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Planning Your Application to Medical School: A Comprehensive Guide

This guide provides information on academic requirements, clinical experience, MCAT preparation, and additional courses that can enhance your medical school application. It also offers tips and resources to help you plan your application effectively.

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Planning Your Application to Medical School: A Comprehensive Guide

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  1. Kathleen Scheltens, Ph.D. Director of Premedical Programs University of Dayton October 2018

  2. How much do I wish to deal with people? • Am I comfortable in a health care setting? • Am I a team player? • What lifestyle do I envision?

  3. Academic Ability • National GPA ave. ~ 3.7. (MED) • Non-Academic Competence/Skills • Wide range of real world skills and real-life experiences. • Contribution to the Welfare of Others. • Commitment and Follow-through. • Emotional Intelligence/Inherent Understanding of People. • Communication Skills • Fitness for the Profession

  4. Curricular Requirements • Pre-requisite courses • GPA (CUM, BCMP) • Co-Curricular Expectations • Admissions Test • MCAT, DAT, PCAT, OAT, GRE • Letters of Evaluation

  5. Academic History • CUM GPA • BCMP • PRE-REQS • Co-Curricular Experiences • Service • Clinical Experiences • Research • Admission Test Scores (MCAT, DAT, GRE, OAT, PCAT)

  6. Apply after Junior Year (matriculate in Fall 2020) • Apply after Senior Year (matriculate in Fall 2021)

  7. Planning Your Application to HPS

  8. Clinical Experience • Service • Research?

  9. Primary Care Experience (MED) • Family and community medicine • Internal medicine • Pediatrics • Specialties? • MVH Internship • PA • Experience in a Dental Environment (DEN)

  10. Can be clinical or non-clinical • Clinical • Reach Out • International Medical Experience • Volunteering at MVH • Dayton Children’s (Through AED or Healing Hearts) • Hospice of Dayton • Miami Valley HELP Program • Non-Clinical • Habitat for Humanity, DECA tutor, volunteer coach, etc.

  11. Most require “direct” patient contact. • Number of documented hours vary greatly by school. • Some ways to get HCE: • Home health aide • Phlebotomy • Reach Out • Hospital volunteer (if direct pt care) • Hospice • Medical Scribe • Brigade • Miami Valley HELP Program

  12. MCAT Exam: Format Biological & Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Grade: 0-15 Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Grade: 0-15 • 6.25 hr exam • Computer • 60-65 questions per section • Stress on foundational concepts (“big ideas), content categories (topics/”facts”) and scientific inquiry & reasoning skills Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior Grade: 0-15 Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Grade: 0-15

  13. MCAT Exam: Format • 6.25 hr exam • Computer • 60-65 questions per section • Stress on foundational concepts (“big ideas), content categories (topics/”facts”) and scientific inquiry & reasoning skills • Knowledge of scientific concepts & principles including math & graphical representations • Scientific reasoning & evidence-based problem solving • Reasoning about design & execution of research • Data-based and statistical reasoning

  14. MCAT Exam: Preparation Biological & Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Grade: 0-15 • Question Distribution: • Biochemistry 25% • Biology 65% • General Chemistry 5% • Organic Chemistry 5% Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Grade: 0-15 • Question Distribution: • Biochemistry 15% • Biology 5% • General Chemistry 30% • Organic Chemistry 25% • Physics 25%

  15. MCAT 2015 Exam: Preparation Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior Grade: 0-15 • Question Distribution: • Introductory psychology 60% • Introductory sociology 30% • Biology 10% • Question Distribution: • Range of disciplines in social sciences & humanities • No specific course work or antecedent knowledge necessary Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Grade: 0-15

  16. MCAT 2015 Exam: Preparation Biological & Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems Grade: 0-15 • Biology Courses: • Bio 151/152 (REQUIRED) • Bio 312 - Genetics (VERY HELPFUL) • Bio 411 - Microbiology(VERY HELPFUL) • Bio 403 – Physiology (VERY HELPFUL) • Biochemistry - REQUIRED (CHM 420 or 451/452)

  17. MCAT 2015 Exam: Preparation • Chemistry Courses • CHM 123/124 (REQUIRED) • CHM 313/314 (REQUIRED) • Physics Courses • Physics 201/202 (REQUIRED) • Statistics • MTH 207 or MTH 367 or PSY 216 (VERY HELPFUL) Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Grade: 0-15

  18. MCAT 2015 Exam: Preparation • Psychology • Psychology 101 (REQUIRED) • Sociology • Soc 101 (REQUIRED) Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior Grade: 0-15

  19. MCAT 2015 Exam: Preparation • “Practice reading” complex literature in humanities, social sciences, scientific journals, etc. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Grade: 0-15

  20. Add-ons (Helpful but not Required) • BIO 415 Neurobiology • BIO 440 Cell Biology • BIO 442 Develop- mental BIO • CHM 451/452 (vs. 420) • PSY 321 Cognitive Proc. • PSY 322 Learning • PSY 351 Child Psych • PSY 366 Health Psych • PSY 422 Physiological Psych

  21. So What’s on the MCAT?

  22. GO.UDAYTON.EDU/MED

  23. DOWNLOAD THE “ROADMAP” • Compare your present course syllabi/content with the MCAT Content Areas. • Highlight/study/archive units of your courses that are identified in ROADMAP. • Organize your course materials for later MCAT Study. • Organize your actual MCAT STUDY SESSIONS to cover ALL MCAT content areas.

  24. AMCAS APPLICATION: $170 first school, $39 each additional • Secondary Apps - $0 - $200 each • MCAT - $315

  25. AAMC – “What’s on the MCAT 2015 Exam? • Khan Academy MCAT Collection • Pre-Health Collection within MedEdPORTAL’s iCollaborative (free searchable online repository)

  26. Multiple choice • Computer based • $445 each time you take it (includes score reporting to schools) • Given most days of the year • Required by all U.S. Dental Schools • Half-day long test: Over four hours in length • Taken at specified testing centers throughout the country

  27. DAT • Test Content: • Natural sciences (biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry) • Perceptual ability (two- and three-dimensional problem solving) • Reading comprehension (dental and basic sciences) • Quantitative reasoning (mathematical problems in algebra, numerical calculations, conversions, etc.) • All scores out of 30 pts. • Ave score of accepted students: 20 • Test results immediate

  28. The Perceptual Ability Test is comprised of six subtests: • 1) apertures, • 2) view recognition, • 3) angle discrimination, • 4) paper folding, • 5) cube counting, and • 6) 3D form development.

  29. The Reading Comprehension Test contains three reading passages on various scientific topics. • Prior understanding of the science topics is not a prerequisite to answering the test items. • The reading passages require the ability to read, comprehend, and thoroughly analyze basic scientific information.

  30. Mathematical Problems: • Algebra (equations and expressions, inequalities, exponential notation, absolute value, ratios and proportions, and graphical analysis); • Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Sufficiency; • Quantitative Comparison; • Probability and Statistics • Applied Math (Word) Problems: A basic four-function calculator is available on the computer screen in the Quantitative Reasoning Test section.

  31. During Spring Semester? • After Spring Semester? • Later in Summer? – What’s the risk? • MCAT/DAT Review Course? • Note: Test Seats fill up quickly, register early. • Re-Take?

  32. Individual letters vs. Composite • Ask faculty, “Can you write a strong letter on my behalf?” • Letters should go beyond grades – help prof know about you as a person. • Stress promptness! • Consider science faculty • Diversify your letters • Some schools require letters from profession

  33. Experiences • Attributes • Skills and Abilities • Personal Characteristics • Demographic Factors • Metrics • GPA (CUM and BCMP) • MCAT

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