May 2014: Application, Interview, Personal Statement and LOR (Pulse)

Since the AMCAS medical school applications will open for submission very soon, we wanted to provide you with some very general tips and resources regarding the medical school application process. For morespecific advice about each step of the process, check out the powerpoints and handouts from last year’s MSMP Application Workshop and MSMP’s general application, interview and personal statement resources!!!

• Application Workshop Downloads: https://sites.google.com/site/msmpfiles/

• Also, know that if your mentor is unable to review your PS or do mock interviews, please feel free to e-mail the MSMP Board directly and they will find someone to help you with these things.

GETTING STARTED:

• If you plan on applying for this cycle, get started early (now, if you haven’t already). Start asking for letters of recommendation (ask at least 4-5 people), draft your PS, begin filling out your classes, and think about how you want to describe your extracurricular activities.

• Keep deadlines in mind!  Different schools have different deadlines and selection processes (rolling vs. non-rolling). While JABSOM’s application process is NON-ROLLING, this may not be the case for other schools. Make sure you do your research!
• Not sure how to research schools? Check out our resources: https://uhmsmp.com/resources/picking-a-medical-school/

• Your personal statement should be edited and critiqued by many different individuals from different backgrounds. These people should be from the healthcare profession (doctors, medical students), but also family and close friends who you trust. With that being said, it is also good to have your PS reviewed by others that don’t know you as well to ensure that you are conveying the right message to someone that doesn’t personally know you (which is the case when your application is reviewed by an admissions committee!).
• Do MOCK INTERVIEWS! You should have an idea about how you will answer the common, predictable questions such as “tell me about yourself” or “why do you want to become a physician?”. Ask a current medical student, pre-med advisor, or physician to do a mock interview with you so that you can receive feedback regarding your answers.
• Remember to stay active in the application process!  Don’t drop everything just because you are applying to medical school.  You should continue to stay active in volunteering, research, shadowing, etc to improve your resume.

AFTER IT’S ALL DONE:

• Remember to send thank you letters to: interviewers, letter writers, mock interviewers, advisors, and anyone else that has helped you along the way.
• Relax! Once you submit your application and finish your interviews, it’s just playing the waiting game. Occupy your mind with hobbies or new ideas to continue strengthening your resume.
• Always remember that the application is a learning process. Even if you don’t get in your first or second time applying, it is not the end of the world! Many students in medical students applied 3+ times in order to get in. While this may seem daunting, if you truly want to become a physician, it will happen as long as you have the determination.
• If you DON’T get accepted, if possible, contact the admissions office to ask for feedback regarding your application and see what you can do to improve yourself for the application cycle.