Ask me (almost) anything

[LizzyM]

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Hi LizzyM,

As many other posters here have already said, thank you again for answering our questions.

I just have one question for now.

I'm in a social fraternity and have held three roles so far. I serve as the head of scholarship for my chapter, a liaison between a very large student group on campus and greek life, and the representative in our university's IFC.

Unfortunately there has always been (and probably will always be) the "animal house" stereotype for "frat guys" and I am a little afraid this might hurt me in the application cycle if I list any of these on my application.

I would hope that being in a social fraternity would not be an instant red flag on an application, but do you know if adcoms look unfavorably on involvement in Greek life?

Thank you

Many of us on the adcom recall seeing Animal House in the theater when it came out... a funny movie but not a documentary.

I've not heard anyone speak negatively of Greek life. However, as with anything else, it is best not to be Johnny One Note. Don't wear a fraternity pin, and a frat tie, and answer every question with an example from your frat. That might seem obvious but I've seen it happen.

 

[LizzyM]

Do you think there is a substantial difference between a 3.7 and a 4.0? I had a 4.0 for a while but then transferred (to a plus/minus school) and haven't gotten anything but A-'s (not to complain at all, I'm still pretty thankful).

Thanks!

Shouldn't be a big deal but the ranking of the schools will also be taken into account. If you transferred from a community college, it will be looked at differently than if you transferred from one top school to another.

 

[Biaxin]

Thanks for doing this LizzyM! I'm actually a high school student who has been taking health sciences classes for the past 3 years at my high school (getting pharm tech/med assisting certified this year). I have about 100 hours of job shadowing at a local hospital/ various clinics in my area and have been actively involved in community service projects. I'm also an Eagle Scout. I plan to major and Biology and minor in Music (first chair trumpet in my class throughout highschool 😀 ). When I apply to medical school, will any of my high school activities still be relevant, or should I only include things I do in college?

 

[LizzyM]

Thanks for doing this LizzyM! I'm actually a high school student who has been taking health sciences classes for the past 3 years at my high school (getting pharm tech/med assisting certified this year). I have about 100 hours of job shadowing at a local hospital/ various clinics in my area and have been actively involved in community service projects. I'm also an Eagle Scout. I plan to major and Biology and minor in Music (first chair trumpet in my class throughout highschool 😀 ). When I apply to medical school, will any of my high school activities still be relevant, or should I only include things I do in college?

There is no rule against listing what you did in HS but you are allowed only 15 slots so most people focus on the things they've done after finishing HS. You need not fill all 15 slots.

 

[sam500]

If waitlisted, how much significance are given to letters of interest in May? Obviously the school doesn't want to be juggling candidates until they find one that will actually commit.

Of the two school admissions directors I've spoken to, it seems as if there is 10-15% post-may acceptances given compared to waitlist size. Is this quite common? Just how much shuffling goes on?

 

[LizzyM]

If waitlisted, how much significance are given to letters of interest in May? Obviously the school doesn't want to be juggling candidates until they find one that will actually commit.

Of the two school admissions directors I've spoken to, it seems as if there is 10-15% post-may acceptances given compared to waitlist size. Is this quite common? Just how much shuffling goes on?

I've been told that letters of interest are helpful in May and beyond. My role ends in March so I don't really know what goes on in the Dean's office in the Spring/Summer.

 

[sam500]

In your opinion, how much difference is there between american medical schools? I've heard from many people, that there is no such thing as a bad school and the majority of one's learning is dependent on the individual.

Leaving the school aside. What other aspects would you consider if you were applying to medical school?

 

[sam500]

If you invite a candidate for interview late in the cycle, but the candidate was complete very early in the cycle, does that indicate a lack of interest compared to other candidates? Will it be harder for that applicant to impress the committee enough through interview to be accepted?

Per your answer above, I take it that waitlists fall under the Dean's purview and not that of the admissions committee then, so one person is making the call on admissions decisions post March?

Sorry for the multiple questions and posts.

And thank you very much for being so frank with us. It really does help alleviate a lot of stress to have upfront answers.

 

[Medicinewoman85]

Lizzy,

Are you familiar with Post Bac-Pre Med programs for non science majors? If so are they common among non traditional students? Have you ever invited an applicant who was in a post bac-program?

 

[k2on3hru]

Thank you for doing this!!
1) Do upward trends make a difference? Lets say you brought your GPA from a 3.2 first semester to a 3.7 first semester junior year. And would doing well on the MCAT kinda prove that you just had a rough semester.

2) Ive been looking at a lot of What are my chances posts recently and I've seen that almost everyone has a publication. Does the journal that you publish in matter? Also, is a third author publication worth anything?

3) I know A+s dont count for the AAMCAs, but are they worth anything when you see them on a transcript?

4) How much do you value teaching (T.A.)?

5) How do the requirements differ between Md only vs. Md/PhD? I know you need a lot more research for Md/PhD...but how much? and is there anything else thats different? Would two years with 1 publication look good or not at all? haha

thank yoU!

 

[NeilSaha]

thanks for doing this!

Quick question, I plan on taking physics 1 next summer and physics 2 during the fall semester right after that summer. Do you guys look down on applicants who take prereqs over the summer even if the applicant received an A?

Another question, a lot of my friends are going to the Caribbean for medschool because they couldn't get in here. Would you have recommended that they should have stayed in the US and worked on their scores/ ec's/ whatever it was or did they make the right choice?

 

[LizzyM]

In your opinion, how much difference is there between american medical schools? I've heard from many people, that there is no such thing as a bad school and the majority of one's learning is dependent on the individual.

Leaving the school aside. What other aspects would you consider if you were applying to medical school?

This question is better addressed by people who are actually attending medical school, or choosing schools.

If you invite a candidate for interview late in the cycle, but the candidate was complete very early in the cycle, does that indicate a lack of interest compared to other candidates? Will it be harder for that applicant to impress the committee enough through interview to be accepted?

No. No.

Per your answer above, I take it that waitlists fall under the Dean's purview and not that of the admissions committee then, so one person is making the call on admissions decisions post March?

Yes, that is one model. Other schools may do things differently.

 

[LizzyM]

Lizzy,

Are you familiar with Post Bac-Pre Med programs for non science majors? If so are they common among non traditional students? Have you ever invited an applicant who was in a post bac-program?

Yes, yes, absolutely.

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you for doing this!!
1) Do upward trends make a difference? Lets say you brought your GPA from a 3.2 first semester to a 3.7 first semester junior year. And would doing well on the MCAT kinda prove that you just had a rough semester.

Yes. Maybe.

2) Ive been looking at a lot of What are my chances posts recently and I've seen that almost everyone has a publication. Does the journal that you publish in matter? Also, is a third author publication worth anything?

yes, yes.

3) I know A+s dont count for the AAMCAs, but are they worth anything when you see them on a transcript?

No.

4) How much do you value teaching (T.A.)?

Don't see it much.

5) How do the requirements differ between Md only vs. Md/PhD? I know you need a lot more research for Md/PhD...but how much? and is there anything else thats different? Would two years with 1 publication look good or not at all? haha

I don't have much contact with the MD/PhD admissions people. They want to see people who are interested in careers in research with a little clinical responsibility. So they are going to want to see a significant amount of research with a steady development of skills. Some of us who care about patients want to see that the same applicants have done at least a little clinical volunteerism/employment/shadowing.

 

[LizzyM]

thanks for doing this!

Quick question, I plan on taking physics 1 next summer and physics 2 during the fall semester right after that summer. Do you guys look down on applicants who take prereqs over the summer even if the applicant received an A?

It is fine as long as you do well and you take it at your own school or an equally ranked school.

Another question, a lot of my friends are going to the Caribbean for medschool because they couldn't get in here. Would you have recommended that they should have stayed in the US and worked on their scores/ ec's/ whatever it was or did they make the right choice?

It is easy to get in, hard to stay in. If a student does graduate, it is very difficult to get a residency and without a residency, one can not get a US medical license. It is a hideous uphill climb against the odds. I wouldn't recommend it to someone I love.

 

[k2on3hru]

Thank you!!!

 

[pdxjazz]

😆

Yes, I am also an Emmy-awards host and comedic actress. You can see me on Fox TV on Tuesdays, 8 pm, 7 Central.

You were great in "Best in Show".😉

 

[estradiol9]

How would it be viewed if an applicant discussed their own experiences as a patient and the patient-physician relationships they had within their personal statement? Could it potentially hurt them? For example, inflammatory bowel diseases which essentially have no "cure" but there are treatments for, would adcoms think of such applicants as not capable of attending medical school/becoming a physician?

 

[jesse120]

Why do interviewers sometimes ask questions such as "What schools have you applied to?" or "How many interviews have you had so far?" Is it best to answer honestly, even if I applied to 22 schools?

 

[dicer]

Hi,

I'm deciding between thre mcat test dates; i intend to apply during this application cycle.

April 13 ------> the score comes out May 15
May 19 -------> the score comes out June 19
May 24 -------> the score comes out June 26

The april 13 test date result comes out before June so I can apply really early in the cycle, but on the other hand it is during the semester, so i won't have time to dedicate solely to studying for mcat (i'll probably be fretting about midterms the weekend before the mcat).

The may 24 test date would give me 2 extra weeks post-finals and the may 16 test date would give me one extra week post finals to study for the mcat; would this give me a disadvantage in terms of applying later in the cycle? Is June 19/26 late? Is June 26 considerably later than June 19?

If i do sign up for one of the may dates, should i submit my application in early june before my scores are released? Does the app get verified before the mcat is sent in, and then get sent out immediately when the mcat score comes in? Or should I wait for the scores to come out and then apply?

😳 Yeah, that was a lot, thanks for your advice

 

[hiyaman]

thanks for doing this thread. Is stumbling on a question during an interview a deal breaker? Or if the rest of the interview was good, would this applicant still have a good chance for acceptance? I ask this because I think we have all had our first interview moments where we blank on a question but regain composure.

 

[Lunasly]

Hello LizzyM,

Thanks for the great thread!

Not too long ago, you spoke to an individual regarding international volunteering: If I remember correctly, you ended by saying that international volunteering is no better then volunteering within your city or state in the case where an individual volunteers 2 or 3 weeks of his or her time. Please correct me if I am wrong on this as I can't find the quote.

In any case, I have been volunteering internationally for two summers now. However, I have been volunteering for a total of 4 months. Every summer (which is 4 months long) I will work for 2 full months to save up money to travel. Once I have saved up, I will fly over to Lebanon where I teach summer school in an undeserved community. My teaching consist of basic mathematics and physical education (the importance of physical education, why smoking is harmful, what cancer is, and we also do 1 hour of physical activity each day for 5 days a week.). There are no gyms in this village and no one really exercises. I am majoring in Kinesiology. A close family friend whom I have known for many years is the vice-principal of this school and is the one who has provided me with this opportunity. By the time I apply, I would have volunteered around 300 hours in total.

1) Do you consider this an activity that provides me with uniqueness - especially since I paid for the trip myself and have been volunteering there for quite some time.

2) This volunteer activity was not set up with an organization like many other are.With that being said, how do I provide proof? My aunt only speaks a little bit of English. Do I just ask her for a letter of reference?

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks,
Lunasly.

 

[pooker]

I have two questions LizzyM, and thanks for doing this. Your posts always have the best information.

1. I have seen you mention that our number one goal in UG is to have a good gpa, and our second goal is to have a rigorous course load. Pertaining to this last part, how do you evaluate this? Say someone has a 3.7 in an engineering disciple, and another has a 3.8 in Business Communications, would you look at the former as a more competitive applicant?

2. I had a dad that died from a drug overdose when I was a kid (13 years old), and my mom remarried to a not so good person, and he just got charged with an aggrivated felony assault and was determined guilty. Would putting something like this on an application, either for a reason to justify applying as disadvantaged, or some other reason be deemed hurtful on my app? The reason I ask is because I don't want to make it seem like I am a product of my environment (drugs and violence).

 

[eHombre]

Hi,

I'm deciding between thre mcat test dates; i intend to apply during this application cycle.

April 13 ------> the score comes out May 15
May 19 -------> the score comes out June 19
May 24 -------> the score comes out June 26

Give yourself more study time and take the May 24 test. You can submit your AMCAS in early June without your full school list; you just need to designate at least one school (e.g., put down your state school). After your application is verified (will take 3-4 weeks if you apply in June) and your MCAT score is in, you can fill out the rest of your school list and you'll be complete everywhere.

 

[muffins]

I know you mentioned that it is dishonest to apply to med school with intent of deferring, does this apply if I might apply to TFA? I am very interested/involved with education currently, and it is something I might do before going to med school. Will it hurt me to mention TFA during my interviews?

Thank you for your time!

 

[LizzyM]

How would it be viewed if an applicant discussed their own experiences as a patient and the patient-physician relationships they had within their personal statement? Could it potentially hurt them? For example, inflammatory bowel diseases which essentially have no "cure" but there are treatments for, would adcoms think of such applicants as not capable of attending medical school/becoming a physician?

Like almost anything else, it can be done well or it can be done poorly. Most clinicians attached to medical schools practice in tertiary care centers which tend to have a "spectrum bias" meaning that they see a disproportionate number of cases that do not respond to first line therapy and/or who have very severe disease. That could skew their viewpoint of just about any chronic condition with which they are familiar. That said, most of us know one or more physicians who manage to practice medicine despite a chronic condition and so we are not likely to reject an applicant due to IBD, diabetes, a history of cancer, etc.

 

[LizzyM]

Why do interviewers sometimes ask questions such as "What schools have you applied to?" or "How many interviews have you had so far?" Is it best to answer honestly, even if I applied to 22 schools?

I don't know why they ask such questions. I suspect they want to get a feel for how serious you are about that school or what their chances are of landing you.

Honesty is always the best policy. Of course, you can also spin an answer such as, "When I was going over the list of schools I might apply to, I was particularly interested in [school name] because of its [describe wonderful attributes of curriculum, faculty, student body and extracurricular offerings]. I am thrilled to be here today and it has further piqued my interest in attending -- if I am lucky enough to get admitted."

Of course, do not accidentally say the name of another school ... and yes, it has happened. 😳

 

[LizzyM]

Hi,

I'm deciding between thre mcat test dates; i intend to apply during this application cycle.

April 13 ------> the score comes out May 15
May 19 -------> the score comes out June 19
May 24 -------> the score comes out June 26

The april 13 test date result comes out before June so I can apply really early in the cycle, but on the other hand it is during the semester, so i won't have time to dedicate solely to studying for mcat (i'll probably be fretting about midterms the weekend before the mcat).

The may 24 test date would give me 2 extra weeks post-finals and the may 16 test date would give me one extra week post finals to study for the mcat; would this give me a disadvantage in terms of applying later in the cycle? Is June 19/26 late? Is June 26 considerably later than June 19?

If i do sign up for one of the may dates, should i submit my application in early june before my scores are released? Does the app get verified before the mcat is sent in, and then get sent out immediately when the mcat score comes in? Or should I wait for the scores to come out and then apply?

😳 Yeah, that was a lot, thanks for your advice

I'm bucking the SDN "common wisdom" but I don't feel as if submitting in mid to late June is "late". I'm not really sure about timelines but I think that your AMCAS can be verified and held until the scores come in and then the scores are uploaded into the form and the whole thing goes out to the schools.

The most important thing is to be well prepared and well rested for the MCAT and to take it once. If you will be at your best in late May, be thankful that late May is an option (I can recall when there were only two dates: April and August).

 

[LizzyM]

thanks for doing this thread. Is stumbling on a question during an interview a deal breaker? Or if the rest of the interview was good, would this applicant still have a good chance for acceptance? I ask this because I think we have all had our first interview moments where we blank on a question but regain composure.

I haven't seen that be a deal breaker unless it is a softball question like, "Tell me about yourself" or a really important question like "why medicine". While you shouldn't memorize a script and spew it out (that can result in a stumble as you screw up your prepared remarks), you should be able to speak sincerely and from the heart on those two topics.

 

[LizzyM]

I know you mentioned that it is dishonest to apply to med school with intent of deferring, does this apply if I might apply to TFA? I am very interested/involved with education currently, and it is something I might do before going to med school. Will it hurt me to mention TFA during my interviews?

Thank you for your time!

We 😍 applicants who have done or who are doing TFA. That said, apply to med school at the end of your first year with TFA with the hope that you will start med school after you finish your contract. I have a close relative in TFA so I take a dim view of people who apply to medical school during their first year with TFA as I know that an offer of admission would result in either breaking their contract to go to medical school or asking for a deferral.

If you want to go to medical school, apply to medical school. If you want to teach for 2 years, apply for TFA and other teaching jobs, do that for awhile and then apply to medical school but don't try to hedge your bets by applying for both & asking for a deferral.

We are trying to fill the incoming class of 2012. If we spend time interviewing people who will not matriculate in 2012 but who want a spot in 2013, we are spending our time but not achieving our objective (fill the class of 2012) and we are reducing the number of available seats for people who apply for the incoming class of 2013 which makes our job harder then next year as we need to turn down excellent candidates.

 

[OldBat]

How many hours of Post bac credit does it take to overcome a 3.0 GPA.
I do not mean bring it up to 3.5 or up but enough they will look at the Post Bac GPA. and realize the applicant is capable of doing the work.

 

[LizzyM]

I have two questions LizzyM, and thanks for doing this. Your posts always have the best information.

1. I have seen you mention that our number one goal in UG is to have a good gpa, and our second goal is to have a rigorous course load. Pertaining to this last part, how do you evaluate this? Say someone has a 3.7 in an engineering disciple, and another has a 3.8 in Business Communications, would you look at the former as a more competitive applicant?

We consider the school and our knowledge of the school's strong majors and less strong ones. If half of the Division I football team is in that major at that school, it might not be the most rigorous, if you know what I mean. 😉

Engineering is almost always considered a challenging major. Vocational majors such as medical technology, nutrition, and early childhood education are usually considered weaker majors.

Some committee letters will point out that a student took a more difficult sequence of classes to meet the pre-req requirements. We also know some courses by reputation (reproductive biology at one of the Ivies is one that comes to mind as exceptionally difficult).

2. I had a dad that died from a drug overdose when I was a kid (13 years old), and my mom remarried to a not so good person, and he just got charged with an aggrivated felony assault and was determined guilty. Would putting something like this on an application, either for a reason to justify applying as disadvantaged, or some other reason be deemed hurtful on my app? The reason I ask is because I don't want to make it seem like I am a product of my environment (drugs and violence).

Opinions vary on this. I tend to like a nuanced approach (keeping confidential the more private details of your family life) while others are not as sensitive to that sort of thing.

Your dad died suddenly when you are 13. It happens. It is devastating. I'm not sure if it seems worse if you say it was drugs or chronic alcoholism or gang crossfire. That detail wouldn't matter, at least not to me.

You are asked to provide the names, etc of your parents. I've seen people list step parents and even grandparents who raised them but it is equally acceptable to leave those names off. So, if you don't want to list your stepfather, that's fine. If you were poor as a kid, grew up in a medically underserved area (almost every poor neighborhood is medically underserved with not enough primary care providers to go around), received government assistance with school lunch, medical care, housing, etc then some of the specific details of your stepfather's behavior aren't essential to the story of your disadvantage as a kid (age 0-18).

 

[LizzyM]

How many hours of Post bac credit does it take to overcome a 3.0 GPA.
I do not mean bring it up to 3.5 or up but enough they will look at the Post Bac GPA. and realize the applicant is capable of doing the work.

"They" are a few thousand people at 100+ schools. It is hard to say what they will do. I do know that where you take the post bac will be taken into consideration, the courses taken and whether they are new material or re-takes, and what else you are doing at the same time. If you take one course while working 20 hrs/wk as a barista, you won't be considered as strong as someone who takes a full load (16 hours) while volunteering several hours per week and working part-time in a lab.

 

[LizzyM]

Hello LizzyM,

Thanks for the great thread!

Not too long ago, you spoke to an individual regarding international volunteering: If I remember correctly, you ended by saying that international volunteering is no better then volunteering within your city or state in the case where an individual volunteers 2 or 3 weeks of his or her time. Please correct me if I am wrong on this as I can't find the quote.

In any case, I have been volunteering internationally for two summers now. However, I have been volunteering for a total of 4 months. Every summer (which is 4 months long) I will work for 2 full months to save up money to travel. Once I have saved up, I will fly over to Lebanon where I teach summer school in an undeserved community. My teaching consist of basic mathematics and physical education (the importance of physical education, why smoking is harmful, what cancer is, and we also do 1 hour of physical activity each day for 5 days a week.). There are no gyms in this village and no one really exercises. I am majoring in Kinesiology. A close family friend whom I have known for many years is the vice-principal of this school and is the one who has provided me with this opportunity. By the time I apply, I would have volunteered around 300 hours in total.

1) Do you consider this an activity that provides me with uniqueness - especially since I paid for the trip myself and have been volunteering there for quite some time.

2) This volunteer activity was not set up with an organization like many other are.With that being said, how do I provide proof? My aunt only speaks a little bit of English. Do I just ask her for a letter of reference?

So, there is no one in Canada who needs help with math homework and physical education??

That said, doing some service for others while on vacation is admirable. It also gives you something to do which is nice if the alternative would be to sit around the house in Lebanon every day for a month. 😉

People work to earn money to do things that are important to them. You aren't going to get brownie points for working for a month so that you an travel for a month... it is how most of the world operates. (Not everyone is lucky enough to have a daddy who finances everything although it is not uncommon to see in pre-med circles.)

I don't see any difference between volunteering a month at a time in Lebanon or doing the same sort of thing in a local school for 3 hrs/wk for a couple years (300 hrs total). It is very common to tutor or otherwise volunteer in a school and it does not make you unique.

All you need for the application is the name, title and email address of the person who is a "contact" with the organization. It would be, I think, exceptionally uncommon for anyone in med admissions to send an email to confirm this sort of activity.

 

[Rollo]

What are some interesting, not-specific-to-applicant interview questions you've asked or had a fellow interviewer ask an interviewee?

 

[Person0715]

How do you view applicants that take one or two pre-reqs at a community college? I had to take physics over the summer, but because of financial reasons, I had to take them at a nearby community college. Will this count against me?

 

[LizzyM]

How do you view applicants that take one or two pre-reqs at a community college? I had to take physics over the summer, but because of financial reasons, I had to take them at a nearby community college. Will this count against me?

Yes, but not a lot unless it is well known that the pre-req is a weed-out class at your undergrad school.

 

[LizzyM]

What are some interesting, not-specific-to-applicant interview questions you've asked or had a fellow interviewer ask an interviewee?

Don't waste my time. You are already in medical school. If you want to know about interesting interview questions, click on Interview feedback at the top of this and every page of the forum. It takes a bit of digging but it is there.

 

[Rollo]

Don't waste my time. You are already in medical school. If you want to know about interesting interview questions, click on Interview feedback at the top of this and every page of the forum. It takes a bit of digging but it is there.

I ask because I'm on the admissions committee at my school.

 

[circulus vitios]

Can 2-3 years of full-time employment after college (plus volunteering and shadowing) make up for a lack of extra curricular activities during college?

 

[LizzyM]

Can 2-3 years of full-time employment after college (plus volunteering and shadowing) make up for a lack of extra curricular activities during college?

Almost but not quite. The question will be raised: how did this applicant spend time outside of coursework? Having no answer to that question is not as good as having some answer plus the employment/shadowing/volunteering after graduation even if the extracurriculars while in college were not medically related (either because one is a career changer or had other interests such as music, journalism, art, politics, etc).

 

[LizzyM]

I ask because I'm on the admissions committee at my school.

😳
PM'ed you

 

[RavishingB]

Would you say its better to be a big fish in a small pond at a lower ranked school or a small fish in a big pond at a top school?

 

[LizzyM]

Would you say its better to be a big fish in a small pond at a lower ranked school or a small fish in a big pond at a top school?

Being a big fish in a small pond always makes me wonder how you'll do in the shark tank that is medical school. (/jk, it is a very chill environment at LizzyM Med School).

It does make us wonder how you might have done in a bigger place. Even some big fish in small ponds would be the biggest fish in a big pond, too.

Schools are full of small fish. It is hard to distinguish one from the others which does place every little fishy at a disadvantage.

 

[CaliforniaAppli]

What is the approach you take in deciding whether or not to recommend an applicant for an interview?

(eg, do you look for a certain gpa+ mcat first, followed by ec's , letters?

 

[LizzyM]

What is the approach you take in deciding whether or not to recommend an applicant for an interview?

(eg, do you look for a certain gpa+ mcat first, followed by ec's , letters?

I look at most recent MCAT scores (subscores & total), gpa, science gpa, other gpa and gpa by year, school attended and major.

Then I look at other schools attended (masters degree, post-bac, classes taken while in HS, summer school, etc), whether courses were AP, P/F, or Honors and the load per year.

I look at languages spoken, family background, experiences, essays, secondary and LORs.

I am interested in the intensity of the academic preparation, research experiences, clinical exposure, involvement in activities with others including positions of responsibility within a group, and service to others, particularly the poor.

It is nice if the applicant has some little side interest that would be fun to talk about whether it was a harrowing travel experience, an unusual job or a quirky hobby.

 

[Medicinewoman85]

Lizzy M,

How do you view applicants that have a B.S. in nursing? It has been discussed on here before that it may be looked down upon because Adcoms don't want to help promote to an already "alleged" shortage of nurses. What if a student chose a BSN but later realized they wanted to go to medical school. Can a BSN really put an applicant at a disadvantage over other applicants with degrees in the sciences, humanities, etc...

(I'm sorry for all the questions🙂

 

[tabascosauce]

hi LizzyM i dont have a question i just wanted to say thank you for helping me get into med (medical) school.

 

[LizzyM]

Lizzy M,

How do you view applicants that have a B.S. in nursing? It has been discussed on here before that it may be looked down upon because Adcoms don't want to help promote to an already "alleged" shortage of nurses. What if a student chose a BSN but later realized they wanted to go to medical school. Can a BSN really put an applicant at a disadvantage over other applicants with degrees in the sciences, humanities, etc...

(I'm sorry for all the questions🙂

The fact is that as a major, nursing has a bad track record when it comes to getting admitted to medical school. Why that is so, I don't know.

Many people go into medicine because they like science & want to help people. (Compared, I guess, with people who like law and want to help people or who like classrooms and want to help kids, etc) If a nurse is already working in nursing (which is science based) and helping people, why switch gears? It also raises the question of how the decision was made to go into nursing and why the change? Does this person make decisions without thinking things through? Are they going to dislike medicine or find it hard to swtich from a nurse's philosophy to that of a physician?

Why not climb the ladder in nursing? Why take seven years or more out of the work force and several of those years away from patients? I suspect that some nurses just don't have good answers to those questions.

 

[lindtchocolate]

How do you look at applicants who send multiple updates (all saying new things) post-interview at a top tier school? It is considered weird/excessive or does it show passion and commitment for the school? Can such updates help you score an acceptance?

Do update letters make it more likely for the applicant to be waitlisted rather than accepted (because the school knows you love them too much and will go even if they accept you off the waitlist, and not outright)?

When's a good time to send a post-interview update letter? If a school decides in March, is early-mid Feb too late?

Thanks in advance!