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The ABCs of Going to Medical School

S. M. Liner

You think you want to attend a medical school. You're studying hard, and volunteering regularly in a medical setting. Your major is what you have a passion for, and you're maintaining the best GPA you can. Does this describe you? If so, then here's how to get into medical school:

  1. As soon as medical school becomes your goal, join the university’s pre-medical group and attend all the meetings. In addition, introduce yourself to the pre-med advisor and discuss your career plans and how you arrived at those plans.
  2. Volunteer or work with a physician in a lab or medical research facility or a clinic. (Your high school internships and physician shadowing activities should be noted to show length and depth of interest in medicine.)
  3. Become familiar with the application process. Carefully plan your courses to meet the requirements of the medical schools of your choice.
  4. If you earn a C on a required course, retake the course and earn a higher mark.
  5. Take additional science courses as electives if you are not a science major. This increases the strength of your transcript and illustrates a sincere interest in science.
  6. By first semester of your junior year, order MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS (MSAR) to evaluate your potential for medical school (call 1-202-862-6416 or visit www.AAMC.org).
  7. As soon as medical school becomes your goal, begin to practice for the qualifying examination. Use intensive course preparation. Before you take the official MCAT, consider a guided preparation course. Since you will be taking the MCAT on the computer, you want to perfect your skills in answering MCAT questions on the computer.
  8. Register to take the MCAT.
  9. Take the MCAT.
  10. After scores are returned to you, consider an additional MCAT if you are not near the average required by the schools of your choice.
  11. Request faculty recommendation from your advisory committee.
  12. Review what is required for AMCAS and non-AMCAS applications.
  13. Prepare your application essay. Three rewrites would be an expectation. Use standard rules of grammar and give a "snapshot" of yourself and not a litany of your resume. You have given a life review on the application. Use the essay opportunity wisely. Read many samples of successful essays provided by your committee or purchased in a book store.
  14. Complete AMCAS and non-AMCAS applications including essays and supplementals where necessary.
  15. Advise your pre-medical committee where to send the recommendation letters.
  16. If an additional MCAT is necessary then register, prepare, and take the examination.
  17. Follow-up is necessary. Check with the pre-medical advisory office to see if all material is complete. Contact medical schools to confirm that applications are received to be processed (unless the school states that no follow-up is allowed).
  18. Prepare for interviews. Employ an interview coach and also review sample interview questions listed in many of the "applying to medical school" books at your local bookstore.
  19. Consider how you dress for the interview. Dress as though you were already a physician. Do not dress in jeans, sweaters or sweat shirts. Wear a clean pressed suite, or jacket and pants (or skirt). If male wear a current, non-stained tie. Treat the interview with respect. There is more to being prepared than having answers.
  20. Attend your interview. Maintain good eye contact and speak clearly. Do not use one example from your life over and over again to answer questions. Share many different examples when interviewing.
  21. Submit your supplemental applications if you have not already done so.
  22. Make sure the most current transcript from college is in.
  23. Acceptance! Follow the medical school's guidelines concerning acceptance. Celebrate.
  24. Advise the wait-list schools of your continued interest.
  25. Contact schools not heard from in person or by telephone. Ask your advisor to contact schools on your behalf also. Make sure you give medical schools your summer address.
  26. Be sure to have a plan B if the medical school does not accept you. Consider applying again next year. Have a meeting with your advisor and with the medical school admissions officer. Seek the reasons you were not accepted. Correct these reasons if possible.