Advice for CLASS OF 2013

[Motivated2009]

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[zippa]

1. Take it when you feel you are ready. If thats Aug then take it in Aug. I think a good time frame would be May-July.

2. Only if you apply to schools that have a research emphasis (usually top tiers). Even w/ that, its still not necessary if you have other EC's that shows your involvement/commitment to something then you should be fine.

3. Sorry, not from Atlanta. Dont you guys have grady and other hospitals? You can volunteer or shadow some doctors. Clinical experience is important.

4. Don't apply to schools that you know you wouldn't want to go to.

5. No, all fee waivers (allopathic) are through AAMC FAP. You can apply to 12 schools for free. Also AACOMAS has a fee waivers for 3 DO schools.

6. I go to a school where class sizes can be 140 for orgo 1 and 200 for physics. What you need to do is to stay in constant contact with the professor? Go to office hours, even if you understand the topic. You can fake it, if needed. Email them. You have fall and spring, so start visiting you science professors and non-science professors (for some med schools).

7. I have the same fear of not getting in, but med school is my ultimate goal. So if I don't get in this year, I will improve my app ( trad grad program, SMP, etc) and apply again.

 

[LovelyMD]

1. I agree with zippa, take it when you're ready, but I'd aim to take it between May and July. Your file will become complete faster, and should you need to retake, there will still be time.

2. No, not absolutely necessary, though some schools (mainly top tier schools) have a strong research focus, so you should keep that in mind as you consider your extracurricular activities and med schools of interest. I'd say that showing a strong commitment to activities is interested in is much more important than doing research for the sake of doing research.
Also, it may not hurt to try getting involved in research, just to see if you really do/don't like it. Can't knock it till you try it... The degree to which you will like research will depend on what you choose to do research on.

3. Sorry, not from Atlanta (though I absolutely LOVE the A).

4. agree with zippa - ONLY apply to schools you can actually see yourself attending. For every school, ask yourself: "If this was the ONLY school I was accepted to, would I be happy to go there?"

5. Schools will tend to waive or lower your secondary application fees if you have an AMCAS fee waiver. If you don't have an AMCAS fee waiver, it will probably be difficult to waive your secondary fees.

6. You want to have two science profs write recommendations for you. I would suggest getting to know your profs this semester and next. Ask questions, go to office hours (if they have them), etc. You don't necessarily have to get an A in the class to get a strong rec, but showing that you put a lot of effort into the class by doing what I mentioned will enable them to write more than "John was an excellent student. He received an A in my class." Also, if you can, (and this is what I did), try to enroll in smaller classes. That way, even if you're shy, you're bound to get to know your prof anyway.

I cannot emphasize the need to request those letters of recommendation early (by summertime)! Even if you submit all your secondaries super early, your applications WILL be held up if your letter writers don't submit them in a timely manner. Don't let this happen to you!

 

[BrazilianfutrMD]

I'm from Atlanta, I'm not exactly sure where in ATL you are but I did internship/shadowing at the Emory Clinic in Smyrna, but there are many opportunities at Northside Hospital, Emory, Grady, Wellstar hospitals, etc. Just look on the website of the hospital that is closest to you and check out the volunteer opportunities. Hope this helps!

 

[BlackDr2b]

I'm sitting here studying and bored so I think I will reply to this thread so Class of 2013 can start congregating. God bless.

 

[UVABranch]

My science GPA is not as high I would like it to be, I had a really horrible semester due to some events in my life which dropped my GPA.

then you may need to explain this in your PS, not making an excuse but just explaining the circumstance, and if applicable what you learned from it.

1.) When should I take the MCATs? I dont feel I will be prepared for the Spring tests and have registered for the Kaplan courses that begin in mid-January. I would like to have the summer to do some in depth studying. I figured the first test in August is my best bet is this a good idea?

You should ideally take it within a few weeks of the end of your review course,that way everything is fresh in you mind...but with that said if you don't feel ready after the course then definitly wait and study some more. It's better to wait a month or so to have your app complete rather than taking such an important test if you don't feel you will do your best.

2.)Is research absolutley necessary? I'm really not a fan.

If you're not interetsed and you don't plan on using it somehow when you're a doc the I woudln't worry about it. There are plenty of people who get into school without it. However, if you just think you may not like it but haven't tried, you might want to over the summer, it could also lead to a good LOR and clinical exposure.

3.) Does anyone know any volunteer/ clinical experinces that may be available to me in the Atlanta area? Anyone form the schools here in GA have any knowledge of opportunities available to me? Anyone you may know that can serve as a mentor during this LOOONG, arduous process?

I don't know anything ab GA but you can talk to your primary care doc, who might let you shadow them. Or talk to Docs at your school. If your school has a med school, talk to the office of minority/diversity affairs they might be able to put you in touch with someone who knows more or specific oportunities. (applies to all applicants)

4.) What med-schools should I absolutley avoid at all costs?

(applies to all applicants)
no one can answer that for you, you'll have to do the "research." so to speak. Look on websites, and make a list of things your looking for. Financial-tuition and cost of living, research oportunities, region (south, NE, West coast), urban vs rural, diversity (if any), primary care focus. Then look for schools with those things. Make a list, and rank them, do some more research on what they ideally look for in applicants.

5.) Do schools offer fee waivers for secondary applications? I know you can get fees waived for the preliminary applications through AMCAS.

yep, but I don't know too much about them. Secondary apps range from 45-130ish, so schools like HU that are 45 don't accept fee waivers (because it's pretty inexpensive to apply). Others or calling AAMC would help with this info.

6.) I really dont have any strong relations with any science faculty at my school that I am confident would write me a strong letter of recomm. Is it to late? Whats should I do? I definitely have people outside of acedemics that could write some strong ones.

GET THEM!!! This was by and far one of the biggest mistakes I made. I went to a HS that was small so I didn't have to mk the effort to contact or get to know my profs, then in college w/ a class of 200 I didn;t see the point unless I needed help. These people have seen countless numbers of aspiring med students/docs and so they know what to say to help, and what could hurt you. you don't want a prof who give a LOR but can't say anythiong othr that their grade was __ and course rank was ___. I totally agree w/lovely, and even if you don't need the help go talk with them. mentionn your interetst outside of school (they may know of EC opportunities), get to know them too, you may find they have a lot to tell you and helpp you with. Also, if you're on the cusp of a grade B+ vs A-, they may bump you up to that A. It may feel like sucking up or whatever, but you may have to do these types of thing in life, and since you need the LOR you do what you need to get it. After a while you might find you do this with all your profs even non science ones.

My ultimate fear is not getting accepted. I WANT this soooo bad. I dont want to wait, I dont want to consider any other options. I'm shooting for the highest.

Hey, you and me both. Just stay focused and keep working at it. I assume you're like 20/21/22 you have TIME! Its better to wait a year and apply with a strionger applicationthan waste money on one that's sub par (especally whn you're spending hundreds of dollars). I think taking time off was the best thing I could have done for me (although not quite this much time 😉). I have a differnt approach to my education than I did then, and I know it has made me a better student now, and in the future.

 

[SCRdoc]

Apply early if you can, and broadly. Start saving money now for application fees and interviews. Good luck.

 

[172858]

If I could pass down a little wisdom to the next few application cyclers that I learned from my experience this past cycle, it would be this:

Understand that the MCAT tests your ability to understand the methodology of the test and that simply an extensive knowledge of the material (memorizing every little formula or detail) won't maximize your potential score. Spend the majority of your study time taking practice tests and analyzing possible flaws in your logic rather than drilling on Gen Chem, O Chem, Bio, and Phys.

People don't put enough emphasis on this - but extensive shadowing across multiple specialties shows your interest in the overall field of medicine and your pursuit of your personal niche. I would recommend shadowing, at least, 4-5 specialties with two of those being primary care and one of those being something really different and personally interesting (for me, it was Infectious Disease).

If you plan on applying to top 15 schools, DO RESEARCH. Even if you have no interest in pursuing research in the future, it shows committees that you are committed to acquiring practical skills and knowledge and bridging the gap between your text book knowledge and your real world applicable skills. I would recommend, at least, 6 months. Also, if you can find a PI that publishes ALOT (my PI dropped 15-20 papers a year) so that you can nab a paper, that's preferable.

Most importantly, strive to be WELL ROUNDED. Balance is the key. A 4.0 and a 40 is all well and good, but a 3.5, 30, extensive shadowing, intense and interesting research, a publication or two, student org participation w/ leadership positions, and interesting volunteer experiences will be much more interesting and enticing to adcoms at even the most exclusive schools.

Last but not least, apply to a broad array of schools. I personally applied to
25 (in state, top 10's, hbcu's, etc), got secondaries from every one, got interview invites from more than half (including a few top ranked schools), and got to chose where I wanted to go to school. Remember, if you want big fish you have to cast wide nets.

Best of luck to the c/o 2013, 2014, and beyond. Focus, balance, and resiliency. I'll be pulling for you all.

Peace and Progress...

 

[CuyahogaMD2B]

Hey Guys,
I just found this forum and this part of the forum. I will be working in a research lab and applying to enter in 2009. I really dread the application thing because a couple of my classmates are waiting. I don't know if I can wait. I always wanted to be a doctor from the time I was 8 years old. Good luck everybody.

CMD2B

 

[MAF]

If I could pass down a little wisdom to the next few application cyclers that I learned from my experience this past cycle, it would be this:

Understand that the MCAT tests your ability to understand the methodology of the test and that simply an extensive knowledge of the material (memorizing every little formula or detail) won't maximize your potential score. Spend the majority of your study time taking practice tests and analyzing possible flaws in your logic rather than drilling on Gen Chem, O Chem, Bio, and Phys.

People don't put enough emphasis on this - but extensive shadowing across multiple specialties shows your interest in the overall field of medicine and your pursuit of your personal niche. I would recommend shadowing, at least, 4-5 specialties with two of those being primary care and one of those being something really different and personally interesting (for me, it was Infectious Disease).

If you plan on applying to top 15 schools, DO RESEARCH. Even if you have no interest in pursuing research in the future, it shows committees that you are committed to acquiring practical skills and knowledge and bridging the gap between your text book knowledge and your real world applicable skills. I would recommend, at least, 6 months. Also, if you can find a PI that publishes ALOT (my PI dropped 15-20 papers a year) so that you can nab a paper, that's preferable.

Most importantly, strive to be WELL ROUNDED. Balance is the key. A 4.0 and a 40 is all well and good, but a 3.5, 30, extensive shadowing, intense and interesting research, a publication or two, student org participation w/ leadership positions, and interesting volunteer experiences will be much more interesting and enticing to adcoms at even the most exclusive schools.

Last but not least, apply to a broad array of schools. I personally applied to
25 (in state, top 10's, hbcu's, etc), got secondaries from every one, got interview invites from more than half (including a few top ranked schools), and got to chose where I wanted to go to school. Remember, if you want big fish you have to cast wide nets.

Best of luck to the c/o 2013, 2014, and beyond. Focus, balance, and resiliency. I'll be pulling for you all.

Peace and Progress...

For those of you seeking med school admission, read the above post thoroughly. If you've already read it once, read it again. TexasMD2B does a great job of highlighting the essentials.

MCAT - Good advice. I would also add to look into "ExamKrackers." In my opinion, the best books out there, wAY better than Princeton and Kap.

Research- A great way to leverage a mediocre GPA, considered scholarly by many institutions. However, if you plan on getting into a lab, make sure you are actually conducting research to some extent (not simply dishwasher). At interviews, your research can make you, or break you. Definitely a plus so make sure you know it inside and out.

Shadowing and Clinical experience- Dead on as well. These are those little things that can give you an edge when adcoms are considering your app. They want to see that you have gotten your feet wet and are welllll aware of what is means to become a physician. Therefore, the more experience you have, the more they are reassured. Also, depending on who you shadow and where, you can get some great stories to add to your personal statement and discuss during your interview.

Overall, well written TexasMD2B.

 

[njbmd]

I would advise people who know for sure that they are applying for the admissions cycle of 2009, to do things like:

• Request informal transcripts from every school that you attended post high/secondary school. You want to be ready to fill out and submit that AMCAS application on the first day that it becomes available. Late is never good in this process.
• Gather your and your parent's tax returns/information (now is a great time to do this) as April 15th approaches and people are working on these things.
• Start outlining and working on your personal statement if you haven't started or thought about this very important document.
• Make sure you have done some shadowing/extra curricular work (if you are thin now, you can get things up to par). Don't neglect the importance of this part of your application.
• Review the websites of the medical schools that interest you and make notes of things that you need more information on/would like to know. Also make a note of any deadlines. Start a folder for each school and keep information (as you get it) in these folders.
• Start saving for interview expenses. I can't emphasize this more strongly because things like petrol and airfares are increasing. You don't want to have to turn down a great interview because you have run out of money. Also, don't forget that most schools have secondary applications that have very expensive fees attached. Be proactive about having enough funds to cover the entire cost of application. There are other things like hotel costs and interview suit costs that need to be covered too. Plan ahead now.
• Make sure that you have requested your LORs and that they have been sent to either you Letter Repository Service or pre-med committee. Again, you can't wait until the last minute for these things to be done.
• Be prepared to meet and exceed any deadlines for any schools that you are applying to. Again, you can't afford to be late or do things last minute in this process. This type of information needs to be in your individual medical school folders.
• Once you start getting correspondence from each school that you apply to, keep every scrap of correspondence, return receipts etc, in your school folders. Keep copies of everything that you send to each school especially your secondary applications so that when you are invited for interview, you can go back, read what you wrote on the secondary and refresh your memory as to what they asked you. This can be good especially if you are asked about one of your responses during an interview.
• Once you start to get interview invitations, you are going to want to put a copy of your itinerary and hotel information in your school folders too. Once you have an interview date set, do a Mapquest search and print out driving directions from hotel to interview location and from airport to hotel so that you know where you are going and how long it will take you to get there.

Application to medical school is an expensive and long process. You have to keep records and make sure that everything is completely accurate. If you haven't been much of an organizer before, now is the time to get organized.

I still have my school folders and my interviews were back in 1997!. When it came to medical school application, I was anal and I saved everything. I suppose I could throw this stuff out now that I am going to be opening a practice soon.

 

[MSKalltheway]

If I could pass down a little wisdom to the next few application cyclers that I learned from my experience this past cycle, it would be this:

Understand that the MCAT tests your ability to understand the methodology of the test and that simply an extensive knowledge of the material (memorizing every little formula or detail) won't maximize your potential score. Spend the majority of your study time taking practice tests and analyzing possible flaws in your logic rather than drilling on Gen Chem, O Chem, Bio, and Phys.

People don't put enough emphasis on this - but extensive shadowing across multiple specialties shows your interest in the overall field of medicine and your pursuit of your personal niche. I would recommend shadowing, at least, 4-5 specialties with two of those being primary care and one of those being something really different and personally interesting (for me, it was Infectious Disease).

If you plan on applying to top 15 schools, DO RESEARCH. Even if you have no interest in pursuing research in the future, it shows committees that you are committed to acquiring practical skills and knowledge and bridging the gap between your text book knowledge and your real world applicable skills. I would recommend, at least, 6 months. Also, if you can find a PI that publishes ALOT (my PI dropped 15-20 papers a year) so that you can nab a paper, that's preferable.

Most importantly, strive to be WELL ROUNDED. Balance is the key. A 4.0 and a 40 is all well and good, but a 3.5, 30, extensive shadowing, intense and interesting research, a publication or two, student org participation w/ leadership positions, and interesting volunteer experiences will be much more interesting and enticing to adcoms at even the most exclusive schools.

Last but not least, apply to a broad array of schools. I personally applied to
25 (in state, top 10's, hbcu's, etc), got secondaries from every one, got interview invites from more than half (including a few top ranked schools), and got to chose where I wanted to go to school. Remember, if you want big fish you have to cast wide nets.

Best of luck to the c/o 2013, 2014, and beyond. Focus, balance, and resiliency. I'll be pulling for you all.

Peace and Progress...

I agree with this wholeheartedly and 120%. The most solid advice anyone could give for preparing in this app process was stated here, esp about MCAT prep (I made the mistake in doing too much material review, would have done much better if i didnt) but everything else as well. Excellent job!

 

[xeulee]

My general advice is to apply early (within the first month). Start getting your lors together now. Look at the secondary and primary application costs and start saving money for the applications and possible interviews. Order the new MSAR book (comes out in April 08) which will give you info on each medical school. It is very helpful in deciding where to apply. Lastly, send in your transcripts for the AMCAS before you turn in your application so your application won't be put on hold while waiting for your transcripts to arrive.

 

[caliprincess]

A few things to add to the wonderful information that has already been given here. Things I wish I knew or took seriously before applying to medical school

1) I think it is a grave misconception that you should got to medical school right after undergrad. I honestly believe that you should apply to medical school when you are the strongest candidate that you can possibly be. If you have great numbers, extracurriculars, and you look good on paper all around the summer before your senior year, then I say GO FOR IT. However, if something major is lacking or sub-par in your application (i.e. GPA, MCAT, LORs, etc), then take the time to fix it. The application process is way too expensive and medical school is too important to neglect black spots on your application. If you wake up every morning saying to yourself "what can I do today to help me be a better doctor tomorrow" then you should be willing to do whatever it takes to get into school. If you have to re-take your MCAT, do it. If you have to do a post-bacc or SMP, do it. Your goal is to be competitive during the application process.

2) Apply early and broadly, but be strategic. Again the application process is too expensive to not use strategy when you are applying. Most people don't have the type of money or time to apply to 50 schools to increase their chances. So, make sure most of the schools you are applying to fit you as well as you fit them. Schools look at your application in whole wondering "how well will this candidate fit in at out school" and "how would this candidate adjust to living in NYC, or Iowa, or California, etc", or "does this candidate have a philosophy similar to our mission statement". For example, if you are from NYC and you are applying to Creighton (in Nebraska) just because, even if you have the numbers, not connecting with the aims of the school or showing that you have an interest in rural medicine (for example) can hurt your app. I'm not saying that you wouldn't get an interview, I am just pointing out that you have to fit the school and vice versa.

3) Try to get to know individuals in the admissions offices of the schools you are interested in. By the grace of God, I believe that is the main reason I am holding an acceptance right now. If you show an active interest in the school, then they may start showing an active interest in you. When staff can put a name with a face (or frequent communication if you live far from the school), then it helps you out tremendously. You want as many people rooting for you as you can when it is committee time.

Read every point that other posters have made in this thread. There is a lot of valuable information here. That being said, I wish you all the best of luck this application season!

 

[CuyahogaMD2B]

Thanks for all of the tips and I agree with caliprincess that going straight into medical school is not always the best thing to do. I am so burned out finishing my bachelor's degree that I just couldn't think about starting medical school in the fall. All of my classmates who applied this year really gave me a hard time about not immediately applying but I wanted to work in research and I wanted a break. I am happy to be doing a research project and hoping to start medical school in the Fall of 2009. My school pre-med adviser said that not going immediately into medical school is not going to be a problem as long as you apply before your MCAT expires. Since I just took the MCAT in Jan 2008, I have a couple years before I have to worry about that and I am going to start filling out AMCAS as soon as I can.

 

[caliprincess]

Thanks for all of the tips and I agree with caliprincess that going straight into medical school is not always the best thing to do. I am so burned out finishing my bachelor's degree that I just couldn't think about starting medical school in the fall. All of my classmates who applied this year really gave me a hard time about not immediately applying but I wanted to work in research and I wanted a break. I am happy to be doing a research project and hoping to start medical school in the Fall of 2009. My school pre-med adviser said that not going immediately into medical school is not going to be a problem as long as you apply before your MCAT expires. Since I just took the MCAT in Jan 2008, I have a couple years before I have to worry about that and I am going to start filling out AMCAS as soon as I can.

Woooooooooo!!! Look at those stats you have girl! Congrats...keep focused and keep doin' it big! 😀

 

[xeulee]

I totally forgot about the US News stats which is an alternative to the MSAR. You can pre-order the book or online (2009 version) now for a cheaper price here.

 

[LovelyMD]

Thanks for all of the tips and I agree with caliprincess that going straight into medical school is not always the best thing to do. I am so burned out finishing my bachelor's degree that I just couldn't think about starting medical school in the fall. All of my classmates who applied this year really gave me a hard time about not immediately applying but I wanted to work in research and I wanted a break. I am happy to be doing a research project and hoping to start medical school in the Fall of 2009. My school pre-med adviser said that not going immediately into medical school is not going to be a problem as long as you apply before your MCAT expires. Since I just took the MCAT in Jan 2008, I have a couple years before I have to worry about that and I am going to start filling out AMCAS as soon as I can.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I remember when I had just graduated and watched my friends start medical school. At first I felt left out and behind, but I think taking time off was one of the best decisions I made. I've had two years to think about things other than studying for tests, and I've got to experience things I wouldn't have had the chance to if I had gone to med school straight after undergrad. Now I can't believe I even thought of going straight through!

Taking time off won't hurt you as long as you're doing something productive with your time (not sitting on your mama's couch with your wii all day). Every school I interviewed at was very interested to know what I've been doing since graduation, and I've had plenty to share with them. In fact, I think my post-graduation experiences helped me A LOT- not just for getting into med school, but to add to my CV (a few publications have been accepted), and for defining my career goals. I'll be entering med school feeling very refreshed, not burned out.

 

[MsJLewis]

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I remember when I had just graduated and watched my friends start medical school. At first I felt left out and behind, but I think taking time off was one of the best decisions I made. I've had two years to think about things other than studying for tests, and I've got to experience things I wouldn't have had the chance to if I had gone to med school straight after undergrad. Now I can't believe I even thought of going straight through!

Taking time off won't hurt you as long as you're doing something productive with your time (not sitting on your mama's couch with your wii all day). Every school I interviewed at was very interested to know what I've been doing since graduation, and I've had plenty to share with them. In fact, I think my post-graduation experiences helped me A LOT- not just for getting into med school, but to add to my CV (a few publications have been accepted), and for defining my career goals. I'll be entering med school feeling very refreshed, not burned out.

I second everything said here. It was the best decision I've made by far to take a year off after undergrad. The interviewers seem to love all the experiences I'm gaining at my health policy job. Do something productive during that year off.

.. and there is nothing wrong with "sitting on your mama's couch with your wii all day".. as long as its on the weekend! 🙂