MDadmit, Our Blog

Medical School Admissions: Multiple Acceptances

2012-01-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

By now, you will likely have heard from schools regarding your acceptance, waitlist, or rejection status. Many schools put a strict deadline on the acceptance, meaning that you will have to accept the acceptance within a certain period of time. The good news is that you can hold multiple acceptances, thus deferring your final decision until May 15, after which you must withdraw your application to all but one school.

Though it may boost your ego to hold multiple acceptances, please only say yes to schools you are seriously considering attending. Don’t confirm multiple acceptances just so that you can brag on Student Doctor Network. Try to make a decision early so that others can get off the waitlist.

For step-by-step advice on how to get into medical school, check out The Medical School Admissions Guide: A Harvard MD’s Week-by-Week Admissions Handbook. If you’d like personalized help from Dr. Miller, please visit www.MDadmit.com/solutions, e-mail info@MDadmit.com, or call 415.939.5251.

Medical School Admissions: It’s Not Personal (2011 - 2012)

2012-01-17T13:00:00.000-05:00

Many applicants to medical school are used to doing well in whatever they put their mind to – be it academics, extracurriculars, or research. One of the hardest parts of the medical school admissions process is being rejected. Remember that not getting into a certain medical school has no bearing on your self-worth. It also does not mean that you will not be accepted elsewhere. Though admissions committees don’t like to admit it, there is significant luck involved in the process. What if the person in charge of reading your AMCAS application had a bad day and didn’t give your essay full attention? What if your interviewer did not have time to stay in the committee meeting to push for your acceptance and instead only filled out the standard evaluation sheet? What if three stellar candidates with your same major and similar non-academic experiences all applied to the same school the same year? When you look at all the steps involved in getting into medical school, it is amazing that anyone gets in at all! If you receive a rejection, don’t despair. Pick your chin up and keep moving.

Medical School Admissions: Be On Your Best Behavior (2011 - 2012)

2012-01-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

This is the time of medical school admission decisions. You likely have and will continue to hear from schools regarding your acceptance status. Every school has a different time line for reviewing applications and offering acceptances. Naturally, you may feel inclined to check in with certain schools to see when final decisions will be made. Even though this is a time of high anxiety, please be sure to be polite when contacting schools. Angering the assistant answering the phone is a very easy way to sink your application. Also, remember to avoid slang, acronyms, and text shorthand in e-mails to schools. Every phone call and e-mail should use formal language.

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews - Season Winding Down (2011 - 2012)

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

This is often the last week of interviews. If you have not received an interview invite from a school at this point, you can consider that a rejection. Many schools, unfortunately, will never officially contact you to provide a rejection.

Now it is time to focus your energies on schools where you have been interviewed and are either waiting to hear or have been waitlisted. By this, I mean writing a letter of intent to your top choice or update letters to other schools that you are interested in (see last two posts for specifics on these letters).

For step-by-step advice on how to get into medical school examples of update letters/letters of intent from successful applications, check out The Medical School Admissions Guide: A Harvard MD’s Week-by-Week Admissions Handbook. If you’d like Dr. Miller to edit your letter of intent, please visit www.MDadmit.com/solutions, e-mail info@MDadmit.com, or call 415.939.5251.

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Choice – Community Service Options (2011 - 2012)

2011-12-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

Just like when applying from college to medical school, community service will be an important component of your application from medical school to residency. When choosing which medical school to attend, make sure they make community service options available to you. Is the school service-oriented? Does the school sponsor free clinics that offer you early clinical exposure? Does the curriculum allow time for you to perform community service?

Interesting Article: Will You Be Ready for the New MCAT?

2011-12-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

New MCAT set to roll out in 2015? Will you be ready?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/a-better-medical-school-admissions-test/

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews – Letter of Intent (Part 2)

2011-12-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

Many medical school applicants ask if they can send a letter of intent to multiple schools. By strict definition, a letter of intent should only be sent to your top choice. However, this does not mean you cannot send an update letter to other schools that are in your top 5 or 10. Such a letter will follow a similar format to the letter of intent but will not state outright that the school is your top choice and will focus more on updating the school on your recent progress. Such updates can include a recent publication, new grades from a post-bac program, an international experience from the Fall, or a new leadership position you gained, just to name a few. Keep these letters short (definitely less than a page).

Interesting Article: The Quiet Health Care Revolution

2011-12-18T14:17:00.000-05:00

Interesting article in The Atlantic regarding US health care innovation. Prevention, prevention, prevention! But will the innovation hold up now that Wellpoint has bought CareMore?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/11/the-quiet-health-care-revolution/8667/#.Tulz9Sq3zLQ.mailto

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews – Letter of Intent

2011-12-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Some rolling admissions schools have already given you their decision. You may be on waitlists or have not heard anything from schools yet. This time of year, the question often arises: “Do I tell my top choice that they are my top choice?”

The answer is yes.

If you have an absolute top choice and have not been accepted, writing a “letter on intent” can improve your chances of acceptance. Medical schools want students who want them. You can only tell one school that they are “the one,” so be sure it really is your top choice.

Write a letter to the dean of admissions explaining why the school is your top choice. Include specifics on why the school is your top choice (curriculum, research opportunities, location, etc.) and reiterate your strengths. This should be a short letter and can be hand-written on a card or more formally typed.

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews – Avoid Burnout

2011-12-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Are you one of the few who have more interviews than you know what to do with? Are you finding school or work slipping because you are always flying off to an interview? Do you think your performance in interviews is slipping due to fatigue? If so, you should be very grateful. And you should also think about canceling some of the interviews to avoid burnout. Look at the list of interviews that you have left. Be sure to only attend interviews of schools that you will seriously consider attending if accepted. For example, you have already been accepted to one of your top choices and have a few “safety school” interviews in February. Do yourself and the admissions committees a favor and call to cancel those interviews.

For step-by-step advice on how to get into medical school including interview tips, check out The Medical School Admissions Guide: A Harvard MD’s Week-by-Week Admissions Handbook. If you’d like a mock interview with Dr. Miller, please visit www.MDadmit.com/solutions, e-mail info@MDadmit.com, or call 415.939.5251.

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews – No Interviews Yet?

2011-11-28T13:00:00.000-05:00

Are you still waiting for a medical school interview invite? If so, it’s time to get to work. Here are some suggestions:

Call each school that you have applied to and returned a secondary application. Ask if your application is complete and if all interview invites have been given.
Call each school that you have applied to and not received a secondary from and ensure the school has everything it needs prior to sending a secondary application. Also inquire about whether any more secondaries will be sent out (quite unlikely at this stage in the interview process but it doesn’t hurt to ask).
Contact your undergraduate or post-baccalaureate pre-med advisor and update him/her on your situation. If there is a particular school that you are interested in and have not received an interview, some pre-med advisors will make a call on your behalf.

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews – Thank You Notes

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you notes often raise many questions for medical school applicants:

*Do I have to write thank you notes to every interviewer?

- Yes, if you would attend the school if accepted.

*Should I write hand-written notes?

- Yes
*Can an e-mail serve as a sufficient thank you?
- No. Such an important communication should not be sent to someone’s already
very full e-mail inbox.

Scrubbing the Dirt (Volume I)

2011-11-20T14:35:00.001-05:00

Scrubbing the Dirt: Accepted

2011-11-20T14:10:00.001-05:00

Interesting article on health and education

2011-11-18T09:42:00.001-05:00

How the crisis of healthcare and education are related:
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/11/crises-healthcare-education-related.html

MDadmit Cool Case of the Week Answer

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Case#1: 50yo female from Eastern Europe presents to the Emergency Department with three weeks of intermittent double vision, trouble walking, and R arm uncoordination. She had an outpatient CT of her head that showed no abnormalities and could not initially undergo a MRI because she had an IUD in place. The IUD has been removed and she now presents to the EED because the symptoms are getting worse. On exam, her vital signs are stable. Positive findings include a cranial nerve III palsy of the left eye, R arm and leg ataxia, and marked gait ataxia. She also has trouble finding words. A MRI/MRA is performed emergently that shows a ring-enhancing lesion in the midbrain. What could the lesion be? What is the diagnosis?

Answer #1: Neurocysticercosis

MDadmit Cool Case of the Week

2011-11-17T17:25:00.001-05:00

This blog has been focused on providing tips to help you get into medical school. Don't worry, those tips will still be published weekly. But I've decided to spice things up a bit here on the MDadmit blog and include a Cool Case of the Week. Something to get you even more excited about the fascinating field you are about to enter. I'll send out the case on Wednesday at 9am and ask you to guess the diagnosis, treatment, etc. I will then provide the answer on Thursday at 9am. Have fun with it!

Case#1: 50yo female from Eastern Europe presents to the Emergency Department with three weeks of intermittent double vision, trouble walking, and R arm uncoordination. She had an outpatient CT of her head that showed no abnormalities and could not initially undergo a MRI because she had an IUD in place. The IUD has been removed and she now presents to the EED because the symptoms are getting worse. On exam, her vital signs are stable. Positive findings include a cranial nerve III palsy of the left eye, R arm and leg ataxia, and marked gait ataxia. She also has trouble finding words. A MRI/MRA is performed emergently that shows a ring-enhancing lesion in the midbrain. What could the lesion be? What is the diagnosis?

Medical School Admissions: Join the Discussion

2011-11-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello MDadmit blog readers! Dr. Miller here. I just wanted to invite you to comment on this blog. Feel free to ask questions, give opinions, and join other pre-meds in the discussion. I will personally answer any questions posed and look forward to hearing from you!

Medical School Admissions: Medical School Interviews - Take Notes

2011-11-14T13:00:00.000-05:00

Everyone seems to bring a schnazy leather legal pad on interviews. But have you ever seen someone actually taking notes? Why bring it if you don’t use it? There’s no need to take notes during the actual interview, as that may seem pretentious. But definitely jot down your thoughts after each interview.

Making note of:

1. Interview date
2. Interviewer name and title
3. Topics discussed
4. School positives
5. School negatives
6. Overall gut reaction

Taking 5 minutes to log your thoughts will be helpful in keeping the details of each school straight in your mind and remembering specifics to put in thank you notes. These notes can also be very helpful when you are making your final decision of where to attend medical school.

George Washington PA School Professor Resigns

2011-11-10T17:00:00.001-05:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/campus-overload/post/gwu-professor-resigns-accused-of-not-teaching/2011/11/08/gIQASJQt0M_blog.html

Book Review: The Medical School Admissions Guide: A Harvard MD's Week-by-Week Admissions Handbook

2011-11-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

A recent review of Dr. Miller's

The Medical School Admissions Guide: A Harvard MD's Week-by-Week Admissions Handbook:

"Suzanne Miller's book on the med school admissions process is exceptional.

Dr. Miller masterfully articulates the important points of the med school applications

process. She hones her expression into a concise and authoritative language that

provides you with details that you will not read anywhere else.

Although the book is steeped in good advice, I particularly value the section on the

secondary applications. Dr. Miller provides over 40 essay prompts categorized

into 10 major themes that will allow you to complete much of your secondary applications

before you even begin to apply. I cannot tell you how valuable this information is... secondary

applications are very time consuming, but if you follow Dr. Miller's advice, they will be

as easy as cutting and pasting your pre-written essays.

This is a book for the general applicant, as well as for the elite applicant. As a

graduate of an Ivy League school, my home school dedicates enormous resources

into pre-medical advising. However, Dr. Miller's book surpasses the advice that

I received from my school's career services by leaps and bounds; so much so that

I purchased a copy of her book and mailed it to my home school's career services.

This book will propel your application into a new level of excellence, not to mention

save you enormous time in the process.

Buy this book!"

Caribbean Schools Pay Big Money to Use U.S. Hospitals

2011-11-06T11:43:00.004-05:00

I haven't made up my mind about the big money that Caribbean (Off-Shore) medical schools like St. George's and Ross pay to get their students experience in US hospitals, mostly in New York.

Here's an article from the New York Times about just how much money is changing hands. What do you think?

Scrubbing the Dirt (Volume I)

2011-11-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

China

2011-11-03T23:54:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone!

Check out MDadmit's very own Dr. Suzanne Miller as she blogs about her Chinese adventure!

Click here to view the post.

Need more? Take a look at her personal blog.

Medical School Admissions: Money

2011-10-31T13:00:00.000-04:00

We start this journey discussing an unmentionable – money! Getting into medical school takes more than top-tier grades, cutting-edge research, and saving-the-world community service. The medical school admission process is obscenely expensive (as is medical school itself), and I want to ensure that you have the appropriate amount of cash (or credit or government loans) available before proceeding with the process. Applying to medical school will cost you anywhere for $2000-$10,000. When you take into account the cost of a MCAT course/books, the AMCAS application, about $75 for each secondary application, interview travel, interview clothes, and the possible use of an admission consultant, you can rack up a large bill quickly. Given that you will likely spend over $200,000 attending medical school (not to mention the opportunity cost of not working during that time), the money is a drop in the bucket. If you want to be a physician, do not let the cost of applying dissuade you. But be an educated consumer and set aside the appropriate amount of savings before you start applying.

For step-by-step advice on how to get into medical school and more details on budgeting for the application cost, check out The Medical School Admissions Guide: A Harvard MD’s Week-by-Week Admissions Handbook. If you’d like to communicate directly with Dr. Miller, medical school admissions expert, please email info@MDadmit.com or call 415.939.5251.

Follow us on Twitter! @MDadmit