Questions?

Do you have burning questions about the pre-med, medical school admission, and residency process? Post a comment, and I will happily answer any and all questions.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Medical School Admissions: More AMCAS Work/Activities Tips

*You are allowed a maximum of 15 experiences with 1325 characters to describe each experience.
*Remember hard returns (enter) count as two characters.
*In general, medical school admission committees place more weight on activities that show dedication over a period of time and leadership.
*The admissions committees look down on repeats.
*Don’t fill the space just to fill the space. Ten stellar activities are better than 15 less-than-impressive activities.
*The AMCAS automatically lists the activities by date but you can be creative with how you list dates to have some control over activity order.

Looking for help deciding which activities to include on your AMCAS? Email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251 for personal advice from a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Medicare Policy

When applying to medical school, it is very important to stay up-to-date on health policy. Admissions committees want to know that you are aware of the policy that will affect your life as a physician. Here is an article that discusses a critical issue: Medicare funding.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/health/policy/25medicare.html

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Medical School Admissions: AMCAS Work/Activities

As I mentioned in the previous post, the AMCAS Work/Activities section is more than a resume. Like a resume, it requires you to include the dates, location, and description of activities. But you will also need specifics on the average hours per week you spent on the activity and the name, title, phone number, and e-mail of a contact who can vouch that you did the activity. This contact can be a professor, coach, community service advisor, principal investigator, etc. It should not be a member of your family.

Want to discuss what activities to include on your AMCAS? Email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251 for personal AMCAS expert advice from a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Medical School Admissions: AMCAS Work/Activities

Did you know the AMCAS Work/Activities section is more than just a resume?

The Work/Activities section requires you to categorize your experiences by the following categories:

Paid Employment— Not Military
Paid Employment—Military
Community Service/Volunteer—Not Medical/Clinical
Community Service/Volunteer—Medical/Clinical
Research/Lab
Teaching/Tutoring
Honors/Awards/Recognition
Conferences Attended
Presentations/Posters
Extracurricular/Hobbies/Avocations
Leadership—Not Listed ElsewhereOther

This allows you to include many experiences not listed on a normal resume. Some examples:

Guitarist in a band that created an album
Attended a toxicology conference in Berlin
Won a creative writing contest in college
Completed an Ironman triathlon

Want help deciding which activities to include on your AMCAS? Email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251 for AMCAS expert advice from a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions expert.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Medical School Admissions: Where to Apply

Did you know there are 149 accredited medical schools – 132 in the United States and 17 in Canada? Where are you applying?

The number of schools you should apply to depends on the strength of your application. I generally suggest 10-15 for strong applicants, 15-25 for average applicants, and 25-40 for applicants with low grades/MCAT scores and reapplicants.

As for where to apply, that depends on what you. Every accredited medical school will give you a good education. The decision often comes down to location, curriculum, special programs offered, financial aid/cost, and overall vibe.

Need help deciding where to apply? Email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251 to set up a consulting session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions insider.

Medical School Admissions: AMCAS Open!

The AMCAS is now open and accepting submissions. However, transmission of applications to medical schools will not begin until June 25, 2010. If your AMCAS activities and personal statements are not perfect, take more time on them! Then turn in the completed application by the end of June. You can still turn in transcripts now as they will be processed even if the application is not complete.

Having trouble with your AMCAS application? Email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251 to gain the insight of a published author, experienced editor, medical school admissions expert.

Medical School Admissions: Program Options

Are you applying EDP? How about MD/JD? Wondering what I am talking about? Read on…

Before starting on your personal statement and list of activities for AMCAS, you need to decide what general program you will apply to. Do you want to be a MD/PhD? How about getting a dual MD/MBA? Or perhaps you know exactly where you want to apply and hope to be accepted early. No matter what path you choose, it will require some research to learn the exact rules and requirements for each path. Here are some general guidelines:

Early Decision Program (EDP): You can only apply to one school and will find out by October 1 if you are accepted. If don’t get in, you can then turn in a regular AMCAS application. This approach is fantastic if you are a stellar candidate and know exactly where you want to go to school. However, it is risky for most. If you are not accepted, you will be submitting an application much later than the rest of the pre-meds, a huge detriment when it comes to rolling admissions schools. You are not allowed to apply to the EDP and AMCAS at the same time. The EDP deadline is August 1.
Regular MD: Follow the AMCAS guidelines. The application deadlines vary by school and range from mid-October to mid-December.
MD/PhD: This program is for candidates who want to focus on research. MD/PhD students generally complete their first two years of medical school then head off to lab for 3-7 years and return to complete medical school upon finishing their PhD research. Many are drawn to the MD/PhD path because tuition is subsidized by the school. However, money is certainly not a reason to pursue this course. Schools expect you to enter this program because you love research. You will need to prove a talent for research to the admissions committee. MD/PhD candidates are required to submit two extra essays through AMCAS.
Other combined programs: Many schools are starting to offer combined programs such as MD/MBA, MD/JD, MD/MPH, and MD/MPA. Such programs often shave a year off of the regular requirements. Joint degree programs are becoming more popular so be sure to check with each school to see if any such programs exist or will exist in the near future. You will have to contact each school separately for the specific application. Many schools will have you apply to the joint program once accepted into the medical school.

Want help deciding which program to apply to? Email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251 to set up a consulting session with a Harvard/Stanford MD and medical school admissions insider.