Application Tips

[Buckeye1992]

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Since I am an officer and am about the only one in my pre-soma club to be applying this year, I am going to give a application 101 "presentation" to my club. What kind of things should I be sure to talk to them about? Obviously I am going to stress applying early and to the right schools. I also was definitely going to try to get them to use SDN. I was planning on bringing some samples of PS and some of the essays I have written this cycle. Any other suggestions? Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[NontradCA]

Stress doing well on the MCAT and not being a weirdo during interviews.

 

[NontradCA]

Stress doing well on the MCAT and not being a weirdo during interviews.

 

[Elevencents]

Tell them to enjoy school and try not to be neurotic like most pre-meds. It just comes off as a lack of self confidence.

 

[BenzylAcetate]

A slide or two about budgeting and planning for the various costs throughout the application process would be useful. I think its a subject that is very easy to overlook when applicants are worrying about everything else that goes into applying.

 

[DrEnderW]

I would reiterate the important of getting out an application on time as you alluded to. That was never touched on at my school.

So many people don't realize the timeline and when they need to be planning for the MCAT, letters of recommendation, and submitting primary app.

Second, I would make sure people know you aren't relegated to primary care as a DO. Give them some good links and info to look at regarding residencies and specialties. Knock out some of the stupid questions like, "My dad's friend's accountant's dog walker told him DOs can't practice outside of the US, is this true?" Answer those type of *****ic questions before they have to be asked.

 

[NontradCA]

"My dad's friend's accountant's dog walker told him DOs can't practice outside of the US, is this true?" Answer those type of *****ic questions before they have to be asked.

What's stupid about this question is that it's essentially a novelty item that comes from this romanticized notion of what being a physician in this country means. This is the type of thing someone who is in for a reality check would ask; I think the whole process needs to be laid out to someone when they ask this - length of training, amount of debt being taken on, passing boards, matching residency, working like a dog through residency, establishing yourself as a physician. That being said a lot of DO schools make it easy to do some sort of international mission and rotation.

 

[Buckeye1992]

Thanks for the advice guys! keep it coming lol.

Even though my school is one of the biggest publics in the country, it is horrible about pre med advising. I will be talking to someone on campus who says they are applying this year and they ask me if I already sent my application in and of course go into a rant about how important early applications are. Then they respond by either saying they havent started their app yet, or they havent taken their Mcat yet.... 🙄😕

 

[DrEnderW]

What's stupid about this question is that it's essentially a novelty item that comes from this romanticized notion of what being a physician in this country means. This is the type of thing someone who is in for a reality check would ask; I think the whole process needs to be laid out to someone when they ask this - length of training, amount of debt being taken on, passing boards, matching residency, working like a dog through residency, establishing yourself as a physician. That being said a lot of DO schools make it easy to do some sort of international mission and rotation.

Agreed. I see it thrown around here weekly (always by people that haven't researched anything about the medical path) and that's why it's a good thing to straighten out.