Navigating the Medical School Applications Process

1. Navigating the Medical School Applications Process Brad Wertheim Lafayette Class of 2007 Harvard Medical School Class of 2011

2. Caveat

3. Overview • Freshman & Sophomore Year • Junior Year: MCAT • Junior Summer: Applications • Senior Year: Interviews • Beyond • Questions

4. Guiding Questions for The Application Process • What makes me a unique applicant? (And if I am not, what can I do about it ?) • How can I ensure that the admissions committee will notice/remember me? • How can I “package” my application to reflect my unique strengths?

5. Freshman & Sophomore Year • Do well in school: #1 Priority • The admissions process begins day one! • Sets the stage: MCAT, GPA, interviews, and medical/scientific/general knowledge base • Take challenging courses—and do well • They can smell a slacker/underachiever from a mile away • Use electives wisely: humanities are important, too! • What major? • Does not matter as long as you have a strongbackground in the sciences; ideally, one that surpasses the minimum med school requirements

6. Freshman & Sophomore Year • What else? • Research….while you still have the time • Reading: books/articles about clinical practice, science & technology, ethics, health policy, etc. • Build your knowledge base • Clinical exposure: shadowing, EMT, etc. • Learning about the applications process ahead (AAMC website)

7. A Word on Research • Some form of scholarly engagement is highly suggested by most medical schools (and an unspoken requirement for many) • They seek intellectually curious medical students, who will become intellectually curious clinicians, researchers, etc. • Understanding (or conducting) research is a part of every physician’s job, regardless of practice setting

8. A Word on Research • Doesn’t have to be bench science: humanities, writing, arts etc. • Just find something that you’re interested in • Gives you material for interviews & essays • You have the time fresh/soph yr. • EXCEL is even willing to pay you • A weak point in many Lafayette applicants’ files? • For big name schools, research is a must!

9. Junior Year • Coursework remains #1 priority • Keep reading, shadowing, etc. • Spring: MCAT • Summer: Applications

10. MCAT • Challenging, but beatable. How? • Do well in school; certain courses (biochemistry survey, human physiology) may help • Take a practice test early (soph summer/ junior fall) to assess your baseline & build familiarity w/ test • Buy old MCATs from the AAMC: • Better to practice on the real thing • They repeat questions/content year-to-year • Take a few timed sections each time/session; study and memorize your mistakes (consult school notes & books). Use this as your framework for review. • Available online: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/practicetests.htm

11. MCAT • Download “content outlines” from AAMC site (http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/creatingstudyplan.htm). • Review weak areas, learn areas missed by coursework. Profs are a great resource. • Refresh pencil-and-paper math; sounds silly, but I made test day mistakes here • Practice under timed conditions; build your timing strategy • Integrate it into your daily schedule (i.e. 1 hr/day, etc.). Slow and steady prep keeps you sane and increases retention.

13. MCAT • Kaplan? • Good motivator for some • Expensive • Taught by medical students/pseudo-professional educators • Kaplan questions/tests do not accurately represent the real thing…….my opinion = buy from AAMC • When to schedule test? • As test day nears: • Read rules (watches, breaks, etc.). Find location. • Don’t panic; stick with your strategy

14. MCAT: Scores • *2009 AAMC Data on Matriculants: PS 10.3, BS 10.8, VR 9.8; Total = 30.8 • GPA Science 3.60, non-science 3.74 • Acceptance = a complex relationship between MCAT/GPA and the rest of your file • Top schools: mean scores of 35-36 • If you have an interesting file, you can get away with lower. Don’t let the score stop you from applying (as long as you have a strong file). *http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table17-fact2009mcatgpa98-09-web.pdf

15. Should I take time off? • Borderline applicants/applicants with low grades, low MCAT, or holes in the file • Taking time off to polish your application may dramatically boost your admissions chances • Must be a productive use of the off-year: research, service work, etc. • Research at your school of interest may give you inside connections w/ admissions • You may need to take more than one year off

16. Should I take time off? • Cheaper than applying more than once • Admissions officers likely biased against multiple-time applicants • Ivy league health professions advisors advocate this strategy (strongly!) • Lafayette HPAC can help you decide whether this is right for you • Stay in touch w/ them during your gap year(s)

17. Junior Summer • Complete electronic AMCAS application • Need official transcript • Describe extracurriculars (succinctly) • Must allow time for AMCAS to verify your transcript (can be weeks) before they forward your application to schools • Most apply to 10 – 15 schools • Set aside time to work on this; It is time-consuming • Essay

18. “Packaging” • How you present yourself to the admissions committee • A strength of Ivy League undergrad programs • Your application, CV, and interview should be thematically consistent, and crafted to emphasize your particular strengths as an applicant

19. The Essay • Super-important: a gauge of your intellect, personality, and interest in medicine. Strive for a work of art! • A hastily/poorly written essay is deadly • They read thousands of these; make yours interesting and “magazine quality” • An opportunity to discuss aspects of your file that you wish to emphasize • English prof’s are an invaluable resource

20. The Essay: advice on content • Answer the question carefully: “Why do you want to become a doctor?” • “I want to help people”…….go join the peace corps • “I like science”……go to grad school and become a scientist • “I like working with sick people”…….go to nursing school • Our same questions apply: • “What makes me a unique applicant?” • “How can I ensure that the admissions committee will notice/remember me?”

21. The Essay: miscellaneous • Avoid clichés • “Hit it on the one”....grab the reader’s attention early • Another weakness of Lafayette applicants?

22. Junior Summer/Senior Year • Secondary applications: time-consuming; get them done over the summer if you can • Get them done as early as you can (while doing a good job)! • Early submission/interview is an advantage at rolling admission schools • Interviews begin late summer/early fall and continue through late winter • Acceptances sent after October 15th

23. The Interview • Another important test: most schools looking for personality • Know your file • Open file vs. closed file interview • Know the school: be prepared for “Why (school name)?” • “Why medicine?,” “Tell me about yourself,” “Tell me about activity X” are the big ones

24. The Interview • The stress interview • Have some questions about the school that you would like to ask at the end • Again, keep the questions in mind: • “What makes me a unique applicant?” • “How can I ensure that the admissions committee will notice/remember me?”

25. The Interview • Preparation • Longitudinal: reading, coursework, clinical experiences • School websites • Studentdoctor.net interview forum: don’t take this too seriously, but it can give you a perspective on the questions they ask, and the nature of the interview day • Rehearse questions in your head

26. Studentdoctor.net Interview Forum

27. The Interview • Some send thank-you cards after the interview • Make sure to bring up anything you want the committee to know. Be your own advocate! • Bad interviews happen • At many schools, you can still be accepted even if 1 of 2 interviewers votes “no” • It can be hard to gauge how well the interview went

28. What next? • Waitlist: stay in touch w/ admissions • Send grades, thesis, publications, etc. • What if you don’t get in? • Don’t get discouraged: > 50 % of my class took 1+ years off after college • Use the time to polish your application • Research, service work, job, scholarly activity, etc. • Next year, explain what you learned from your year(s) off and how that prepared you for medicine

29. Medical School: What to Expect • “…..an excellent undergraduate education…” • Lafayette courses prepared me well • Some (maybe many) Lafayette courses are better than their Ivy League counterparts • Many big name schools have weaker degree requirements • Don’t be intimidated

30. Medical School: What to Expect • Pass/Fail for preclinical years (1 & 2); grades for clinical years (3 + 4) • Years 1 & 2: expect 20-35 hrs/week in class • Years 3 & 4: up to 95 hrs/week in hospital • 1 day med school = 1+ weeks of college • Must be more organized & efficient • Hardest part of medical school is getting in? • Difficult to predict what med school will be like until you get there

31. A Word on Balance (and advice)

32. Bradley_Wertheim@hms.harvard.edu