Hi this is Doctor Jessica Freedman. I’m going to give a short presentation on medical school admissions. This presentation is based on an article that I wrote that was published on a student doctor network on May 3, 2009. Please feel free the MedEdits website at www.medEdits.com and fell free to visit the Student Doctor website at www.StudentDoctor.net.
Everything to read about medical admissions tells you to submit an early application yet I find that medical applicants do not do this. This means that not only should you submit an early primary application but your letters of reference, your transcripts and your secondary essay should also be submitted early.
This also means that you must take an early MCAT exam. Do not submit all of your application materials early, and then undo all of your good work by taking an August MCAT exam. Your application will not be reviewed until that pending MCAT score is in.
Please do not apply just for practice while the stigma of being a re-applicant is declining once you become a third time applicant, your chance of acceptance are much lower. So you want to do anything in your power to ensure that you do not become a third time applicant.
Be sure to apply broadly. I find that some applicants do not have that success because they limit themselves geographically. You must keep your objective in mind and if you want to get to medical school, you want to get to medical school and you should make sure that you apply broadly enough to ensure your success.
Think about your story, I find that many applicants who have extra ordinary experiences really do not have a comprehensive understanding of their backgrounds, their path and the themes that connect all their experiences. So as you prepare your application, as you prepare for your interviews be sure that you understand what you have done and where you are going.
Be sure to make all of your application entries descriptive. Unless you have 40 on your MCAT and 4.0, you must do everything in your power to highlight all of your experiences appropriately. This is an opportunity for you to tell the admissions committee more about yourself.
Do not regurgitate your application entries in your personal statement; and avoid taking a cookie-cutter approach to your personal statement; for example, do not write one paragraph about your research, then another about your volunteer activity, and then one about your clinical experiences. Your personal statement and opportunities say something new and something fresh and something that further explains who you are and why you want to be a physician.
Be sure to submit all of your secondary essays in a timely fashion. You don’t want to undo all of your good work by submitting an early primary application and then waiting until the deadline to submit your secondaries.
Be sure to practice interviewing and practice answering the questions that you know you are likely to be asked. I find that many applicants who have a wonderful mix of experiences are really not able to articulate well everything that they have done. Also realize that you do have the ability to guide your interview contrary to popular belief. Be sure to practice interviewing with somebody who knows well the admissions process.
Make every interview count. Remember your goal here is to get into medical school; so every interview is a chance for an acceptance. I had several clients this year who had one interview and got one acceptance.
Get good advice and I realized 0that this isn’t so easy. Several of clients came to me with tips that they had received from either their pre-med advisers at school or form other private advisers that were downright wrong. Be sure that the person from who you are taking advice has either medical school admissions experience or has extensive experience from the pre-med perspective.
It is important to stay as objective as possible during this process. For example, if you have a 2.7 GPA it is unlikely that you will be accepted to medical school. Perhaps, you should pursue a special masters program or something that you know will allow you to prove yourself academically and if you aren’t accepted take an honest inventory of your backgrounds and your candidacy and try to figure out what you can do to improve your application.
Be sure to make the most of your candidacy. When I start working with many clients they there’s nothing unique about me, there’s nothing different about what I have done. I’m always able to find something about that client that is different, that makes them stand out, and that makes their paths special and appealing to admissions committees. So try to evaluate your candidacy as objectively as possible and try to identify those things that make you unique.
Thank you for taking this time to listen to this presentation. To learn more about me, Doctor Jessica Freedman, please visit the MedEdits website at www.medEdits.com and please feel free to call me at 201-244-6142. I’m happy to speak with prospective clients and their parents at anytime. And please visit the Student Doctor website at www.StudentDoctor.net