- Joined
- Apr 11, 2008
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Hey, everyone.
Now that we're in the waning moments before the AMCAS is released to medical schools, and the first push--for many of us, at least--is over, I thought I'd take a moment and burn my first thread to offer a bit of advice.
Relax.
No, seriously, I mean it. No fooling. I've been reading these breathless posts about whether or not med schools are going to look down upon someone for being vice president of a club instead of President of the United States of America, or whether not having first authorship in Science by age 13 will hurt one's chances at ever getting into a mid-tier school. It strikes me as downright silly.
Listen, I get taking the med school application seriously, I really do. I am, certainly, so I get it. But I implore you all: Please, take a few breaths, and remember that this process is not about choosing only those with the highest numbers, or only those who never make comma splice errors in their personal statements, etc. It's about finding people who will make great doctors.
Obviously, numbers play a big part in that, but once you have decent numbers, you don't need to fret about the fact that you didn't fill in all 14 extracurriculars, or that you didn't single-handedly end hunger in Central America. Med school AdComs have read a lot of applications, and they've gotten pretty good at identifying applicants with something more to offer than just acute neuroses!
So with that, let me wish everyone here the best of luck in the upcoming onslaught of secondaries. May everyone find a place at a school that suits them. As for me, hopefully I'll run into a few of you during interview season.
Now that we're in the waning moments before the AMCAS is released to medical schools, and the first push--for many of us, at least--is over, I thought I'd take a moment and burn my first thread to offer a bit of advice.
Relax.
No, seriously, I mean it. No fooling. I've been reading these breathless posts about whether or not med schools are going to look down upon someone for being vice president of a club instead of President of the United States of America, or whether not having first authorship in Science by age 13 will hurt one's chances at ever getting into a mid-tier school. It strikes me as downright silly.
Listen, I get taking the med school application seriously, I really do. I am, certainly, so I get it. But I implore you all: Please, take a few breaths, and remember that this process is not about choosing only those with the highest numbers, or only those who never make comma splice errors in their personal statements, etc. It's about finding people who will make great doctors.
Obviously, numbers play a big part in that, but once you have decent numbers, you don't need to fret about the fact that you didn't fill in all 14 extracurriculars, or that you didn't single-handedly end hunger in Central America. Med school AdComs have read a lot of applications, and they've gotten pretty good at identifying applicants with something more to offer than just acute neuroses!
So with that, let me wish everyone here the best of luck in the upcoming onslaught of secondaries. May everyone find a place at a school that suits them. As for me, hopefully I'll run into a few of you during interview season.
