Applying to Medical School
Reapplication
Admission to a United States medical school is highly competitive and more than half of those who apply do not get accepted. The admission committees have limited openings in their schools and readily admit that every year they turn away qualified applicants. If you are one of those who did not get in, you need to review your options and decide what the next step is. First, take an honest hard look at your motivations for medicine. Is this absolutely the only avenue you wish to pursue? There are many satisfying careers both in and out of the health professions. A second option is beginning the application process again and reapplying. Statistics show that approximately one third of those that reapply are subsequently accepted into medical school. A third option is foreign or off-shore medical schools. Talk with the pre-medical advisor about the alternatives available and/or ways that you might improve your application if you choose to reapply.
Choosing to Reapply
There are many factors that admission committees use to select candidates for their incoming class. Talk to the schools that rejected you and find out where your application was weak. Once you have some information, you have a starting place to work in the coming year to improve your application.
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Apply to More Schools
Many times applicants are not accepted in any given year because they only applied to one or two schools. Choose at least 10 schools to apply to. Take time to research schools and find ones where your MCAT scores are competitive and that have programs that meet your needs. Schools are not only looking for academically qualified individuals, but also those that will be a good fit for their program.
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Interview Skills
If you were granted interviews at schools but did not get accepted, this is an indication that you are academically qualified but for some reason did not present yourself well at the interview. There are students at many medical schools that applied more than once and some of them report that they feel the reason they didn’t get in the first or second time around was poor interviewing skills. When interviewing, be prepared to communicate your motivation for medicine and have some questions ready to ask about the school. Be positive and enthusiastic. If you would like help in this area, talk to the counselors at Career Services. They will provide mock interviews and advice on how to improve your communication skills.
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Poor Academics
Review your academic record. Medical schools want to know you can handle their coursework. Is your academic record consistent or are there numerous incompletes or withdrawals that were not sufficiently explained? The mean GPA for those accepted to medical school is 3.5 and up. How does your GPA compare? Do you have any upper division science coursework, and how did you do? You can not undo the past but you can take more courses to show that you are serious and can handle the work. Rewrite your personal statement to explain any poor academic performance and how you have turned it around.
How well did you do on the MCAT first time around? If your scores are not competitive, seriously consider retaking the test. However, it is not a good idea to retake the test and do worse. If you choose this option, be sure to study so that you have a good chance of improving your scores. Typically, non-residents need to have higher scores than residents. Review the section on the MCAT for information on study tools available for the test.
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Experience
One of the areas where students can be weak is in the amount of experience they have in the health care profession. Volunteer opportunities are available at local hospitals and clinics. Nursing homes in the area offer classes to become a Certified Nurses Aide and offer employment opportunities. Work/volunteer long enough for someone to get to know you. A letter of evaluation from this source can be very valuable.
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Education/Research
Although it is not required for admission, many medical schools place an emphasis on research experience. Consider the possibility of getting involved in a research lab on campus or even applying to a masters program and getting a MS degree before you apply again. Not only will you gain research experience, you will increase your science background, be better prepared for the MCAT should you need to retake the test and you will be more marketable should you chose an alternate career.
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Letters of Evaluation (Recommendation)
Letters of evaluation are tools that admission committees can use to get to know you a little better. If you did not know your professors well, get to know them this year. If you have clinical or research experience, get a letter from those sources as well. The better someone knows you the more they have to say in a letter. This may seem obvious, but make sure the people writing the letters like you and are going to say positive things about you. You do not want any negative or questionable comments in the letter. (more about Letters of Evaluation)
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Poor Personal Statement
Rewrite your personal statement. Use the whole page. Look at this as an opportunity to present yourself to the admissions committee and convince them they should pick you. Be sure to include your motivation for medicine and include what you have done in the intervening year that shows that you are really interested in being a doctor. Talk about the importance of patient care and some of your personal experience in that area. If there are any negatives in your application explain the reason and turn it around to show what you learned and how you have improved. Do not apologize.
Read and reread the statement to catch any grammatical or spelling errors. Have others read it and make suggestions or comments. (more about Personal Statement)
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