The Health Professions Application Process

1. The Health Professions Application Process October 2007

2. Gabe Garcia, M.D.Director, Medical School Admissions, Stanford • “Grades and MCATS will make medical schools notice your application”

5. Applicants Science GPA: 3.38 NonScience GPA: 3.61 Overall GPA: 3.48 Matriculants Science GPA: 3.57 NonScience GPA: 3.70 Overall GPA: 3.64 Grades in 2006

6. Gabe Garcia, M.D.Director, Medical School Admissions, Stanford • “Extracurriculars will get you into medical school”

7. Overview • 1. Taking The MCAT • 2. Submitting AMCAS Application and other central applications • 3. Completing Secondary Applications • 4. Interviewing at Schools • 5. Financing Your Education

8. 1. Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/cbt.htm • The MCAT is offered multiple times per year • Only at CERTAIN TESTING CENTERSAND ONLY LIMITED SEATING • REGISTER EARLY!!! • Test fee is approximately $200 • Fee reduction may be available • See http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/start.htm

9. MCAT: Four Sections • Biological Sciences • Physical Sciences • Verbal Reasoning • Writing Skills

10. When should you take the MCAT? • After completing courses • When prepared • Consider application plans • Think about EARLY . . . • Earliest consideration for admission to medical school • Will allow you to re-take the test if you are not satisfied with your scores (or happen to get ill the day of testing)

11. MCAT • Apply early for your test date. • If you wait until nearly the last minute, you may not get your first choice of test site or date. • You can only hold 1 site and 1 date at a time.

12. MCAT • When you register for the MCAT, we ask that you release your scores to Pomona. • This will help us advise you and other students. • Med schools will receive scores from every MCAT test you take.

13. What should you be doing now? • Will need to “mentally” and “physically” prepare for the exam.

14. “Should I take a commercial review course?” • The Princeton Review: http://www.princetonreview.com • Stanley Kaplan: • http://www.kaplan.com • Courses begin as early as January • Cost about $1,800 • Print and Web prep also available: • http://www.examkrackers.com

15. Alternatives • Obtain written study materials and form study groups and practice test groups. • For materials: • MCAT website • Google search • Amazon search • CDO

16. Should I Take the MCAT Again? • Consider the likelihood that your score will significantly improve and the likelihood that your scores will decrease • See MCAT Tables on AAMC website • http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/tables.htm

17. August 2006 Pomona MCAT scores (Mean) • Scores reported to Pomona (includes a few students & alums who took the test “just to see how I do”– not a good idea!) • Pomona: PS (10.7) BS (10.9) VR (10.4) WS (Q) = 32.1 Q • National: PS (8.3) BS (8.5) VR (7.8) WS (O) = 24.6 O • We do VERY WELL!! Keep up the trend!!!

18. Verbal Reasoning • Test is designed to assess: • Text comprehension • Critical Thinking • Logical Reasoning

19. What you can do now: • Do additional reading everyday • Read high quality newspapers • E.G. New York Times (especially editorials) • Read high quality magazines • E.G. The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, The Nation, Harper’s • Read good book reviews • E.G. NY Review of Books, NY Times Book Review • Read Medical and Science journals • Science, Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA

21. 2. The AMCAS Application

22. Biographical Information Post-Secondary Experiences Essay Schools Attended Transcript Requests Course Work GPA Designate Medical Schools Application Audit Certification & Submission / Change Notification Process Sections of the AMCAS Application

23. AMCAS Application Fees AMCAS charges an application processing fee of $160 (may go up) for one (1) medical school designation, and $50 (may go up) for each additional school. AMCAS does not issue refunds for missed deadlines. Similar fees and policies for other central applications (AACOMAS, AADSAS)

24. The AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) • The FAP is provided to assist individuals with extreme financial limitations whose inability to pay the full MCAT fee or the AMCAS fee would prevent them from taking the MCAT or applying to medical school • Applicants will receive preliminary eligibility decision upon submission; only a subset must submit financial documentation • Will reduce MCAT from $210 to $85 and provide 10 free medical school applications • Waives AMCAS application fee of $460 for AMCAS application to up to 11 medical schools. Applicants pay $30 for each school beyond the11 free applications.)

25. What you should be doing now? • Learn about the U.S. medical schools (126 MD schools) • Medical School Admission Requirements: United States and Canada 2007-2008   Price: $ 25.00 • You may want your own copy, but it’s available in CDO Library • School websites = most current

26. What you can do to prepare for Health Professions Applications? • Download and complete any available Worksheets and instructions • “Personal Comments: AMCAS requires one page open essay”. (5,300 characters). Others may be different. • This is an opportunity to tell the medical schools who you are, and about your motivation and desire to become a doctor. • YOU SHOULD START WORKING ON DRAFTS (and try different approaches) ASAP.

27. “Writing the personal statement is a highly personal process of self-awareness and self-scrutiny; presenting yourself powerfully is attendant on knowing yourself very, very well, and that is no easy matter! Only from such self-examination and reflection can proceed a compelling NARRATIVE that captures what is unique and compelling about you as you seek long years of medical studies and practice.” -Martha Andresen, Former PreHealth Advisor

28. Personal Essay • You might want to consider: • Why have you selected the field of medicine? • What motivates you to learn more about medicine? • What do you want medical schools to know about you that is not evident in another part of the application?

29. Personal Essay • In addition, you may wish to include information such as: • Special hardships, challenges or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits. • Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere in your application.

30. Essay: Origins of your motivation • Reflect on: What is your motivation for studying medicine? What aspects of medicine are important to you? What role models do you have in medicine? What attracts you to medicine? • Reveal your deepest and most personal reasons for studying medicine. Your motivation must be apparent to the reader. You need to display genuine and powerful motivation to be successful.

31. Essay: Knowledge of Medicine • Reflect on your own experiences and knowledge of science and medicine, your work in research settings, your work in hospitals, clinics, relevant community projects and community service. • Display a working knowledge of health care issues. Be informed. • Highlight rich experiences that have given you a hands-on, real life understanding of what the career you’re aiming for is about.

32. Essay: within a liberal arts setting • Think about your experiences at Pomona. Be honest and critical: we are a liberal arts college, where there is less focus on pre-professional training. Science is a way of looking at the world: what has been illuminating, compelling to you? What is it like to be a pre-med in a liberal arts setting? • Think about your non-science classes -- humanities, social sciences, arts, performing arts -- how do they all contribute to your passion for medicine? Make connections. Think globally.

33. Essay: activities • Consider your extracurricular activities: sports, performing arts, religion, volunteer work. • Mention positions of responsibility, leadership, relationships with peers. How do these help you to guide, counsel others? • Medicine requires strong interpersonal relationships, performance under pressure.

34. Essay: examination of culture • What experiences do you have with other cultures? Have you had opportunities to observe lives of those less fortunate, persons outside of your domain of privilege or ethnicity that have taught you more about the needs of others? The plight of the underserved? • Do you have gifts of language or cultural background that might help the underserved?

35. Essay: life experiences • Make yourself stand out from others in the minds of medical school admissions committee members. • Highlight your special background, experiences, values, dreams that have shaped you. • Your conclusion is important. Present yourself as special, powerful, purposeful, and unique. • You want to make a difference.

36. “You need to demonstrate that quality of compassion that medicine requires. What in your life, your education, your clinical work, your travels, your family has connected you to others, their suffering, their needs, and fired your passion to reach out to them? What is the JOY to you in this, of head, heart, and spirit?” -Martha Andresen, Former PreHealth Advisor

37. Essay • Avoid wordy, pretentious writing. • Don’t preach to physicians about medicine. • Do not exaggerate your own importance, but do show confidence based on your accomplishments.

38. What You Should Be Doing Now • Begin working on essays early. • Winter break is an excellent time to begin • Revise, revise, revise • Get feedback • Peers, faculty, etc. • Essays should be well-written, thoughtful, and sincere.

39. If you will be OFF CAMPUS in the SPRING • Set up an APPOINTMENT with Professor Weekes for November • At least 48 hours before appointment, SEND the following to brenda.reynolds@pomona.edu: • Biographical Information Form • www.medsci.pomona.edu • In the “Applying” Section • Draft of Personal Statement • Authorization to Committee

40. For Additional Information: • Sources about writing personal statements in general are useful. • “Get Into Medical School: A Guide for the Perplexed” by Kenneth V. Iserson • The Pfizer Manual • http://www.medadvising.ku.edu/essaytips.shtml • See “Applying” section of medsci website • Jim Tysinger's book: "Resumes and Personal Statements for Health Professionals", 2nd edition (www.galenpress.com

41. 3. After receipt of your primary application: • Most medical schools will request a “secondary application” from all primary applicants. A minority of schools screen at this point. • They will also request letters of recommendation at this time. • Other health professions schools have slightly different procedures

42. Letters of Recommendation • An important part of your application to medical school and the preparation of the Medical Sciences Committee letter involves obtaining letters of recommendation. • Dental and other schools may not request a committee letter.

43. Letters of Recommendation • You will ask 3 academic faculty members to write evaluations to the Medical Sciences Committee. • Two should be in the natural sciences and one should be outside of the natural sciences.

44. Letters of Recommendation • You may also want to seek letters of recommendation from: • Research supervisor • Supervisor of volunteer work • Health-related experience, e.g. physician. • Athletic coaches or College staff regarding your involvement in athletics, work positions, and on- and off-campus extracurricular activities.

45. What should you be doing now? • Think about: • Who knows you well? • Who can attest to characteristics you want addressed in your letters of recommendation, e.g. academic performance (inside and outside of science), interpersonal skills, leadership skills, how well you work with others, motivation, determination, maturity, responsibility, time management skills, etc.

46. Letters of Recommendation • Select recommenders very carefully • Do not request too many letters of recommendation

47. What do you provide recommenders? • Information about classes taken (incl. course, semester, year, grade) • Include sample work from the course. • Instructions about anything specific you want addressed in the letter. • Transcripts • Resume • Draft of personal essay • Motivation for wanting to pursue this profession.

48. WYSBDN • It is not too late to build relationships with possible recommenders

49. 4. If your secondary application is successful: • You will be asked to interview • Most interviewing will take place in late Fall and early Winter • Will need to plan your course schedule accordingly

50. What should you be doing now? • Read daily newspapers or on-line news, news magazines. • Learn about issues facing health care today, e.g. • Stem cell research • Cloning • Abortion • Government financing for health care • Managed care • Medicare and Medicaid • Physician-assisted suicide • The physician’s role in recognizing and reporting spousal and child abuse • Universal health care coverage • Go to talks by medical school visitors