The summer may give longer warmer days, but for eager premeds the summer isn’t the restful vacation it should be. Numerous students are filling out their primary applications, in the hopes of achieving admission to the medical school of their dreams.
As you navigate this path, you may find that everyone has “can't-miss” tips to succeed in this process. With the massive amount of information being hurled at you, it's hard to know if you’re making the best impression you can. In our post, we’ll go through some of the common myths surrounding the medical school admissions process.Myth #1 More activities=Stronger application
A lot of premeds think that having a large number of activities is beneficial to an application. While it is important to demonstrate that you are a well-rounded candidate, having too many is not necessarily a good thing. An excess of activities can signal a lack of commitment. During your college years, in preparation for medical school admissions, it's best to focus on a few activities that really mean something to you. As you go along the interview trail, you will be asked about these things again, and you need to be prepared to speak about these events in your life and what you’ve gained from them.
Myth #2 My chances of acceptance go down as the interview season progresses.
Many students feel the pressure to complete their applications as close as possible to the time the application window opens. While it’s a good idea to get it done expeditiously, it shouldn’t be submitted at the expense of a really high quality admissions essay. Most schools have a rolling admissions process, which means that as applications come in they are read, interviews are granted, and after an interview is conducted, acceptances are made at a monthly admissions meeting. Don’t worry! Your chances don’t decrease if you apply in August or in October. The admissions committees select the most qualified applicants, and if you make the cut, you’re sure to get an acceptance.
Myth #3 I need to major, or have majored, in science.
One of the biggest myths that we hear is that you NEED to major in a natural science discipline (physics, chemistry, biology) in order to gain acceptance to medical school. While it may help to have a strong background in these subjects, in order to gain admission, you will have to have taken introductory courses for all of the topics covered in the admissions test. So, regardless of your chosen major in college, we all pretty much start on equal footing once medical school starts.
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