How To Set Yourself Apart: Constructing an effective
AMCAS application
November 6th, 2013By Benjamin Ostrander
1) The WHAT and the HOW
Success in the application process starts with WHAT you do and HOW you do it
WHAT?
It is no secret what admissions committees want to see… (Hint: Google “medical school selection
factors” or “med school applicant traits”)
The important thing: Do what you love, love what you do! Your activities should be things you enjoy There are endless options, so do something
you are passionate about These are not boxes to check
HOW?
If you enjoy what you do, it makes a huge difference
Questions to ask: Am I learning? Thinking critically? Actively participating? Reflecting on this activity?
2) READ/WRITE
Read read read. Write write write.
Many fail to recognize that the quality of an application is heavily dependent on your ability to effectively express ideas and experiences through language
So you have to practice
READING
All good writers are voracious readers. So read!
My suggestions: Atul Gawande, Paul Farmer, Oliver Sacks, Michael Gladwell, Abraham Verghese, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Economist…
Bonus: Through reading, you not only improve your writing and vocabulary, but you are also preparing for interviews
WRITING
Write a lot! And not just for school
Write for the Guardian, Prospect Journal, Saltman Quarterly, Triple Helix, or start a blog
Keep a journal, preferably one that you will share: This forces you to write, and to put effort into
it
3) START EARLY
Plan: How are you going to take care of all the
requirements and still stay sane? When are you going to take the MCAT? Do you realistically have time to fit that activity in this quarter? Will you have time next quarter?
Then you finally reach the application year…
First: Start prewriting for your personal statement
BASIC TIMELINE
Spring Break: Write a first draft of your personal statement.
May: AMCAS opens online. Start filling it in.
June: Submit! Apply early. This is especially tough on the quarter system.
July-August: Complete supplemental apps.
September: Let the interviews begin!
4) TELL A STORY
This is probably the most important thing!
Many premeds participate in very similar activities, so the difference is HOW you talk about them in your application
AMCAS COMPONENTS
AMCAS is your medium: The application is to you as the poem is to Robert Frost and the novel is to Leo Tolstoy.
Academic transcript: Believe it or not, this tells an important story What did you major in? Did you have a minor? What trends
are apparent in your grades?
Essay: 5300 characters
Work/Activities Section 15 slots available, 700 characters each 3 most meaningful activities, 1325 additional characters
STORYTELLING
This is hard!
Your mindfulness and reflection during all your premed activities (the HOW) and all the reading and writing you have done to become the next (insert favorite author here) now take center stage.
Think deeply about who you are, your personality, and why medicine. Show these traits in your writing.
SHOW DON’T TELL!
MY EXAMPLES
Personal Statement:
Most Meaningful Activity
5) FOCUS, BALANCE, SHINE
Focus on the traits medical schools are looking for and that you honestly feel you possess (see selection factors/traits: compassion, empathy, leadership, motivation, communication…)
Tailor your app: This is especially important for secondary
applications: Is the school a research institution? Is primary care the focus? Do they have an affiliated school of public health?
Pay very close attention to the language in the mission statement and on the admissions website.
BALANCING ACT
Construct a balanced application This is especially important for the primary
app. You can narrow your focus more in the supplemental apps.
Your 15 slots in the Work/Activities section should ideally be divided somewhat evenly into the different categories
SHINE
How will you be remembered? How are you going to differentiate yourself?
Do not hold anything back There are ways to describe what you have
done and really highlight and accentuate them without falsifying information.
You are all interesting people, so be interesting!
RECAP
1. The WHAT and the HOW.
2. Read read read. Write write write.
3. Start early.
4. Tell a story.
5. Focus, balance, shine.
INTERVIEWS
If you submit early, you can expect to hear back from the first schools sometime in September
BUT: Interview invites are stochastic and unpredictable. Be patient.
Prepare: Browse the school website, see Student Doctor interview feedback surveys, do mock interviews, think…
HOW ARE THEY ANYWAY
In general, on interview days schools are recruiting you just as much as you are trying to prove you deserve a spot
Usually consists of a dean welcome, two 40-60 minute interviews (or MMI format), lunch with current students, and a tour
Interviews so far have been largely conversational
REMEMBER
Recommended
