CheckList for Medical School application Summer 2016

Transcription

1 CheckList for Medical School application Summer 2016 See also AMCAS Website MCAT You should have done most of your preparation (maybe even taken it, if so, skip this part). If you have not done serious preparation, set aside some serious time to do some more study. Register If you haven t already done so, do so NOW!!! Early and Late dates fill up quickly Early is needed if you apply early admission or want a chance to retake Practice There are practice exams available take as many as you can AMCAS has 2 available that you should use. But see if you can get other resources. At least one (preferably several) under the same conditions as the actual exam You need to be prepared for the mental fatigue of such a long exam. Know what is allowed in terms of food and bathroom breaks. Take one before you start serious studying, so you know what to work on. Take one after you start serious studying, so you know if your studying is working. None a week before the exam, so you don t wear out or make yourself crazy. Just Before the exam Do what you can to have a good night s sleep Eat something (you brain needs fuel!) Protein lasts long; something that will not upset your stomach Just enough caffeine and water A little helps, too much leads to jitters and trips to the bathroom After the exam Let your premed advisor know your score and any tips you wish you had known that can be passed on to future students. If you want to take it again, sign up as soon as you can.

2 Application Start early Application resources available about April 1 Application opens about May 5 (You can start entering Data) Submission opens about June 2 (can actually submit to medical schools) This WILL take longer than you think It makes a better impression to have everything done early rather than last minute You don t want to be the student who finished on the last day Others will need your AMCAS number (application number) to submit letters for you Early submission often means a smaller pool of candidates to compete against Especially if official early admission or for schools that have rolling admission Get Transcripts You need transcripts from EVERY school you attended after high school (but not high school). Get transcript copies for yourself, you will have to manually enter every line (Your premed advisor can get you AU transcripts) You must manually enter every class ever taken regardless of school or grade. So if you repeat a class you must enter it twice. Official transcripts must be mailed to AMCAS and might require AMCAS# If you have Army Schools, these may take longer than expected to get through their bureaucracy. Consider that in your timing. Get Letters Most places like 3 letters; some accept more, some less check your school s policy (AMCAS will accept up to 10, but that is so you can direct different letters to different schools, not because any school wants that many. It is the MEDICAL SCHOOL s decision as to how many they accept.) Each letter writer will need your AMCAS # and a letter number. AMCAS supplies pdf forms with this info that you can give to your reference. or hand-deliver a print out of this to each of your references. Be sure to indicate that your letter will be confidential that you waive your access to it. That makes it more meaningful The committee/person may not be willing to write one that is not confidential. (Most AU profs will not be on a committee for a non-confidential letter.) You can submit your application before all letters are submitted. Find out when letters are likely to be submitted and politely remind around that date and nag after it. (The key to this is POLITELY!) You are notified when the letters are posted. Do not Your typical 3 letters are: 1) Academic Reference a. GRU does a committee letter. Normally 3 professors including your premed advisor, 4 is rarely ok (check with your advisor). Check with your choices about willingness and availability. Let your premed advisor know the names and availability. b. Many letters are written during the summers when professors disappear, hence check availability. c. Give your premed advisor appropriate the letter form. They will take it from there. Get an idea of how quickly the letter is likely to happen.

3 2) Medical Reference a. You need a letter from a doctor who knows you well b. Get them the numbers and do appropriate nagging 3) Wild card a. Another perspective on your suitability as a doctor b. Suggestions: Research advisor, volunteer coordinator, second doc shadowed, employer/supervisor Consider Early Admission Most places have an early admission program MCG s program is now very restrictive, most don t qualify anymore. (you must be at or above the average admission stats: 3.7 GPA and 31 MCAT probably 510 MCAT with the new version, they likely won t know the new average until mid to late summer.) Each school has its own rules, find out what they are. You only get one early admission school. You can add more schools later if you are not accepted. Advantages: You know soon if you have been accepted You are considered as part of a smaller pool of candidates They might be able to look at your application more carefully and holistically You will automatically become part of regular apps and be looked at a second time Disadvantages: If accepted you are committed to attend there You may only apply for early admission to one school Personal Information Think about your address. Most of your communication with AMCAS and med schools will be by . Your address should be PROFESSIONAL Your address should obviously connect to you, don t make these strangers try to figure out something obscure You should check it regularly (daily is good) One weird thing this year sometime in the near future our gru.edu addresses will become augusta.edu addresses. The gru ones will work for a while, but it might not be the whole academic year. Also explaining a gru address as an Augusta U student may not be worth the trouble. It s a good year to invest in a gmail (or similar) account. Think about your photo It says something about you. Is that something professional and future physician? Think about your phone (lucky students get calls) Make sure that your voic message is up-to-date and professional sounding Check it regularly! Work and Activities This is your spot to input all your extracurriculars. You should have done more than go to school. You get 15 items. Hopefully you already have a list that you can combine and cull. Consider what you want the medical schools to know about you, this might include: Your experience in the medical field Your leadership experiences Your contributions to the community (e.g., volunteering/helping people) This might be your town or your school Your research/extra learning experiences like study abroad (intellectual vigor)

4 Work experience (real jobs show a work ethic and responsibility) You MUST have the medical experience, the others are pick and choose. You can t do everything well or passionately. Some items will double-up like when you become president of Habitat for Humanity (or whatever). You get to mark 3 as most meaningful and write a short reflection on those 3 experiences. Something to think about early. Personal Statement What is its purpose? Convince admissions that you will be a real and valuable addition to the profession so be sure it answers the questions below. Why do YOU want to be a doctor? If they aren t convinced that you really want to do this, they will assume you won t This is the place where you need YOUR personality to shine through Are you a real candidate (will you be successful)? Address potential issues: If there appear to be academic or personal issues that might prevent you from finishing med school, now it the time to convince them it won t happen. e.g., W s, criminal record, a bad start/low GPA Commitment: Convince them this is really what you want to do with your life and that once you start the training you will complete it. Will you be a value to the profession? Are you the kind of person we want as a doctor? e.g., compassionate, experienced in the real world, culturally aware Will you lend diversity? What makes you different? What uniqueness do you bring? There are many kinds of diversity, consider: ethnic, cultural, academic, social class, life experience Are you the kind of person we want to be around? Annoying people are not worth the aggravation nor make good docs Interesting people are always welcome Are you convincing? Past performance predicts future results e.g., everyone says they want to help people, so how have you helped people in the past? If you never have, why should anyone think you will in the future? Remember how many of these they read. (hundreds, maybe thousands) People remember stories People remember things that are different/unusual Be sure to be different-good, not different-bad People remember mistakes PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD! You cannot effectively proofread your own work The readers don t know you so can t interpret Ask others to give you insight into what your essay implies about your personality Try: Based on this, what are 3 adjectives that describe me?

5 Do you like those adjectives? When your part of the application is all done, keep an eye on it. Make sure your references get their letters submitted, if not, figure out the right level of nagging Make sure that your official transcript has been accepted Fill out any secondary applications quickly and well Consider a 1-page resume (but no more than 2 pages) The process of creating it will help you focus on the most important things about you Secondary applications sometimes ask for one (it s becoming more common!) It will give others a springboard (that you have controlled!) for questions This might be useful in practice interviews where the interviewer does not have your file like a med school interviewer would. Some med schools (including MCG which does one open and one closed) do a closed file interview so they don t have your file The career center and your pre-med advisor can help with this (Dr. Myers is known as a resume guru.) Then talk to your premed advisor about the next step interviews You need practice, the career center can do mock interviews (Amanda Boland is awesome!) You need professional attire This means a business suit and good shoes (that you can walk in!) It s worth getting it tailored. It s also time for a good haircut. Like your photo, your attire sends a message be sure it is the right one.