How do you properly update a medical school application?

[Dr. Hopeamine]

Hey all,

I am trying to figure out the "procedure" of how to go about notifying a school of a change in your medical school application. I recently was placed on a pre-interview hold for DMU and wanted to notify them that I just returned from a medical mission (*cough* consider me please *cough*). What is the best way to go about doing that? If it's just an email, does it need to be formatted any single way? What should I include in the email? If it's calling, what do I say? And to whom? (or who? idk, this is why I didn't major in english/writing)

Thanks!

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[HanSoloYolo]

Interested in knowing about this as well since I've added more hours of patient volunteering and clinical hours as well as landed a spiffy new job that's probably unique. How does one properly tell them? Thanks Dr. Hope for asking what's been on my mind the past few days.

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

bump.

 

[de Ribas]

Hey all,

I am trying to figure out the "procedure" of how to go about notifying a school of a change in your medical school application. I recently was placed on a pre-interview hold for DMU and wanted to notify them that I just returned from a medical mission (*cough* consider me please *cough*). What is the best way to go about doing that? If it's just an email, does it need to be formatted any single way? What should I include in the email? If it's calling, what do I say? And to whom? (or who? idk, this is why I didn't major in english/writing)

Thanks!

Why were you placed on pre-interview hold?

Do you think that medical mission in your application will make them grant you an interview?

 

[de Ribas]

Interested in knowing about this as well since I've added more hours of patient volunteering and clinical hours as well as landed a spiffy new job that's probably unique. How does one properly tell them? Thanks Dr. Hope for asking what's been on my mind the past few days.

If you were not granted interview, adding some more hours of volunteering won't change their mind. Did your GPA or MCAT go up?

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

My question was just asking how to do it, but thanks anyways for your opinion @PashaOdesit. Again, what's the appropriate way to update my application when it has already been submitted?

 

[de Ribas]

My question was just asking how to do it, but thanks anyways for your opinion @PashaOdesit. Again, what's the appropriate way to update my application when it has already been submitted?

Once you login to AACOMAs there is tab called "Update my application" - Making changes? Send application updates to your submitted programs.

 

[de Ribas]

Once you login to AACOMAs there is tab called "Update my application" - Making changes? Send application updates to your submitted programs.

If it is email, send it to admissions just saying that you wanted to add info for your experiences. I had to add some bio info and I was told that they will input it themselves.

 

[HanSoloYolo]

If you were not granted interview, adding some more hours of volunteering won't change their mind. Did your GPA or MCAT go up?

My GPA will go up by a few A's by mid-December so I should just wait until then? I think added experiences as well as a solid new job, some more A's, and registration to retake the MCAT in Jan should be a solid update? If this update next month doesn't do anything, I might just sign up for more classes next semester to keep the A train going.

 

[de Ribas]

My GPA will go up by a few A's by mid-December so I should just wait until then? I think added experiences as well as a solid new job, some more A's, and registration to retake the MCAT in Jan should be a solid update? If this update next month doesn't do anything, I might just sign up for more classes next semester to keep the A train going.

If you have these updates coming, send one update rather than several ones.

 

[HanSoloYolo]

If you have these updates coming, send one update rather than several ones.

Sounds good, I'll just update in December then and still plan to take some courses in the spring while working full time/retaking the MCAT.

 

[Goro]

If you were not granted interview, adding some more hours of volunteering won't change their mind. Did your GPA or MCAT go up?

Especially after a stint of medical tourism, which is how Adcoms see medical missions.

 

[Dr. Foresight]

Especially after a stint of medical tourism, which is how Adcoms see medical missions.

Not all adcoms. Some like seeing it.

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

That's a bummer that some Adcoms are so shallow they can't see past the numbers when looking at a candidate. I feel like my medical mission strengthened my passion to go into medicine and work towards some type of international health track. I also felt like I was able to assist in some amazing things. I would hope that medical schools have learned and understand that taking 4.0 528 candidates never yields a high quality doctor, as we have seen with the massive decline in patient-doctor satisfaction.

 

[Goro]

Time for the wise @gonnif to trot his list of what med schools and AAMC have to say about medical missions.

Not all adcoms. Some like seeing it.

That's a bummer that some Adcoms are so shallow they can't see past the numbers when looking at a candidate. I feel like my medical mission strengthened my passion to go into medicine and work towards some type of international health track. I also felt like I was able to assist in some amazing things. I would hope that medical schools have learned and understand that taking 4.0 528 candidates never yields a high quality doctor, as we have seen with the massive decline in patient-doctor satisfaction.

 

[de Ribas]

Not all adcoms. Some like seeing it.

you know actual ADCOMs who like, or is it just a statement?

 

[de Ribas]

That's a bummer that some Adcoms are so shallow they can't see past the numbers when looking at a candidate. I feel like my medical mission strengthened my passion to go into medicine and work towards some type of international health track. I also felt like I was able to assist in some amazing things. I would hope that medical schools have learned and understand that taking 4.0 528 candidates never yields a high quality doctor, as we have seen with the massive decline in patient-doctor satisfaction.

Why would medical mission be look better than serving undersered or disadvantaged here in US. why would service to your own citizens here be looked not as good as mission to another country?

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

Why would medical mission be look better than serving undersered or disadvantaged here in US. why would service to your own citizens here be looked not as good as mission to another country?

No one said it would look better? And I can verify that I have spoken with a few ADCOMs who have agreed that medical missions are a big plus in an application. If they were looked at negatively by a school and the people hired to select those students, why would the school send it's own medical students over there?

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

https://www.aamc.org/download/474346/data/clinicalexperiencesshadowingsurvey.pdf
Member schools expressed significant concern with regards to premedical students engaging in unsupervised clinical activities in international settings. In particular, 45-50% of those schools completing the survey described applicant involvement in invasive procedures in international settings as either harmful to, or of no value to, their application. Examples of such invasive procedures include giving vaccinations, suturing an injury, pulling teeth, and delivering a baby. This concern of admissions officers persisted, albeit at lower levels (35-40% of respondents), when the students were supervised by a health professional while performing such invasive procedures in international settings.


https://www.aamc.org/download/181690/data/guidelinesforstudentsprovidingpatientcare.pdf
Guidelines for Premedical and Medical Students Providing Patient Care During Clinical Experiences Abroad

I guess I am confused why you worded it like medical school students are looked at negatively by Adcoms for attending medical missions. Those links clearly explain that they are looked at positively and regarded as beneficial for clinical experiences. The entirety of those websites outlined the concern with actual participation in these missions. I went with a family doc, so probably wasn't stepping too far out of the realm of what's ethical.

 

[de Ribas]

No one said it would look better? And I can verify that I have spoken with a few ADCOMs who have agreed that medical missions are a big plus in an application. If they were looked at negatively by a school and the people hired to select those students, why would the school send it's own medical students over there?

seems like you have got everything figured out then.

If you have spoken to several ADCOMs about it, I guess they could also tell how to update schools with having mission experiences.

You didn't say that it would look better, but you think that updating schools with this experiences would grant you an interview. If you already have all other ECs done, you think that having medical mission will increase your chances.

Anyways, I have mentioned above on how to update schools.

 

[Isoval]

No one said it would look better? And I can verify that I have spoken with a few ADCOMs who have agreed that medical missions are a big plus in an application. If they were looked at negatively by a school and the people hired to select those students, why would the school send it's own medical students over there?

Probably because they’re medical students being trained in medicine and you’re a lowly premed.

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

Probably because they’re medical students being trained in medicine and you’re a lowly premed.

This was just posted above clearly clumping medical students and pre-meds into the same category.
https://www.aamc.org/download/181690/data/guidelinesforstudentsprovidingpatientcare.pdf

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

I'm not even entirely sure who on this thread has credentials that qualify them to make such accusations like it's somehow not a good idea to inform a medical school of a medical mission I went on.

 

[de Ribas]

I'm not even entirely sure who on this thread has credentials that qualify them to make such accusations like it's somehow not a good idea to inform a medical school of a medical mission I went on.

If ADCOMs don't, I don't know who does.

 

[de Ribas]

This was just posted above clearly clumping medical students and pre-meds into the same category.
https://www.aamc.org/download/181690/data/guidelinesforstudentsprovidingpatientcare.pdf

"Putting acceptance to medical school and residency training programs at risk.
Many pre-medical students believe that the more in-depth clinical experience they have,
the stronger their applications will be. However, taking on tasks that are beyond your
training could make you look unethical, unknowledgeable about the health professions,
irresponsible to admission committees, and may diminish or eliminate your chance for
acceptance into medical school. Similarly, medical students who perform procedures
beyond their training may negatively impact their chances of matching in residency
programs."

This above is pasted from the document you shared. It says how one's admission to med school can be at risk due to abroad experiences.

 

[Dr. Hopeamine]

Those arent my words: that is a quote from the executive summary of what the medical schools say. Let me repeat it:

Member schools expressed significant concern with regards to premedical students engaging in unsupervised clinical activities in international settings

So I suggest you read that first link carefully

You're correct. I misspoke. What I meant to say was I am not sure why you took that text out of context. When you read the entirety of the article you posted, they emphasize that clinical experience, including medical missions, is regarded as a good thing on a pre-meds application. "73% of medical schools surveyed highly recommend or require applicants to have had experience in which they can observe and learn about clinical practices. 87% of respondents reported that applicants without clinical experience may be disadvantaged in the application process. What is gained from the experience is valued more by schools than the number of hours." I am not sure why you used a small snippet from that article that outlined concern for unqualified participants in invasive procedures.

 

[Robin-jay]

Interested in knowing about this as well since I've added more hours of patient volunteering and clinical hours as well as landed a spiffy new job that's probably unique. How does one properly tell them? Thanks Dr. Hope for asking what's been on my mind the past few days.

When medical schools say holistically, they mean GPA and MCAT.

Volunteering is just a requirement that medical schools tend to just check off. If you already have volunteering, then it really doesn't do anything.

Its like this:

Medical school require immunizations. You get them to not get accepted, but to be able to attend.

same goes for everything except GPA and MCAT, including volunteering.

 

[Goro]

Teaching moment time: The reason we look down upon medical tourism is for several reasons:

Most people do these not to learn something about medicine or show off their altruism, but to simply burnish their CV. They're about the applicant, not the patients.
Many missions are simply trips to the old country to visit Nana/Ajima/Abuela and are combined with sticking one's head into a local clinic and saying "hello".
These trips take away work from the locals
These trips do not require patient's informed consent that some untrained American kid is going to perform some medical intervention on them.
We have no way of knowing if any of these are occurring compared to something that's honest, unless one spends a long time in-country, like > a month, or does work with a real organization like the Peace Corps, or the US military.

I trust that you've learned by now that there's a difference between medical education and pre-med volunteering.

That's a bummer that some Adcoms are so shallow they can't see past the numbers when looking at a candidate. I feel like my medical mission strengthened my passion to go into medicine and work towards some type of international health track. I also felt like I was able to assist in some amazing things. I would hope that medical schools have learned and understand that taking 4.0 528 candidates never yields a high quality doctor, as we have seen with the massive decline in patient-doctor satisfaction.

I'm not even entirely sure who on this thread has credentials that qualify them to make such accusations like it's somehow not a good idea to inform a medical school of a medical mission I went on.

Stats get you to the door, but ECs get you through the door.

When medical schools say holistically, they mean GPA and MCAT.
Volunteering is just a requirement that medical schools tend to just check off. If you already have volunteering, then it really doesn't do anything.
Its like this:
Medical school require immunizations. You get them to not get accepted, but to be able to attend.
same goes for everything except GPA and MCAT, including volunteering.

 

[RinShanKaiHo]

My first author paper was recently accepted to a pretty decent journal (IF=7.5). Should I send updates to the schools that I haven't heard back from?
My stats are probably ok with 3.7 and 514.
Will the update make any differences?


In addition, I am curious about medical experience abroad... I am from a foreign country and through my undergrad years during winter and summer breaks I routinely volunteered at the local hospital in my hometown. So they really don't like this kind of experience? I worked with residents and basically functioned as rotating medical students and was constantly under the supervision of attending physician(She was my dad's ex-gf lol)