Road to Medical School Part. 2
In my last post I detailed the beginning stages of the road to medical school by exploring the challenges that face students even before they are ready to begin the formal application process. Those obstacles ranged from safely navigating challenging bachelor degrees while maintaining a healthy G.P.A., to finding time for volunteering, research and consolidating enough knowledge along the way to be ready for the MCAT.
We ended the last post discussing secondary applications and I promised to go a little more in depth with them. Secondary applications are another opportunity to portray yourself to the committee as a unique applicant. Most of them consist of questions such as "In what way do you think you can contribute to the school", etc.
Although it might seem like common sense, I have seen that it is important to try and have quick turnaround when submitting the secondary apps. This means that you should aim to complete and submit the application no more than a week after you receive it. This shows the medical school that you are interested in attending if admitted and that you are taking the application process seriously. From my experience all secondary invites are sent through email. So make sure the email address that you supply on the AMCAS site is one that you check regularly!!
One of the drawbacks of the application process is the cost. I think I spent over $300 for the primary application (AMCAS) and each secondary I submitted set me back about $60 on average. Some schools are cognizant of the high costs of the application process and offer waivers for those who show significant financial need. However these schools are in the minority and are not usually among the elite. In total I received 12 secondary invites and returned 10 of them. The two I decided not to return were from Georgetown University and University of Missouri. These schools the fact that they accept very few Out of State applicants (OOS) and I decided that I would rather save money since neither was my dream school. In total, after the secondary applications I had probably spent around $800-$900 for the process.
Each medical school has a committee that meets from time to time to decide the fate of prospective students. These groups review the secondary applications and decide who will get interview invitations. Most schools use a rolling system that looks at apps as they come in. So the sooner you get your application sent in the sooner you can begin the anxious wait to hear back the medical schools.
There isn’t anything that one can really do to increase their chances during this wait period, so it’s best to try and take your mind off the process and keep busy with school or hobbies that relieve stress.
Hopefully we are all fortunate enough to receive interview invitations from one if not all schools which we have sent secondary applications to. The interview is an important stage in the medical school application process. It is the first time the school is able to put a face and personality to a paper (electronic) application. Currently the two main styles of interviews are the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) and the Traditional. The Traditional features a format where the applicant sits and answers questions from a single interviewer or a panel. The interviewee fields questions from faculty and is expected to provide timely responses. This style of interview may last up to one hour. Some schools might have both one-on-one and panel interviews during an interview day. The second major style of interviews is the MMI. The setup is 10 stations that the group of interviewees will rotate through. Usually 9 of these stages are active while the remainder is a rest station. Of the 9 active stations 5 are general questions, 2 are discussion questions and 2 are acting stages. MMI gives the interviewee an opportunity to have multiple one-on-one interactions and provides the school with a more holistic profile of the applicant. If the applicant has a bad station, he/she has the opportunity to make this up in the other eight. During my application process I had 4 interview invitations. Three of these were in the Traditional style while the last was an MMI. Personally I prefer the Traditional, however I may be biased since I became very comfortable with the format during my first three interviews. However I see the positives of the MMI. It gives the interviewee a opportunity to 'warm up' and multiple interactions in case they get positive vibes from one faculty member and it also provides the school with a more detailed idea of applicants' temperament and personality. In both styles of interview styles the big thing is to remain calm throughout the day. Smile a lot and BE YOURSELF. Many people go in trying to be someone who they think the school wants them to be. Usually faculty are able to see through this facade, but even worse, if you get accepted into that school you may find that it is actually not a good fit for your personality or lifestyle. Business Attire is a must on an interview day. Faculty will be observing your appearance and demeanor as well as how you interact with your peers in a foreign environment. Guys should wear a plain shirt, simple tie, shined shoes and a crisp suit. Like the guys, women should keep it conservative, tasteful and neat, avoiding bold or flashy patterns. Keep accessories sedate, limit jewelry to a watch and wedding band (if applicable).
After the interview there are few opportunities to send a Letter of Intent (LOI) or update your application. However, this should only be done only if you have something of significance to update the school on.
I thought I'd end the post with some interesting questions I got during interviews:
#1. If you were stuck in a desert with only one wish what would it be?
#2a. What is your definition of the following words: Compassionate, Considerate, Sympathetic and Empathetic? #2b Rank these in order and give your explanation.
#3 A man who is supposed to be on anti-psychotic medication refuses to take his medication and complains that the side effects cause him extreme discomfort. However, when off his medication he has confessed that he has malicious thoughts. As his physician what would be your recommended course of action?
Texas Medical & Dental Application Service --> https://www.tmdsas.com/
AMCAS --> https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/
We ended the last post discussing secondary applications and I promised to go a little more in depth with them. Secondary applications are another opportunity to portray yourself to the committee as a unique applicant. Most of them consist of questions such as "In what way do you think you can contribute to the school", etc.
Although it might seem like common sense, I have seen that it is important to try and have quick turnaround when submitting the secondary apps. This means that you should aim to complete and submit the application no more than a week after you receive it. This shows the medical school that you are interested in attending if admitted and that you are taking the application process seriously. From my experience all secondary invites are sent through email. So make sure the email address that you supply on the AMCAS site is one that you check regularly!!
One of the drawbacks of the application process is the cost. I think I spent over $300 for the primary application (AMCAS) and each secondary I submitted set me back about $60 on average. Some schools are cognizant of the high costs of the application process and offer waivers for those who show significant financial need. However these schools are in the minority and are not usually among the elite. In total I received 12 secondary invites and returned 10 of them. The two I decided not to return were from Georgetown University and University of Missouri. These schools the fact that they accept very few Out of State applicants (OOS) and I decided that I would rather save money since neither was my dream school. In total, after the secondary applications I had probably spent around $800-$900 for the process.
Each medical school has a committee that meets from time to time to decide the fate of prospective students. These groups review the secondary applications and decide who will get interview invitations. Most schools use a rolling system that looks at apps as they come in. So the sooner you get your application sent in the sooner you can begin the anxious wait to hear back the medical schools.
There isn’t anything that one can really do to increase their chances during this wait period, so it’s best to try and take your mind off the process and keep busy with school or hobbies that relieve stress.
Hopefully we are all fortunate enough to receive interview invitations from one if not all schools which we have sent secondary applications to. The interview is an important stage in the medical school application process. It is the first time the school is able to put a face and personality to a paper (electronic) application. Currently the two main styles of interviews are the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) and the Traditional. The Traditional features a format where the applicant sits and answers questions from a single interviewer or a panel. The interviewee fields questions from faculty and is expected to provide timely responses. This style of interview may last up to one hour. Some schools might have both one-on-one and panel interviews during an interview day. The second major style of interviews is the MMI. The setup is 10 stations that the group of interviewees will rotate through. Usually 9 of these stages are active while the remainder is a rest station. Of the 9 active stations 5 are general questions, 2 are discussion questions and 2 are acting stages. MMI gives the interviewee an opportunity to have multiple one-on-one interactions and provides the school with a more holistic profile of the applicant. If the applicant has a bad station, he/she has the opportunity to make this up in the other eight. During my application process I had 4 interview invitations. Three of these were in the Traditional style while the last was an MMI. Personally I prefer the Traditional, however I may be biased since I became very comfortable with the format during my first three interviews. However I see the positives of the MMI. It gives the interviewee a opportunity to 'warm up' and multiple interactions in case they get positive vibes from one faculty member and it also provides the school with a more detailed idea of applicants' temperament and personality. In both styles of interview styles the big thing is to remain calm throughout the day. Smile a lot and BE YOURSELF. Many people go in trying to be someone who they think the school wants them to be. Usually faculty are able to see through this facade, but even worse, if you get accepted into that school you may find that it is actually not a good fit for your personality or lifestyle. Business Attire is a must on an interview day. Faculty will be observing your appearance and demeanor as well as how you interact with your peers in a foreign environment. Guys should wear a plain shirt, simple tie, shined shoes and a crisp suit. Like the guys, women should keep it conservative, tasteful and neat, avoiding bold or flashy patterns. Keep accessories sedate, limit jewelry to a watch and wedding band (if applicable).
After the interview there are few opportunities to send a Letter of Intent (LOI) or update your application. However, this should only be done only if you have something of significance to update the school on.
I thought I'd end the post with some interesting questions I got during interviews:
#1. If you were stuck in a desert with only one wish what would it be?
#2a. What is your definition of the following words: Compassionate, Considerate, Sympathetic and Empathetic? #2b Rank these in order and give your explanation.
#3 A man who is supposed to be on anti-psychotic medication refuses to take his medication and complains that the side effects cause him extreme discomfort. However, when off his medication he has confessed that he has malicious thoughts. As his physician what would be your recommended course of action?
Texas Medical & Dental Application Service --> https://www.tmdsas.com/
AMCAS --> https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/
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