Pre-med required and recommended courses
o Every school has a list of their required and recommended courses and extracurricular activities. Most schools have the same requirements but it’s still very important for you to check because there are always those couple of schools with that random class you haven’t taken.
o Taking classes abroad: I took Physics abroad through a UCLA program and the grades were transferred to my UCLA transcript. Be careful taking classes abroad though. Some schools only accept required classes taken in the United States (you can take any class abroad except for the required ones). But obviously some schools are ok with taking any class abroad. Just email or call the schools you hope to attend beforehand to make sure it’s ok for you to go abroad before you sign up for those classes.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
o I found that it is important to realize that you are not alone. Have mentors and a cohort you can go to. I can't count how many times I got lost on my journey to med school. Thankfully I had older students who gave me advice concerning school, extracurricular activities, and so much more. I also did an amazing pre-med program one summer that equipped me with all I needed to become a successful applicant. Also, even though GPA and MCAT don’t make the applicant, they’re still very important. You might have to go to tutoring or take an MCAT class.
Extracurricular activities/Experiences:
o The AMCAS application asks for extracurricular activities (at least one and up to 15). For each activity, you’ll have to provide a short description (700 characters).
o You will have to pick at least one (and up to 3) meaningful activities. For those, you’ll have to type an additional paragraph explaining why it was meaningful to you (1325 characters).
o Quality over quantity. You might not fill out all 15 spaces on the AMCAS application but it’s better for them to see a few activities you did for years than to see 15 activities that each lasted a week. If you can, do as many activities as possible but don’t overwork yourself to the point where your grades suffer. When describing your 15 activities, make sure you include why it will make you a better physician (even if the activity has nothing to do with medicine, it could have helped you develop characteristics that are important to have as a doctor). I highly suggest that you have at least one shadowing experience and one clinical volunteering experience. A lot of pre-med students are also involved in research, though it is very possible to get into med school without research.
o They want to see personal development and the skills you will bring to their school and your practice. Choose activities that have a growing impact on you. Make sure you will be able to talk about them in your interviews.
o You should have a letter of recommendation from all of the activities you said were the most meaningful. You might not submit them to some schools, but some schools ask for those letters.
o If possible, try to have at least one activity in 6-8 categories (not a requirement though):
- Paid employment
- Community service/volunteer (both medical and non-medical)
- Research/lab
- Teaching/tutoring
- Honors/awards/recognitions
- Conferences
- Presentations
- Posters
- Publications
- Extracurricular/hobbies/advocations
- Leadership
- Athletics
- Other
Letters of Recommendation
o You can submit up to 10 letters of rec on AMCAS. For each school, you’ll have to select which letters you want them to receive. Every school has their own letter requirements so look on their websites before selecting what letters to send to them.
o GET THEM EARLY! It can take a long time for the letter writers to complete a good letter for you (one of my letter writers took almost an entire year!). Talk to them about potentially writing a letter for you as soon as you’re done with the class or experience so that they don’t forget about you.
o Not getting a letter is better than a getting a bad letter. Keep that in mind if you decide to ask someone last minute for a letter. Give them time to write the best letter possible.
o Most schools require two science professor and one non-science professor so be sure to ask those teachers.
o Give them your CV (CV essentials coming soon) and personal statement
o Go to office hours and get to know them
o Opt not to read the LOR even if they end up sending it to you
MCAT
o I took the old MCAT (the one with three sections and out of 45 points). I started studying three months before taking it and did as many practice tests as possible.
o I took Berkeley Review classes and also used Examkrackers to self-study. I can’t say if these companies are better than others. They worked well for me but of course you can always go to Kaplan or Princeton or any other company. I suggest taking a class though along with self studying.
o KHAN ACADEMY! It’s free :) you can use this along with your other MCAT study resources.
Choosing where to apply:
o I found MSAR to be the most important resource when picking schools. It's only $25 for a year's subscription and it tells you almost everything you need to know about a school before applying including, but not limited to:
- Mission statement and contact information
- Student life, research, and cost of attendance
- Combined degrees and special programs
- Matriculant demographics by race and gender
- Application deadlines and requirements (remember how I said schools vary in their required classes? You can find the classes on this website and whether or not they accept AP credit. You will still have to contact them to ask about studying abroad thought).
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (in my opinion)
- Selection factors: this is the freshman profile. It tells you the range and median of MCAT scores and GPAs and compares them to the national range and median.
*Note: don't let the numbers scare you though! There are always exceptions. I know a few myself*
o Most people apply to about 10-25 schools (depending on their confidence level and financial situation). The reason I said knowing the selection factors is important is because applicants need to be realistic. I highly encourage applying to a couple dream schools even if your numbers are up to par (I did!). But I also suggest applying to some back up schools (schools with average MCAT scores and GPAs near or lower than yours) along with schools exactly in your range.
- I applied to a few "out-of-reach" schools and I ended up getting accepted into one really early and getting interview invites for some of the others (I'll keep you guys updated on those). So I'm an advocate for occasionally ignoring the freshman profile. Just limit the number of "out-of-reach" schools (unless of course you have enough money to apply everywhere).
o The primary application is $160 for the first school and $36 for each additional school (keep in mind you'll have to pay for secondary applications and plane tickets/hotels for interviews also)
o Look into their grading system. Do you prefer letter grades? Pass/no pass? Honors/high pass/pass/fail? I personally prefer pass/no pass because it facilitates team work and minimizes competition. But everyone has their own preference
o Public vs. Private. Private schools tend to be smaller and more intimate. But public schools are usually less expensive. There are other pros and cons to both types of schools. Decide which kind you'd rather attend and apply to more of those schools
o I know I mentioned cost in the previous bullet point but I personally don't think cost should be a factor. One of my interviewers told me, "You'll be a doctor. You're gonna pay it off." But if money concerns you, include it in your decision making process
o For me, the biggest factor in deciding where to go was location and weather. I unfortunately was limited to certain states. I actually looked up "most racist states in America" and stayed away from those lol. In addition, I NEED sunshine. I don't care if it's cold or hot as long as the sun shines. Prolonged cloudy weather gets me down and demotivates me. I can't afford to lose motivation as a med student because I know I will need a drive to be able to keep up with the rigorous curriculum. Some of you might be in the same boat. Some of you might consider location for different reasons (getting away from home or staying close to home etc.) but regardless, location is usually a factor.
o I didn't include prestige for a reason. The goal should be to be HAPPY wherever you end up. Whether you like big or small or out of state or in state or sun or clouds. Pick a place where you will be happy. You'll be spending four years of your life there. You don't want to be miserable.
You're all done right?
Not exactly
o Proofread EVERYTHING! People tend to only proofread their personal statements and forget about activity descriptions, courses, and background information. Make sure your ENTIRE application is accurate and paints an accurate (and positive) picture of you
o Ask other people to proofread. People who know you well, doctors, med students, English majors etc.
APPLY EARLY!!
o The earlier you apply, the higher your chances are of getting in because most med schools do rolling admissions.
o I think one of the main reasons I am where I am is because I started the AMCAS app as soon as it opened and I submitted it only 4 days after they began accepting applications.
o HOWEVER, it's better for you to submit a perfect application a little late than to submit a rushed application on the first day.
*Note: most allopathic schools use AMCAS but some schools have other application processes so look that up before you start applying
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. Or you can email me directly using the “contact me” section at the bottom of my blog.
Stick around for more posts about other things like personal statements, CV essentials, interviews, secondaries, etc.
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