Resources for Medical School Applicants
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Step 1: Protect your GPA
Your Grade Point Average or GPA will be of significant interest to the medical school admissions committee. Mastering voluminous amounts of information in medical school requires stamina, determination, persistence, and conscientiousness. Your GPA will provide schools with insight into your work ethic and study habits.
Step 2: Prepare Well for the MCAT
Step 3: Serve your Community
Step 4: Explore the Medical Profession through Direct Patient Exposure
The decision to pursue a career in medicine should be based on significant experiences in the field. These experiences should allow for exposure to patients so that students can make an informed decision about their suitability for a physician career. Have you had direct interaction with patients? What was the nature of this interaction? What meaning did you derive from these experiences? These are just a few of the questions that medical schools will seek to answer as they read your application. (Coming Soon)
Step 5: Shadow Physicians
Physician shadowing permits students to observe physicians as they care for patients. Through these patient encounters, students gain insight into the delivery of healthcare from the perspective of the physician. How do physicians interact with patients? What are the challenges of being a physician? These are just a few questions that can be answered through shadowing. (Coming Soon)
Step 6: Consider Performing Research
Contrary to popular belief, research experience is not a requirement at most medical schools. At research-intensive schools, research is obviously a must. However, a strong argument can be made for all students to participate in research no matter which medical school they are targeting. Participation in research allows students to explore the profession in more depth, enhance critical thinking and other related skills, and strengthen credentials for the medical school application. (Coming Soon)
Step 7: Gain Leadership Experience
In evaluating extracurricular activities, medical schools will look at the depth of a student's involvement. Schools value the quality of involvement. Were you a leader? Did you demonstrate serious commitment to an organization? Were you able to make a meaningful contrbiutions? (Coming Soon)
Step 8: Secure Strong Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are an important part of the medical school application. These letters provide schools with information about your noncognitive skills and qualities. These are qualities that are vital to the practice of medicine, and schools rely heavily on these letters to determine your suitability to become a physician. (Coming Soon)
Step 9: Write a Powerful Personal Statement
(Coming Soon)
Step 10: Prepare an Eye-Catching AMCAS Application
(Coming Soon)
Step 11: Demonstrate your Fit for the Medical School through the Secondary Application
(Coming Soon)
Step 12: Deliver a Winning Interview Performance
For more on the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI):