Medical School Admissions: How to Succeed

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Medical School Admissions How to Succeed

• April Troy, MPH
• Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Class of 2007

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So How Long Am I Going to Be in School?

• Medical School 4 years
• Some students take time off to do research, to do
  an MPH, MBA, JD, or PhD (more on this later)
• Residency 3 years
• 3yrs Internal Medicine, Family Practice,
  Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine
• 4yrs OB/GYN, Neurology, Psychiatry, Med-Peds,
  PMR Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology,
  Pathology, Radiation Oncology
• 5yrs General Surgery, Radiology, Orthopedics,
  ENT
• 6 yrs Urology
• 7yrs Neurosurgery

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What Comes Next?

• Fellowship
• Medicine, Pediatrics or Surgery
• Private Practice
• Academic Medicine
• Research
• Government (FDA, VA, CDC)
• Advocacy/Public Health

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What Do I Need to Do to Get In?

• BE ORIGINAL!!!
• Consider a minor or second major
• Get to know your faculty
• Research
• Volunteer Activities
• Extra-curricular Activities
• Clinical Exposure
• Travel

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Be Original

• Freshmen/Sophomores
• Figure out what youre passionate about
• DO IT!
• Has to be more than going out on the weekends!
• Consider a second major or minor
• Juniors
• Figure it out fast!
• Start TODAY!

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Volunteerism

• Find something you love to do and create a
  volunteer activity from it
• Choose something youll be excited to talk about
  during interviews
• Choose something you will actually learn from
  not just something to put on an application.

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Research

• Find something youre interested in studying
• Be able to speak intelligently about your
  research in interviews
• Be an active learner in the research process

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Letters of Recommendation

• Get to know your faculty
• Good letters of recommendation should speak to
  your intelligence AND who you are as a person
  poor ones only mention that you were the student
  in the 5th row
• If a recommender hesitates when you ask, ask
  someone else instead.
• Ask for letters EARLY not at the HPEC deadline

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Extra-curriculars

• Its important to be involved on campus
• More importantly, take leadership positions
• Shows that you are dedicated/committed
• Shows that you are organized
• Choose activities that get you involved with
  other people, not just things you do on your own

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Clinical Exposure

• Basically a requirement for admission
• If your parents are doctors, do something outside
  of their fields
• Do things that are interesting to you, so that
  youll be excited when you talk about them during
  interviews

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Why do I want to be a doctor?

• Have a solid answer
• Make this the basis of your personal statement
• Be able to expand on your answer in your
  interviews
• Back up your answer with clinical/shadowing
  experiences
• I want to help people and I like science are
  not good enough!

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Academics

• Are Important!
• 3.5 GPA
• BCPM GPA most important
• MCAT
• 27-30 (higher for top schools)
• Take it early if you can (January or April if
  possible)
• Verbal score is VERY important

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Personal Statement

• Why do you want to be a doctor?
• What experiences in your life and in college have
  led you to becoming a doctor?
• Have multiple people proofread your personal
  statement
• A personal statement will not get you into a
  medical school, but can keep you out

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Interview

• Pre-interview
• Be nice to the admissions staff in any contact
  before the actual interview day
• If you have to change your interview day, do so
  ONCE
• Plan your travel schedule so that you have enough
  time and do not have to leave early

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Interview Day

• Be confident but not cocky
• Be nice to EVERYONE that day
• Make your answers thorough, but do not ramble
• Be prepared to talk about everything you have
  included in your AMCAS application
• Have questions prepared for the interviewers
  about their school
• Some interviewers dont read your application
  ahead of time so be able to tell me a little
  about yourself

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Now Im In How Do I Choose?

• First two years of med school are the same at
  most places
• Think about what your clinical experiences will
  be like
• Where will they be?
• How much will you get to do?
• What kinds of patients will you see?
• Go back a second time and make sure you like the
  people who will be your classmates and the
  city/town the school is in!
• You need to be HAPPY to do well

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What Happens During Med School

• First Year Basic Sciences
• Second Year Diseases, Drugs, etc.
• USMLE Step 1
• Third Year Basic Clerkships
• Fourth Year Advanced Clerkships, Electives
• USMLE Step 2 CK and CS

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Taking Time off

• PhD 3 Years
• MPH 1 year
• JD 3 years
• MBA 1 year
• Research year
• Many fellowships available for medical students

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Contact Information

• If you have any questions, please feel free to
  email me at puscavagea2_at_yahoo.com