Secrets of Medical School Admissions

Julia Landry

Director The Princeton Review

JuliaL@review.com

850.574.8378 • www.PrincetonReview.com

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Agenda

• Welcome

• Research

• Finding the Right Med School

• Applying and Getting In

• Factors of Admission

• The Princeton Review

• Questions and Answers

TIP: Strategies for Making Yourself a Competitive Applicant

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Research

Where Do I Start?

• School websites and materials/publications/media

• PrincetonReview.com1. TIP: Advanced Med School Search - list of schools that match your needs and preferences-

www.princetonreview.com/medical/research/advsearch/match.asp 2. The Princeton Review's Med School Recruiter 3. The Tuition Cost Calculator

• Talk to professors, colleagues…

• Call schools/admissions staff

FSU Pre- Health Advising (850) 644-7678

• Talk to current students & alum

• Go to fairs and conferences

Dean’s Day- October 2010

• US News and World Report Rankings

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Finding the Right Med School

• TIP: Don’t Fall for the Brand Name Hype

• Choosing a Med School – 3 Factors

1. Academic quality

2. Chances of getting in

3. Practical considerations

• The Academic Fit• Well-suited

• Specializations

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Finding the Right Med School

• What Else to Consider• Rankings• Social atmosphere • Family factor• Career/job offers• Cost• Alumni influence/network• Environment• Size• Dr. Who?• Talk to the students• Research facilities• School curriculum

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A v O

• Allopathic Medicine

• most widely available and recognized

• two years of basic science followed by clinical rotations

• Osteopathic Medicine

• curriculum is similar - four years long

• clinical training• spend more time rotating in primary care areas, rather than medical

subspecialties• most do not have an affiliated teaching hospital; therefore, schools

usually partner with a number of med facilities and doctor's offices

• More similarities than differences

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FSU

• Florida State University• Early Decision Deadline: August 1

*Extra Required Courses: Biochemistry

Recommended Courses: Psychology, Social Science, Spanish

Classes begin May 24 (Summer)

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UM

• University of Miami• Early Decision: NONE

• Recommended Courses: • Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology, Genetics, Microbiology,

Physiology, Immunology, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Developmental Biology

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USF

• University of South Florida• Early Decision Deadline: August 1

• Recommended Courses: • Genetics, Cell & Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Embryology,

Comparative Anatomy, Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biological Chemistry, Statistics, Histology

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UCF

• University of Central Florida• Early Decision Deadline: August 1

• Recommended Courses: • Biochemistry, Genetics, Cell & Molecular Biology, Embryology,

Comparative Anatomy

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UF

• University of Florida• Early Decision Deadline: NONE

• Extra Required Courses: Biochemistry

• Recommended Courses: • Genetics, Physiology, Microbiology, Embryology, Comparative

Anatomy

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Applying and Getting In

• The Application Process• State of Affairs

• Roughly 67,828 test takers• First-year enrollees total almost 17,800 students, a 2.3% increase over 2006• 42,300+ applied, an increase of 8.2 percent over 2006• 32,000 were first-time applicants, the highest number on AAMC record

• Commonalities

• TIP: Apply Early

• Secondaries

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Factors of Admission

• Objective Factors:1. GPA

2. MCAT

• The Numbers • Students focus on the numbers first • The numbers don’t get you in but ________• GPA (science) x 10 + MCAT > 65 (admissions index)• GPA and MCAT are between 30 % and 50 % of the admissions decision• Consider the #’s a baseline requirement

• Go to Demo.PrincetonReview.com to take a free practice test and to sample one of our lessons.

• Call 800-2Review or visit PrincetonReview.com for more info about The Princeton Review test prep options.

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What Does it Take To Get In?

School Average Verbal Score

Average Physical Science Score

Average Bio Science Score

Average Writing Section Score

Harvard University 11 12 12 Q

Johns Hopkins University

11.1 11.9 11.9 Q

University of California—San Francisco

10.6 11.5 11.7 P

Washington University in St. Louis

11.3 12.6 12.5 Q

Queen’s University (Canada)

10.8 11.1 11 P

McGill University (Canada)

10 11 11 P

Source: The Princeton Review’s Best 168 Medical Schools

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What Does it Take To Get In?

School Average Verbal Score

Average Physical Science Score

Average Biological Science Score

Average Writing Section Score

Florida State University

Overall Average MCAT Score 29

University of Florida

10.02 10.66 10.77 O

University of South Florida

Overall Average MCAT Score 27

University of Miami Overall Average MCAT Score 29.3

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Factors of Admission

• Subjective Factors:1. Recommendations

2. Essays

3. Experience

4. Activities

5. Interview

6. Resume

The other 50 percent of admissions is based on

motivation, passion, and sense of purpose.

Stand out from the rest of the crowd.

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Letters of Recommendation

• Choose Wisely

• Academic 2 science, 1 non-science - min 3, max 5

• 5 areas of commentary1. Classroom contributions

2. Interest in the subject

3. Level of achievement

4. Personal anecdotes

5. Likeability

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The Essay

• What Makes a Good Essay

• Do’s & Don’ts• TIP: Give Yourself At Least 2 Months To Develop Your Personal Statement

• It should…• Be a sales pitch for yourself • Show committee something about yourself that they could never learn from

your application• Demonstrate that you are a mature, intelligent and focused person• Show that you’re different from the rest of the pack• Be the most powerful, positive element of your application• Answer the question!

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The Rest of The Package

• Experience• Beyond shadowing, volunteering goal is to make a connection

• Exposure to the Medical Field • Genuine commitment to helping and serving others

• Clinical• Research• Leadership/community service• Volunteer work

• TIP: Don’t try to “beef-up” your application by joining every activity

• Resumes• Highlight your professional achievements

• FSU Career Center- Juliette McDonald jmcdonald@admin.fsu.edu 850.644.9774

• TIP: Take Courses of Interest (but don’t forget requirements)

• Is major important?

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Putting It All Together

• Choosing Targets

• Make a list

• Eliminate - not academically strong enough or unacceptable due to practical considerations.

• Divide the remaining schools into three groups: 1-2-1• 100% sure/shoe-ins• good “match”• schools you'll get into only if touched by the hand of God

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Application Timeline

• TIP: Make a Plan-of-Action Calendar & Stick to It. Don’t Miss Deadlines!

• College Year 1-2• Successfully complete required premed coursework • Investigate available volunteer/paid medically related clinical or research activities

• College Year 3 – Junior Year, Fall Semester• Begin prep and register for desired MCAT administration• Successfully complete first-semester required premed coursework – physics and/or chemistry

• Spring Semester (January-April)• Prepare, register for, and take desired MCAT administration; best for timing on applications • Start researching schools• Contact potential recommenders

• Spring Semester (May-June)• Finalize school list• Complete AMCAS application

• College Year 4 – Senior Year• September

• Complete and send supplemental applications• October - November

• Send thank you notes to recommenders• Interview

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Admissions Timeline 2009-2010

MAY 1: Primary Application available to complete through AMCAS

JUNE 1: Primary Application available to submit through AMCAS

AUG 1: Most Florida Med Schools Early Decision Deadline

AUG 15: Most Florida Med Schools EDP Secondary's Deadline

OCT 1: Most Florida Med Schools EDP Admissions Notification

DEC 1: Most Florida Med Schools Regular Decision Deadline

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Questions?

Thank You

Julia Landry

Director- Tallahassee & NW Florida

JuliaL@Review.com