MD/PhD Admissions: Medical School Admissions Myths

MD/PhD admissions medical school admissions

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. 

Medical school admissions

As you navigate the path to MD admissions, it seems that everyone offers tips on how to succeed during this process.  With the massive amount of information being hurled at you by a number of individuals, it becomes hard to know if you’re making the best impression you can. 

In this post, we’ll go through some of the common myths surrounding the medical school admissions process:

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 activities 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 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 repeatedly. Be prepared to speak about these events in your life and what you’ve gained from them. 

2. My chances of acceptance go down as the interview season progresses.

Many students feel the pressure to complete their applications as close to the time the application opens.  While it’s a good idea to get it done as soon as possible, it shouldn’t be submitted at the expense of submitting a high quality admissions essay.  Most schools have a rolling admissions process, which means that applications are read as they come in, 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.

3. I need to major, or have majored, in a scientific discipline.

One of the biggest myths 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, you will have to have taken introductory courses for all of the topics covered in the admissions test in order to gain admission, anyways.  So, regardless of your chosen major in college, we all pretty much start on equal footing once medical school starts.   

Those are just a few of the common myths plaguing medical students. Hopefully, this post has reassured you a bit as your dive into medical school admissions success and refuted some of the post common myths.  Good Luck with the application process!

Click here to sign up for a free MCAT consult.  

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills MCAT medical school admissions SAT expository writing college admissions English MD/PhD admissions strategy writing LSAT GMAT GRE physics chemistry math biology graduate admissions academic advice ACT interview prep law school admissions test anxiety language learning premed MBA admissions career advice personal statements homework help AP exams creative writing MD study schedules test prep computer science Common Application summer activities history mathematics philosophy organic chemistry secondary applications economics supplements research 1L PSAT admissions coaching grammar law psychology statistics & probability legal studies ESL CARS SSAT covid-19 dental admissions logic games reading comprehension engineering USMLE calculus PhD admissions Spanish mentorship parents Latin biochemistry case coaching verbal reasoning DAT English literature STEM excel medical school political science skills AMCAS French Linguistics MBA coursework Tutoring Approaches academic integrity chinese letters of recommendation Anki DO Social Advocacy admissions advice algebra art history artificial intelligence astrophysics business cell biology classics diversity statement gap year genetics geometry kinematics linear algebra mechanical engineering mental health presentations quantitative reasoning study abroad technical interviews time management work and activities 2L DMD IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs Sentence Correction adjusting to college algorithms amino acids analysis essay athletics business skills careers cold emails data science dental school finance first generation student functions graphing information sessions international students internships logic networking poetry resume revising science social sciences software engineering tech industry trigonometry writer's block 3L AAMC Academic Interest EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD MMI Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python Shakespeare Step 2 TMDSAS Taylor Series Truss Analysis Zoom acids and bases active learning architecture argumentative writing art art and design schools art portfolios bacteriology bibliographies biomedicine brain teaser campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets central limit theorem centrifugal force chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum dementia demonstrated interest dimensional analysis distance learning econometrics electric engineering electricity and magnetism escape velocity evolution executive function freewriting genomics harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law immunology induction infinite institutional actions integrated reasoning intermolecular forces intern investing investment banking lab reports linear maps mandarin chinese matrices mba medical physics meiosis microeconomics mitosis mnemonics music music theory nervous system neurology neuroscience object-oriented programming office hours operating systems