Many more people apply to medical school every year than get in. Fortunately, there are many things pre-meds can do to up their chances of getting an acceptance letter (or five!) in the mail. The first step is to learn what you need to do ahead of time. A lot of things need to be finished by the end of junior year:
- required courses (usually introductory biology, chemistry and organic chemistry, physics, and math),
- AMCAS (the online application service most US and Canadian allopathic medical schools use) or AACOMAS (for US osteopathic medical schools)
- MCAT (the dreaded medical school test),
- a personal statement.
Your school’s pre-med adviser or a good book can help you figure out each step. But fulfilling the requirements is just the beginning. Here are some more tips.
Must Do's For Pre-Meds:
- Hit the books. Hard. Most medical schools pre-screen applications by the numbers. You’ll need a high GPA (above 3.5 is best) and MCAT score (above 30 is ideal) to get a lot of medical school interviews.
- Volunteer at a hospital or do something medically related. Practicing medicine is not nearly as glamorous or, on a day-to-day basis, exciting as it may seem. Medical schools like applicants who have tested the waters and still want to take the next step. Plus, almost every other successful applicants will have health care experience, so not having any makes a student stand out – in a bad way.
- Pick an extracurricular activity (or two) and make it last. Medical schools like to see commitment, as well as depth of interest. If after a couple of years, you end up in a leadership position, so much the better.
- Get to know your professors. Profs know about cool volunteer, research, and summer job opportunities. They can review personal statements. And, just as importantly, a professor that knows you can write a great, personalized letter of recommendation, rather than some bland, positive-but-impersonal letter.
- Be involved… in sports, research, community service, student government, arts, whatever strikes your fancy. Being involved in a zillion activities isn’t vital (showing consistency is more important), but do be aware that the admissions people will be comparing you to all those pre-med overachievers with a list of extra-curriculars that is a mile long
- Be a pre-med or science major just because you are pre-med. Medical schools appreciate a different perspective, so study (or at least minor in) journalism or French if that's where your heart lies. No matter what you do, make sure you take all the basic pre-med classes, like Organic Chemistry and Physics.
- Forget to come up for air. Medical schools want well-rounded students with good people skills, not just bookaholics. (Plus, it'll save your sanity!)
- Stress out…too much. Over 15,000 students are admitted to medical schools each year. You can make it, too. And if it's not meant to be, there are a ton of other options in the medical field (like a physician’s assistant, nurse practioner, physical therapist, pharmacist, or nurse).
In short, there are many things pre-meds can do to make their applications stronger -- though these things do take up a lot of time and energy. As long as your heart is in what you are doing, the payoff -- medical school and beyond-- will be well worth it.
Estela Kennen - Estela is a doctoral student in Public Administration and a freelance writer and editor.
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