4 answers
Bel
Student
United States
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Questions
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What would make me stand out when applying to medical schools?
Hi im bel! Im a junior in highschool and plan to study medicine in the near future. I love meeting new people and play tennis and volleyball. Most importantly, I would like to know more about what can increase my ability to fully grasp what the medical profession has to offer. In other words, how would medical school be a good fit for me? #doctor #career #dermitology #medicine #medical
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4 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1616
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Bel if you have your sights set on a career in medicine, you probably already know that the field is selective and fast-paced. Spots in the top BS/MD programs in the country are among the most competitive to land, and even top pre-med programs often have acceptance rates in the single digits. For students aiming for a medical career, top grades and test scores aren’t enough to get into the best programs in the country. Grades and test scores might be great examples of your scholastic aptitude, but they don’t reveal much about your personal characteristics. Do you help your community and those around you? Do you commit fully to tasks? Do you solve problems in innovative, insightful ways? Qualities like dedication, empathy, and leadership are critical to success in medical school and in a medical career, so admissions committees look for these traits in applicants.
You’ll need to use your extracurricular involvement to let these qualities shine through if you want to set yourself apart in the admissions process. Through your application — personal statement, AMCAS experience list, secondaries, and interviews — you must demonstrate a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others. You must also show an undeniable passion for the field you are about to dedicate the next several years of your life to: medicine.
When applying to medical school, you must show that you have a passion for helping others. When you think about it literally, doctors care for people when they are sick, and sometimes, at their worst. As an applicant, you must prove that you have a desire to do this and that you have the guts to handle this responsibility. Serving others is a defining characteristic of the medical practice. As an applicant, you must prove on your resume that you are ready and willing to do this, so volunteering with related organizations makes for good extracurricular activities for medical school.
When medical school admissions committees admit applicants, they are choosing to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into their education. It is a huge investment of time, money, and resources. They must make absolutely sure that applicants know exactly what they are getting into! They simply cannot risk admitting a student who doesn’t have the highest level of commitment to medicine or who doesn’t have the resilience and perseverance to make it through to the end.
Whatever you choose to do Bel, make sure that you are (1) demonstrating a genuine passion for medicine and helping others, (2) making a tangible and noticeable impact, and (3) showing sustained involvement and dedication to an activity, organization, or cause.
Competitions – Beyond interest-based extracurriculars, academic competitions can show off your preparation for pre-med (and eventually medical!) studies. The HOSA – Future Health Professionals competitions offer one opportunity to display your medicine-specific knowledge.
Internship, shadowing, and research – Medicine differs from many other science-based disciplines because of its applied dimensions. From conducting research to interacting with patients, students in medical school and doctors have to apply their knowledge in unique ways.
Take on a Leadership Role – Many medical school look favorably upon applicants who have held leadership roles and some actually require applicants to have at least one leadership experience to apply. And it helps a lot if the school’s you are applying to are particularly big on leadership.
Volunteer – Voluntary work in your local community demonstrates that you care about contributing to society and the wellbeing of others. This is a much needed quality for a person whose job will be to ensure the wellbeing of people!
You’ll need to use your extracurricular involvement to let these qualities shine through if you want to set yourself apart in the admissions process. Through your application — personal statement, AMCAS experience list, secondaries, and interviews — you must demonstrate a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others. You must also show an undeniable passion for the field you are about to dedicate the next several years of your life to: medicine.
When applying to medical school, you must show that you have a passion for helping others. When you think about it literally, doctors care for people when they are sick, and sometimes, at their worst. As an applicant, you must prove that you have a desire to do this and that you have the guts to handle this responsibility. Serving others is a defining characteristic of the medical practice. As an applicant, you must prove on your resume that you are ready and willing to do this, so volunteering with related organizations makes for good extracurricular activities for medical school.
When medical school admissions committees admit applicants, they are choosing to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into their education. It is a huge investment of time, money, and resources. They must make absolutely sure that applicants know exactly what they are getting into! They simply cannot risk admitting a student who doesn’t have the highest level of commitment to medicine or who doesn’t have the resilience and perseverance to make it through to the end.
Whatever you choose to do Bel, make sure that you are (1) demonstrating a genuine passion for medicine and helping others, (2) making a tangible and noticeable impact, and (3) showing sustained involvement and dedication to an activity, organization, or cause.
Doc recommends the following next steps:
Thank You Dexter, for your continued support. Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.
Doc Frick
Hi John,
Firstly thank you so much for the detailed answer! I want to bring to your attention that my first two years in high school were filled with clubs and extracurricular activities that I have either been in leadership of or have created. I'm glad you brought in the topic of "Passion" as I truly do have a passion for medicine that's why I opened a HOSA chapter in my high school! You also mentioned some GREAT qualities: dedication, empathy, and leadership. I think having all three are very important but are there any more that you feel will make me stand out?
Again, Thank you so very much for your answer, I found it quite t helpful!
Bel
ENTHUSIASM – Bel you'll want to convey your enthusiasm for their Medical School and how it relates to what classes, programs, clubs and organizations you'll be part of on campus. Medical Universities want to know what’s in it for them when they admit YOU. How YOU will engage and benefit the larger community while growing into the person they want you to become?
Doc Frick
MEMORABLE – Bel think about the sheer amount of applications that an admissions officers must read, consider how you'll stand out in the pile. You don't want to be just "standard." You want to be MEMORABLE, so make sure your admission essay tells a COMPELLING story on why their Medical University is your FIRST CHOICE.
Doc Frick
Richard A.
physician
2150
Answers
Updated
Richard’s Answer
You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Try to find opportunities to pursue research.
Volunteer at your local hospital or low-income clinic. Ask physicians, PAs or other clinical providers if you can shadow them.
During college study for and complete the MCAT. Devote an entire summer to studying for the MCAT and consider paying for a prep course if you can afford it. You will need a top MCAT score in the top 20%ile.
My son used MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2019-2020: Online + Book + 3 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep) Kaplan Test Prep
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.
Try to find opportunities to pursue research.
Volunteer at your local hospital or low-income clinic. Ask physicians, PAs or other clinical providers if you can shadow them.
During college study for and complete the MCAT. Devote an entire summer to studying for the MCAT and consider paying for a prep course if you can afford it. You will need a top MCAT score in the top 20%ile.
My son used MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2019-2020: Online + Book + 3 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep) Kaplan Test Prep
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.
Hi Richard,
Thank you so much for your advice! As a high school student I acknowledge the fact that GPA is highly crucial when applying to medical schools. How did you or your son maintain your GPA's? Any study recommendations?
-Again, thank you, Bel
Bel
Go to class. Plan to spend 2-3 hours studying for every hour of lecture. Attend your professor's office hours and any TA review sessions. If there is a test bank, use that as a study tool to understand what your professor wants you to focus on for the test.
Richard A.
Cameren Davis
Tutor
38
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Cameren’s Answer
The first thing you can do in order to determine if the medical field is something you want to go into is job shadow. You could shadow a pediatrician, a surgeon, a psychiatrist, among many other professionals, to try and understand if the medical field is an area you are interested in and if so, what specialty you want for your future career goals. If you find that these are no longer fields you want to pursue I would suggest shadowing other professionals in related fields such as a PT/OT or a nurse. Maybe these fields would be more appealing and suitable for you.
Additionally, once you get into university for your undergraduate years, it will be important to maintain a decent GPA to remain a competitive applicant. For your application you will be required to submit letters of recommendation so make sure your form relationships with your professors so you can get letters that make you stand out. You will also need to score well on the MCAT and take all the relevant course required for admission into medical school. During your undergraduate years I would suggest devoting sometime to volunteering and getting clinical hours by volunteering at a hospital or a hospice center. Also, make sure to get research experience through your university. You need to show the medical schools admission board that you are able to balance school while also devoting your time to different activities.
Joining clubs and taking leadership roles within them is also a good idea. However, do not stretch yourself too thin as anything you are going to list on your application/resume should be something that you were able to give your all too. Spend your undergraduate years growing yourself as a person and gaining experiences that will be appealing to the admissions board, an idea would be dedicating a summer/vacation break to do some work with Habit for Humanity or similar organizations or spend a semester abroad to expand your views and ideas about culture and diversity.
I will end this post by saying that if you do choose to go the medical route just remember that you do not only have to apply to the big name/top medical schools. You will get an excellent education at smaller medical schools and because the applicant pool is smaller you will increase your chances of being admitted. I wish you luck in your future and hope this post was helpful.
Additionally, once you get into university for your undergraduate years, it will be important to maintain a decent GPA to remain a competitive applicant. For your application you will be required to submit letters of recommendation so make sure your form relationships with your professors so you can get letters that make you stand out. You will also need to score well on the MCAT and take all the relevant course required for admission into medical school. During your undergraduate years I would suggest devoting sometime to volunteering and getting clinical hours by volunteering at a hospital or a hospice center. Also, make sure to get research experience through your university. You need to show the medical schools admission board that you are able to balance school while also devoting your time to different activities.
Joining clubs and taking leadership roles within them is also a good idea. However, do not stretch yourself too thin as anything you are going to list on your application/resume should be something that you were able to give your all too. Spend your undergraduate years growing yourself as a person and gaining experiences that will be appealing to the admissions board, an idea would be dedicating a summer/vacation break to do some work with Habit for Humanity or similar organizations or spend a semester abroad to expand your views and ideas about culture and diversity.
I will end this post by saying that if you do choose to go the medical route just remember that you do not only have to apply to the big name/top medical schools. You will get an excellent education at smaller medical schools and because the applicant pool is smaller you will increase your chances of being admitted. I wish you luck in your future and hope this post was helpful.
Hi Cameron,
Thank you so much for your answer! I agree with you about having some outside shadowing/internship opportunities, however, because of COVID things are very limited. Do you recommend anything that can boost my representation as a highschooler online/ virtually?
-Thanks again, Bel
Bel
Alycia E.
Aspiring Physician Assistant, current hospital intern and volunteer
30
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Alycia’s Answer
Bel,
What you just mentioned in the first couple sentences of your description-- that is what will make you stand out! To get into medical school, everyone will need a relatively high GPA and MCAT/GRE score, an outstanding resume, and copious amount of patient care experience, however what will make you stand out the most is what you bring to the table as an individual. What are you soft skills? From what you said, I can already tell you are an outgoing person who will love her job as a healthcare provider, and you have the potential to be a collegiate athlete. These traits are what will make you stand out when applying. In addition to good grades/standardized test scores, make sure you are cultivating who you are as a person--whether that be in extracurriculars, work experience, family life, your faith-- so that your dream school will choose you out of the thousands that are applying.
Good luck!
What you just mentioned in the first couple sentences of your description-- that is what will make you stand out! To get into medical school, everyone will need a relatively high GPA and MCAT/GRE score, an outstanding resume, and copious amount of patient care experience, however what will make you stand out the most is what you bring to the table as an individual. What are you soft skills? From what you said, I can already tell you are an outgoing person who will love her job as a healthcare provider, and you have the potential to be a collegiate athlete. These traits are what will make you stand out when applying. In addition to good grades/standardized test scores, make sure you are cultivating who you are as a person--whether that be in extracurriculars, work experience, family life, your faith-- so that your dream school will choose you out of the thousands that are applying.
Good luck!
Hey Alycia,
Thank you so much for your advice, you brought a smile to my face! As a high school student, I totally understand how important it is to represent myself in activities other than grades. When applying to medical school, what was your experience? Most importantly, what do medical schools want in a person (Quality/characteristically)?
-Thanks, Bel
Bel