Friday, 16 December 2011

How to get a medical school admission?

Earlier many students got confused by the Medical School Admission process and have nowhere to turn for help. But now if you have questions about a certain part of the med school application process, it is always best to consult the school and you can also take the help of internet. There are some simple steps to applying for med school and they are as follows:

Medical school faculties have a responsibility towards society to give the best possible physicians, so medical school admission is offered to only those who present the highest qualifications for the study and practice of medicine. Beside good grades, medical schools look for candidates who have qualities like integrity and commitment. So the most important thing is not great grades but an attitude which is required for a doctor, though good grades come pretty close.

Also, medical colleges want applicants who are well-rounded academically. Although it is true that many students major in the sciences, medical schools tell us are fine with major in any subject. Medical school admission deans have said that they are pleased when humanities majors or any other major apply to their schools.

Once your application is selected, you will have to go to the school for an interview. Your Medical School Admission interview will likely involve questions about contemporary, ethical or economic problems encountered by physicians. They will also ask you about your current knowledge about the field of medicine.

Med schools use a common application process that is administered by AMCAS, a division of the American Association of Medical Schools. The AMCAS application provides medical schools with enough information to make an initial screening; it includes a modified undergraduate transcript, science and overall GPAs, MCAT scores, information about extracurricular activities, and a short personal comment.

Although students can decide which graduate and professional programs to apply, med school usually requires at least some degree of specific undergraduate preparation. In theory, it is easier to get into medical school-and into a choice residency-now than ever before, simply because there are fewer applicants for each open slot. However, there are still about twice as many applicants as there are open spaces, and med schools are still attracting first-rate students. The competition is still stiff, and med schools have in no way lowered their expectations for the caliber of students they wish to enroll.

The people who excel in medicine are those who are happy spending every moment thinking about medicine and those are the kind of people that medical schools are looking for. So if you're interested in becoming a medical doctor, be prepared to make huge sacrifices, first in medical school and then later in your internship and residency. Even when you're not working directly with patients, you will be spending a significant amount of time as a doctor reading and staying current in new medical techniques and research.

5 do’s and don’ts for med school admissions.

Well, let me tell you that getting a place among thousands of other med school admissions is very tough. So here are few tips which will help you in the essay you would have to write for the admission process.

Five do’s are:

1. Your essay should have a theme and flow. All the paragraphs must have unity in them, so that your essay is easily understood.

2. There is an important thing which you must do before even starting to write your essay. This step is thinking. First think what you want to write and in what order will you present your thoughts.


3. Write clearly, precisely and use easy language. med school admission officers are not looking for a dictionary. Therefore, use simple words which are easy to read and understand.

4. The starting of your essay should be interesting. It should motivate the reader to read on your story. The reader should feel engaged, not bored by your essay. Similarly, the ending


5. Revise and proofread your essay at least three times. Sometimes, even the spell check in computers can’t catch some grammatical errors. Therefore, manually check your essay. That is you should go through your essay with your own careful eyes.

Five don’ts are:

1. Don’t include irrelevant matter in your essay. Every word and paragraph of your essay paints a basic picture of who you really are, in the mind of med school admissions officers. So I don’t think including stuff like “I am a champion couch potato. I can sit and watch T.V. straight for 10 hours.” Would be a good idea.

2. Don’t make your essay your autobiography. Trust me, with all that self praise, you will not appear confident, you will look like an arrogant fool in the eyes of the med school admission officer. And you don’t want that. Also, don’t make your essay look like that you have written your resume, only as a prose.


3. Having some gentle humor to bring an occasional smile on the reader’s face is good. But please don’t aim to make them laugh so hard that the reader’s fall off their chair. Therefore don’t try to become a clown in your essay. You are applying to become a doctor, not a comedian in some movie.

4. And what should you do if you have a not so perfect GPA? First of all, don’t even think of fabricating the truth and providing incorrect details. These admission officers are recruited by the colleges solely for the purpose of admissions of the students. So they will do a thorough check you know. It is better that you have some genuine excuse. Don’t lie to the interviewer because they have interviewed thousands of applicants and they can tell when you are lying.


5. Don’t attempt to make your essay a fictional novel. That is, don’t make up things. Be honest.

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Medical School Admissions

Do you still remember your childhood career dream? Many of us dreamt of becoming an astronaut or a lawyer or a fireman or a police officer or a doctor. These were some of the common dreams. But most of us grow up to forget these dreams and go on in our lives. But for some of us, those dreams become our lives. On such dreams, which many people choose to make their life is becoming a doctor and helping people. These children grow up and pass out of high school and start gathering information like which medical college will be most suitable for them and other general information regarding medical school admissions.  

We all know how tough it is to get a place in several medical school admissions. Poor students are given a lot of advices and tips to get selected in their dream college. But the question is that are all these tips and tricks accurate? There are several myths also which need to be busted to provide proper guidance to students.

The first myth is that people seeking medical school admissions should have clinical experience or a lot of extracurricular activities to make it there. It is so not true. See, this is just a result of the trait which admission officers are looking for, but it is not that trait. What admission officers really look for is that does the would-be-doctor has any idea what the life of a doctor really is. This is usually well proved if the student has clinical experience, hence the belief. Another quality which admission officers look for is how long you remain committed or associated. Therefore, the numbers of activities do not matter. What matters is that how long you have been associated with them and have you actively participated in it?

The second myth is that grades have a greater importance than the essays if you want to get medical school admissions. But it is so not true. Of course good grades are important but they are only the proof that you are sincere and hard working and smart enough. But it doesn’t prove that you have an aptitude and attitude to become a doctor. For that, there are essays. Because in your essays, you describe who you really are, what are your dreams and what are you passionate about. All these things are very important, may I say more important than grades, because a doctor is not a person with skills and a degree to prove it. A doctor is a person who genuinely wants to heal and help people in getting rid of whatever type of suffering they are going through, physical or emotional.

Third myth is that if you don’t know an answer in the interview, it will affect your medical school admissions. This is also not true. Relax, nobody is an encyclopedia. Sometimes, the interviewers ask tough questions from you, only to see whether you have the ability to handle the pressure. Because pressure becomes an integral part of a doctor’s life, right from the sophomore year.
So go easy and simple and remember to be yourself.