MCAT out of the way, and the only thing standing between you and your dream school is the medical school application process.
While the process can be daunting, knowing the ins and outs can certainly carry you far.
Let’s go through some of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the med school application process.
The good:
You! You’re the best part of the med school application—and so long as you remember that, you’ll be in good shape.
Why? Because the application is all about showcasing the package that you bring—making the case why you deserve a spot in each and every medical school to which you apply.
There are three pieces of the med school application that are within your control, and each should be used to highlight a different aspect of who you are.
The first piece is the list of activities. The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS; the only way to apply to most American allopathic medical schools) application allows you to list 15 activities ranging from the day you graduated high school to the time your application is going to be read by the committees. Activities can include volunteering, awards, research experiences, publications, clubs and sports, or other meaningful activities. The best thing about the activities section is that it allows you to describe your activities yourself.
Take the opportunity not only to describe the things you did, but also to say why they were meaningful to you in the context of your application to medical school.
The second piece consists of letters of recommendation. You’ll want to have five strong letters. Importantly, these letters should come from people who know you intimately, and can speak to your aptitude for science and your acumen with people. For example, rather than getting a letter from the lecturer of a 500-person class, perhaps a letter from your seminar leader would be better—it’s likely that the lecturer doesn’t know you from Adam, and therefore can’t speak to interpersonal anecdotes that really make these letters shine. Ideally, four of these should come from professors or instructors, and three of these should come from science professors. The other one should come from someone who knows your extra-curricular work—but five academic letters will suffice.
Make sure to tell your recommenders what you want them to write about, perhaps experiences you shared, or a particular set of skills that you want highlighted for the purposes of your medical school application.
Students sometimes think that asking in this way is too forward—but as someone who’s written several of these, it makes the writing process easier.
The third piece is the personal statement—more on that in the next post!
The Bad:
Not everything is in your control. And lots of times, students stress unnecessarily about the uncontrollable.
At this point, your MCAT and your GPA are beyond your control—don’t let your anxiety take your focus away from the things that you can control, like the stuff up above.
The Ugly:
Applying to medical school is SUPER expensive.
After having shelled out an arm and a leg to take the MCAT, you’re probably wondering how much worse this process can fleece you.
Trust me, it gets much worse: Applying to medical school via AMCAS costs $160 for the first school, and $33 for each additional school. And that’s just the first step. Nearly all schools will send back a “secondary application”, which costs between $25-$100 per school. Given that most students apply to at least 10 schools, this process can cost upwards of $1000. Now, if you’re lucky enough to get an interview (which you will be), count in the costs of transporting yourself to the school and spending a night in town. While some schools may pair you with a student host, you may not be as lucky at others.
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