Blog Pre Med Process

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Pre-Med Process

Pre-Med IntroSat 08Mar2008 03:26

These are posts that involve my experience with the medicalschool process. I spent quite a while deciding if medicine wasthe right eld for me. I sifted through "How To Get Into MedicalSchool" essays, articles with statistics on getting in, websiteforums, journals on what life is like as a doctor, etc. I'm puttingthis together as a compilation of the process, at least theprocess I went through. I hope that it can help others by

pointing them in the right direction.

The main reason for compiling this site is because I wish itexisted when I went through the pre-med process. Also, I foundmany forums in particular to be lled with poor information,bad anecdotes, and students hiding behind their anonymousforum handles. That being said, look around forums becausethere is some great information but be cautious to believeanything without evidence. Also, there is some greatinformation in non-pre-med forums, such as current medicalstudent or resident forums. Hopefully you will nd my write-upuseful, and if not (or if so) please leave comments.

For M.D. schools, many people suggest picking up a copy of theMedical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), which ispublished by the AAMC. For D.O. schools, get the CollegeInformation Book (CIB), which is published by the AACOM. Theyare considered the "bibles of medical school guides." It listsapplication procedures, deadlines, selection criteria (scores),costs, class proles, dual-degree programs, graduate's specialtychoices...basically everything you need. Personally, I found mostof this information on each school's website and the informationdi f ered from the guides.

Here are a couple more pre-med guides if you are interested:

re-Med Process http://premedprocess.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

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The Not So Short Introduction To Getting IntoMedical School(436 KB) - Portable Document Format

Pre-Med Planner 2005(244 KB) - Portable Document Format

All of my documents for this process are here:

Pre-Med ProcessDocumentsWebsite Link

Grades & GPASat 08Mar2008 03:25

Getting good grades in college is absolutely necessary. YourGPA (grade point average) is one of the most important factors,along with MCAT score, in being accepted into medical school.Most medical students have GPAs of 3.5 to 4.0 (on the standard4.0 scale used in the U.S.).

When you apply to medical school, the standard applicationrequests your GPA for your science courses, your GPA fornon-science courses, and your overall GPA. For those studentswho entered medical school in 2005, the average science GPAwas 3.54, the average non-science GPA was 3.68, and theaverage overall GPA was 3.60. If you do poorly on one of therequired courses it is probably a good idea to take anothercourse in that eld to improve your grades and show that youcan handle that subject.

It is also important to do well in college from the beginning.After all, if you only get a 2.0 in your rst year and then get a4.0 the next 2 years your GPA will still be under 3.5. However,medical schools do consider the fact that you are improving.Doing well at a college with an outstanding reputation goes along way. Try not to fall behind in your class work. This leads tocramming, poor grades and, more importantly, poor learning.The sciences courses, in particular Organic Chemistry, aretraditionally the "weed out" courses that eliminate students whowill not make it into medical school. I remember my rst majorexam in Organic Chemistry. Many students failed. As a result, a


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example:

Requirements Worksheet 2006(96 KB) - Portable Document Format

A note on Advanced Placement courses from high school. Thesecourses may count as credits for college but they will likely notcount toward medical school requirements. They will, however,accept advanced course work of comparable length in the samediscipline in which the student has an AP score. Thus, if youhave AP credit in Chemistry and decide not to take GeneralChemistry, you should plan on taking advanced course work inChemistry (or perhaps Biochemistry) equal to a full year withlaboratory. Organic Chemistry does not count in this case (as asubstitute for 1 year of General Chemistry) since it is alreadyone of the courses required for admission to medical school.

The courses you take in college (especially science courses inthis case) may be more di cult than you expect. If you do nottake the time to study you will not do well enough to get intomedical school. It's that simple. It is possible to do well andhave fun - I sure did. However, it is a balancing act that must bemastered. Going to the library to study is not synonymous withstudying. Many people go there and waste time.

A major decision you must make early on in college is choosinga major. There are no required majors for acceptance intomedical school. The most common major is biology (or abiology related major). However, medical schools acceptstudents from many backgrounds. Sometimes it is better tohave a major outside of the usual so that your application ismore unique. Some medical schools are looking for morediversity and want some students with liberal arts degrees.However this places more emphasis on how well you do on thecourses required for medical school admission. Whatever majoryou choose should be something you enjoy. However, you

should also take a wide breadth of courses to experience otherelds because it may be your last opportunity.

Cost of Medical SchoolFri 07Mar2008 09:11

Unless you have incredibly rich parents or won the lottery,


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To become eligible for nancial aid, you need to ll out the FreeApplication for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is located herewww.fafsa.ed.gov . Most schools start looking at this right after

January 1st, so get it in early.

To get student loans, you need to meet the following basic

qualications: you are a U.S. citizen or a permanent U.S.resident and you have not defaulted on student loans in thepast. Again, some loans might not defer through medical schoolforcing you to make payments. If you don't make payments andend up with bad credit or defaulted loans, you won't get anymore loans.

There are ve basic sources of aid: federal, state, private,institutional, and alternative, and three types of money you cannd: loans, scholarships or grants, and obligatory scholarships

or ones that require you to repay them with service.

This information was found at The Princeton Review website. Tobe fair, the Kaplan website is also worth looking into.

Federal Loans: Federal loan programs are funded by the federalgovernment. The amount available each year is based on thenational budget and is a f ected by the priorities of the executiveand legislative branches of the government. Federal loanresources have been in decline for the last several years, and the

downward trend will probably continue. Even so, federal loans,particularly the Sta f ord Loan, are usually the rst resort forborrowers. Most federal loans are need-based, but somehigher-interest loans are available to a student or his familyregardless of nancial circumstance. The federal Pell Grant andSEOG Grant are not available to medical school students.

State Loans: Students who are residents of the state in whichthey attend medical school may be eligible for state loanprograms. Like federal loan funding, state funding isdecreasing, but it's still available and cheaper than many of thecommercial loans. Eligibility is usually based on need; often themoney is more readily available to minority or disadvantagedstudents or those interested in practicing family medicine inunder-served areas of the state. Some states also havescholarship programs that pay your full way with theunderstanding that you'll work in the under-served areas onceyou graduate. Individual schools can provide you with


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information about these programs. Also, you do not necessarilyneed to be a state resident to get these loans.

Private Loans: Private loans are funded by contributions fromfoundations, corporations, and associations. A number of private loans are targeted to aid particular segments of the

population. You may have to do a good deal of investigation toidentify all the private loans for which you might qualify. Thebest place to begin your search is in public, undergraduate, andmed-school libraries. There are also numerous commercialnancial-aid search services available, but beware: nancial aido cers warn that sometimes hefty fees are charged forinformation that, in the majority of cases, students can obtainon their own.

Institutional Loans: The amount of loan money available and the

method by which it is disbursed varies greatly from one schoolto another. Private schools, especially those that are older andmore established, tend to have larger endowments andtherefore can o f er more assistance. To nd out about theresources available at a particular school, talk to a nancial aido cer.

Alternative Loans: Alternative loans are, simply put, loanso f ered by banks and private lending institutions. These loansare dependent on enrollment status but are not o f ered or

subsidized by the federal government. If you still need moreloan money, look into alternative loans from our partnerlenders.

No-Strings Attached (Tough To Get, But Worth Trying): Somegrant or gift money comes with no strings attached; these arecalled nonobligatory scholarships. Some are based onoutstanding academic merit alone; others are based on acombination of merit and need. In fact, all federal,nonobligatory scholarships are based on need and may alsorequire that you t a particular demographic prole. Theamounts of scholarships vary, and they are administered by thesame groups that provide loans: federal and state governments,private foundations, and institutions.

Obligatory Scholarships: Some federal scholarships are availableto students who agree to serve at the Public Health Service, atthe Veterans Administration or in the armed forces. These


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scholarships provide full tuition and fees, some or all expenses,and a monthly stipend. Service-based scholarships are based onacademic merit and carry an obligation to serve at least one yearfor every year of support. The advantage - a "free" medicaleducation - is obvious, but repayment can be harsh. You willbegin repaying your debt in service after your residency, so you

may be out of medical school as long as seven to twelve yearsbefore you are free of your obligation. In addition, some statesand counties have service-based scholarship programs ortuition-remission programs available.

Here are some related les:

Loans - Time Line(1.3 MB) - Portable Document Format

Loans - Glossary(76 KB) - Portable Document Format

Loans - Resources(80 KB) - Portable Document Format

Loans - Web Sites(92 KB) - Portable Document Format

Loans - Leticia's Story: A MedicalStudent(20 MB) - Adobe Flash Format

Loans - Judy's Story: A Mother & Student(14.7 MB) - Adobe Flash Format

Choosing MedicineFri 07Mar2008 09:10

The very rst question you have to ask yourself is "Should I be aphysician?" This is the question I feel is the most important and

should be re-evaluated over and over again throughout college.This doesn't have to apply just to medicine; you should askyourself what you want to do for any profession. Do some true,honest soul-searching.

Choosing a career as a physician is not a decision to be takenlightly. Most of all, choose a career based on what you are


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interested in and what you enjoy.

So, is medicine right for you? There is a common acronym forwhat it takes to be a doctor in the 21st century:

Compassion - a critical part of healing

Advocacy - for your patients and for those without healthcareLeadership - in improving health care, at the team,hospital, and policy levelLifelong learning - there will always be more to knowInterpersonal skills - communication with patients andamong providers is keyNegotiation - to work around bureaucratic constraintsGrasp - of a health care system in ux

Becoming a physician is an incredible commitment. On average,most people graduate college at age 22 and medical school atage 26. Then you need to complete an internship/residency,which is usually 3 more years. On average, most physiciansbegin their career at age 29. Some specialty training can leadyou into your mid-30s. This can obviously delay plans formarriage and starting a family.

Being intelligent and scientic are important characteristics tobecoming a physician. Medical schools choose candidates whothey feel can become competent physicians. However, do notdecide on a career in medicine simply because you're good atscience. As a physician you have an opportunity to improve thelives of others. Actually wanting to help people and enjoyinghelping people are integral components of a good physician.

Another characteristic that I think is very important iscommunication skills. Having excellent communication skillswill help you absolutely everywhere in life and I feel it is key tobeing a good physician. Here are two documents from medicalschool secondaries discussing certain sought-after

characteristics:

Essential Capacities 2006(352 KB) - Portable Document Format


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Minimum Technical Standards 2006(164 KB) - Portable Document Format

On the other hand, you don't need to have excellentcommunication skills. Although verbal communications skills,

for example, would be very helpful for a clinical physician, itmight not be as useful for a research physician. Maybe you don'tlike emergency situations. You can teach medicine instead. As aresearcher, you can work in whatever specialty you choose withthe potential to make a breakthrough in preventing and/ortreating illness. As a teacher, you can help mold students intocompetent physicians. In research and teaching, you can work ina clinical setting as well.

Again, ask yourself, is medicine right for you? Medicine is acareer that is honorable and held in high esteem. It also allowsyou to live just about anywhere and provides great job security.There are some drawbacks: many years of preparation,discipline, incredible responsibility, working in a regulatedsystem (HMOs), malpractice lawsuits, and long hours.

"One doctor suggested to me that you all shouldspend a 36-hour day with a resident on call to knowwhat youre getting into. The residency is the 3-10years you will spend after medical school working70-115 hours/week training in one eld. You willearn $25,000-$35,000/year during this time andhave almost no free time o f .While the work is arduous, there is no otherprofession where, even in the training, you can deliverbabies, hold a living heart, or comfort a frightenedchild as she goes o f to surgery. You will see the bestand the worst in human nature and directly witnessthe consequences of life choices. You will partake thefull range of joy and su f ering, integrally involved inboth. No other profession a f ords you the privilege of

helping people in such a profound and simultaneouslyhands-on way.Few professions give you this window into humanity,and few will require you sacrice more of your youngadulthood and lifeblood for the privilege of training todo so." ~ Michael McCullough, MD


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Medicine is not so much a career as it is a lifestyle. You don'tneed to rush into it even though it will be a long road once youstart. Maybe you want to be a teacher or a biomedical engineerfor a couple years rst. The skills you will learn will help youbetter explain issues to your patients, or teach other doctors, orgive you a better understanding of medical devices.

One thought I heard come up over and over again throughoutmy college experience was money. My wisdom on this is thatyou absolutely do not make a decision to go into medicine forthe money. It will not make you happy. So for the sake of yourself, and maybe more importantly your patients, don't letmoney be the driving force of your decision. There are manyother elds (example "Engineering Versus Medicine") where youcan make money and deal with the responsibility and e f ort ittakes to be a physician.

I feel that people who are interested in health care migratetoward becoming a physician. Whether it's the prestige, thechallenge, the reward of helping people, or some other factor.Maybe becoming a physician is not right for you. Or, moreimportantly, maybe you won't get into medical school. Strivingtoward medical school takes a lot of commitment in college, butyou should always have a backup plan if things don't work out.Medical school students often say that "helping others" is theirprimary motivation for becoming a doctor. However, there are

many other altruistic health care careers available, most thatinvolve less schooling and less debt. Here are some:

Physician AssistantWebsite Link - Wikipedia

DentistryWebsite Link - Wikipedia

OptometryWebsite Link - Wikipedia

PharmacyWebsite Link - Wikipedia

PodiatryWebsite Link - Wikipedia


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PsychologyWebsite Link - Wikipedia

VeterinarianWebsite Link - Wikipedia

NursingWebsite Link - Wikipedia

Nurse AnesthetistWebsite Link - Wikipedia

ParamedicWebsite Link - Wikipedia

Biomedical EngineeringWebsite Link - Wikipedia

Something else to consider is that as a profession, medicine hasthe highest rate of suicide, depression, drug abuse, alcoholismand divorce. Surveys have shown that a little over half of physicians would go into a di f erent profession if they had it todo over again. I don't mean to turn you away from medicine, butit helps to be realistic about the di culties you may face.

Depression In Physicians

(232 KB) - Microsoft PowerPoint Format Depression In Medical School(196 KB) - Portable Document Format

Physician Suicide Statistics 2003(96 KB) - Portable Document Format

Physician Suicide Meta Analysis(156 KB) - Portable Document Format

Physician Depression & SuicidePrevention(128 KB) - Portable Document Format

Physician Divorce Article(48 KB) - Portable Document Format


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Survey On Prevalence Of Alcoholism(568 KB) - Portable Document Format

Analysis Of Health Of General Surgeons(508 KB) - Portable Document Format

M.D.s & D.O.s (Allopathy & Osteopathy)Fri 07Mar2008 09:46

Some people, at least a lot that I grew up with, do not realizethere are two medical degrees in the United States. They are:

M.D. Doctor of MedicineWebsite Link - Wikipedia

D.O. Doctor of OsteopathicMedicineWebsite Link - Wikipedia

Both M.D.s and D.O.s work side-by-side doing the same jobsand making the same money. D.O.s statistically are moreprimary-care focused. D.O.s learn a form of hands-onmusculoskeletal medicine called Osteopathic ManipulativeMedicine (OMM) that is used to treat common problems such asback pain, muscle pain, and headaches. D.O.s are also taughtfrom the beginning to provide care for the whole person and not

just the disease: a holistic approach. In the end, a D.O. doesn'thave to do OMM and can practice medicine that is not distinctfrom M.D.s.

As long as there have been D.O.s, there has been an ongoingM.D. vs. D.O. debate. This criticism mostly arises due to thescore di f erence for matriculants. In 2004, osteopathicmatriculants had an average GPA of 3.46 and allopathicmatriculants had 3.64. MCAT scores were 24.6 osteopathic and30.4 allopathic.

Whatever you feel, here are some things to consider:

As a physician, you and your colleagues will be too busy tocare about where you went to medical school.Most physicians, and professionals for that matter, judgeeach other by the quality of their work, physician feedback,


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and patient feedback. I worked at a very good medicaldevice company and found that no matter where mycoworkers went to school or what letters were behind theirname, the individual person mattered the most.As a physician, patients will come to you based on otherpatient recommendations and physician referrals, not likely

the letters behind your name.Your residency and fellowship training are more importantthan where you went to medical school.If you are smart and work hard, you will be a goodphysician. If you are lazy and don't make an e f ort, you willbe doing a disservice to your patients. I'm sure you cannd stories of both M.D.s and D.O.s who are excellent andstories of those that should not be practicing medicine.

Whatever you feel about M.D.s or D.O.s, bashing either group isnot going to solve any problems. You may end up working withboth M.D.s and D.O.s, and you will need to work together toprovide complete health care to your patients. For that matter,people work very hard to obtain their degrees regardless of what they do. So please respect nurses, nursing assistants, andeven the janitors. You are all working together to improve thehealth and lives of your patients.

I would highly recommend applying to both M.D. and D.O.schools.

Here are some documents and links to more information:

About Osteopathic Medicine Presentation(500 KB) - Microsoft PowerPoint Format

Osteopathic Medical School Option Email(4 KB) - Text Format

Compendium of Osteopathic WorkforceStudies 2005

(636 KB) - Portable Document Format

Association of American Medical Colleges(MD)Website Link - AAMC


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American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)Website Link - AACOM

Engineering Versus MedicineFri 07Mar2008 09:45

I realize this may not be a common contemplation, but it wasdenitely one I thought about a great deal. My entire undergradprogram was spent driving toward both of these elds. I wasalmost always on the fence about which one I really wanted todo, so here are my thoughts.

What initially spurred me to write this were reactions I receivedfrom people in both elds. In general, engineers seemed muchmore happy with their decision mostly because of their lifestyle.I would mostly hear that I should meld my two passions andbecome an engineer at a biomedical company. When I askeddoctors about my dilemma (engineering or medicine) I wasgiven varied answers, seemingly related to their specialty.Family practice physicians said they didn't work too hard andhad a good lifestyle and that I should become a doctor.Cardiologists said they made lots of money (a plus?) but it didn'tmake up for the number of hours and time away from theirfamilies. The most interesting of all were Emergency Roomphysicians who nearly always told me to stay clear of medicine

(it seemed overnight/weekend/holiday shifts along with dealingwith certain types of patients had taken their toll on these oncealtruistic individuals). Anyway, I am not one to make lifedecisions based on anecdotal evidence, so I began my search.At the bottom are articles, stories, and such related to thissearch/dilemma.

What helped me the most was experience in both elds. Iworked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for threeyears in the ER of a local hospital and for four years with a local

ambulance service. I was able to gain a good understanding of what medicine involves, the interactions of health careprofessionals, and the medical system. I also interned andworked at two medical device companies, a small one and alarge one. At the small company I was able to gain anunderstanding for the entire engineering process. At the largecompany, I had less responsibility, a more laid-back job, and


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more satisfaction as our mission drove employees to make thebest devices possible for our patients. For me, actual experiencein these elds gave me the ability to think critically about what Iwanted to do for the rest of my life. I don't think merelyshadowing engineers and physicians would have provided mewith any useful insight.

I feel the most important decision for your major and careershould be based on what you are interested in and what youenjoy. Regardless of work hours, money, etc., your career will bea major part of your life. For some people, it is their entire life.So, choose what you enjoy as everyone (almost withoutexception) will work most of their life. However, if you can dealwith a normal 9-5 job that you don't enjoy much but pays well,you can use your money to do things you do enjoy likevacationing. Yet, how much vacation time will you really get in

comparison to the hours you work at your job? Everyone isdi f erent and it is your decision so go for what ts you the best,not what will make you the most money or give you the mostprestige or any other supercial benet.

If you don't want to perform the social role of a physician, don'tgo to medical school. If you think medical school will provideyou with an interesting job where you get to expand your mindand be among intellectual peers, think more. Medicine is a hugeamount of work that demands a little compassion, a little

intelligence, but mostly dedication to being organized, e cient,and willing to be a slave to your work. Engineering on the otherhand allows you to solve problems every day and be extremelycreative. Will you be happy seeing patients everyday? Will you behappy designing new technology? Both elds have their prosand cons. You can be a pioneer in either of them and be happyin either of them. The clear di f erence is in the lifestyle. Choosehappiness.

Articles, Stories, Etc. related to Engineering vs. Medicine:

Job Satisfaction - Physician(112 KB) - Portable Document Format

Job Satisfaction - Engineer(132 KB) - Portable Document Format


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Best Jobs - Physician(96 KB) - Image Format

Best Jobs - Engineer(80 KB) - Image Format

Best Jobs - Software Engineering(80 KB) - Image Format

Doctor Or Engineer?(156 KB) - Portable Document Format

Should My Daughter Become An Engineer?(88 KB) - Portable Document Format

Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)Fri 07Mar2008 09:13

Some consider the MCAT the most painful part of theapplication process. It is the culmination of years of pre-medscience courses. Besides your college transcript, nearly everymedical school requires you to take the MCAT and supply yourscore with your application. The Medical College Admission Test(MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice examinationdesigned to assess problem solving, critical thinking, andwriting skills. It also assesses the examinee's knowledge of

science concepts and principles that are prerequisite to thestudy of medicine.

Scores are reported in each of the following areas: VerbalReasoning, Physical Sciences (General Chemistry & Physics),Writing Samples, and Biological Sciences (Organic Chemistry &Biology). Medical college admission committees consider MCATscores as part of their admission decision process. Almost allU.S. medical schools require applicants to submit MCAT scoresduring the application process. Many schools do not acceptMCAT scores if taken more than three years ago.

I suggest taking the MCAT during your junior year. You will alsoneed to start lling out your primary application the summerbetween your junior and senior year. The application process isfor the entering class an entire year away. So, unless you wantto take some time o f you will have to be in the midst of theapplication process during your senior year.


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Prior to 2007, the MCAT was available only twice a year (Apriland August). It is a day-long, grueling test. Starting in January2007, the test started being o f ered via Computer Based Testing(CBT). With CBT, the test could be administered more often andat the pace of the test-taker. So, you could nish in half the

time.

Of the students who matriculate into medical school in 2005,the mean scores were: Verbal Reasoning - 9.5, Physical Sciences- 10.0, Biological Sciences - 10.1. The essays are graded on ascale of J to T. The 50th percentile/average is a score of P. It iscommonly said that a score of 30 (10, 10, 10) is recommendedto be competitive. Most schools have a cut-o f of around 24 (8,8, 8). See the AAMC website for recent published results.

AAMCWebsiteWebsite Link

Some students decide to study for the MCAT on their own whileothers take review courses. If you do not feel you can studye f ectively alone for such an important exam, you shouldprobably drop the money and take the review course. If youstudy alone, I would suggest buying the material/books that thereview courses o f er. They run these courses throughout each

year and really have the content down. Be wary of materials bythird party groups. Personally, I found the audio studying to beuseful as I could listen to concepts on my way to and from work.However, I found the DVDs to be poor.

The MCAT seems to one of the most talked about and debatedtopics amongst pre-meds. I've heard people say the MCATdoesn't prove you'll be a good doctor. The AAMC released astudy to show the MCAT correlated to USMLE Step 1 scores(your boards to become a physician). I've heard people say that

good test-takers will do well regardless. In general, I hear themost complaining from pre-meds on the topic of the MCAT.Maybe the MCAT shows you are intelligent and understand basicsciences thus proving you will become a competent physician.Maybe it simply shows you can take tests and has a negativecorrelation to other important characteristics of a physiciansuch as communication skills. Either way, it doesn't matter. You


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will need to take the MCAT and schools will accept or reject youbased on your score. It is not simply another hoop for you to

jump through. It is a simply way for schools to sift throughthousands of applicants, many of whom have good GPAs andtons of extracurricular activities. Also, schools get ranked by theaverage MCAT scores of their matriculants as the MCAT is

standard across schools. So, schools will accept students withhigher MCAT scores. There is no evidence that high MCATscores result in poor physicians.

Here is a plot showing GPA and MCAT scores and theircorrelation to being accepted into medical school:

MCAT & GPA Plot(24 KB) - Image Format

Simply, you have to do really well, so shoot for a minimum of a30 on the MCAT. Statistically, you can get in with lower, butdon't push your luck.

Here is an audio interview discussing the 2007 changes to theMCAT:

SDN Interview - MCAT Changes in2007(5.7 MB) - Audio Format

Here is a link to some MCAT information I have compiled. It hastopics covered, practice exams, sample questions, writingsamples, study information, etc.

MCATInformationWebsite Link

Activities, Volunteering, and InvolvementFri 07Mar2008 09:13

College life is not just grades and studying. Your collegeexperience should be one of the most exciting and enjoyable


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times of your life. The good friends and good times fromcollege may be some of your fondest memories. Having fun isvery important. However, you must have the discipline to knowwhen to stop. Remember, chances are you have moved awayfrom home, are living in a dorm, and have more freedom nowthan ever before. However, with this freedom must come the

wisdom to act responsibly for your own sake.

In college you must learn how to manage your time. This is askill which will be invaluable as a medical student and for therest of your medical career. Some things that are just deadlytime killers such as video games and TV should be curtailedsignicantly or banished altogether.

So, now you're studying hard to get good grades and do well onthe MCAT. You're also brown-nosing a little with your

professors in hopes of getting stellar recommendation letters orat least learning more. Now you'll need to tack-on someinvolvement activities.

Although these are not as important as GPA and MCAT, they willhelp you stand out during the application process. Mostimportantly, they will make you a better and more interestingperson. I attribute most of my communication skills to the jobsand volunteer work I've had.

When you apply to medical school, you will complete yourprimary application. This involves listing your scores, courses,experiences, and personal statement. Your personal statementis basically a page-long essay on your motivation for pursingmedical school. Personally, my motivation was driven by myhealth care related experiences throughout college. The nextimportant part of your primary application are yourexperiences/activities. You will have a list of things to choosefrom, such as:

Paid Employment MilitaryPaid Employment Non-MilitaryCommunity Service/Volunteer Non-MedicalCommunity Service/Volunteer MedicalResearch/LabTeaching/TutoringHonors/Awards/RecognitionsConferences Attended


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Presentations/PostersPublicationsExtracurricular/Hobbies/AvocationsLeadership Not Listed ElsewhereIntercollegiate AthleticsArtistic Endeavors

or more simply

Work ExperienceExtracurricular, Volunteer, Community ServiceAwards, Honors, Scholarships

Take another look at these lists. These are the categoriesmedical schools are looking at for your experiences. Theexperience that I found most weighted are leadershipexperiences, volunteer experiences, and health care relatedexperiences.

Although working through college may be time-consuming anddi cult, I feel it is a great opportunity. It gives you real-worldexperience and even some cash you can have fun with. Most of all, it opens door to experiences you might not have otherwisehad.

One such example is becoming an Emergency MedicalTechnician (EMT). This alone does not look too impressive on a

medical school application as it is a short curriculum. However,it may allow you to work for a local ambulance service orhospital. You can gain actual health care experience and start tounderstand how the medical system works. Plus, you'll haveexperiences and stories to write about and talk about. Someschools require you to have health care related experience aswell.

Volunteering is also very useful. However, use your time wiselyand try to choose your activities wisely. That is, choose

meaningful volunteering experiences.

Start looking into pre-med groups on your campus. Someschools o f er pre-med workshops. Start to meet people withsimilar goals so you can share ideas. Look to see if your schoolo f ers some sort of pre-med scholars program. Students canapply to these early in their college studies and get a conditional


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acceptance to medical school.

Physicians are considered health care leaders and thus havegreat responsibility. If you have leadership experience, it showsyou are able to manage a team, communicate, and handleresponsibility. If you're interested in biomedical engineering

club, shoot for an o cer position. If you play intramuralvolleyball, shoot for team captain.

Some schools are heavy research schools and will look forstudents who have related experiences. Your best bet might begetting a part-time lab job or volunteering for a professor whois doing research. If you are very interested in research andspent a few years with a lab/professor, you may get apublication to your name. You might even attend a nationalconference to present a poster or presentation on your research.

Whether you are interested in research or not, try to have oneexperience with it so you understand what is involved.

One activity that was important to me was teaching. I taught agreat deal throughout college, mostly EMT classes and AHAclasses (like CPR and AED use). Other opportunities couldinclude being a teaching assistant. If you do well on the MCAT,you can teach for a company that does test review courses.Maybe you know a second language and want to help teachingin your community. Whether you are interested in teaching or

not, try to have one experience with it so you understand whatis involved.

The last large category is Awards & Honors. Awards are usuallyabout being in the right place at the right time (and workinghard). These are not usually something you can look atobtaining, but something that is a result of excellence. So, keeppushing forward and maybe you'll get rewarded. If not,hopefully you were having fun along the way.

Here is an audio interview discussing meaningful clinicalexperience:

SDN Interview - ClinicalExperience(19.4 MB) - Audio Format


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Getting To Know FacultyFri 07Mar2008 09:12

Letters of recommendation are a signicant part of your medicalschool application. So, you should spend some time and e f orton this. Most importantly, start early. Each school has di f erent

requirements for letters they want, but most often they want thefollowing:

Pre-Med Advisory Committee LetterScience ProfessorOther Letter (non-science, work, volunteer, physician)

Some schools do not have pre-med advisory committees andyou can usually substitute this letter for a couple other letters,likely your academic advisor and another science professor.Some schools will request a non-science professor. Some wanta letter from someone at a job you had or extracurricularexperience. Some schools, especially osteopathic schools, willrequire you to have health care experience and/or a letter froma physician. Most schools request between two and four letters.

The main point is that you will need to get to know people.These people should know you well enough to assess yourability to succeed in medical school. Usually the most importantarea a school will want to hear about is your academic abilityand potential. They may also want to know about motivation for

medicine, maturity, emotional stability, interpersonal relations,empathy, judgment, resourcefulness, communication skills,perseverance, self-condence, work ethic, reliability, leadership,and compassion.

So, start right away on getting to know your professors, faculty,managers, volunteer coordinators, and anyone else you maywork with. You will likely take your science courses when yourst enter college. Especially at larger schools, your class maybe enormous. You will really need to go out of your way to make

an impression and get to know your professors. You could alsowork or volunteer in their research labs (if they do research),furthering your relationship.

Let these people know you are interested in pursing medicalschool and that you may ask them for a letter in the future. It isimportant to recognize the quality of a letter you may receive.


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You can also ask straight-out if they are willing to write you apositive letter that will support your goal of getting into medicalschool.

It is also important to get a feel for how busy your letter writersare. When secondary applications start coming in the mail, you

won't have time to spend waiting on your professors to writerecommendations. Some schools are on rolling admissions andtime wasted may be detrimental to your chances of getting in.It's best if they have a general letter done so only minorchanged need to be made before mailing.

Here is an example form for pre-medical advisors on how towrite a letter for students:

Pre Medical Recommendation

Letters(24 KB) - Portable Document Format

As an example, here is a letter written for me by my academicadvisor:

Recommendation Letter 2006(16 KB) - Portable Document Format

What Are My ChancesFri 07Mar2008 09:48

No one can tell you for sure what your chances are. Actually, thebest person to ask is yourself. For some people, it is veryreassuring to see some statistics.

Here is the GPA and MCAT scores plot again:

MCAT & GPA Plot(24 KB) - Image Format

Here are statistics from D.O. schools in 2005 I compiled:

School Stats D.O. 2005(16 KB) - Microsoft Excel Format


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The columns on the right side are for in-state (IS) andout-of-state (OOS) percentages. They show the percentages of those that apply who get interviews, those that interview whoget accepted, and overall who apply and get accepted.

Statistically, for independent events (e.g. med school interviews

to acceptance percentage), the probability of one happening(getting in) is:2 Events: P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) - P(A and B)3 Events: P(A or B or C) = P(A) + P(B) + P(C) - P(A and B) - P(Aand C) - P(B and C) + P(A and B and C)

So say you have interviews at KCOM, TCOM, and PCOM (pickedrandomly). The chance you get in with KCOM (69% OOS) andTCOM (61% OOS) is about 88%.

If you add in PCOM (68% OOS) to this mix, your chance of getting in is over 96%. This can be calculated using the 3 Eventoption or doing the 2 Event option a second time using thecombined 88% and the PCOM 68%.

Your chance of getting in if you apply to every D.O. school (in2005) and are OOS for all of them is about 60%. It's probablyeven a little higher since stats aren't listed for 7 schools. At 2%for these 7 schools it raises your chances to 65%.

On the other hand, say you had interviews at those 3 schools.The chance that you didn't get in can be found two di f erentways. Getting rejected from all 3 schools would be 1 - 96% or4%. Another way is multiplying the chances of not getting in. So(1 - 68%) * (1 - 61%) * (1 - 68%) or about 4%.

I don't know all the factors involved in gaining acceptance afteran interview, but being rejected several times post-interview iscomparatively highly unlikely. Statistically, about 50% of allapplicants get into some school. (See the AAMC website for thecurrent percentage)

Dual Degree ProgramsFri 07Mar2008 09:47

Many schools o f er dual-degree (or joint-degree) programs andyou should at least know what they can o f er. Realize that asecond professional degree will take you extra time (and


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money). Traditionally, dual-degree physicians are less likely tobe in clinical practice actually seeing patients. Dual degreeprograms are meant to train students to tackle the toughestproblems of the 21st century, the problems that respect nodisciplinary borders and demand fundamentally new answers.However, the number of acronyms behind your name will not

determine how good of a physician you are. Think hard aboutwhat you want to do when you nish school. For shorthand, Iam using M.D.O. for M.D. or D.O.

M.D.O./Ph.D. (3-4 more years)The Doctor of Philosophy program is catered to physicianinvestigators. There are many options for the Ph.D. degree suchas biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedical engineering,physiology, epidemiology, microbiology, immunology, etc. It is avery di cult program to get into at some schools, as they will

pay for your education. However, they basically own you foreight years or so. If you love research, publishing, andpioneering new medicine, this is the spot for you. Again, it is along road though.

M.D.O./J.D. (2-3 more years)The Juris Doctor degree highlights the relationship between lawand medicine and provides students an important enrichment intheir interdisciplinary studies. There are endless jobopportunities when you nish (like any dual-degree program)

such as health care fraud and abuse, hospital law, intellectualproperty, medical technology law, medical schooladministration, etc.

M.D.O./M.P.H. (1 more year)The Master or Public Health degree is for students who want tobe public health care leaders. They may deal with problems likemedical care for the poor, care for the uninsured, the AIDSepidemic, etc.

M.D.O./M.S. (1 more year)The Master of Science degree is for students who want to obtainbetter residencies and/or work as a clinical scientist. There aretons of dual-degree master programs available. They can alsohelp drive you toward a specialty if that is your interest.

M.D.O./M.B.A. (1 more year)The Master of Business Administration program is for students


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who want a business management background. They may workfor medical corporations such as device companies or drugcompanies, manage hospitals, deal with health care nancing,etc.

There are other options as well and still even more if you do not

enter a dual-degree program. For example, you could get yourmasters degree or Ph.D. rst and then attend medical school. Ormaybe you want to get your pharmacy degree (PharmD) andthen attend medical school. Either way, consider the timecommitment and what type of work you will be doing when younish.

Here are some example documents for dual-degree programs:

Osteopathic Dual-Degree Programs

Presentation 2006(208 KB) - Microsoft PowerPoint Format

M.D./Ph.D. Brochure(348 KB) - Portable Document Format

M.D./J.D. Brochure(116 KB) - Portable Document Format

D.O./M.P.H. Curriculum(64 KB) - Portable Document Format

M.D./M.P.H. Brochure(156 KB) - Portable Document Format

M.D./M.S. in Bioinformatics Brochure(136 KB) - Portable Document Format

M.D./M.B.A. Brochure(164 KB) - Portable Document Format

Shadowing PhysiciansFri 07Mar2008 09:46

Second to hands-on participation in a clinical setting, I thinkshadowing physicians is the best extracurricular activity you cando. It will provide you with clinical exposure, stories for yourinterview, and even some recommendation letters. Most of all, it


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will give you an idea of what physicians' lives are like and helpyou decide if medicine is right for you.

You can set up a shadowing experience at any time you want;physicians work around the clock in some settings. Personally, Ifelt a week-long shadowing stretch in the summer was best as

you could get an idea of what an entire week involves.

So, how do you set this up if you don't know any doctors?Simple, nd a phone directory, pick a specialty that soundsinteresting, and start calling. Better yet, search the internet forshadowing databases and email some physicians. Some healthcare societies have this information online just waiting for youto nd.

So, you're on the phone with an o ce specialist. Let them know

you're a pre-med student from whatever University and want togo to medical school. Ask if Dr. so-and-so allows students tocome shadow him/her. Typically, they've done this before andeverything will be a breeze.

I suggest that you shadow both M.D.s and D.O.s, regardless of where you will apply. You may just realize they do the samething. Some schools, mostly osteopathic, require you to have aphysician recommendation letter and sometimes actual clinicalexperience. Also, try shadowing di f erent specialty physicians

and for sure shadowing family practice physicians. If you wantto shadow a surgeon, you may need to contact the hospital orsurgery facility as well. Shadowing experience will look good onyour medical school application as it shows you worked to gainan understanding of what medicine is really about. Also, youmay get some great recommendation letters from the physiciansyou shadow, which is always helpful.

When shadowing, it should be obvious that you show up welldressed, groomed, and having a professional appearance.Business casual is recommended, but do not overdo it (formaldress or suit and tie).

Some physicians will try to get you involved in procedures andtalking with them or the patients. If you feel comfortable withthis, go for it! If you sit there like a wall and just stare, you won'tlearn a whole lot. Try to get involved and let your physiciansknow you want to help if possible.


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Here are some example documents for shadowing:

Shadowing Physicians(60 KB) - Portable Document Format

Primary Care Physician ShadowingProgram(28 KB) - Portable Document Format

Choosing SchoolsTue 17Apr2007 00:33

Pre-med students apply to an average of 12 medical schoolsaccording to the AAMC in 2006. I feel you should generallyapply to all of the schools in your state, some "safety" schools,

and some that you can only dream to get into. However, onlyapply to schools that you actually want to attend. Statesupported medical schools take a large majority of studentsfrom their own state and it is di cult to get into one if you arenot from that state. The percentage of in-state studentsaccepted is generally found on the school's website, or in theMSAR. Some states do not have medical schools but will have acontract with another state to allow students to apply asin-state. This information can also be found in the MSAR.

Two good places to start looking at for school information arethe AAMC (M.D.) website and the AACOM (D.O.) website. Thereare also options for going to medical school abroad and inPuerto Rico. Some U.S. schools even have programs where youcan study abroad for some time.

Puerto Rican schools have lower acceptance standards than allU.S. schools. There has been and will continue to be greatdebate on the quality of education at these programs. It isimportant to know that the degree you get may not transfer intothe U.S. Also, it may be di cult to obtain residencies in the U.S.However, you take the same board exams and hopefully aregoing into medical school to improve the lives of others. If youwork hard at it you can become a good doctor regardless of where you went to school.

Make sure you visit a school's website and/or get informationabout a school you want to apply to. Maybe even purchase a


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book with information about medical schools. Althoughprimaries are not very expensive per school, why waste yourmoney on applying to a school you won't attend. Here are somethings to think about:

What is the curriculum like at the school?

Does the school guide students toward certain areas, suchas rural medicine?What are 3rd & 4th year rotations like?How well do the students do on the boards?What is the class size?What are the labs like? What about technology?Do the schools have options for specialization? Are theythe interests that you might have?Does the school have research opportunities? Teachingopportunities?What is the scholarship potential?What is tuition? (state schools are much cheaper thanprivate)What is the surrounding city like? Is rent cheap? Is crimelow?Does the school have a dual-degree program you want toenter? (some schools let you apply for these programswhile you are in your rst or second year)Does the school cater to certain groups? (e.g. nativeamerican, african americans, etc.)Does the school have a mission that ts your goals?

As you can see, there are many di f erent things to think about.Medical school is a ridiculous amount of work so choosing aschool you will be happy at is key.

Letters of RecommendationFri 07Mar2008 09:50

This is an expansion of "Getting To Know Faculty" so pleaseread that post rst.

The reason this post is placed between primaries andsecondaries (and not after secondaries) is due to timeconstraints. When you get your secondaries, you will have littletime to do a lot of work. It is important that your letters of recommendation be ready to send to schools. As soon as yousubmit your primaries, contact your letter writers and remind


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them you are applying and may need them to write a letter.Hopefully they have a general letter already written, and if notsuggest it.

It is important to stay organized throughout this process. If youstart getting secondaries, you will have a great deal of

information to manage. Some schools require certain types of letters and certain numbers of letters. Some want the envelopeback signed by the recommender to prove it wasn't opened.Some want your AAMCAS number on the letter. Some want yourSocial Security Number on the letter.

Try to make this process easy for your letter writers. Forexample, you could print labels to give them with your nameand number (the one that school wants). You could printaddress labels or even envelops for each school. This also

ensures that the letter gets to the correct place, so long as youare doing diligence while creating the labels.

I made some les to help me coordinate this information:

Recommendation LetterWorksheet(12 KB) - Microsoft Excel Format

Secondary Status Worksheet(12 KB) - Microsoft Excel Format

If you receive secondaries and submit them, remember to thankyour recommender for taking the time to write you a letter...or adozen letters.

Primaries (AMCAS & AACOM)Fri 07Mar2008 09:48

The next step is to ll out the primary application. The twocommon primaries are the AAMCAS (M.D. through AAMC) andAACOMAS (D.O. through AACOM). Some schools, for exampleTexas schools and North Dakota, do not participate in theseprimaries.

The AAMCAS and AACOMAS become available at the beginningof June, an entire year before you would start medical school. Itis important to ll this out and submit it as soon as possible.


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Some schools also have early-acceptance programs that usuallyrequire you to complete and submit your primaries beforeAugust. You must be an exceptional candidate to get acceptedto these programs.

The AAMCAS and AACOMAS are basically the same except for

word count. If you write your essay and experiences for theAAMCAS rst, you can cut-out information for the AACOMAS.Your personal statement (essay) asks you to write about yourmotivation for medicine. Hopefully you've been asking yourself this question since you originally decided to pursue medicine.You get about a page worth of space. For your experiences, youget about a paragraph to summarize signicant and/ormeaningful activities you were involved in.

If you are interested, here are my primaries:

Primary ApplicationDocumentsWebsite Link

Again, some schools have rolling admissions so it is to yourbenet to complete primaries right away. The cost for 12schools will run over $1000, at least in 2006. After you submityour primaries, you get to cross your ngers in hopes of gettingsecondary applications.

SecondariesFri 07Mar2008 09:50

Secondaries are a lot of work. You will likely receive all yoursecondaries at about the same time. Also, they give you about amonth to complete them. Some schools are on rollingadmissions and delaying your application simply hurts yourchances.

Some secondaries are extremely short, maybe a page or evennothing at all other than money. However, most are not. Youmay need to list all your required courses again (like you did onthe AMCAS/AACOMAS). You man need to list your experiencesover again. You will likely need to answer essay questions.Common questions are "why do you want to come to ourschool?", "why do you want to be an osteopathic/allopathicphysician?", "do you have any research experience", and so


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forth. Sometimes, there are odd-ball questions that you can'treuse for di f erent secondaries.

If you are interested, here are my secondary essays:

Secondary ApplicationDocumentsWebsite Link

Secondaries will cost you as much or more than your primaries.If you apply to dual-degree programs, expect it to cost evenmore. Most schools charge a fee to o f set the cost of thisprocess. They have to get together the admissions committeeonce a week or so to sift through tons of applications. The smallprimary fee doesn't always cover this, which is why someschools will automatically send a secondary if you simply meettheir GPA and MCAT criteria.

I suggest turning in your secondaries all at the same time. Thisis because some schools have acceptance fees that can be in therange of $1000. If you get accepted to that school, you getabout a month to decide. If you accept, you'll need to drop the$1000 fee. So, if you get all your applications in together, youmay have more than one acceptance and you can makedecisions instead of losing even more money.

For the schools you apply to, determine what form of statuschecking they have. Many allow you to check the status of yourapplication online. This is important as schools receive anincredible number of applications and may lose, for example,one of your letters of recommendation. If they don't have yourcomplete le, you'll never have your application looked at andyour years of work could be lost. So, my advice is to check upon your applications a reasonable number of times withoutharassing the schools.

InterviewingFri 07Mar2008 09:50

Getting an interview is a huge hurdle. Now your chances of getting in are much higher. The school is telling you that youhave met their acceptance criteria and now they want to get toknow you personally. Here are some tips:


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Dress professionallyBe on timeBe polite and don't interruptMake eye contactBe yourself and be honestKnow as much about the school and curriculum as you can

Many interviewers have been doing it for a long time and cantell when you are telling them something you think they want tohear. You can also bet they will ask you why you want to be adoctor and why you choose their school.

The interview process varies form school to school. Someschools make the interview a sort of formality; they are planningon accepting you already. The day turns into an open-housewhere you learn about the school and then have maybe a hourworth of interviewing. Some schools make the interview a bigdeal, with up to three hours of interviewing between manydi f erent people. You may get questions meant to make yousquirm. Questions about the state of health care today,questions about a problem class on your transcript, ethicaldilemmas, etc.

Interviewing is another costly endeavor. As an engineer out of college, companies were willing to pay to y me to theirinterviews. They would pay for everything, including my mealsfor the day. You don't get such luck with medical schoolinterviews. They tell you a date, time, and place and you have tobe there. Whether you y or drive, it will cost money to get tothe schools. You may also have to take time away from classesand/or work, which puts additional burden on you. Be preparedfor these trips. Make sure you know where exactly you need tobe and how to get there on time. Make sure you have a backupplan if your car breaks down or some other problem arises.Also, nd some time during the day to visit the surrounding cityand see what it has to o f er. After all, you might spend fouryears or more there.

Although I am not a fan of forums, there are some good onesavailable that discuss interviews.

The Student Doctor NetworkWebsite Link - Interview Feedback


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Here are some documents related to interviewing:

SDN Interview - Tips For Medical SchoolInterview(8.3 MB) - Audio Format

Understanding The Medical School Interview(88 KB) - Portable Document Format

100 Medical School Interview PracticeQuestions(92 KB) - Portable Document Format

Sample Medical School Interview Questions(56 KB) - Portable Document Format

Acceptance & RejectionFri 07Mar2008 09:52

Chances are, you're going to get lots of rejection letters. Maybeyou played your cards right and get an acceptance. Maybe youwon't get in at all.

The time between submitting your secondaries, getting aninterview, and the decision letter is painful. You have compiledyour life and sent it to schools. Now you can't do anything toimprove your application. You simply have to wait.

If you've been involved in pre-med activities, you'll start hearingabout people who got accepted and rejected from certainschools. There is always talk about how a certain school couldreject someone and accept someone else. I heard a great deal of whining, especially on forums, about how bad this process is.However, no one provided a means to improve it. The truth is,the process is very good and very well thought out. Schoolshave an obligation to accept top students and create competentphysicians.

As an example, in 2005 the University of Minnesota puttogether an admissions task force for the class of 2010. Theirgoal was to ensure they would accept students who wouldbecome competent physicians. Here is their report:


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Admissions Task Force Report(224 KB) - Portable Document Format

In a presentation from this task force, they say a competentphysician should have:

Medical knowledgePractice based learning and improvementProfessionalism (Excellence, Humanism, Accountability,Altruism)Systems based practiceCommunicationPatient care

This isn't a random process and there are reasons why peopleget accepted and rejected. Even if you get accepted, this type of process will follow you forever. So, don't be discouraged. Try,try, try again.

If you get accepted into multiple schools, congrats! Choose thefactors that are most important to you, such as curriculum,location, cost, etc. and compare schools. Don't worry too muchabout making the wrong decision as all U.S. medical schoolsprovide an excellent education.

Last, but certainly not least, take care of yourself:

Example Workout/Eating Guide(68 KB) - Portable Document Format

Physical Activity & Heart Guide(1.2 MB) - Portable Document Format

Example Stretching Guide(32 KB) - Portable Document Format

Stretching & Flexibility Book(420 KB) - Portable Document Format

SDN Interview - Maintaining Fitness &Nutrition in Medical School(13.2 MB) - Audio Format


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