Why should i be admitted to medical school

Throughout your medical career, you will need to earn continuing medical education CME credits to maintain licensure. Physicians who wish to remain board certified must also participate in a maintenance of certification MOC program to continually grow their knowledge bases. When you find yourself facing challenges in medical school, your passion and purpose are what will carry you through. A desire to help people, work with diverse populations, leverage your natural fine-motor skills, and pursue a deep love for science are all good reasons to choose a career in medicine.

Those who are primarily motivated by earning potential or prestige, on the other hand, may find themselves unsatisfied. It has since been updated to include information relevant to TAGS: doctor advice , medical school admissions. Unlike with undergrad, few medical schools offer financial aid in the form of grants or scholarships. And the schools that do offer scholarships tend to give them to one of the highest achieving students they admitted and that they want to recruit.

Unless you can afford to pay for medical school out-of-pocket, you will have to finance your school through loans or external scholarships , fellowships, or employment. This section is separated into four parts, corresponding to the traditional four-year college path and assuming that you will apply straight through. However, it is meant to be applied flexibly.

In addition, if you intend to take one or more gap years, you can space out various tasks. In addition, each year has a theme to guide your approach to academics and extracurricular activities. Therefore, you should never be over focused on one or the other. Remember that maintaining strong stats is critical, so never take on too much coursework or too many extracurricular commitments that it compromises your grades.

Over time, your interest will become more clear. Think of your medical school admissions journey as a funnel, where your focus gets narrower over time. The first year of your undergraduate career will speed by much more quickly than you think. In addition, you will receive seemingly endless opinions on your many questions about how to navigate your premed years. Here are the most common ones:. Which specific courses should you take? Should you take more general education courses GEs or more prerequisite courses?

How many of each? Create a 4-year plan that works backwards from key landmarks. Do your best to create balanced schedules. You have a considerable amount of time to decide how to commit your limited bandwidth. The goal during your first year is to expose yourself to as many opportunities as possible, noting programs that you would like to contribute significantly to and can see yourself growing within.

Shadowing is a passive activity where you observe the daily practice of medicine. In other words, you follow a physician throughout their workday to get a better sense of the type of work doctors do so you can decide whether medicine is the right career for you.

If you insist, you could begin searching faculty pages in departments of interest e. Now, take a deep breath. The first comprises those who feel the pressure to jump into every opportunity that comes their way.

This approach is largely borne out of two errors: 1 Following the herd of other premed students who are getting involved in certain activities; and 2 Fundamental misunderstandings of what it takes to get into medical school.

The second group of students are those who do not take advantage of the freedom that college offers. The truth is that your first year means relatively little in the grand context of your medical school candidacy. Therefore, the theme for your freshman year is to build healthy foundations and explore the breadth of experiences available to you. Note: There is one exception to my point about your first year meaning relatively little: your GPA. As your units rise, it becomes increasingly difficult to budge it.

Be on the right side of this to have the opportunity to relax during your latter years because while a B or C early on can compromise your GPA, a slightly lower grade later will make little difference. Here are a few key points to consider when developing a strong, lasting foundation:. Build healthy habits. Eating healthy, working out often, and sleeping consistently are too often overlooked by students. Therefore, treat healthy habits as a cornerstone for your success as a premed student.

Optimize your studying. Experiment with location, temperature, music, etc. Your study space will become your holy space for the next couple of years. Treat it as such. As with the previous point, many students will neglect this. But while pure intellect may get you through freshman year, your courses will get tougher and your commitments will take more of your free time. You should therefore study effectively when you have the opportunity to do so.

Struggle, then seek help. Take pride in your ability. Push yourself to solve problems and learn to ask for help only once you can answer: "What specific step am I stuck on?

Many students fall into the trap of depending entirely on office hours and study guides created by students from prior years. Learn to push yourself because there are fewer such resources as you move forward in your academic journey. Survey the choices that your campus offers you through engaging in small, bite-sized extracurricular experiences.

Become acquainted with a few clubs and programs and note which experiences interest you so can return and possibly commit to them. Since admissions committees look for attractive qualities, such as the ability to work in teams, interpersonal skills or the capacity to lead can be developed through a hospital volunteering program as much as through an a capella team.

Lastly, take advantage of your first college summer, as it will be your most free one. While a popular option is to get ahead of your coursework by taking summer classes, consider a variety of experiences, such as:. Studying abroad to complete prerequisite courses e. Often, these programs allow you to complete entire prerequisite series e. In addition, you can enjoy time abroad! Freshman year will be over sooner than you think. Protect your GPA. It is very difficult to budge it as you progress through your undergraduate years and accumulate units.

Transition into the college environment to the best of your ability. These healthy foundations will carry forward into the next three years. Prioritize breadth over depth when it comes to extracurricular activities. Take advantage of the summer after your freshman year! It is an important time to get ahead of the pack and, when planned right, can also involve memorable experiences studying abroad or serving underserved communities in developing countries.

During your second year, the academic and extracurricular pace will pick up considerably. With just under two years until you submit your application, MCAT, letters of recommendation and extracurricular involvement should be moving towards the forefront of your mind.

Due to these considerations, the theme for your second year should be academic refinement and exploration of activities that will make you more than just your GPA and MCAT score. Think about when to take the MCAT. This strategy will give you protected time away from coursework and extracurriculars so you can focus entirely on getting the best score you can.

Note that the alternative to studying during the summer is to study during the school year. Review your 4-year plan and ensure that your coursework in the upcoming years matches your timeline for taking the MCAT and applying. Pay particular attention to whether you will have completed the majority of your prerequisite courses for the MCAT before you begin to study for the exam.

Remember, the MCAT consists of:. Note: The MCAT also includes reading comprehension and analysis , but those skills are not directly associated with certain prerequisite courses. By the time you enter a dedicated study period for the MCAT, you should have completed most of these series in their entireties, except for the associated lab courses e.

In contrast, you should ideally complete all of your chemistry, physics, and biology coursework beforehand. More generally, continue to refine your learning style and protect your GPA by excelling in your classes. The learning habits you develop as an underclassman will carry with you throughout your undergraduate years and far into medical school. Continuing to study inefficiently e.

Rather than panic about a B here or there, the correct course of action is to double down and focus entirely on your academic success. On the other hand, it would be a mistake to continue adding onto your plate. Slow down and take your medical school admissions journey one step at a time. More than 69 percent of fathers and more than 48 percent of mothers were professionals or high-level managers, compared with 12 percent of the general population.

More than 15 percent of participants had a physician parent. My son is lucky. Even though he comes from a one-income family with a father on disability, I have a good job as a professor and was able to lend him the money he needed. He knew he wanted to be a doctor from the age of That was the year his father had multiple heart attacks. My son spent more time around hospitals than any child should.

When he grew older and qualified as a lifeguard, he kept his first aid kit in the car, in case he encountered an accident on the highway. In university, my son did everything right. He achieved the highest grades in his faculty. He published. He filled out the application form effortlessly with long-standing volunteer and work activities. And his references were glowing. Even so, it took him three tries to get a spot.

The second year, he was waitlisted at the two schools where he interviewed, tantamount to rejections. The third year he was offered spots in two provinces. But the relentless process took a toll. When he was waitlisted that second year, away in Asia, he wrote about checking his email for the message that had the potential to change his life:. Not compared to this. It was painfully slow to log onto my email. My heart was racing.

I quickly said a silent prayer as I opened the first email. The prayer intensified as I opened the second. Two rejections. For the second year. I stared up at the ceiling. So much sacrifice and hard work and emotion. For nothing. At that moment, it felt like the end. Although he was heartbroken, my son came to realize it was a marathon, not a sprint. On average, it takes a candidate approximately three tries to get a place. Or the next couple of hundred.

Or the next. The University of Calgary, with one of the most transparent medical schools in the country, addresses this head on. Our scoring systems try, but it is a blunt instrument at best. Several did a pricey second undergraduate degree to boost grades. If my son had added a precarious financial situation to the equation, would it all have been possible for him? Senior administrators at medical schools agree this is an important issue. An added concern is that more-affluent applicants have additional social capital.

This information will give you a good idea of current averages. Whether you meet or exceed the averages reported, remember that each application involves a variety of factors, including but not limited to academic performance. Don't let your GPA determine whether you apply. The computer-based, multiple-choice, standardized test assesses critical thinking, writing skills, and basic knowledge of science. The medical college admissions committees will consider your MCAT scores in the admission decision process.

While an MCAT score in a high percentile can boost your medical school application, it is not the only consideration for admissions. Medical schools look at many factors in an application, and may even consider individual MCAT section scores to be as important as an overall score.

A variety of guides and materials are available to help you study for the MCAT. No matter what study resources you decide to use, be sure you are familiar with all that the MCAT will test on before you invest in any products. As you plan out your study schedule, leave plenty of time for practice tests. Taking practice tests will help ensure you are meeting your study goals and know what to expect once the big day arrives. Make it a priority to become familiar with MCAT eligibility and overall testing requirements before signing up to take it.

If you have financial limitations, you may apply for fee assistance to minimize the costs of taking the MCAT. When applying for medical school, you will be required to write a personal statement.

Although, this essay is often the last part of the application process, you should start preparing for it as early as possible. This is one part of the admissions process in which you can have direct influence and should aim for the best product possible. While admissions committees often emphasize that they do not advise students about what to write in their personal statement, there are specific themes and topics that can be included.

Your personal statement should reflect your goals and the qualities that are unique to you, so that you stand out. As you start your essay, take the time to carefully reflect on the academic foundation you have built and the experiences that have contributed to the development of your character and led to your decision to pursue a career in medicine. Medical school admission requirements include a personal interview, though the specific processes differ among schools.

Interviews may take place on or off campus. Generally, the interview assessments are added to the admissions file. Medical school admissions committees view involvement in extracurricular activities very favorably. If you can maintain a competitive grade point average in a rigorous curriculum and still actively participate in extracurricular activities, this demonstrates a high aptitude and work ethic. Many successful pre-med students join a variety of organizations, play varsity and intramural sports, participate in theatrical and singing groups, and volunteer.

Leadership positions in these areas can also show commitment and personal growth. However, it must be emphasized that no amount of involvement in extracurricular activities can substitute for a good academic record or strong MCAT scores.