I've finally finalized my list of schools to which I am applying. I've put them in to three groups, with group one being the schools I am currently most interested in and group three being the schools I am least interested in. Within each group there is no method to the ordering. It's mostly random or by state. Other than Ohio State being my top choice right now, there is no other order within groups. I will admit that at this point my rankings are somewhat naive as I have not done a whole lot of research into each school's program. Mostly the rankings are based on my perceived chances of getting in and program strength as well as tuition cost with a minor consideration for location (one's near Virginia Beach!). If you're curious about why a specific school is in a certain group, ask me.
The groupings allow me to prioritize which secondary applications I will fill out and send in first. Each secondary application will take up quite a bit of time and I'll need to know which ones to focus on first.
Group One
Ohio State (Columbus, OH)
University of Toledo (Toledo, OH)
University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Northwestern University (Chicago, IL)
Group Two
Wake Forest (Winston-Salem, NC)
Loyola University (Maywood, IL)
Eastern Virginia University (Norfolk, VA)
Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
Group Three
Wright State (Dayton, OH)
Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine (Rootstown, OH)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
Rush University (Chicago, IL)
Pennsylvania State University (Hershey, PA)
For those of you who understand what I'm talking about, I do realize the horror of applying to both OSU and UM - but I can't help that they're both great schools with great programs. Obviously, I would much rather go to OSU. :)
My list has fifteen schools and I hope to receive secondary applications from most of them because only six of the schools do an initial screening before sending secondary applications. I do not expect to receive interview invitations from all of them - but I have no way to reasonably predict my chances at any of the schools. I'm hoping for interviews with half of them.
I'm almost finished with my primary application which will be submitted to these schools on June 4. I anticipate I will almost immediately get electronic secondary applications from some, but I'm not sure.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Med School Application Process
The application process for med schools is quite extended with many steps.
The first step would be the MCAT. Before the MCAT though, you have to be sure you take all of the necessary pre-med courses in preparation. The MCAT is usually taken in spring of your junior year of college.
After the MCAT is the primary application, which happens early summer after your junior year. This application is through an organization called AMCAS and only needs to be filled out once for all MD schools to which you want to apply. (DO schools use a separate primary application.) The primary application is mostly basic information such as classes taken, grades, demographic information, and extracurricular activities.
Also included in the primary application is what is known as the personal statement. For this essay you are given 5,300 characters (about a page and a half) to tell them everything you want them to know about why they should let you in. This essay is your first shot to really connect with the admissions officers and convince them to let you in to their school. Obviously, the personal statement is very important and can have a huge impact on your application.
This year, the earliest date you can submit the primary application online is June 4. It is beneficial to submit the application as soon as possible because almost all med schools have rolling admissions, which means they admit qualified candidates as they come along, and once their class is full no one else can get in. The longer you wait to apply, the slimmer your chances are of getting admitted because some spots will have already been filled.
Once the primary applications are submitted, secondary applications begin to come in. These are applications exclusive to each school that contain anything the med schools want to know about you that wasn't asked on the universal primary application. Often the secondary applications will contain more essays such as, "Why do you want to come to this school?" or "Describe a memorable moment which led to your decision to pursue medicine." As with the primary applications, it is advantageous to submit these as soon as possible - especially for schools that you really want to attend.
Some schools will only send secondary applications to those applicants they feel are qualified after an initial screening of the primary applications. Most schools send secondary applications to everyone that applies because they want to collect the fees you have to pay to turn in the secondary applications. Most secondary applications will come in mid summer.
After schools look at your secondary applications, they will decide to either turn you down or invite you for an interview. If you are asked for an interview, you have to travel to the school and meet with their admissions committee. This gives the committee a chance to get a better sense of who you are with an in-person interview. These usually happen in late summer or early fall, but it depends on when you turned in your applications.
Once you've interviewed, schools will accept, deny, or wait list you. If you are accepted, you have a spot in their class if you want it. Typically you have two weeks from the time they let you know you are accepted to decide if you want to attend that school or not. If you are denied, there is nothing else you can do to get in to that particular school that year. If you are put on a wait list, it means that you weren't qualified enough to be guaranteed a spot, but if they end up having room once they get decisions from those they initially accepted, then you may get in. Acceptance notifications usually happen late fall or winter. If you are put on a wait list, you may not even find out if you get in until a week before classes start.
This whole process takes months and a lot of money. To take the MCAT, it costs $210. The primary application costs $160 for the first school and $30 for each school after that. I will probably apply to about 12 schools, which means it will cost me $490 just for the primary application. The secondary application fees vary by school but range from $25 to $100 each. For all 12 schools, it will cost me about $700. As you can see, the money adds up quickly! Once enrolled in a school, tuition is even more! (Tuition ranges from about $25,000 to $60,000 a year!)
I'm almost done with my primary application, which I will submit on June 4. I expect the secondary applications to come soon after. I'm going to post a list of the schools to which I am applying as soon as I finalize that list.
The first step would be the MCAT. Before the MCAT though, you have to be sure you take all of the necessary pre-med courses in preparation. The MCAT is usually taken in spring of your junior year of college.
After the MCAT is the primary application, which happens early summer after your junior year. This application is through an organization called AMCAS and only needs to be filled out once for all MD schools to which you want to apply. (DO schools use a separate primary application.) The primary application is mostly basic information such as classes taken, grades, demographic information, and extracurricular activities.
Also included in the primary application is what is known as the personal statement. For this essay you are given 5,300 characters (about a page and a half) to tell them everything you want them to know about why they should let you in. This essay is your first shot to really connect with the admissions officers and convince them to let you in to their school. Obviously, the personal statement is very important and can have a huge impact on your application.
This year, the earliest date you can submit the primary application online is June 4. It is beneficial to submit the application as soon as possible because almost all med schools have rolling admissions, which means they admit qualified candidates as they come along, and once their class is full no one else can get in. The longer you wait to apply, the slimmer your chances are of getting admitted because some spots will have already been filled.
Once the primary applications are submitted, secondary applications begin to come in. These are applications exclusive to each school that contain anything the med schools want to know about you that wasn't asked on the universal primary application. Often the secondary applications will contain more essays such as, "Why do you want to come to this school?" or "Describe a memorable moment which led to your decision to pursue medicine." As with the primary applications, it is advantageous to submit these as soon as possible - especially for schools that you really want to attend.
Some schools will only send secondary applications to those applicants they feel are qualified after an initial screening of the primary applications. Most schools send secondary applications to everyone that applies because they want to collect the fees you have to pay to turn in the secondary applications. Most secondary applications will come in mid summer.
After schools look at your secondary applications, they will decide to either turn you down or invite you for an interview. If you are asked for an interview, you have to travel to the school and meet with their admissions committee. This gives the committee a chance to get a better sense of who you are with an in-person interview. These usually happen in late summer or early fall, but it depends on when you turned in your applications.
Once you've interviewed, schools will accept, deny, or wait list you. If you are accepted, you have a spot in their class if you want it. Typically you have two weeks from the time they let you know you are accepted to decide if you want to attend that school or not. If you are denied, there is nothing else you can do to get in to that particular school that year. If you are put on a wait list, it means that you weren't qualified enough to be guaranteed a spot, but if they end up having room once they get decisions from those they initially accepted, then you may get in. Acceptance notifications usually happen late fall or winter. If you are put on a wait list, you may not even find out if you get in until a week before classes start.
This whole process takes months and a lot of money. To take the MCAT, it costs $210. The primary application costs $160 for the first school and $30 for each school after that. I will probably apply to about 12 schools, which means it will cost me $490 just for the primary application. The secondary application fees vary by school but range from $25 to $100 each. For all 12 schools, it will cost me about $700. As you can see, the money adds up quickly! Once enrolled in a school, tuition is even more! (Tuition ranges from about $25,000 to $60,000 a year!)
I'm almost done with my primary application, which I will submit on June 4. I expect the secondary applications to come soon after. I'm going to post a list of the schools to which I am applying as soon as I finalize that list.
MCAT Score and Q & A
My MCAT score was finally posted after a month of my anxiously checking the website.
My score was a 31, which met my goal of a 30. A 31 is a solid score - neither bad nor exceptional. With that score, I have a shot at getting into the schools to which I hope to go, but it is not guaranteed. It's hard to anticipate what exactly schools are looking for in a candidate.
Q&A
"Likewise, a 33 on the MCAT from Bowling Green doesn't mean as much as a 33 from Harvard." I thought the MCAT was standardized?
The MCAT is, in theory, standardized. However, if a candidate comes from Harvard with a 33, or from BG with a 33 and all other factors are equal, the prestige of the undergrad would be the tie breaker.
My score was a 31, which met my goal of a 30. A 31 is a solid score - neither bad nor exceptional. With that score, I have a shot at getting into the schools to which I hope to go, but it is not guaranteed. It's hard to anticipate what exactly schools are looking for in a candidate.
Q&A
"Likewise, a 33 on the MCAT from Bowling Green doesn't mean as much as a 33 from Harvard." I thought the MCAT was standardized?
The MCAT is, in theory, standardized. However, if a candidate comes from Harvard with a 33, or from BG with a 33 and all other factors are equal, the prestige of the undergrad would be the tie breaker.
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