An Insider's Guide to Getting into Medical School: Tips They Don't Teach You in College

Author: Dr. X ISBN 10: 1-930056-11-7 ISBN 13: 978-1-930056-11-4 Copyright Date Ed:  July 18, 2005 Pages: 212 Binding Information: Paperback Size: 6 ✕ 9 Inches (US) This is an excellent new reference for anyone who wishes to go into the medical field. You will be guided through the application process starting in undergraduate level or before, to increase the chance of the successful outcome of being accepted to medical school. If you are a nontraditional and/or minority applicant you will benefit from chapters devoted strictly to your situation and how you might maximize your chance of being accepted. Discussion of the Americans with Disabilities act and how it affects admission and how to deal with questions about your disability will be of value to you if you are disabled. You will benefit from the section entitled “An Insider’s View of the Admission Selection Process," written from the perspective of admissions committees, admissions officers, and interviewers. This section will give you a basic sense of what these professionals look for when screening and accepting or rejecting applicants. You will start with a general overview of the selection process, and then proceed to critical undergraduate courses, categories of volunteer work considered helpful, and how to prepare for the MCAT examination. You will then be advised on the typical admission requirements and application and submission processes common to most medical schools, selection of schools for application, and pros and cons of transfer and early decision programs. You are also provided with extensive information on obtaining quality letters of recommendation and writing an excellent personal statement, both important parts of the process. You are also advised on the interview process, including what might be expected during the interview, appropriate sample questions and answers for student and interviewer, dress, and behavior. This chapter also covers inappropriate, unethical, or illegal questions or requests and how to answer and handle them. You will also learn about the fifteen common errors made by medical school applicants, and are given samples of necessary documents such as letters of recommendation. It is hoped that the information in this book will help you attain a successful result, but if you are rejected you are given guidance in this area as well. You are given suggestions on topics such as re-evaluating career goals, evaluating your application process, ways to improve you application, other health care professions as potential careers, and applying to foreign medical schools. This book is an important, useful and beneficial reference for you at all levels of your education, for your family and friends, and others involved in this process such as high school, junior college and university professors, instructors and academic advisors working with pre-med and science majors and other potential medical students, other career counselors and coaches in both the public and private sectors, medical practitioners and researchers working with potential medical students. It is also valuable for school and public library education and career counseling sections. This book is also available as a Kindle E-book. Click here to purchase and download: Table of Contents Chapter 1: Overview of the Medical School Selection Process 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Why Become a Physician? 1.3 The "Average" Medical Student 1.4 Mission of the Admissions Committee 1.5 Non-Academic Factors Predicting Success in Medical School 1.6 Summary Chapter 2: Key Undergraduate Courses to Take 2.1 Introduction 2.2 How An Undergraduate College Can Affect Your Chance for Medical School Admission 2.3 Transferring to Another Undergraduate School 2.4 Required Courses 2.5 Double Major 2.6 Behaving Yourself at College 2.7 Grading Systems 2.8 The Role of Advanced Placement Courses From High School 2.9 Major Field of Study 2.10 Summary >Chapter 3: Extracurricular Activities That Make a Difference: The Importance of Volunteering, Medical Shadowing, and Research 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Extracurricular Volunteer Activities 3.3 Medical Shadowing/Medical Experience Activities 3.4 Importance of Athletics 3.5 Participation in Medical Research 3.6 Working to Earn Money 3.7 Summary Chapter 4: Preparing for the MCAT Exam and Analyzing Your Results 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Key Undergraduate Subjects 4.3 Testing Format 4.4 Analyzing Your Scores 4.5 Registering to Take the MCAT 4.6 Retaking the MCAT 4.7 Do Professional Preparatory Courses Help? 4.8 Testing Tips 4.9 Preparing to Take the Examination 4.10 What Portions of the MCAT is Most Helpful Towards Admission? 4.11 How Important are the Personal Essays for Admission? 4.12 Summary Chapter 5: Medical School Admission Requirements 5.1 Introduction 5.2 AMCAS Application and MSAR Guide 5.3 Pre-Medical Advisors 5.4 Summary Chapter 6: Which Medical Schools Do I Apply To? Selecting Your Core Group 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Establishing State Residency 6.3 Difficulty in Gaining Admission 6.4 Cost 6.5 Accreditation 6.6 Problem-Based Learning Education 6.7 Determining Your Core List of Medical Schools To Apply To 6.8 Summary Chapter 7: Early Decision and Transfer Programs: Pros and Cons 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Transferring From Another Medical School 7.3 Summary Chapter 8: Letters of Reference: Selecting the Right Individuals 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Developing a List of Potential Writers 8.3 Requesting a Letter of Recommendation 8.4 Content of the Letter 8.5 Multiple Medical School Requests 8.6 Thank-You Notes 8.7 On-Line Letter of Recommendation Writing Services 8.8 Summary Chapter 9: Application: Submission Procedures and Your Personal Statement 9.1 Introduction 9.2 American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) A. Application deadlines B. Transcript requests C. Application format D. Key application guidelines 9.3 Allopathic Medical Schools in Texas 9.4 Preparing Your Application 9.5 Writing the Personal Statement A. Key personal statement guidelines B. Example of an outstanding section from a personal statement 9.6 Non-AMCAS Schools 9.7 Osteopathic Medical Schools 9.8 Waiting Lists/Alternate Lists 9.9 Military Medical Scholarship Programs 9.10 Summary Chapter 10: Non-Traditional Applicants to Medical School: Do's and Don'ts 10.1 Introduction 10.2 The Importance of the MCAT Score in Your Application Package 10.3 The Interview 10.4 Post-Baccalaureate Programs 10.5 Selecting A Post-Baccalaureate Program 10.6 Graduate School Programs 10.7 Letters of Recommendation 10.8 Medical Shadowing and Other Extracurricular Health-Related Experiences 10.9 Review of Your Application by the Admissions Committee 10.10 Summary Chapter 11: Minority Applicants to Medical Schools 11.1 Minority Student Issues 11.2 Minority Recruitment Programs and Information 11.3 Education and Mentorship Programs for Minority Applicants 11.4 Financial Aid 11.5 American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) Self-Designation 11.6 The Application Process 11.7 Summary Chapter 12: The Secrets to an Outstanding Interview Experience 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Purpose of the Interview Process 12.3 Arranging to Travel for Your Interview 12.4 The Interview Day 12.5 Interviewing Skills 12.6 The Agenda of an Interview 12.7 Applicants With Physical Disabilities 12.8 Types of Questions 12.9 Interview Rating Systems 12.10 Dressing for Success 12.11 Questions to Ask the Interviewer 12.12 Thank-You Notes 12.13 Requests for Extra Meetings by the Interviewer 12.14 Interview Evaluations and Summaries 12.15 Post-Interview Analysis 12.16 Summary Chapter 13: The 50 Most Commonly Asked Questions During Interviews 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Questions Chapter 14: An Insider's View of the Admission Selection Process 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Secondary Applications 14.3 Race, Ethnicity and National Origin 14.4 Types of Undergraduate Degrees 14.5 Applicants with Disabilities 14.6 Criminal Convictions 14.7 GPAs 14.8 MCAT Scores 14.9 Your Interview 14.10 Grade Inflation 14.11 Admissions Committee Voting 14.12 Rating of Applicants 14.13 Admission Offers, Alternate and Waiting lists 14.14 Notification Windows for Acceptance 14.15 Financial Aspects 14.16 Summary Chapter 15: The Fifteen Most Common Errors Made by Medical School Applicants 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Common Errors 15.3 Summary Chapter 16: Rejected: Options and Future Strategies 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Re-Evaluating Your Motivation to Becoming a Physician 16.3 Contacting the Dean of the Individual Medical Schools 16.4 GPA 16.5 MCAT Scores 16.6 Letters of Recommendation 16.7 Extracurricular Activities and Medical Shadowing 16.8 Personal Statement 16.9 Interview skills 16.10 Selection of Core Medical Schools 16.11 Application Submission 16.12 Future Options: Reapplying 16.13 Graduate School 16.14 Health-Related Employment 16.15 Alternatives to Medical School 16.6 Summary Chapter 17: Final Thoughts 17.1 Introduction 17.2 Hippocratic Oath-Modern Version Appendix A: Sample Letters of Recommendation Appendix B: Key Resources Appendix C: Sample Resumé Appendix D: Accredited U.S. Allopathic Medical Schools: First Year and Total Student Enrollment