Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A: Recent Episodes
Ryan Gray
The Ask Dr. Gray: Premed Q&A podcast is a coaching session between Dr. Gray and a premed student looking for answers on their premed journey. You can sign up to be on Ask Dr. Gray through our Premed Hangout at premedhangout.com.
This premed has transferred schools a couple of times. They want to know if that's going to reflect negatively on them.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This premed is experiencing some imposter syndrome. They want to make sure they haven't blown their chance!
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This premed had a low freshman GPA, but since then they've been doing really well. They want to know if that low freshman GPA will have a negative effect on their application.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This Nurse Practitioner turned premed wants to know how to navigate secondaries as a NP.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This nontrad premed experienced a few unfortunate events that have made their path much more difficult. They want to know what path there is forward.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This student considers himself to be a horrible test taker. He wants to know what strategies to take with studying for the MCAT.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
Khan Academy
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This student wants to know if he is going to need a postbac or not based on his current stats.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
After graduating with a degree in English, this student realized that she wanted to be a doctor. Will community college be enough for her prereqs?
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This student needs to prove her academic ability. At the same time, she's interested in pursuing a master's program focused on public health.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This student wants to know if working as a medical interpreter can be considered clinical experience.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
Mission Accepted
This student is struggling to decide if they should include a health issue on their application because they aren't sure if adcoms will take it well.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This high school student is interested in exploring the BSMD route, she wants to know what steps she needs to take and if it's right for her.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
These reapplicant has decided to apply to all three application services, they want to get some clarification on the requirements each of them have.
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This student's GPA is all over the place. They're taking an SMP but they're worried that won't be enough to show med schools that they're academically capable. What should they do?
Links:Full Episode Blog Post
Mappd
MedEd Media
Medical School HQ Facebook page
Medical School HQ YouTube channel
Instagram @MedicalSchoolHQ
Join the Application Academy!
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process
The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview
Blueprint MCAT
This student went to community college before they attended a four-year university. They want to know if they need to retake the prereqs they took in community college.
This student needs to reapply to med school and retake the MCAT. They already have a standing MCAT score. They want to know when it's too late for them to retake the test.
This student has taken the MCAT three times and hasn't done too well. They're worried that if they take it again it will be a red flag to medical schools.
This student is a junior with no extracurricular experience, can they catch up in time?
This student has had terrible luck with their MCAT scores. They are sure they will get rejected, but they want to apply anyways. What should they do?
This student had an okay score on the MCAT, but it wasn't amazing. They want to know if retaking could hurt their chances.
This student had to retake the MCAT multiple times, they want to know if it's something they should address in their application.
This student wants to go the MD/PhD route, but they're worried about their clinical experience not being in the same field as their research.
This student decided to hit pause after receiving a devastating MCAT score. They want to know if they made the right decision and what they should do now that they have a surprise gap year on their hands.
This student needs help navigating the fine line between bragging and showing what she's learned.
This student had some struggles and a gap year, and now they are worried that medical schools will think they aren't capable.
This student is worried about being able to submit her application on time because she's going to an ROTC camp without internet access for most of July.
This premed wants to share their personal experience with their daughter's mental health crisis in their personal statement, but she isn't sure how medical schools will respond.
This non-traditional student wants to know if their personal statement and activities show the whole picture of who she is as an applicant.
This student has a history of bad grades but they've been able to turn it around. They want to know if their past will affect their application.
This young applicant wants to know how they can outweigh their age in their medical school application.
This student has an okay but not great GPA trend and MCAT score. They want to know if retaking the MCAT would improve their chances.
This student who has a history of struggling with school wants to know if it's okay to put extracurriculars off so they can focus on one thing at a time.
This student wants to know if research experience has to have a clear application in order to be useful when he applies to an amnesty program.
This student wants to know if her 300 hours of clinical experience is enough as a MD/PhD applicant.
This DACA student wants to know how to build a good school list that reflects their specific needs.
This nurse practitioner premed needs help with forming her personal statement and answering the question, why do you want to be a doctor?
This student struggled with getting the score they needed from the MCAT after taking it twice, and now they don't know where to go from there.
This international student wants to know if they can follow the traditional application timeline or if they won't be able to because of their international status.
This nontraditional student wants to know how to navigate being a full time worker and student.
This nontraditional Canadian student's GPA wasn't great. He wants to know what he can do to improve his overall application.
This music major premed is very busy. They want to know what they can possibly do to squeeze in clinical hours during the school year.
This student poses the question, how can I adovcate for myself in a way that is firm but not annoying?
This nontrad stay at home mom student wants to know if it will hurt her application if she is unable to fit in research within her busy schedule.
Everyone is telling this premed student that she needs to include her military experience in her personal statement, what should she do?
This premed has had a rocky undergrad path which lead to poor grades. She wants to know where she should go from there.
This premed student wants to write about imposter syndrome in the adversity section of her secondaries. Is that okay to do?
This non-traditional reapplicant wants to know where to start after applying and not getting any interviews.
This student is applying to an amnesty program and wants to know if their research has to have a clear application.
This premed has put her application on hold, and she wants to know if she should still be keeping up clinical hours into the next cycle.
This premed has put her application on hold, and she wants to know if she should still be keeping up clinical hours into the next cycle.
This non-traditional student wants to know what she needs to focus on after experiencing several unsuccessful application cycles.
This non-traditional student wants to know what she needs to focus on after experiencing several unsuccessful application cycles.
This Nurse Practitioner premed needs help answering the question, "why do you want to be a doctor?"
This premed wants know how they can highlight their multicultural background when applying to med school to pursue primary care. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-191-how-do-i-highlight-my-multicultural-background-in-my-application/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This international premed student has questions about navigating her journey to medical school as an international student.
Our premed today is alone in the states as an international student and she's wondering what she needs to do to successfully navigate her way to medical school. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-187-navigating-the-premed-path-as-an-international-student/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Our student today has a question about how realistic it is to Match into a competitive specialty if he accepts the HPSP scholarship. We talk pros and cons. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-186-can-i-match-into-a-competitive-surgical-specialty-with-hpsp/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
What is the right decision when a student has a lower GPA without a great (close to 4.0) trend in their GPA. Remember, the goal is to prove academic capability. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-185-do-i-need-a-postbac-with-a-low-3s-gpa-without-a-trend/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This premed has a list of questions stemming from her nontrad experiences. Let's answer them! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-184-is-the-hpsp-route-right-for-you/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student has quite a few withdrawals from being deployed and transfers from changing locations. How can they discuss this on their application? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-183-multiple-withdrawals-and-school-transfers-what-do-i-do/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student has some concerns about her low CARS section and stutter. Can she still get accepted to med school?
This upcoming applicant is nervous about having just a few shadowing hours. How will med schools look at her just now being able to find shadowing?
This premed is applying to a medical school on probation- is it worth applying? Could it all go wrong? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-180-should-i-apply-to-a-med-school-thats-on-probation/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Today we chat with a student about her gap year and app process. She has taken some time off- and wants to know how to overcome & apply to med school.
This premed was "recommended with reservation" to medical school. Should she just submit her letters of recommendation separately? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-178-how-do-i-handle-all-these-secondaries/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student is debating retaking their MCAT and reapplying or holding out for the waitlist. What should they do? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-177-should-i-reapply-to-med-school-if-im-on-a-waitlist/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://ms-my.facebook.com/mappdapp/videos/ask-the-dean-ep-94-live-qa-premed-prehealth/2780437985583147/ (Ask the Dean)
This student needs to know- should they write a disadvantaged essay? How should they go about this context essay?
This student overcame challenges during his first year and now has over 80 credit hours with a 4.0. How much should he discuss his early academic challenges?
This Chiropractor is ready to ditch the spine and crack open a book instead. Is he setting himself up for success?
This student is seeking to start their premed journey, and wants to know how to start to have the strongest application possible.
This premed needs help with her personal statement- let's see how we can help her and others working on their PS!
This premed is getting ready for his postbac and wants to know if he needs it or how to repair his GPA. Let's see what I have to think.
This student has a high GPA and didn't do any clinical work in undergrad. Does he need to "catch up"? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-170-high-gpa-does-he-need-to-squeeze-in-clinical-experience/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student has an unsteady trend and wants to know how they should move forward- here's my advice for them. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-169-do-i-need-a-smp-or-can-i-just-do-well-on-the-mcat/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This Canadian premed has low stats but lots of strong life experiences. How should they move forward with applying? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-168-canadian-premed-with-low-stats-what-should-they-do/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7761/download (AMCAS grade conversion guide) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student's premed advisors told her that she needed to find a different career path because of her grades. Let's see what I think. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-167-my-advisors-said-to-quit-should-i/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-230-rejected-from-the-caribbean-now-with-a-us-acceptance/ (The Premed Years Podcast Session 230) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student wants to know when is the latest they can take the MCAT & what med schools think about international mission trips. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-166-whats-the-latest-you-can-take-the-mcat/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/ (National Health Service Corps) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This premed has moved around a ton- how can they determine what state they're a resident in? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-165-how-do-i-determine-residency/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student went to a top-20 school and struggled with the rigor of his classes, and transferred schools. How can he move forward from his low GPA? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-164-this-low-gpa-student-needs-help/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This premed has questions about CASPer and how it factors into your application. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-163-lets-talk-casper/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://takealtus.com/casper/ (Casper) https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-303-how-can-i-prepare-for-the-casper-what-is-casper-and-more/ (PMY 303: How Can I Prepare for the CASPer, What is CASPer, and More) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Today we talk to a student interested in military medicine. I share some of my story and she shares hers! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-162-military-medicine-a-different-path-to-medicine/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.medicineandthemilitary.com/applying-and-what-to-expect/medical-school-programs/hpsp (HPSP) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformed_Services_University_of_the_Health_Sciences (USUHS) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student changed majors and needs another semester to graduate. Will med schools see this as a red flag? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-161-is-taking-more-than-four-years-to-graduate-a-red-flag/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview)
This student is worried that their P/F grades will impact them getting into medical school, will it? Let's Ask Dr. Gray! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-160-pass-fail-grades-what-do-med-schools-think/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This inspiring premed is NINE years sober and AA has contributed to her pursuit of medicine. Is it too risky to note in her application? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-159-is-alcoholics-anonymous-ok-to-put-as-an-activity/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This student is worried about disclosing health issues and whether it will prevent them from getting into med school. However, their health is a huge reason they chose medicine. Should they discuss it? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-158-health-issues-are-part-of-my-story-should-i-disclose-them/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mshq-096-nyus-3-year-md-program-a-discussion-with-their-dean/ (PMY96: 3 Years to Complete Medical School at NYU) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This prospective applicant is only 17- and is lacking clinical experience other than shadowing. Should she wait or can she explain it? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-157-17-years-old-lacking-some-experience-can-i-apply/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This premed has been struggling with testing anxiety, and has done poorly on the MCAT because of it. Can he recover from both testing anxiety and a low score? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-156-is-mcat-test-anxiety-going-to-keep-me-from-med-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.uworld.com/ (UWorld)
This premed had a downward trend in undergrad but is currently in a postbac program. Can she overcome her trend or does she need a SMP? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-155-she-had-a-downward-trend-can-she-overcome-it/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Our student today has always been overwhelmed and unable to focus on his grades. How can he discuss his shortcomings and highlight his strengths on his application? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-154-he-has-an-average-gpa-how-can-he-stand-out/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Today on Ask Dr. Gray, our student has concerns about her GPA. While it's not low, the upward trend isn't all there. Let's talk about how she can recover. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-153-she-had-an-upward-trend-but-lost-it-what-now/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This premed scored a 521 on his MCAT and is at the top of his SMP class. Can he show schools he's improved during the application cycle or should he reapply? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-152-can-i-show-med-schools-ive-improved-during-the-app-cycle/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview)
I'm on IG and TikTok Live today to answer all of your premed questions and talk about application timeline, for-profit medical schools, and more! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-151-live-premed-qa-on-instagram-tiktok/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This nontrad premed is transitioning from a military career to become a physician. How should she share her experiences in a way that will resonate with adcoms? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-150-impact-or-skills-which-do-adcoms-really-care-more-about/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview)
Our student today is trying to figure out why her practice MCAT scores are different than her actual MCAT. Let's dive in and get to the bottom of it. Join us! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-149-why-is-my-practice-mcat-is-different-from-my-actual-mcat/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://leah4sci.com/intro-to-orgo-video-series/ (leah4sci) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview)
Our premed today has a good uGPA, but her overall trend raises some red flags. Find out why I recommend taking additional coursework to demonstrate consistency. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-148-do-i-need-a-postbac-to-overcome-an-inconsistent-ugpa-trend/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Today, we discuss how to recover from a downward trend in your GPA. Listen to find out why I think a postbac might be a good idea for this student. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-147-how-can-i-recover-from-a-downward-trend-in-my-gpa/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
You LOVE ortho, but should you discuss your interest orthopedics in your personal statement? Find out why not and what to do instead to craft a better PS. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-145-should-i-share-my-love-for-ortho-in-my-personal-statement/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview)
Our coaching call today centers around a student who has bounced around several schools, majors and paths. How does she communicate she wants to be a doctor? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-144-how-do-you-show-schools-you-dont-have-commitment-issues/ (Full Episode Blog) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb0fnUyoo-8NIjd9276ah0rd3S6rKRWbm (Application Renovation videos) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)!
He improved from a 488 to a 493 but still needs to improve. He's in the middle of applications. Should he take it in September or wait and reapply next year? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-146-should-i-retake-a-poor-mcat-during-the-application-cycle/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
After being called to Active Duty, this premed found herself facing 3 weeks of coursework and 5 finals within 24 hours. How should she address her suspension? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-143-how-do-i-address-a-school-suspension-due-to-military-duty/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Our student this week has spent hours taking care of family members as a caretaker. Would it count as clinical experience? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-142-does-being-a-family-caretaker-count-as-clinical-experience/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQGm2a24qFM (How is COVID-19 impacting Medical School Admissions in 2021?) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.facebook.com/groups/mshqhangout/ (Premed Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media)
Wondering when is an appropriate time to contact medical schools? In this podcast, I answer this question and more! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-141-when-and-how-should-you-contact-medical-schools/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) https://jackwestin.com/ (Jack Westin)
Today's student is worried that her GPA isn't high enough in light of her background. But can she prove her academic ability despite her GPA inconsistency? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-140-should-i-be-concerned-if-my-gpa-trend-is-not-consistent/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://mappd.com/ask-the-dean (Ask the Dean series)
Many students participate in clubs during their premed journey. Is it something that should be included in the med school activity section? It depends! Listen. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-139-should-i-list-club-membership-in-the-activity-section/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-cars-podcast/ (The MCAT CARS Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Our student today is worried that her GPA isn't high enough in light of being a overrepresented student. Will her GPA be viewed with her ethnicity as a factor? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-138-will-gpa-be-weighed-more-if-im-an-overrepresented-student/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
This mom of five is trying to keep going despite all odds but sometimes lacks the confidence and motivation to keep going. How should she approach the bad days? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-137-how-do-i-keep-up-my-confidence-during-the-premed-process/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
There are lots of new ways to get clinical experience, but how do you know which one counts for medical schools? Listen to this week's episode to find out! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-136-does-contact-tracing-count-as-clinical-experience/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://store.aamc.org/mcat-prep/full-length-exams.html (AAMC full-length exams)
Today's student has been dealing with family/personal issues. Even with an upward trend, her GPA of 2.5 will only get her a rejection. What should she do now? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-135-how-do-i-fix-my-low-gpa-when-i-have-lots-of-credits/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
With 7 college transcripts, she is worried that medical schools would look down on her app and GPA. However, that's not what she should have been worried about. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-134-i-have-7-college-transcripts-what-will-med-schools-think/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
She is waitlisted at 5 schools but may not know if she will get a spot until up to maybe June. Should she retake her MCAT and prepare to apply again? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-133-im-waitlisted-should-i-prepare-to-apply-next-cycle/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Our caller today is applying this cycle and wants to know if they should contact medical schools to show interest before applying. If so, how should it be done? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-132-should-i-introduce-myself-to-a-med-school-before-applying/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://eshadowing.com/ (eshadowing.com)
She has prepared everything she needs to submit her application early, but now she can't get her spring grades until much later. Should she proceed without them? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-131-submit-app-early-without-spring-transcript-or-delay/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT)
Today, I answered this nontrad student's question on how to answer and connect with med school admissions. It's important to be human and not a robot. Listen! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-130-how-to-be-yourself-in-a-med-school-interview/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) Join the https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy)! https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview-ebook/dp/B01NAASM66 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-application-process-ryan-gray-md/1139169189 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Application Process) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://www.aamc.org/services/admissions-lifecycle/competencies-entering-medical-students (AAMC core competencies)
Today, our student is looking for clear answers after receiving different, conflicting pieces of advice from medical admissions, doctors, and advisors. Listen! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-129-navigating-through-advice-and-info-as-a-premed-student/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
This student is wondering how med school admissions will view transfers between different schools. I also answer other questions about school lists, HPSP, etc. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-128-how-will-admissions-view-transferring-between-universities/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) http://www.medicalschoohq.net/blueprint (Blueprint MCAT)
This student has a passion for pediatrics. Would it be an issue to disclose it on the med school application? We also discussed sending LOR to specific schools. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-127-can-i-share-my-passion-for-a-specific-specialty-in-my-app/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://store.medicalschoolhq.net/store/zBzcDvvk (Application Academy) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) http://www.medicalschoolhq.net/blueprint (Blueprint MCAT)
An important part of the med school application is the extracurricular activities section. How do you know which category your activities falls in? Listen to see Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-126-how-should-i-categorize-my-extracurricular-activities/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) http://www.medicalschoolhq.net/blueprint (Blueprint MCAT) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast)
Today, I walked a student through her application to see why she hasn't gotten any med school invites. We also talked about shadowing parents, essays, and more! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-125-why-didnt-i-get-any-med-school-acceptances-this-cycle/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://students-residents.aamc.org/medical-school-admission-requirements/medical-school-admission-requirements-applicants (MSAR) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgmGtDIH-2o (Application Renovation) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat/free-resources/free-mcat-practice-bundle (Blueprint Prep) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement)
You are starting MCAT prep to take in the spring, but you have many classes and other responsibilities. Should you focus on your classes or squeeze in the MCAT? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-124-should-i-focus-on-my-gpa-or-getting-a-good-mcat-score/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school-amcas/applying-medical-school-amcas#:~:text=The%20American%20Medical%20College%20Application,their%20first%2Dyear%20entering%20classes. (AMCAS) https://www.tmdsas.com/ (TMDSAS) https://www.aacom.org/ (AACOMAS) http://www.medicalschoolhq.net/blueprint (Blueprint Prep) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement)
A new application cycle is on the horizon, but with the pandemic, many students don't have recent shadowing experience. Should they be worried? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-123-what-should-i-do-if-i-dont-have-recent-shadowing-hours/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://www.globalbrigades.org/ (Global Brigades) https://www.aacom.org/ (AACOMAS) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat/free-resources/free-mcat-practice-bundle (Blueprint Prep) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
Can the postbac personal statement be written like the medical school one? We also talk about formal vs. DIY postbacs and which one is better for your journey. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-122-should-i-write-my-post-bacc-ps-like-a-med-schools-ps/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://postbaccas.liaisoncas.org/students/ (PostbacCAS)
Does taking your prereqs at a community college hurt your chances of getting into a more selective medical school? It depends. Listen to find out why. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-121-will-taking-prereqs-at-community-college-hurt-my-chances/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/medical-school-admission-requirements/ (AAMC) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/medical-school-admission-requirements/ (MSAR) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
This student has a low GPA but a solid upward trend at a community college. Should she apply this cycle or delay and complete a masters at a prestigious school? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-120-can-a-masters-at-a-prestigious-university-help-my-low-gpa/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://www.mappd.com/ (Mappd) http://mappd.tv/ (Mappd.tv) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
In today's podcast, I talk about telling your story and the difference between "why do you want to be a physician" vs "what you want to do as a physician." Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-119-should-i-talk-about-serving-specific-communities-in-my-ps/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement)
How should you talk about your life and experiences as a nontrad? Be honest. Today, I talk about how to "stand out" as a nontrad by simply being true to yourself. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-118-how-to-talk-about-your-life-and-experiences-as-a-nontrad/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/apply-to-med-school-with-amcas/ (AMCAS) https://www.tmdsas.com/ (TMDSAS) https://www.studentdoctor.net/ (Student Doctor Network) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
How should someone who is underrepresented in medicine approach the medical school application process? My advice? Don't worry about standing out—be yourself! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-117-how-to-stand-out-when-underrepresented-in-medicine/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/core-competencies/ (AAMC core competencies) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ) https://medicalschoolhq.net/eshadowing/ (eShadowing)
Do you need to retake C/D/F classes from earlier in college? Listen to find out why you may not need to retake classes and what you should consider instead. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-116-do-i-need-to-retake-c-d-f-classes-to-get-into-med-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
Our caller today dropped out of college during her first semester. Now, she's finishing her degree and wants to know how to share her story with med schools. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-115-can-i-get-into-medical-school-if-i-dropped-out-of-college/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
How do you find the time to get enough clinical and shadowing experience as a nontrad premed while balancing work, life, and school? Let's discuss!
You have strong ties to a medical school, but should you apply early decision? Today, we talk about how to show your dream med school they're your #1 choice. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-113-when-is-it-appropriate-to-apply-early-decision/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
This student went all in on MCAT prep but her score didn't meet her expectations. What should she do next? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-111-how-to-move-forward-after-bombing-the-mcat/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://blueprintprep.com/mcat (Blueprint MCAT) https://apps.ankiweb.net/ (Anki) https://jackwestin.com/ (Jack Westin) https://www.uworld.com/ (UWorld) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-cars-podcast/ (The MCAT CARS Podcast) https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/prepare-mcat-exam/ (AAMC MCAT materials) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
In today's podcast, I share my top dos and don'ts for discussing childhood trauma and related events in your personal statement. In today’s podcast, I share my top dos and don’ts for discussing childhood trauma and related events in your personal statement. Listen to this podcast episode with the player above, or keep reading for the highlights and takeaway points. By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media). If you have any questions, call me at 617-410-6747. [00:24] Question of the DayQ: "I've read part of your personal statement book, and you recommend telling your story that led you to medicine and your journey and all that. My story involves childhood trauma that is definitely a piece of it that has led me this way. And my physician recommended that I do not disclose it in the personal statement. However, I feel like it is so much a piece of my journey to medicine that I'm not sure how to exclude it. I survived childhood sexual abuse and had suppressed the memories until late in my junior year of college. I began volunteering as a sexual assault advocate. And through that training, the memory started coming back. So then my senior year of undergrad, I did okay, my GPA went down a bit. I had a 4.0 Junior year and then a 3.6. Senior year. Freshman year was a 3.5 and my Sophomore year was a 3.7. And then I did like a DIY postbac, which was a 4.0. I had a psych major. And then I had minors in biology and chemistry, but I took about 10 years off. So I did postbac just to kind of refresh the sciences. All the memories started coming back in my senior year of undergrad, and then I decided I needed to take time off from pursuing medicine to focus on my healing. And because I didn't think it would be fair to my future patients if I went into medical school with all that going on. I ended up taking about 10 years off and now I am looking to get back into it. So during that time, it was partially just taking time to focus on myself. And I liked the job I was doing. I was working with people who have intellectual disabilities. I was working in group homes. I was working as a case manager. And I really enjoyed that work. But then, in the past two years or so, I have really started to want to get back into medicine. Part of that was I went through another sexual assault. It's through the care that my physician provided me, and that empathy and compassion and wanting to be able to give that to others when they're going through a challenging situation. It's through the care that my physician provided me and wanting to be able to give that to others when they're going through a challenging situation that has reignited the fire to want to continue pursuing medicine. With all that being said, my question is that my trauma story is so intertwined with my medicine story and why I want to go into medicine. Is it acceptable to include the story or does it make the reader too uncomfortable to include?” [04:13] How Do You Tell Your Story?You need to be aware of how what you're saying is landing on other people just like you would in normal life. I'm a firm believer in you needing to tell your story, assuming it is intertwined with your reason to be a physician. "There are good experiences that lead to people wanting to go into medicine. And there are bad experiences that lead people to want to go into medicine." And so, the question comes down to how do you tell your story in a way that does justice for your story. How do you tell it in a way that doesn't turn out to be a graphic novel? And that the person reading it maybe has gone through similar experiences and just doesn't want to relive them. You have to think about...
Imposter syndrome never really goes away, but today, I'll share a few ways you can turn anxiety into excitement. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-108-do-you-need-a-3-0-to-apply-to-med-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/eshadowing/ (eShadowing) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
Today we talk with a nontrad premed who has questions about in-person vs online classes, gaining volunteer experience as a nontrad, and GPA cutoffs. Join us!
This premed has a question about how to show resilience in your med school personal statement. Our conversation reveals a whole mindset shift he needs to make! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-107-eye-opening-conversation-about-the-med-school-personal-statement/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb0fnUyoo-8NIjd9276ah0rd3S6rKRWbm (Application Renovation Series on YouTube) https://medicalschoolhq.net/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-personal-statement/ (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
This nontrad has been out of school and working for a decade. She's done so many things, she's wondering what to highlight vs combine on her med school app!
How do Medical Schools view nontraditional students with limited clinical experiences due to other commitments. Dr Gray discusses the importance of this topic. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-105-how-do-med-schools-view-nontrads-with-limited-clinical-experience/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
How do you know if you are competitive amongst other applicants? Dr. Gray breaks down this students stats to help him know if he is 'good' enough? Links:Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/the-premed-playbook-guide-to-the-medical-school-personal-statement/ (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement)
Can you be a stay at home mom and still get into medical school? Will admissions committees look down upon you for staying at home as a mom? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-103-can-i-be-a-stay-at-home-mom-and-get-into-medical-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://mappd.com/ (Mappd) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Do you have an institutional action? Maybe an academic suspension? Or a dismissal from a class or program? How do I write about this on my application? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-102-how-to-write-about-an-academic-suspension-and-cheating/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Can you get into med school if you've been arrested? Will it come up in your interview? What should you disclose about it in your application? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-101-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-applying-to-med-school-with-a-mug-shot/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-197-can-become-doctor-youve-arrested/ (The Premed Years Podcast Session 197: Can You Become a Doctor If You’ve Been Arrested?) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
What's the best premed major for you? Will med schools actually care what you majored in? What factors should you consider? That's what we're covering today! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-100-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-how-to-choose-your-premed-major/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/specialty-stories-podcast/ (Specialty Stories Podcast)
You're NOT too old to go to medical school—and today, I'm explaining why. I'm also addressing HOW to tell your story on your application. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-99-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-am-i-too-old-for-medical-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/oldpremeds-podcast/ (The OldPreMeds Podcast) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Personal-Statement-Interview/dp/168350853X (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
What is the GPA cut-off at most medical schools? And what can you do if you're worried about a low GPA number from your past holding back YOUR application? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-98-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-is-this-gpa-really-that-bad/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlELUnbG72fzxcHEWZqiHQ (premed.tv)
Should your tone and writing style in the MD/PhD essay differ from the personal statement? Should your MD and MD/PhD personal statement be written differently?
Our caller's prereq grades were pretty bad—but he's in a Special Master's Program doing much better now. So does he still need to retake old prerequisites? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-96-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-should-i-retake-my-old-prerequisites/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Should you mention your history with mental health issues in your medical school application? Plus, what issues often affect disadvantaged students and URMs? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-95-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-disclosing-mental-illness-when-applying/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/medical-school-applications-cost-estimator/ (Medical School Applications Cost Estimator)
How do med schools view institutional actions like alcohol violations? Are they red flags that will get your app thrown out? How does it vary between schools? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-94-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-advice-premeds-with-an-institutional-action/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://www.usuhs.edu/ (University Services, Uniformed Health Sciences (USUHS))
You're interested in a career that offers the best of both worlds—a few days a week seeing patients and a few days of research—but, is an MD/PhD the best option? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-93-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-md-or-md-phd-which-is-right-for-you/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/ss-9-what-is-pediatric-gastroenterology-we-learn-from-one-today/ (Specialty Stories Episode 9: Interview with Dr. Maureen Leonard) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
What counts as clinical experience? How many hours should you have when applying to med school? And is it okay to keep working a non-clinical job as a premed? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-92-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-clarifying-clinical-experience-what-counts/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/specialty-stories-podcast/ (Specialty Stories) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Will DO and international medical schools be adversely affected by the changes to USMLE Step 1? What does the NRMP survey data say? Listen and find out! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-91-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-will-the-changes-to-the-usmle-affect-comlex/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/specialty-stories-podcast/ (Specialty Stories) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlELUnbG72fzxcHEWZqiHQ (Premed.tv) https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-379-usmle-step-1-went-pass-fail-what-does-that-mean-for-premeds/ (PMY 379: USMLE Step 1 Went Pass/Fail: What Does That Mean for Premeds?) https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NRMP-2018-Program-Director-Survey-for-WWW.pdf (2018 NRMP Program Director Survey)
When is it a good idea to apply early decision to med school? And what are you committing to when you check the "I'm interested in rural medicine" checkbox? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-90-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-should-i-apply-early-decision-to-med-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/opm-215-are-you-sure-you-want-to-be-a-physician/ (The Old Premeds Podcast Session 215: Are You Sure You Want to Be a Physician?)
Today's premed is considering a gap year. She's only a sophomore! We talk about how important it is to be selective with extracurriculars and how to say no! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-89-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-when-should-you-say-no-as-a-premed/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/specialty-stories-podcast/ (Specialty Stories)
Committee letters are typically comprised of several LORs from professors and faculty in a single packet. What do you do when you only receive a summary letter? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-88-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-i-submitted-a-committee-letter-but-now/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Are you making the most of your gap year? We'll talk about how med schools view gap years (spoiler: they don't care), interview day experiences and more! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-87-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-how-are-gap-years-viewed-by-med-schools/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-85-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-should-i-push-my-med-school-app-back-a-year/ (Session 85: Should I Push my Med School App Back a Year?)
Our caller today wants to know what she should focus on to enhance her med school application: GPA, MCAT prep, or clinical experience. I'll help her prioritize! Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-86-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-her-3-4-gpa-isnt-the-problem/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-cars-podcast/ (The MCAT CARS Podcast)
Is it worth rushing to submit your med school application late in the cycle, or should you wait a year while you strengthen your application? The data says... Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-85-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-should-i-push-my-med-school-app-back-a-year/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Time is a precious commodity when you're a nontraditional student like today's caller. How should you spend your time as a nontraditional premed? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-84-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-is-it-bad-to-take-prereqs-in-the-summer/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
In many cases, caregiving is an amazing way to gain clinical experience in a non-traditional setting. How should you talk about it on your med school application? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) http://secondaryapps.com (secondaryapps.com) http://premed.tv (Premed.tv) The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
If you've faced adversity on your path to med school, you aren't alone! Today, we'll talk about how to discuss obstacles in the med school application process. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-83-ask-dr-gray-premed-qa-writing-about-obstacles-in-your-application/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://www.amazon.com/Premed-Playbook-Medical-School-Interview/dp/1683502159 (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview) http://www.secondaryapps.com (secondaryapps.com) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Not getting any medical school interview invites? Let's look at the 8 most common areas students make mistakes in their medical school application. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) http://mcatpodcast.com (MCATpodcast.com) Application Renovation The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
How do you decide between a special Master's program (SMP) and a postbac? Today, I share why I think a postbac is the better choice for this student. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) Check out more resources on YouTube premed.tv https://apps.aamc.org/postbac/ (AAMC’s postbac database)
Today's caller had a mediocre GPA from her undergrad in business. Now, she's on the premed path taking prereqs and her GPA is improving—but is it enough? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) Calculate your GPA on whatsmygpa.com
Everyone experiences imposter syndrome as a premed, medical student, and resident physician. Today, I share how to deal with these feelings on the premed path. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Should you start thinking about the MCAT as you're still taking prerequisites? Today's caller is getting started early. Dr. Gray talks timelines and prep.
There are ways to touch upon mental illness in your application that are more discreet. But what if it's a major part of your story? Dr. Gray answers. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
If you have a low GPA, first ask yourself why. Before picking between post-bac, masters, and SMP programs, be honest about where you need to improve. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
What do you do when a premed advisor recommends a drastic change of course? Should this caller call it quits on US MD and DO schools? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) Check us out on YouTube at premed.TV
Help your reader inhabit those important "why medicine" moments with you. Show your experiences through anecdotes and appeal to their senses. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
What's the magic number for an MCAT score that will outshine your low GPA (spoiler: there is none), and when is it time to do a post-bac degree? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) The Premed Years Podcast Episode 19: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast)
The AMCAS and AACOMAS are slightly different application services. Do you need to tailor your personal statement to each of them? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) Specialty Stories Podcast The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement
Our caller is a working dad with a DIY postbac and tons of shadowing and bench work experience. What else can he do to elevate his application? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) OldPreMeds Podcast
Do nursing courses count toward your medical school prerequisites, and is there any truth to low medical school acceptance rates for nurses? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Our question comes from an applicant who has taken a somewhat winding path during her premed career. We'll sort through grades, trends and more.
Today's caller asks: if she has a long academic record, below average GPA, and an average sGPA, should she take a leap and apply?
Does it look bad to take classes at a slow place while working, or to take them at different institutions? What if you are a nontraditional student?
Just as in any other application, try to stand out with your personal statement and your credentials. Your nationality be more relevant as you select your schools! Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements)
Our first live Q&A session! today's question involves whether and how to talk about academic probation in AMCAS and the rest of your application. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
Should you include shadowing mid-levels as an activity on your applications? No, but here are some ideas for how to include them. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group)
There are a lot more MD medican schools than there are DO schools. What accounts for the difference in numbers, and how does that affect you? Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://medicalschoolhq.net/oldpremeds-podcast/ (The OldPreMeds Podcast)
What should you do, before you start worrying about what your personal statement says about you? Write, write, and write! Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/oldpremeds-podcast/ (The OldPreMeds Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (MSHQ Facebook Hangout Group) https://www.rev.com/ (Rev.com) https://www.temi.com/ (Temi.com)
Shadowing is a valuable part of the premed process, but you don't need to gift the physician you followed! What can you do instead?
When you are asked a question on an interview, do not answer based on what the interviewer wants to hear. Just be you, and answer from the heart.
There's a lot on the line in a medical school interview. How do you practice for interviews and reduce your stress so that you can truly shine?
Deciding where to apply for medical school involves different processes and results in different consequences. How do you sort through them all?
Picking medical schools to apply to isn't a haphazard process! Here, we discuss the time requirements, costs and other considerations.
Many medical schools don't accept online courses, but is that true across the board? Here's what to consider before taking prereqs online.
What are medical school chance predictors? Can a web-based algorithm actually tell you anything your character and your chances of getting in?
Community college is a practical choice for many students. Will premed courses taken at a CC hold as much weight as those taken at 4-year universities?
If you've applied to medical school, you have seen the annual aceptance rates to DO and MD schools. What does that tell you about your chances?
Your GPA gets you past the mysterious digital shredder of medical schools. Every class is important, and every grade counts. Tune in for more.
What's the first thing you should look for in an MCAT test prep company? Hint: It's not the price! Here's some tips on finding quality test prep. Links: Full Episode Blog Post https://nextsteptestprep.com/ (Next Step Test Prep) (Get $50 off by using the promo code MSHQ.) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/oldpremeds-podcast/ (The OldPreMeds Podcast)
Take the first step toward writing your personal statement by brainstorming. Make a mind map, recall your memories, and dig deep for your "why".
Session 48 Postbac, Masters, and SMP programs have pretty significant differences, from the degree conferred to financial aid eligibility, etc. Pick wisely! If you haven’t yet, please check out all our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (Meded Media) as you’re trying to get as many resources as you can to help you along this premed journey. Did you struggle in your undergrad classes? Or did you major in something completely random and you never took any science courses and now you need them? How do you determine what's the best path forward versus a "postbac" program or a Masters Program in Biomedical Sciences? (There's also that which is called Special Masters Program or SMP.) So, what's the difference? [01:15] What's the Difference Between Postbac and Master's Programs Q: Which one will prove to the admissions committees that I can handle the coursework? Is a postbac program good enough? Or does it have to be this Masters Program in hard sciences like Biomedical Sciences or Masters in Microbiology? (Masters in Public Health is not considered a hard science.) A: The difference is that one is a Master's degree and one isn't. Postbac programs historically are programs affiliated either separately form an institution. There are a lot of private postbac programs out there now while there are some programs that are part of the university. There's also a postbac program for nontraditional students looking to improve their grades or are switching from another career so they need to take all the sciences. At the core of a postbac program or a masters program, they both do the same thing. They're both there to help improve or add to your science GPA. Medical school is hard. There are a lot of sciences. If you can't get a good science GPA then you haven't proven to yourself or the admissions committee that you can handle the coursework. The last they want to do is accept a student who is not going to finish school. [03:35] Which One to Choose: Federal vs. Private Loans Master's program is a degree program which you can get federal financial aid for. Postbac programs are not degree-programs, which means you don't get a degree at the end. Some postbac programs give you a certificate but the certificate these days might not qualify itself for financial aid. This being said, you have to just do your research and follow up with them. Private loans are to be avoided at all cost. They're not very flexible. For instance, they don't care if you have problems in the future. When you get federal loans as you go through medical school and residency training, they are very flexible with how you pay back the loans. You have a lot more leeway if any issues come up. As you're looking at these different options, think about federal versus private loans. [05:10] Formal Postbac versus Do-It -Yourself Postbac Think about whether you need to do a formal postbac versus a do-it-yourself postbac. You don't have to do a formal postbac. Formal postbac programs are super expensive. One of the tricks for a do-it-yourself postbac is to tell them you want a second degree. Go and apply as a degree-seeking student and just don't finish the degree. [06:00] Master's Program versus Postbac Programs A Master's program is going to give you a Master's degree. A lot of people will choose this being the safer bet. You have a Master's degree now. Just in case medicine doesn't work out, now you have a master's degree to lean back on. A lot of these master's programs are postbac programs that are just wrapped in a pretty exterior of a master's program. This means they're there to improve your sciences, prepare you for the MCAT, and get you ready for medical school. This is what an SMP does as well. One of the biggest differences is that on your application, a postbac program includes undergrad level courses that help you increase your undergrad GPA. If you have a poor undergrad GPA and you take Master's...
Session 47 There are lots of moving parts to the medical school application. How do you know if you’ve got a good shot at admission to an MD program? We record these LIVE on Facebook at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Like our Facebook page to be notified. And don't forget to check out our amazing Facebook group. [00:38] What Are Your Chances? It's a very common question students are asking as to what their chances are for getting into a medical school. The answer that I always give is "I have no idea what your chances are!" I have zero clue on what your chances are. Nobody out there knows what your specific chances are. You can look at the AAMC. They have a graph and table where it has MCAT and GPA. You can find where your MCAT and GPA are that table. And based on historical data, they cite the number of people getting into medical school. You could see your chances based on that data, but it's still not accurate. First, that's historical data. And if you're involved in the stock market, past performance does not predict future gains or performance. [02:30] Variables to Consider There are so many variables that you should take into account when you're talking about your chances. Are you an underrepresented minority? Are you Caucasian? That comes into account. Other factors include your socio-economic status, your parents' education levels, your state residency (depending on where you're applying), your extracurriculars, your personal statement. When to apply also comes into account as well as who wrote your letters of recommendation. Did they write strong letters or just generic letters? What does your MCAT score look like in each section? Your grades and your trends are huge factors too. [03:40] Chances in an Allopathic (MD) Medical School Why does "allopathic" matter? DO or MD, it's a physician at the end of the day, so it doesn't matter. What specifically draws you to an MD school? Why MD vs DO? Do you have any sort of bias? Or you probably got information that you don't want to go to a DO school since you won't be able to do xyz residency. That's not true! So you have to take this into account as well as to why allopathic and not osteopathic. [04:40] The Biggest Variable As you go through this process, your chances of applying or getting into medical school are zero if you don't apply and more than zero if you do apply. There are so many pieces of the application process that need to go into your favor. You need to have good enough GPA and MCAT score. You have to have a great personal statement, extracurriculars, and great letters of recommendation. You need to apply on time. You have to write good secondaries and turn those around on time. You have zero idea, specifically, what that medical school is looking for that year. Every medical school is trying to build a foundational core of students every year. They may be looking for LGBT or underrepresented minority students. They could be looking for the nurse or the nontraditional students. Every year, they're looking for something specific to bring into their class. This year, it might be your turn, and next year, it may not be. You don't know. Or you might be the perfect candidate at school A and you're not at school B. Stop worrying about what your chances are and maximize each part of the application as you go through this process. Focus on your GPA and MCAT score. Get those extracurriculars and some leadership experience. Get shadowing and clinical experience. Apply early. Turn your secondaries around fast. Prepare for your interviews. [07:20] Working Overseas and Skeletal Manipulation Q: My only concern with DO programs is I'm possibly working overseas. Some don't view the same. Generally speaking, the programs are equally acceptable, except skeletal manipulation is woo. A: Not all skeletal manipulation is woo. There's the chiropractic way of manipulation. The DO involves some of that, but so much more! But don't...
Becoming a physician is long and it's expensive. It can wreck relationships, cause you to hate your job and more. How do you find out if it's right for you?
If you're like the majority of premed students, you didn't get into medical school the first time you applied. Do you have to rewrite your personal statement?
If you're early on in your premed journey, or well on your way, you have probably questioned if you are smart enough to be a doctor. Let's talk about that. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-43-am-i-smart-enough-for-medical-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/pmy-269-this-physician-talks-about-imposter-syndrome-and-her-journey/ (The Premed Years Podcast Episode 269: This Physician Talks About Imposter Syndrome and Her Journey) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
During the application process, you need to have letters of recommendations submitted to go along with your app. Let's talk about where to have those sent. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-42-where-do-i-send-letters-of-recommendations/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://www.interfolio.com/ (Interfolio) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/specialty-stories-podcast/ (Specialty Stories Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
If you've been waitlisted at a med school sometimes letting them know that you will go to there school if accepted is something they need to hear. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-41-what-is-a-letter-of-intent-and-should-i-send-one/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
Waiting for a rejection or acceptance to medical school is hard. After you've intereved at a medical school, when should you send an email to the adcome? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-40-when-should-you-send-emails-to-med-school-admissions-offices/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
When you are filling out your med school application, you need to fill in your extracurriculars. What should you be doing to keep track and prove your ECs?
If you are applying to both MD and DO medical schools, should you write a different personal statement for each med school application service? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-38-do-i-need-to-write-a-different-essay-for-each-application/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) http://www.personalstatementbook.com/ (The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Personal Statement)
Shadowing seems to be one of the hardest extracurriculars that premeds face. How many physicians should you shadow and what types of specialties too? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-37-what-types-of-physicians-should-i-shadow (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
The premed committee letter is supposed to help you with your application to med school. I think it does the opposite, but what is it? That's for today's show. Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-36-how-do-premed-committee-letters-work/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://medicalschoolhq.net/oldpremeds/ (The OldPreMeds Podcast)
The MCAT is one of the biggest hurdles you'll face as a premed. What happens if you have to take it multiple times? How will that affect your med school apps? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-35-does-it-hurt-to-take-the-mcat-multiple-times/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast)
For your AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS applicatino to be verified, you need to turn in a transcript from every school. What happens if you can't get one? Links:https://medicalschoolhq.net/adg-34-what-will-happen-if-i-cant-get-a-transcript-from-a-school/ (Full Episode Blog Post) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicalschoolhq/ (@MedicalSchoolHQ)
If you hear premed students talking about tiers of medical schools, turn and run away. Medical school is medical school. They all train you to be a physician.
Staying motivated all the time is an impossible feat for any premed student. Let's talk about how you can stay motivated as you go through this process.
Letters of recommendation are one of the few things for your application that you don't have complete control overe. Let's talk about how to ask for a LOR.
If you have a WF on your transcript, you may not understand the full implications of how that will affect your medical school application. It counts as an F!
Session 29 Withdrawing from a class can be an easy way to get out of a bad grade. How will that W on your transcript affect your medical school application? It's a common email I get from students asking if they can drop their classes since they're struggling with it. And they're wondering if their withdrawal will hurt their chances of getting into medical school. This is a very common concern as you're going through the process of thinking about withdrawing. By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media including https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast). [00:42] A C or a W? What's going to be worse? you can get the C and then retake the class and get an A (hopefully). Then you average to a B. Or you can take the W, retake the class and get an A and get an A average instead of the B above. You have less credits, which means your denominator is smaller. So it moves the needle a little bit more when you have more grades to add. [01:15] Will a W Hurt You? The answer is no, but also a yes. It's not going to hurt you if you don't have a pattern of withdrawing every semester from classes. A withdrawal is not going to hurt you. But if you have several withdrawals in your college experience (say, one during Freshmen year, one during Junior year, and Senior year), this might look fishy. "If you don't have a pattern of withdrawing every semester from classes, a withdrawal is not going to hurt you." For example, you withdrew from your Organic Chemistry course at your four-year university. And then during the next semester, you took it at a community college next door. That might start to look a little fishy. And if you did that a couple of times for all other courses that you decided to withdraw upon and take at a community college, this may also get fishy. [02:40] Single and Multiple Withdrawals Having a W on your application is not a huge deal unless there's a huge pattern of concern for the admissions committee members If somebody sees a pattern, that may raise some red flags. So this may be something you want to talk about in your personal statement very briefly. If there are some health or family issues that caused you to a W and in a suspicious pattern, then talk about it. If you have a W over a whole semester like you withdrew from every class, that may warrant talking about it in a personal statement very briefly. Maybe you have some sort of illness that caused you to withdraw. A mono or a kissing disease is a common disease for college kids to withdraw from a semester. Or you have an issue with family? There are lots of reasons to withdraw. "If you have whole semester withdrawals, it's usually easier to explain that withdrawals all over the place." [04:00] An Issue on Consistency Having a single withdrawal, or a few or several withdrawals is not a huge deal unless you get into a consistent pattern of concern where you're withdrawing some and taking them at another school. Then there's some consistency concern of whether or not you can handle the coursework in medical school. Ultimately, that's the biggest question. Are your transcripts showing the admissions committee members that you can handle the course work of medical school? A single withdrawal isn't going to raise a red flag, not is a couple withdrawals. So if you're struggling with one of your classes right now, give yourself permission. Withdraw from that course. Figure out why you weren't doing well. And go back and tackle it next time and get that A. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast)
Session 28 If you've taken classes previously and you've done poorly, some schools will give you options. For example, they will get rid of your old courses if you take a new set of classes. They will remove them from your transcript and expunge them. Or maybe your college has the ability to say that if you come to their school, they will remove the initial grade from your transcript. It sounds great and it looks great. It increases your GPA on that transcript. But there's something you're failing to recognize and what's very important to know. [01:25] You Still Have to Put In the Courses When you are applying to medical school, you need to put every single course that you've attempted. So if it's not in your official transcript, you need to put it into AMCAS. Those failures from community college or whenever you had them that you need to now expunge, you still need to put them in your AMCAS application. This means that those grades get counted towards your AMCAS GPA. This the GPA that medical schools are using to evaluate your ability to complete medical school. This is what they're using to evaluate you to see if they want to interview you. "If you've walked into that classroom, one day, you need to put in your transcript." Hence, all of your courses, regardless if they're on your transcript or not, if you had them removed, they still need to go to the AMCAS application. I'm pretty sure it's the same for https://aacomas.liaisoncas.com/ (AACOMAS). [02:41] Texas Application Texas has the fresh start program that gives a ten-year window. And the https://www.tmdsas.com/ (Texas Medical and Dental Application Service) recognizes that. It allows you to ignore those initial grades. So when you apply for the Fresh Start Program through the TMDSAS, your GPA is going to be higher because those initial grades are gone. But if you are also applying to AMCAS and AACOMAS outside of Texas, all of those Fresh Start classes that were removed, need to go into the AMCAS and AACOMAS applications. "If you've taken classes more than ten years ago and did poorly in them, Texas has the Fresh Start Program where you get a do over." If you're a Texas resident and you applied for Fresh Start and you're applying broadly outside of Texas, your GPA on the TMDSAS is going to be much higher than it is on the AACOMAS or AMCAS application. [04:10] AACOMAS Grade Replacement (Before) This is very similar to prior years passed where AACOMAS had grade replacement. And if you took a class, the newer score was counted and the older score was not counted. So students applying to both MD and DO schools, their AMCAS and AACOMAS GPAs were significantly different due to the grade replacement. Now, that's gone away! The only significant difference is between Fresh Start versus AMCAS/AACOMAS. [04:50] Final Thoughts What you need to keep in mind at the end of the day is that if you're applying to medical school outside of Texas' Fresh Start Program, every class that you've taken needs to go in your application. That includes all the classes you've been incomplete on or you were at an American university overseas, all the college-level classes you've taken in high school This also includes every class where you withdrew in and every class that ha been expunged and removed from your transcript. Again, you have to put it on all there! So don't go through the process of spending how much money it costs to redo all the classes to expunge your records when at the end of the day, they're all going to be counted anyway. Did you know? Our episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media). Links: AMCAS https://aacomas.liaisoncas.com/ (AACOMAS) Texas Medical School Application - Fresh Start https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/...
Session 27 If you've been a great premed student, you likely will have the chance to choose between multiple acceptances. How should you do choose between schools? This is a terrible yet awesome problem to have. "You need to figure out what is the most important part of going to medical school for you." [01:00] Financial Factor What is the most important part of going to medical school for you? Is it to come out with less debt? Then find the cheapest school. Or find one that is going to give you the biggest scholarship. Yes, medical schools give scholarships. A student I worked with the past year had multiple acceptances. So she called one school and voiced out her concerns. And they bumped up their scholarship, afraid they would lose her. Obviously, she was a good enough student who had that diversity they wanted. That's $75k and that's a lot! So when you're at that point of having multiple acceptances, you can tell a school that another school is offering you this much. And if they can match that, well then good. [02:42] Take Notes What other factors may be important to you? Is it weather? It is to a lot of people. If you're coming from sunny California and you're accepted to Buffalo, really make sure you want to go there since they have bad winters up there. As you're going through the process of interviewing at multiple schools, take note. What did you like about the school? What didn't you like? What questions do you still have about the school? Feel the vibes of the students. Check out the facilities. Take note of a lot of these things so when you come back and the rush of the interview day is over, you can then subjectively look at what you wrote down. And you're not trying to remember on the fly and get confused. "You can look subjectively at what you actually wrote down and you're not trying to remember on the fly and then confusing things as you go?" What was it about the facilities? The location? Do they have housing for students? How expensive is the area? Where's the nearest airport? Do you have to fly and drive for four more hours? These things can be important to other people, especially if you're leaving family and your family is going to visit you a lot. [03:55] Academic Factors How big are the classes? What's the type of curriculum they have? What do they do during the summers? What kinds of research do they have going on there? What sort of academic hospital do they have there? Do you have to do your rotations scattered throughout the country or around a region? Or do they have a lot of academic hospitals in one concentrated area? This way you won't have a ton if you're with family. There are so many different things to think about as you're going through this process of trying to decide between multiple acceptances. [04:45] MD versus DO One of the things you should not be concerned about is MD versus DO. I was emailing with a student and the student said they had the best time at this school which had everything he wanted but it's a DO school. So he asked whether he should be concerned. If you got the best vibe at that school, then go there. If in all of your interview, you got the best vibes and feelings at a DO school, then go to a DO school. Nothing's going to happen to you. You're going to be a DO. And at the end of the day, you're a physician. By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media including https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast). Links: The Premed Playbook Guide to the Medical School Interview https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://medicalschoolhq.net/thepremedyears/ (The Premed Years Podcast) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook...
Session 26 With three different application services, and two different physician degrees, students get overwhelmed with what to do. Should you apply to both DO and MD schools? A question came up recently in our Facebook Hangout Group and the student asked this question. Students who have gone through this process would say of course you can. But a lot of students aren't actually aware of this. First off, our episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. If you want to hear more about certain specialties, listen to the Specialty Stories Podcast. [01:05] MD vs. DO and the Bias Towards DO MD is for allopathic and DO is for osteopathic. At the end of the day, they're both the same. They're both physicians. But lately, the term "physician" is set by the Department of Labor and even chiropractors can call themselves physicians. "At the end of the day when you're practicing medicine, a physician is a physician." If you want to be a doctor taking care of patients and operate on patients, you can be either a DO or an MD. It doesn't matter. There is some built-in bias against DOs and there has been since the beginning. It is slowly eroding away though. As the older physicians are retiring and the Gen X's coming up, we're getting more and more openness towards DO students. [02:40] Apply to Both MD and DO Schools I interviewed the Dean of Michigan State University - College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO school) and I heard a stat that 25% of all medical students right now are DO students. "25% of all medical students right now are DO students." At the end of the day, do you want to be a physician or do you want to go to a specific medical school? That's the question. If you want to be a doctor, apply to both MD schools and DO schools. Increase your chances of being a physician. It doesn't matter at then end of the day. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) Specialty Stories Podcast http://www.com.msu.edu/ (Michigan State University - College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Session 25 Many students worry about not knowing enough medical information or specific laws for the MMI or general interviews. We'll dig into that today. I was working with a student for a mock interview and we had a Jehovah's witness scenario where the minor was awake. And the minor is going against what the mom/guardian says. What do you do? For the most part, the minor doesn't have the legal rights. So it's always what the parent wants. So the student was a little confused. [00:49] You Don't Understand Everything, That's Not the Goal of the MMI Remember that during the MMI, the people that write these scenarios, along with the interviewers and the actors, that you are a premed student. Unless you're a former lawyer, you don't know all the laws around it. And even if you are, you might not necessarily know all the laws surrounding things in the healthcare world. So they understand that you don't know the in's and out's of the medical field, nor the proper treatments or proper protocols for things. You don't need to go down that route. You're not expected to know all of that. So don't worry about that aspect of an answer. "Just give me your thoughts and your thought processes behind your ideas. That's the goal of the MMI." [02:01] You're Never Alone You also have to understand that you are never alone, not in a scenario, and not in real life. If this is your first Jehovah's witness patient and the patient is still awake and says something, you don't just give it to them. Tell them that you're calling a colleague or the hospital legal team or the hospital ethics committee. "You can always phone a friend and you'll never be wrong for that. So don't worry about asking for help." So if asked this question, tell the interviewer you're going to call a colleague or the hospital administration. This is your thought process and that's what the interview is going after - your thought process. Again, you don't know the in's and out's of everything. You just have to know that you need to communicate your thought process, your ideas, and your reasons behind your answer. Communicate, communicate, communicate. By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. Or check out our YouTube Channel. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
You walk out of MCAT and don't think you've done well, should you schedule another test date, or should you wait for your score? That's what we cover today.
Session 23 Medical school is hard. You don't have to be a genius, but you have to work a lot. Does it leave time to work? You shouldn't work during medical school. In this episode, find out why. [00:22] Worried About Finances Rose from the Medical School HQ Facebook Hangout, asked a question about working while in medical school. Still a couple of years away from applying, she's thinking about the long term financial consequences of being a medical student and leaving her current job as a nurse. So she's trying to figure out how much money she needs to live on as a student. Finance is a common worry among lots of medical students. I think this is even one of the biggest reasons we don't see more lower income people or minorities applying to medical school. They look at that bill and the debts students have coming out of medical school. Then they decide it's not for them. They find the tuition bill as too much. And this is a huge disservice to our patient population and to the students who are giving up their dreams of becoming a physician. "Student loans will cover the cost of medical school.You're not going to go hungry in medical school." You will come out with debt. But if you've heard, being a physician pays pretty well. Depending on what specialty you go in, it pays pretty well. [02:10] You Have Help There's the public service loan forgiveness. There are some different scholarship programs like The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program. There are a bunch of things to help you pay up those loans. Another way is if you go to a Academics and you're getting grants. The NIH helps pay for a lot of the student loans. "There are a lot of programs out there to help pay back loans. Don't worry about money going into medical school." [02:51] Working During Medical School In my case, I worked before I was a medical student as a personal trainor at a gym. When I started medical school, I continued working as a personal trainor. I needed to work because I was not very responsible with money. I had a credit card debt and a big car payment. Loans didn't cover that. In short, I was irresponsible with money. "Don't be irresponsible with money is rule number one." While it was doable, I ultimately felt that it was one of the biggest things that hurt me in my quest to become an orthopedic surgeon. It was was the specialty that I wanted coming in and even when I graduated. It's what I applied for in residency. But orthopedics is a competitive specialty along with dermatology, radiology, ophthalmology. Your Step 1 scores (USMLE or COMLEX Level 1). So your board scores is one of the biggest determining factors of your ability to get an interview for those residencies. Take a listen to the Specialty Stories podcast where I cover the match data in some of the episodes. In that match data, there are Step scores and everything else. "You need great scores to get to those more competitive specialties." Because I was spending ten hours a week working,my Step 1 score was much lower than what it could have been if I had dedicated my time to studying. It was my dream to be an orthopedic surgeon. And although I'm grateful for where I am now, it was devastating at that time to not be able to go into orthopedic surgery. Working was the problem. [05:50] Medical School Is Your Job Don't go to medical school thinking that you're going to work or that you can work. You need to figure it out so that school is your job. Student loans will take care of that as long as everything else is set up. It would be more challenging for nontraditional students. You have kids. And most loans don't have child care built into the budget of the school. That's how loans are determined. They're typically given to you based on the budget the school sets. If child care is in there then you need to figure out how to get in there. It's even harder if you have spouse who doesn't work. There are a lot of other things that go into
Session 22 What are the different types of MMI stations that you can encounter on your medical school interview day? The MMI stands for the Multiple Mini Interview. This format is has been spreading like wildfire throughout the U.S. and Canadian medical schools. The MMI has different types of stations. First off, did you know that our episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays? Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media). If you’re interested in learning about different specialties, check out SpecialtyStories.com. [00:58] The First Two Types The Scenario Stations - You can walk into the station and read the scenario. It's usually something moral, ethical, or something where you have to communicate something to an interviewer. Another similar type of station is where you'd be talking with an actor, who poses as a patient. The patient has issues and then you need to go in and discuss with the patient. You tell them they have cancer or you go in and discuss with an angry patient to calm them down. The above two are both similar, but one is acting-based while the other involves discussing your thought processes with the interviewer. [02:15] The Third Type The third type of scenario is a very standard interview question. You encounter questions like why you want to be a physician. Or you're asked of a difficult time in your life. Or they could ask you why you want to go to this school. A lot of MMIs have this kind of station. "As you're preparing for the MMI, you still need to prepare for the standard interview questions as well." [03:05] The Fourth Type This is the "teamwork" station where you're working together with another student. You'd walk in and you’re given a piece of paper. You'd have to describe it to the other student who hasn't seen it or describe the picture on it. You may be reading out instructions for the other person to do it. This is to see how well how you can communicate and work together as a team. The Lego Bricks is another popular type of station where instead of you seeing a piece of paper with a drawing on it, it's you seeing a completed Lego brick structure. Then you'd have to explain to your team mate how to put the Lego bricks together. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) SpecialtyStories.com
Session 21 The https://apps.aamc.org/msar-ui/ (MSAR) is a helpful tool that the https://www.aamc.org/ (AAMC) offers students. Too many students use it in the wrong way though. How should you use it? We'll talk about that today. Our episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media). Interested in hearing from different medical specialists? Check out SpecialtyStories.com [00:21] What Is the MSAR? The MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements) used to be a book which is now a website. Produced by the AAMC every year, they provide updated data from the medical schools. So they go to medical schools and they get information, which is then given to AAMC to put on the MSAR website. It costs around $25-$30 for one year of access to it. [00:53] What You'll Find on the MSAR "The MSAR is a big directory of medical schools." It will allow you to look at each school. The site's user interface is much better than it used to be. The database lets you compare schools. You can see what classes are required for each of the schools. They will usually have data there if it lets you have online classes for your prereqs or not. It gives a breakdown of students interviewed and where they're from or whether they're international. [01:50] MSAR Should Not Be Your Basis Here's one thing to keep in mind when you're looking at the MSAR and using it to decide whether or not to apply to a medical school. MSAR looks at historic data (last year's class or the year before). So it doesn't tell you anything about what the medical school is looking for. It gives you an idea of how they look at international applicants. But it doesn't tell you anything else. It doesn't tell you whether or not you should apply to a school or not. Unless you are completely missing prereqs required or you don't fit with the mission of the school, this shouldn't be your basis for which school to apply to. "Looking at the data in the MSAR should not tell you that you should or should not apply to a medical school." [02:55] Looking at the MCAT and GPA A lot of the students look at the MCAT data and GPA data on the MSAR for each school. You will see median MCAT and median GPA. And many students look at that to determine whether or not they're going to apply to the school. All that score tells you is that half of the class is above it and the other half is below it. That's all it tells you. "Picking schools based on MCAT and GPA is completely useless." If your median MCAT score is 510 and you scored a 505, does that mean you shouldn't apply to a medical school? Absolutely, not. It only tells you that half of the class is below 510. It also has percentile ranges like 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile. Those are better ones to look at to give you a better idea. Specifically look the 10th percentile range or number. If that is a 505 and you have a 502, that doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to that medical schools. It just tells you that 10% of the class is below that number. [04:40] It's Just Data What the MSAR doesn't tell you is what else students have in their application that allowed them to be accepted to the medical school with an MCAT score in the bottom 10% of the class. Again, the MCAT and GPA are just two parts of your application. Your application consists of so much more. When you look at MCAT and GPA for a school, that should not ever dictate whether or not you apply to a medical school or not. It's just data. It's not telling you who those students are. At the end of the day, it only tells you that for the 10th percentile that 10% of the class is below that number and 90% is above it. "Apply to medical schools you want to go to." [05:55] Look to MSAR for Specific Requirements The MSAR can tell you stuff about the...
Session 20 There are many reasons to want to be a physician, but should "being respected" be one of those reasons that you talk about in your interviews or applications. I talked with a student earlier and asked her why medicine? It's a standard question in a medical school interview. Why do you want to be a doctor? I wasn't convinced with his initial answer. And he said his mentor and friend became a physician and when he came back to their small town. He was immediately well-respected because of being a physician. "If you're interested in becoming a physician because of the respect and you're seeking that, that's an immediate red flag for me." I am now going to question why you want to be a physician and your motives. [01:20] Your Job is Not to Be Respected Going into medicine to be respected is a terrible decision. As a physician and and somebody who's married as a physician, patients don't always respect you, more often than not. And that's okay. "Our job is not to be respected. Our job is to take care of patients" As somebody who went through medical school to be a respected member of the community, and you go to work day in and day out and aren't respected, are you gong to be happy? Are you going to be satisfied? Are you going to lead the next generation of physicians? No, because you're going to say medicine is terrible. [02:30] Going Into Medicine for the Wrong Reasons We have plenty of physicians right now who went into medicine for the wrong reasons. They are telling premeds not to go into medicine because the pay is not good. Or that insurance is changing and they're arguing with insurance companies all day long. They say it's because they're not respected. If I hear during the interview that you want to be respected, I am probably not going to recommend that you be admitted. I want to hear you're going into medicine for the right reasons. You want to take care of patients. You want to make a difference in a patient's life, not to change the community or have an impact on the community. It's not because you want to give back to the community. Since you can do that in other professions. "You go into medicine because you want to help patients, not for respect." Don't talk about respect in your personal statement or your secondary essays. Don't talk about respect in your interviews. [04:10] Want to Make an Impact? This student I was working with talked further about the clout being a physician gives you to have an impact on the community. That sort of respect is a little bit different. But if you're leaning on becoming a physician to give you that clout to make that impact, you really don't need that title. Go do it yourself without the title. Make that impact to yourself. The title doesn't do anything to you. By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
Session 19 The MCAT is arguably one of the most important pieces of your medical school application. Registering for it is one of the most important parts of the MCAT. So when should you register for the MCAT? When do you need to take it? Other students say they're not ready to take the MCAT yet so they don't need to register yet. Knowing it's rolling admissions, it's also very important to know how registration works for the MCAT. "It's very important that you understand how registration works just like how understanding how the application cycle works for medical school." By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. [00:50] An Overview of the Timeline The first thing to keep in mind is that registration (as of this recording on October 18, 2017) has just opened for the beginning half of 2018. It's usually mid-October where registration opens up for the beginning half of the next year. This means MCAT dates from January through June. So if you're planning on taking the MCAT anywhere at the beginning half of next year, where the typical recommendation is somewhere around March to May of the year you're planning on applying. This is going to be a year before you're planning on going into medical school. This said, you need to register somewhere around mid-October. [01:50] Why You Need to Register Early It's important to register early for several reasons. First, it keeps you accountable. This is real now. You just laid out some cash and now it's important that you study. "Having some money on the line is always a good way to keep accountable." Second reason, and the most important thing, is that the MCAT is administered at Pearson VUE locations throughout the country. And they only have a certain number of seats per testing day. If you're in a very busy location with lots of premeds in your area, those testing sites fill up fast. When this happens, this means you need to figure out where else to take the test. Especially before the new MCAT came into existence, because they were trying to squeeze in the old MCAT, there have been stories of students flying to Guam to take the test. Talk about extra stress that isn't needed. Plan on registering as soon as possible. "As soon as you know the window where you want to take the MCAT, register for it right now." So if something happens down the line, you can reschedule. It does cost money to reschedule but it's probably going to cost a lot less money than traveling somewhere and staying in a hotel, plus the food and airfare expenses. Again, register early so you don't have to travel anywhere else. That added stress will probably not increase your score, but it has a likelihood of decreasing your score. Register early so you don't fall into that trap. Links: http://www.pearsonvue.com/es/locate/ (Pearson VUE locations) https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
Session 18 There are several types of medical school interviews. One of them is the blind interview. How should you prepare for a blind med school interview? By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. [00:13] What Is a Blind Interview? When you're interviewing for medical schools, there are several different styles of interviews., namely: open interview, partially blind, blind interview, group interview, panel interview, etc. A lot of students think of a traditional interview as an open one. But there's also the blind interview, where the interviewer doesn't know your application. They don't know your stats, your MCAT scores, your extracurriculars, or your personal statement. They don't have that information yet. [00:56] What Is a Partially Blind Interview? A partially blind interview usually means they have access to your essays, your personal statement, secondaries, maybe your extracurriculars. But they don't have access to your grades or your MCAT score. That's to help reduce the bias that could be associated with that. [01:12] The Goal of Every Medical School Interview With a blind interview and an open interview, you prepare the exact same way. Several students think that because it's a blind interview, they need to highlight things in their application. They think they need to tell all the things they've done. What this turns into is an interview where you're just reciting your application. You're going down your resume. The goal is to have a conversation with the interviewer and you can't do that by reciting your resume. "The goal always is to have a conversation with the interviewer. Build that connection with that person sitting across from you." Even though they don't have their application in front of you doesn't mean you should give them the application during your interview. Connect with them and answer the questions. Have a conversation. They'll have your applications after the interview. So don't worry about forcing things into the discussion just because it's a blind interview. [02:30] Don't Force Them All In! Even in an open interview, don't go into the interview with an agenda of what you need to mention and not what to mention. Just have a conversation and you'll be fine. Don't try to force anything in there. Don't be boring and list all of your extracurricular and recite everything all over again or give your grades. You don't need to go down that route. They're going to have access to that when they want it. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
Session 17 One of the most common questions I receive is "What MCAT score do I need if I have a low GPA?" Is there such a thing? That's what we talk about today. Students are under this assumption that there's this global balancing act between the different parts of your application. Or that a great GPA score is going to overcome poor MCAT score. Or a great personal statement and extracurriculars are going to overcome a low GPA and a low MCAT score. Did you know? Our episodes in this podcast are recorded on our Facebook Live done at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. If you’re an old premed, check out The OldPreMeds Podcast. [01:00] One Does Not Boost Up the Other The problem with this kind of mindset is that when schools receive your application, they don't see everything in totality. They don't filter and sort in totality. "Holistic" admissions is the buzzword right now. So when you think about having a low GPA and meeting a certain score to overcome that GPA, it just doesn't work that way. "A low GPA is a low GPA. And an MCAT score, no matter what it is, is your MCAT score. They are two very different parts of your application." They are both number-based. They are similar but an MCAT score tells an admissions committee one thing about you. This tells them how well you take the MCAT as well as the knowledge and foundation of your sciences to do well enough on the MCAT. And your GPA is your whole track record in undergrad. But GPA is so variable at every school. They have different grade inflation and deflation. So the GPA is less valuable to schools a lot of times. "One does not boost up the other. Great MCAT score doesn't help a poor GPA." [02:27] Schools Look at Applications Differently One of the biggest difficulties with admissions is that every school does it differently. One school may look at MCAT only. Canadian schools are very big on this. They look at the CARS section of the MCAT, which is one section on the MCAT. That's what they care about. In the U.S. they look at everything. But every admissions committee is going to care about something differently. So when you think about your application, you can't think of it in terms of raising up to help a poor GPA. Just think of it in terms of you need to do it as well as you can do in everything. You need to shoot for the stars and everything. "Do as well as you can on the MCAT. Don't worry about finding a specific score that is going to help overcome a poor GPA." [03:45] Filtering Applications Some schools may look at GPA as a way to filter applications. Remember, medical schools are getting thousands upon thousands of applications. Some schools got 12,000 applications last year. So they need a way to filter them. So they won't care what your MCAT score is, if your GPA is below a certain number, they're not going to look at your application.Or they may put your application so far down the line that there's almost a zero percent chance you're going to get an interview. On the flip side, they may worry about MCAT score. Your GPA may not be very good but they care about the MCAT score. "You don't know what the school is looking at or looking for. So don't worry." [04:50] Focus on What You Can Control My messages always boils down to, stop worrying about what you can't control. Asking the question what MCAT score do I need to overcome a low GPA is something that's out of your control. Because you don't know that answer. The next time you have a question in your head, first, ask yourself, is it something you can really control? What MCAT score you need to overcome a low GPA is out of your control. What's in your control is doing as well as you can on the MCAT. The question should therefore be, how can I best study and prepare for the MCAT to score as well as I can on MCAT. Don't...
Session 16 Usually the end of your medical school interview the interviewer will ask if you have any questions for them. Today we'll talk last three questions you should never ask. [01:05] Ask About the School, Not About the Person The first question you should avoid asking to the interviewer is "What made you want to work here at the school?" This sounds like a great question. What happens if that interviewer is at that school because his wife is the breadwinner and she wants to work in that location. But he really wants to be in New York. Or what if he really wants to work at another school down the street but they didn't want him for whatever reason? There are so many personal reasons for why somebody's working at a particular location. So this doesn't gives you great insight into the school. [02:22] You Do the Work! The second question you shouldn't ask is "How is your school going to prepare me for residencies?" Or asking, "How will you make me stand out?" Personally, when I hear that as an interviewer, all I hear is "I'm needy and I'm going to need you to help me stand out. I'm not going to do the work, you are. How are you going to do that for me?" It's your education. It's your future, your goals, your aspirations. So you work hard. "The school supports you but you do the work." [03:08] Student Support Resources Finally, the third question you shouldn't ask any interviewer is "What resources do you have in place for when I get anxious or I get depressed? Yes, a school should have those systems in place and should have resources for the students. But this should not be discussed during the interview. Find out about that information once you are accepted or after your interview from other students. Don't ask that to an admissions committee member that's interviewing you. What this sounds like to me is "I'm worried I'm going to get burned out or I'm going to get super depressed." So now, as an interviewer, "I'm concerned about you being able to finish school." It's great to know about the information on how they're going to help or what resources are in place. Students get burnt out and they get depressed. So it's good to know what resources are available. But don't ask that during your interview. "Don't put any concerns in their head." By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media). If you’re looking for more premed resources, visit The Premed Years Podcast. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page)
After you submit your primary application, it's usually time to write your secondaries. Does it matter how fast you turn the secondaries around?
Session 14 The med school application essay, better known as the personal statement, is very important. It's a key factor in whether or not you'll get an interview invite. I personally think that a personal statement is more important than an interview. Out of thousands of applications that come into a medical school, only roughly 16% of students get an interview invite. One of the biggest obstacles a student needs to break through is with personal statement. "The majority of students out there are not writing good personal statements." First off, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. If you need help with your MCAT prep, check out The MCAT Podcast. [01:10] It’s Your Personal Statement, Not Other People’s I asked Dr. Rivera, the Dean at NYU, why the personal statement is so important and why they use it at NYU. He said that in the ideal world, the personal statement would do xyz - being impactful and showing why you want to be a doctor and show your journey. But he said that in reality, most personal statements don't do that anymore. They're no longer personal. He even calls it a “village” statement since so many people are giving their input to the student. When a student edits an essay with me, I don't really tell them what to put on their personal statements. I just give them feedback on what they have written. This being said, an editor of your personal statement shouldn't give you advice on what needs to be in your personal statement.The only advice would be why what you're writing is important. [02:47] Why Is the Personal Statement Important The personal statement is important because it's the gateway between you and an interview. If all numbers were equal and everybody is doing the same extracurriculars, then your personal statement is still going to be a very unique journey about why you're applying to medical school. In a well-crafted personal statement, that story is going to resonate with the person reading it. "Why is the personal statement important? Because it's the gateway between you and an interview." [03:27] The Goal of the Personal Statement The goal of your personal statement is to get that admissions committee member to make them want to talk to you more. I did a mock interview with a student and she had an interview a couple of weeks ago at a mid-western MD school. She interviewed with the Dean of Admissions. And he said her personal statement is the best he has ever read. Why? Because she told her story about why she wants to be a doctor. She talked about the seed that was planted and what she did to water it. She told a unique story. Everybody's story is unique. In her personal statement, she didn't really talk about her medicine. She had a very common problem of just telling me how motivated and dedicated she was. She had this theme throughout and she did everything I told her not to do inn her first draft. After my feedback, she immediately turned it around and wrote an amazing story. [05:00] Tell Your Story If you haven't yet and you're still in this planning phase, think about why you want to be a doctor. What experiences have you had along the way are supporting you in that journey? Tell that story. Show that story. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://medicalschoolhq.net/mcat-podcast/ (The MCAT Podcast)
Session 13 The gap year is a great opportunity to accomplish a lot as a premed. In today's episode we'll cover some great gap year ideas before medical school. So what should you do during a gap year? And what shouldn't you do during a gap year? But before that, did you know our episodes are recorded live on Facebook? Happening at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays, check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to all our other podcasts on MedEd Media and our https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel). [00:25] What is a Gap Year? If you're looking to talk a gap year, you're probably not going to be a student who applies to medical school in the Summer. Or you're probably not applying right at the beginning of your senior year to hopefully go straight into medical school as soon as you graduate. Otherwise, you're not going to take a gap year and go right into medical school. "But if for some reason taking the MCAT or you delay applying to medical school then you are going to have a gap year." This means you're going to have a year between when you graduate college to when you start medical school. [01:09] What You Should Do During Gap Year The first thing to keep in mind is to not think it's just a free year where you can go do whatever you want. You are applying to go to medical school. So you're telling the admissions committees that you want to be a doctor. Now, if you spend your year backpacking through France, then you're not proving to them that. "A gap year isn't a free pass to do whatever you want. Your gap year should keep you plugged in to the medical world as much as possible." A lot of students are involved in doing research or clinical experience or shadowing. You can do things like scribing or being an EMT. Volunteer at a hospice or in hospital settings. Work as a CNA. Just be involved in that clinical setting for that year and that's a great way to spend your gap year. [02:45] Do You Need to Work in the Medical Field During Your Gap Year? No, you don't need to work in the medical field. It actually depends on your situation. But stay plugged into the medical world. Don't go a whole year without shadowing or clinical experience or some sort of volunteering. Otherwise, putting down your clinical experience on your extracurricular activities a year before your application, is going to look bad. So don't have that big gap. [03:40] Continuity is Key Don't fall into the mistake that you have enough hours so you don't need that anymore. "You need continuous hours. Continuity is key here. You don't need to rack up hundreds of hours.” But if you have a couple of hours every couple of weeks and a couple of hours every month, this is the continuity they're looking for. And this is very important to show the admissions committee that you're still plugged into this world. This is to show them that this is really what you want to do. You're still immersing in it and that's the important part. Lastly, stay plugged in. Stay current with all of your shadowing and clinical experience and everything else. Then the rest will be okay. You can do whatever you want on top of that. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
Session 12 The medical school interview is hard. Can you make it easier by having a structure to answer your questions? Or will that ultimately make it harder? Did you know our episodes have been recorded on our Facebook Live, happening at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays? Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. If you want help with the MCAT, check out The MCAT Podcast. [00:37] What's Going On? Yesterday, I did a mock interview with a student. It was actually our third or fourth mock interview and a student I've been helping along this whole journey. And we've been working together for months as we worked on the personal statement, extracurriculars, and secondaries. So I know this person. During our interview yesterday, she started off terribly. And I stopped the interview. I usually don't normally stop an interview. I asked her "what's going on?" She was off her game. And she didn't really understand what was going on. So we talked and figured it out. She went to her career counselor office at school where she did a mock interview with non-premed people. And the advice they gave her was just terrible. She was just focused on creating a structure around her answers so she can fit her extracurriculars into the answer. She was advised on having a structure to make sure she was bullet-pointed in everything else. She was so focused on that structure that she wasn't talking to me. "The medical school interview is all about communicating, talking to that person sitting across from you." [02:10] It's All About Communication If you can't communicate properly with that person sitting across from you, you're not going to get accepted. They're testing you. They're judging and ranking you based on your ability to communicate. And if you're so focused on a framework to answer a question and fitting in extracurriculars because you're advising office told you so, you're not going to communicate very well. So roll all of that advice out the window and just talk to the interviewer. Answer the questions. Have a conversation with the interviewer. And that's what I told this student. As soon as she did that, she was back to her normal self. She was just having a conversation with me. She was letting me know who she was and that she can communicate.And the interview turned out to be much better. Again, the interview is all about communicating. [03:50] The Goal of the Interview I recently talked to a person about the medical school interview and he had somebody in to interview why he wanted to be a doctor. The person couldn't clearly communicate that. Maybe he had great reasoning but he forgot everything during the interview. "The goal of the interview is to communicate." Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) http://www.themcatpodcast.com (The MCAT Podcast)
Session 11 Some medical schools will tell you who is interviewing you. How much research should you do on your interviewers before your medical school interview? The episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that I do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media). If you have any questions, call me at 617-410-6747. [00:24] The Medical Interview Standard Format The standard format of a medical school interview is you'd be interviewed by 1-3 people. There may also be a student that's interviewing you. And typically, a faculty member is also interviewing you. This is separate from the MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) where a lot of faculty members are interviewing you over the course of several stations. "In a traditional one-on-one interview, you may find out who in interviewing you before you go on your interview day." [01:10] Should You Research Who's Interviewing You? Yes, you should look up who they are. Figure out the research they're involved in, if there's any. Find out what their background is. Maybe you went to the same undergrad then you can talk about that. See if they mention specifically about who they are or where they came from. See if there are any connections you can make with that person. [01:35] The NO Part of the Answer The 'no' part of the answer comes from understanding that who is interviewing you may change. So don't be too prepared and then go in the room and ask a bunch of questions. Then you realize it's somebody different. Now, you're just thrown off your game. This would be very bad. So if you find out who's interviewing you beforehand, look them up. Do some research. Figure out who they are. See if there are any common connections that you can talk about. See what research they're doing. Have an idea of things to talk about if it comes up in the interview. Don't expect that the person you did research on is going to be there. It may change. And if it does change, be prepared for it. Don't go in with any preconceived expectations. "Go there with general questions you can ask anybody regardless of who is interviewing you." If you go in only prepared for that one person they told you is going to interview you and it turns out to be something different, that's going to screw you up. Don't let that screw you up. Go in prepared for everything. If it happens to be the person they told you about, great. If not, be ready for that as well. Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
Session 10 In this episode, I'm discussing whether or not you should reach out to the medical school admissions committees before you apply or while you're applying? Yes, you should. I'm not saying you shotgun email all of the, say, 50 schools you applied to. You shouldn't email every school on your list just because you wanted to say hello. [00:53] Which Schools Should You Send Email To Find the schools that you are most interested in. Find the ones that if you got acceptance to that school, you're going to be so excited. Whether it's because of location and education. Find those top few schools and look at their requirements, prereqs, letter of recommendation requirements, the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirement) or the College Information Book (for DO schools). Look at those resources and see if there's anything in there that you can ask a question about. [01:35] What Should Be in Your Email If for instance, you're a nontraditional student, and the school wants a letter of recommendation from two non-science professors and you've never had non-science in ten years. What are you going to do? So you call the school or email the school. Tell them you're a nontraditional student. You're applying next cycle and you're really interested in going to the school. Then explain your situation and ask if an exception can be made for you. Ask if you can instead, give a letter of recommendation from a volunteer supervisor or work supervisor, or research supervisor, or whatever it is. "You're opening a door to a conversation and you are asking them a very specific question that pertains to you." This being said, don't ask a question that you can easily go and find the information for. Ask a question that is going to allow you to reach out to that school and to ask a very pointed question. This will allow you to show them who you are. You can also ask other specific questions you have with the classes you're taking, with your grades or your GPA. etc. For instance, ask for their recommendations to helpfully make you more competitive. Again, this is very pointed. This is specific to your situation. [04:18] Start the Conversations Early "The key to all of this is you need to start these conversations early. You can't do them a month before you apply." There's really nothing you can do to fix things if they have certain recommendations that may require time. So you really need to start the conversations as early as a year to two years earlier. Ask for help because they are there to help you. Moreover, once you cross over into the applicant pool, then the help they can give you is completely different. Before you're an applicant, a lot of them will help you as much as they can. But once you're an applicant, they can't help you as much because you're now in the pool of students. They don't want to seem like they're helping some students who are applying. [05:34] Build Relationships Build those relationships. Relationships in this world are everything. Not by emailing those 50 schools general questions. But by emailing your top choice schools. Figure out where you want to go to school. Figure out how you can reach out to them and ask for help with whatever it is you need help with. Ask for help and they will be there to help you. By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. If you have any questions, call me at 617-410-6747. Links: MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirement) College Information Book https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
Session 9 What is the reason of the MMI? The core of the MMI is that it's a communications test. It's about how you communicate. It shows them whether you have good thought process behind what you can communicate. I was talking to a premed advisor right before I started recording this as we were talking about the MMI. He's on the admissions committee at a medical school. And he's one of the premed advisors at the undergrad campus of where the medical school is located. The advisor told me a story of this student going through the MMI. "It's making sure that you're a normal human being and that you can communicate well." By the way, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. If you have any questions, call me at 617-410-6747. [01:04] A Communications Test A lot of students get hung up on the content. They think they have to know everything. Some of the MMI scenarios are going to put you in a situation where you're the doctor. You're being asked questions that you're not going to know. You're asked some moral and ethical questions and you're not going to know the answers. You’re not going to know the laws around whatever is being asked. But that's not what the MMI is testing. That's not what the interviewer is judging you on. It's not where they're going to base the evaluation on. Instead, they're basing it on your ability to communicate. How well can you communicate your thoughts or beliefs or your understanding of certain situations? Even if you don't know any specifics of what's being asked of you, as long as you can communicate clearly and show you have good thought process, you're going to do okay on the MMI. Don't be bouncing all around. Don't get caught up in the specific scenarios and think you have to go and look at all the laws for specific things. Communicate as best you can and you'll do great on the MMI. "Just talk about it. Think through and discuss your thought process. That's all." Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
Session 8 While I'm doing mock interview with students, I often hear from students that they weren't prepared for the question or they haven't formulated the response for that question. As you go through this process of preparing for your medical school interviews, you are never going to prepare for every or any question that can be asked during the interview process. Even if you have prepared for a question, the interviewer may ask it in a way that's different than what you've prepared for. This is going to throw you off the game. You're going to stumble and you're going to trip. So what is the goal of doing mock interviews? First off, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. [01:14] The Goal of Practicing If you're going to the interview thinking that you have prepared for everything possible. My book, The Premed Playbook: Guide to the Medical School Interview contains 600 questions. Understand that the goal of the questions is just to give you an idea of what possibly could be asked. I got a review on Amazon for this book saying you don't need to buy it. You'll be better off practicing, doing mock interviews. Plus, they went on saying they give you a false sense of hope that all you need is the book. Funny thing, the book basically tells you to practice and practice. The goal of that practice is not to be prepared for every question possible. The goal of practicing is to understand how you respond, how you're going to handle being that stressful environment. Number two. it's to help you think on your feet and be comfortable thinking on your feet. It's for you to be confident in knowing that the answer is in your head. "Everything is in your head, always has been, always will be." [02:58] Trust Yourself The difference between being prepared and not being prepared is being comfortable enough to let that information come out of your head. Versus being so practiced on what you think is every question that can be asked. Then it comes off rehearsed. And if a questions is asked a different way, you stumble. If the interviewer stops you, you lose your train of thought at one point. Then you start freaking out because you don't know where to start off again. You need to trust yourself in these interviews. "You have to be comfortable with who you are so that in these interviews, you just relax. You have a conversation." [03:49] Different Ways to Practice This is like an analogy of going out on a first date with somebody. You're sitting across your date and the first thing out of your mouth is this rehearsed, memorized things. You've thought you need to get across to the interviewer. Instead, just sit down and look at that person in front of you and talk from your heart. This is easy as long as you practice and that's why you need to practice. Whether that's one-on-on practice with your premed advisor or a mentor or a family member. Or use my mock interview platform. It's a monthly access to it with 600 questions, which are all the questions from this book. I've recorded myself. Then you sit in front of a webcam and you just talk. Too many students keep in their head and then when they say it loud for the first time, they realize it's not what they meant to say. That's why you need to practice. "There are lots of options to practice, But you just need to practice." My mock interview platform is a great way to practice since you're recording yourself and you get assessment as well. You get the chance to give yourself feedback and have other people give you feedback based on that assessment. Then you can also do one-on-one mock interviews with me or others. [06:17] Be Comfortable with Who You Are You don't need to prepare for every specific question out there. You just need to be...
Session 7 I have to tell you not to lie on your medical school application, but apparently I do. Let me do it one more time—don't lie on your med school application. I’m part of a prehealth advisor’s email list. And there was an email saying that they came across a student who wasn’t being very honest. They were exaggerating stories and marking off minority statuses when they weren’t really a minority. They were filling the disadvantaged statements when they weren’t disadvantaged. First off, the episodes in this podcast are recordings of our Facebook Live that we do at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Facebook page) and like the page to be notified. Also, listen to our other podcasts on MedEd Media. [00:57] Don’t Lie in Your Application It would be a huge red flag if you get caught lying in your application. This will likely get you kicked out of medical school. You’re not going to get acceptance. You’re not going to get interviews. This student submitted the application the way it was. And what the advisor could do is to put on the letter of recommendation that they have serious issues in terms of fabricating.So they recommended that the admissions committee carefully look through their application and verify. [02:10] You May Get an Interview, But They Will Soon Find Out The school is getting a letter from the advisor saying not to interview or accept the person. Interestingly, a lot school still invited the student for interviews. One of the medical schools timed in saying they're glad this was brought to their attention. And they expressed their standpoint that as a medical school they received 10,000 applications. On average, each application comes with three letters of recommendation. That's 30,000 letters of recommendation that schools have to go through. It depends on their specific process where they review those letters. Whether they review it upfront, post-interview, or in between interview invite and the interview. Every school is going to be different. While you may sneak through the cracks if you're fabricating on your application, you may get that school invite. Because the schools are not going to look at those letters of recommendation until later. But trust me, it will catch up to you. And as soon as it does, you're in a world of hurt because that school is going to tell everybody else out there. You're going to fall flat on your face. You waste all of that money applying and all that money traveling for interviews. At the end of the day, you're probably not going to get in. In fact, I hope you don't get in if you're fabricating stuff in your application. You're entering a career field where you are supposed to be honest. This bears repeating. Do not fabricate anything in your application. "Fabricating stuff on your application proves that you shouldn't be a physician." Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
Session 6 Applying to medical school as an international applicant can be a huge obstacle to overcome. But why is it so hard? That's what we will cover in today show. But first, did you know that we do the recordings of this podcast live on Facebook at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays? Check out our Facebook page and like the page to be notified. Also check us out on YouTube and all our other episodes on MedEd Media. [00:25] What If You're Attending Undergrad Here in the U.S.? The number one schools typically like to see is that your prereqs are done at a U.S. school. That's the first barrier to entry. But what if you're an international student here already in the States and taking your undergrad at a U.S. school. You would still not be considered a non international student since you did your undergrad here. The "international" comes into play based on your residency status, not necessarily where you did your undergrad. So even if you did your undergrad at a U.S. school, you're still considered an international student. [01:15] A Challenge in Translating the Transcript As an international student, if you have your grades from overseas, how are the schools going to be able to translate your transcripts to the U.S. systems? That being said, there are still a couple of huge obstacles. "There are lots of things that come into play for international students which makes it a little bit harder." [02:02] Are You Going to Stay? A lot of schools are public schools which are typically supported by the state. The state wants to train citizens and residents of that state so they hopefully stay in that state and practice in that state. They hope they'd contribute to the taxes and the economy in that state. But an international student is not guaranteed to do that. They may come to the states, get their undergrad degree and medical school education. And then they may go back home to whatever country they're from to practice medicine with a U.S. education. Although a lot of international students want to stay here in the U.S. to practice medicine in. [03:03] Money Issues Medical school is expensive. Typically, students pay for that expense with federal student loans. Federal student loans are only eligible to permanent residents or citizens of the U.S. "International students do not qualify for federal loans." So when you're applying to medical schools in the U.S., you need to prove to the medical school that you have the funds to pay for it. You need to prove that you're not going to go and stiff the school with a big, fat bill for your tuition. [03:58] Postgrad Training Required Another big thing students worry about is whether or not you're going to go on and be a productive physician and get a residency slot after medical school. And go on and get your postgraduate training. "The weird thing about medicine is that you can't practice medicine without doing postgraduate training." Lawyers can go out law as soon as they graduate law school or dentists can practice dentistry as soon as they graduate dental school. Doctors, however, can't go out and practice medicine until they've done (depending on the state) at least one year of postgraduate training and typically three years of postgraduate training. [04:52] Visa Issues International students need to be able to get work visas to be able to stay in the States post-graduation since they're no longer on a student visa. They need a work visa to stay in the States and practice. Typically the hospital that accepts them or where they match at is the one that sponsors a visa. I've seen plenty of horror stories from student residents that are stuck in whatever country they're from. They can't get back to the States to start their residency even though they've matched. There are visa issues that come up and the hospital now is losing man hours because the resident is stuck in another country due to visa issues. "A medical school doesn't want to have one of their
Session 5 The MMI scenario is written very specifically. It’s not meant to be easy. It’s sometimes there to make you think and put you in a hard spot. Don’t fight it. I was doing an MMI scenario with a student I'm working with and I gave a very common scenario I give to students. Most of the MMI scenarios are hard and so many students complain about how difficult it is. The episodes in this podcast are actually recorded live on Facebook at 3pm Eastern on most weekdays. Check out our Facebook page. Like the page to be notified. Also check us out on YouTube. [00:55] An Example of a Scenario So this scenario I gave the student involves picking a group of people that's going to die and a group who's going to live. This student didn't read the scenario carefully enough or he wanted to show how perfect he was a student and wanted to save everybody. The scenario said these people are going to die or live and it's your job to figure out how you're going to make that happen. Now this student was trying to be the hero. He said he'd save everybody. What it came down to was he was trying to fight the scenario to try to prove a point. [02:03] Don't Fight It In the MMI, you're given a s scenario for a specific reason. Your goal is not to fight that scenario. Your goal is to answer a question in that scenario. If it asks how you're going to kill 100 people, answer how you're going to kill 100 people. While the MMI is a test on your ability to think and process information and to communicate that information. "Don't fight the scenario. Answer the question that has been given to you." [03:19] Answer the Question If the question asks you about something about A, don't tell them anything about B. Just because you think it's going to make you look like a better person, a better student, or a better applicant. That is not your job in the MMI. Your job is to make the interviewer understand that number one, you can read and process information. Number two is to communicate with the interviewer and your ability to think critically through this scenario. Be able to communicate with them your thoughts on solving the scenario or fixing the problem or whatever it is. "Don't go thinking you need to prove something to the admissions committee member by fighting the scenario." Links: https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) https://www.facebook.com/MedicalSchoolHQ/ (Medical School HQ Facebook page) https://www.youtube.com/user/MedicalSchoolHQ (Medical School HQ YouTube channel)
Session 4 One of the most common questions I get is whether or not research is required to get into medical school. So, is research really "required" to get into medical school? No, it's not required to get into medical school. Although there's one exception that I know of and that's the University of Utah. When you look at their homepage for their admission requirements, they actually require a minimum number of hours. But first, don’t forget to check out all our other podcasts on https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media) to help you on your journey to medical school. [01:15] Do You Need to Do Research and Publish the Data? Many students go into research with the assumption that they need to publish. They need to get into a journal to prove that they've done research. And that's just not the case. It's hard to start a research project and then have the data published in a journal. You actually have to write it, submit it, and have have it accepted for publication. This is not necessary to prove that you've done research. You just need to get involved to see if you like it. Go to a primary investigator in a research study. Go to your school or the hospital. "You just need to get involved in research to see if you like it." [02:27] The Goal of Research A lot of the students don't realize that research doesn't have to be what most of them picture it to be. You wear white coat in a lab with pipettes. That doesn't have to be the type of research. You can do clinical research and be around patients. You can do research outside of medicine and it's still considered research. The goal of doing research or the goal of knowing that you've done research is to understand that you know what it's like to think critically through a hypothesis or data. "It's the thought process behind research that is the important part." You can get this in a clinical setting or in a bench or wet lab setting. It can come working with rats or pigs or any animal model. [03:58] Research Doesn't Have to Be Medical One student I worked with this year is a former Geology teacher at a university. So she had a lot of Geology research. And that's research! You're forming a hypothesis and then you're creating a set of tests around that hypothesis to test that hypothesis. You're gathering data and you're analyzing it to see what the results are. So research doesn't have to be medical. If you don't like research, that is okay. You don't have to get to an end point of actually publishing something to prove that you've done research. [04:40] Grades, MCAT Score, Clinical Experience, and Shadowing So as you're thinking about what you need to accomplish as far as extracurriculars, you need to line up things in order of importance. Grades and MCAT score are important. Those always come first. Outside of that, you need to look at clinical experience where you're actually around patients. You also need to look at shadowing. You need to prove to the admissions committee that you understand what medicine is like. Leadership experience, non-clinical volunteering - these are great "cherry on top" things. "Clinical experience and shadowing are a must." And if you have time too and you want to try to work in research, try it. If you don't like it and it's not something you're passionate about going to all the time, that's okay. But just try it and see what it's like. As long as you have the time and you're not going to sacrifice grades, MCAT scores, and and those other things. Links: http://www.medicalschoolhq.net/group (The Hangout Group) http://medicine.utah.edu/ (University of Utah) The OldPreMeds Podcast https://medicalschoolhq.net/meded-media/ (MedEd Media Network)
Session 03 Applying to medical school is expensive. There’s the cost of applications, travel, accommodations, food, and a suit. Make sure that you plan accordingly. This is a question from Tyrell who called in to ask about the cost of applying to medical school. She's still very early on in her prereqs but she wants to start saving now. This is a smart thing to do. So how much should you be saving? What does it look like when it comes to applying to medical school. If you have any question you want answered, call 617-410-6747. [01:07] Question from Tyrell Tyrell is an old premed calling from Columbus Ohio. She said she has seen data on the cost of application fees and secondaries. But she hasn't found any formal data that looks at the other kinds of expenses involved such as travel, lodging, food, attire, etc. She's trying to figure out how to start setting aside money to save up for this future expense. [02:18] The Cost of Applying to Medical School: The Basics Looking at the basic cost of applications, AMCAS is $160 for the application that includes one school. The average number of schools is fifteen. To add additional schools to your application, that's $38 for AMCAS. So that's a total of $692 to apply to fifteen schools for the AMCAS application. That's just the primary application. Now some students apply to both AMCAS and AACOMAS and some apply to fifteen at each. AACOMAS costs $195 for the initial primary application and $45 for every application after the first one. So if you apply to fifteen, that's $895. This is just the primary application. [04:15] The Cost of Secondaries Assuming the cost of secondaries is $100 (some are $50 and some are $75), and assuming you apply to 30 schools (15 DO and 15 MD) and you turn them all in. That's $3,000 for secondary applications. So you're looking at $3,000 for secondaries, $692 for AMCAS, $895 for the AACOMAS - a total of $4,587 (let's round this up to $4,600) just to apply to medical school. That's not including what Tyrell was worried about. [05:30] Travel, Lodging, and Food The average cost in 2016 of a domestic roundtrip flight in the U.S. according to airlines.org was $366. And one thing you have to take into account with flying for interview is that you may get an interview at a school that's a week from now. And you have to travel to all of them. "When it's interview season, you may not be afforded that option of buying way in advance." The average for hotel cost (in 2014) is $140. Let's round that up to $150 for an average hotel night. Assuming you're going to stay for two nights. You don't want to rush out of the interview. You want to be there the night before. Maybe, too, there's pre-interview stuff going on the day before. And you don't want to rush out of the interview to catch a flight. So stay the extra night and fly out the next day. That's $300 for two hotel nights plus the $366 fare - total of $666. Adding some food expenses, let's say $45 per day for two days. That's $90 and let's round it up to $100 for meals. Now, you're looking at $750 for hotel, flight, and food when you're traveling. This is just for one interview. Assuming you get three interviews, that's $750 x 3 = $2,250. Plus the $4,600 you're already spent for the applications. That's excluding travel cost when you're renting a car And say you need a new suit which is another $150-$200. Now you're in the range of around $8,000 assuming you apply to all 30 schools, you submit all 30 secondaries (where the bulk of the money comes from), plus all the other expenses. [09:56] Who Collects the Application Fees It's a lot of money and it's something that students will be concerned about and so they don't apply to as many schools. The initial application is not that much but the secondaries are what hurt you. And if you know the behind of the scenes of the application game, there's an application service that runs these applications. The service gets all of those...
Session 02 Everybody is on social media now. That includes the admissions committees. Make sure that what the public can see won’t get you rejected. When you're applying to medical school, you're displaying yourself to the admissions committee. You are telling them your strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and just about everything. "When you apply to medical school, you are opening up your life to the medical school admissions committee." [00:56] The Social Media Trick A lot of students do this trick of changing their name on social media to something obscure. But I don't recommend you doing that, particularly with Facebook. If you have an issue with your account for some reason and you need to reach out to Facebook and request access, Facebook is going to know who you are and prove your identity to them. And if the name of your Facebook account doesn't match the name on your driver's license, there's an issue. It happened recently to my friend. In the podcasting space, he never puts his real date of birth into social media. Somebody marked his account as a fraudulent account or spam. And he had a very hard time getting his account back because what was in his driver's license which Facebook asked for didn't match. So I don't recommend changing your name on your accounts. Put your name out there. [02:35] Be Careful What You Post on Social Media I was in the Hangout and something caught my eye about the comment made. I clicked on their profile and checked it out. And as I started scrolling, most pictures were benign until I caught a picture of two men dressed in Nazi uniforms. No comment, no description of the picture. Just the image. I started thinking to myself that if I was an admissions committee member looking at this right now and see this very public picture in Nazi SS outfit, I would be questioning why. I actually don't understand it. So if you have these types of pictures (drinking and cleavage shots for women and inappropriate comments for guys out there), I suggest you take all of your inappropriate stuff out of social media. And if you're not sure whether it's inappropriate or not, just take it all and mark them as private. Don't let the outside world see your pictures. That's the safest bet. There are specific settings on Facebook that you can actually limit who gets access to your photos. "As you're going your application process, don't let other people see your pictures." [06:20] Don’t Be a Nazi If a student assigned by the admissions committee to check social media and they stumble across a picture of you dressed as a Nazi, you don't want to not get an interview because of that. Or maybe you've been interviewed already and as part of their post interview process, they look at social media and see your pic. That would be the worst reason not to get into medical school. And being a Nazi is pretty bad. Links: http://www.medicalschoolhq.net/group (The Hangout Group) Instagram @medicalschoolhq
Session 01 Do you know what the best major is for medical school? Do you have to major in biology, chemistry, or another science? Let's tackle it is in this episode. Somebody asked if it was worth transferring to a college that had a medical school associated with it and somehow it was brought up that 62% of students that go to medical school have a B.A. This is not true. "The AAMC is the go-to place for information." And Table 17 of the AAMC says that biological sciences and physical sciences - the two broad major areas of study - make up 63% of students who are accepted into medical school. I'm assuming these are all BS degrees, not BAs. Lesson: Make sure that the facts are being told. And this student kind of fought back, further saying she spoke to one specific school. And maybe, that specific school has 62% of students that have BA degrees. Bust based on the AAMC, 63% consist those with biological sciences and physical sciences degrees. [02:25] What Should You Major In? Just because most of the students entering medical school have that degree doesn't mean you should also go out and get that degree. What that means is that the majority of students entering medical school have that degree. "There is no causation between having a degree and getting into medical school." The AAMC also gives more data that shows people with Humanities degrees actually do better on the MCAT, specifically on the CARS section and they have higher acceptance rates. Does that mean you should take Humanities? No. It's just data. So as you're going down this path to medical school, data is what you start to learn to analyze and interpret. This is what medical school helps you do - to think critically about all these data. And it's never-ending. That being said, the data AAMC is giving you is just something to look at and think about and use in your day to day life. [04:30] What You Should Do Understand who you are and what your desires are, your interests, and chase that. Find your passion. And it's hard to find passion when you’re 18 or 19 years old, especially when chasing those passions in college means taking credits. And that costs money. Some people would be very methodical about it and realistic about it. They would think that medical school requires a lot of prereqs. And they wouldn't want to take Spanish and take all of the credits needed for Spanish and take all of the prereqs. So they think logically and they'd do biology since it's the cheapest route to get all the prereqs. And maybe this is the reason majority of people entering medical school have the biological science degrees. "Think about who you are, what your passions are, what you're excited about, what you're interested in, and maybe major in that." But I would recommend that you think about your passions and your interest and maybe major in that. As school gets harder, the more you're interested in something. And the more you're likely to continue to put in the hard work required to get the good grades you need to get into medical school. Then when you add on the MCAT and the extracurriculars and everything else you're doing, the more you're interested in what you're studying, the better off you will be. Links: Table 17 of the AAMC Check out our Facebook Group
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