What Do Medical Schools Want?

[NKaur92]

I know so many friends who have applied to medical schools and some have gotten accepted while others did not.

I had a friend who had a 3.95 cGPA and a 3.9 sGPA. He was a well rounded student who was involved in extracurricular activities along with sports. His MCAT score was 30+, however he was rejected from a state medical school.

I do not understand what exactly is the criteria medical schools are looking for.

Can you sometimes just get lucky and get accepted?

What does one need to do to ensure their acceptance into a medical school in the U.S?

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[carnelian]

There's a lot of luck involved, but it's not completely random. Each school has its own admissions criteria to admit students who best fit their mission. Just do your best and apply broadly.

Practically everyone gets at least one rejection... too many factors involved, and too many possible reasons to disqualify a candidate. As to your friend -- maybe he just didn't "fit" the school.

 

[FrontierPsych]

Maybe he/she wrote a terrible personal statement or had bad letter of recommendations? Maybe that state school was looking for students who would practice rural medicine in that state and your friend didn't seem to fit that bill at all.There are just so many factors that go into admissions that's impossible to say what went wrong. There is A LOT of luck that goes into this, so just do the best you can and hope for the best.

 

[La Presse]

Weak ecs, PS, interviewing skills.

A number of factors can do this. Hopefully, he applied to enough safeties.

 

[NKaur92]

When applying to medical schools, is it necessary that if you have shadowed a doctor, you get a letter of recommendation from him? If you get it from the PA would it make much of a difference?

How many letter of recommendations are usually advised?

 

[carnelian]

1. When applying to medical schools, is it necessary that if you have shadowed a doctor, you get a letter of recommendation from him?
2. If you get it from the PA would it make much of a difference?

3. How many letter of recommendations are usually advised?

1. No.
2. If the PA can speak strongly of your qualities, should be fine, imo.
3. Every school has different requirements; look on their websites for more info.

 

[Catalystik]

The basic LORs requested by most schools are either a Committee letter or three faculty who taught you, two science and one nonscience. If you did research, it's common to also send a PI letter. A shadowing letter is rarely asked for by an MD school, though a committee might require one. Elective letters might be from a volunteer coordinator, boss, or rarely a peer character assessment.

 

[Goro]

I assume this person had an interview?

1) Poor interview
2) red flag in application packet (suspension/institutional action/felony or multiple misdemeanors in background; poor letter of recommendation)
3) red flag in personal statment
4) Lack of ECs
5) Incomplete admissions packet (yes, it happens!)

I know so many friends who have applied to medical schools and some have gotten accepted while others did not.

I had a friend who had a 3.95 cGPA and a 3.9 sGPA. He was a well rounded student who was involved in extracurricular activities along with sports. His MCAT score was 30+, however he was rejected from a state medical school.

I do not understand what exactly is the criteria medical schools are looking for.

Can you sometimes just get lucky and get accepted?

What does one need to do to ensure their acceptance into a medical school in the U.S?