senior year before medical school In September through April: Interviews are underway at most medical schools by September and continue until late February at many schools. Some schools continue interviews through late March or early April. Earliest acceptances for regular (non-early decision program) AMCAS applicants are offered in mid-October. Send letters of update or interest to schools at which you’re waitlisted. In May through September: By May 15, cut down multiple acceptances so that you’re holding only one, although you may remain on waitlists for other schools. Continue to update schools at which you’re waitlisted. Finalize your plans for medical school. Begin medical school!

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Your Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score is a crucial factor in admission to medical school. A stellar MCAT score can take your medical school application from good to great in the admissions committee’s eyes. Here are some tips to help you nail this challenging exam: Make a detailed (but flexible) study schedule. Map out your study schedule as specifically as you can, but be flexible as well. If you see that you need to spend more time on one area and less on another, adjust accordingly. Plan to spend at least three or four months studying for the test, and even longer if you’re juggling a full course load with your MCAT studies. Start with your weakest area. Your weakest subjects are the ones that you have the most room to improve in. Mastering those areas can have a major effect on your score, so begin addressing them early. Consider taking a preparation course if you need structure for your studying. For some students, attending class each week and having specific assignments is more effective than self-study. Do plenty of practice questions. Reading and memorizing aren’t enough to succeed on the MCAT. The test is also about being able to think critically and apply information, so make sure that you incorporate ample practice questions and examinations into your study routine. Don’t neglect the Verbal Reasoning section. It may not be science, but schools take this section seriously, and you should too.