<p>My suitemate told me some interesting things about med school admissions last night. I doubt that it was all true b/c he constantly tries to ruin my aspirations. Either way, here is what he told me. So please comment on the validity of this:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Med schools admissions I very cut-throat and so they need ppl with social skills. As a result, one should devote more time to social acitvities than school. [Personally I disagree to an extent b/c both play major factors. I mean if your grades suck, then med schools won't care about your social skills since you won't be invited to an interview.]</p></li>
<li><p>Since med schools have a limited # of spots they collaborate with each other and find out to what other schools each of their applicants applied to. As an example, if Columbia sees that you applied to another ivy besides them, they will flat out reject you. Also during a med school interview, 10 non-partisan ppl are present. Schools, like Mt. Sinai, are very selective and so they typically ask ppl at hte end of their interview, if we offer you admissions, will you take it and if you say, no, they will reject you on the spot. This is like a binding contract. [If this is true, then how is an applicant supposed to make a decision in a matter of 10 seconds and commit to this school if they haven't had all of their interviews.]</p></li>
<li><p>Med schools want ppl who can afford it and so they typically reject low income ppl. [I doubt this is true b/c if that was the case then assiduous intelligent ppl would not be able to go to med schoool.]</p></li>
<li><p>It is best to get LORs from profs who have known you from your freshman yr. [If this is true, what are the chances that the same profs will teach a future science class that you plan to take in the future. I mean what if you only had that prof for 1 semester. I think that a good way to keep a relationship with a prof who you liek from freshman yr is to be their TA, right?]</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks and the stuff in brakcets [] are my thoughts.</p>
<p>1) Yes, they need people with social skills. But not at the expense of their grades. It's like you were in high school and you had to have all the grades, tough curriculum, and EC's.
2) Such collaboration does not occur. It's illegal. He may be thinking of the internship match, but that's after medical school.
3) This is the same argument as is made about applying for FA as an undergrad (see all the threads on these boards about "Does applying for FA make a difference?" ) There is financial aid available for medical school.</p>
<p>1.) True premise ("social skills good"), false conclusion ("grades don't matter").
2.) No, and ridiculous. Not remotely close to true. There is truth in that IF you were to of your own volition volunteer that you would certainly accept such an offer, it would marginally increase your chances.
3.) They have no idea during the process. FA happens after admission.
4.) A longstanding relationship helps, but an extra year from freshman to sophomore year isn't particularly a big deal. And it's not as if a prof from junior year is bad.</p>
<ol>
<li>Social skills can be demonstrated in various ways, not by dedicating yourself to non-academic structured activities. If you aren't involved in anything, pick one thing you are interested and do that.</li>
<li>Illegal</li>
<li>Ridiculous</li>
<li>Go with the professors who knows you the best and can tout your capabilities
Finally, trust your instincts (and not your suitemate).</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>You need both social activities and good grades. And you need to be able to do both at the same time. Medical schools do look for students who are social and cooperative, since med school students study together a lot.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe schools find out where else you've applied sometime in March. After May 15th, they'll know where else you're holding acceptances (this is to ensure you are only holding acceptances at one school after May 15th). Before then, they won't know but they can and do ask and Mt. Sinai is known to be one of those schools that asks where else you've applied. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>At my GW interview, the first thing my interviewer asked for was my GPA and MCAT, despite the interview being a closed file interview. He then asked where else I applied. I said something to the effect of "my state schools in CA and schools on the east coast, midwest, NYC, St. Louis, and such." He said "WashU, I bet" which I construed as a snide remark. He also asked me how many interviews I had and if I was using GW as a safety school. </p>
<p>At my Penn interview, the interviewer asked "So, did you apply to the two schools ranked above us?" Other people have been asked "Why school X and not school Y (another school in the same city?" or "Why would you come to Tufts over your state school which is so much cheaper?" </p>
<p>Schools won't ask you to make a promise that you'll attend the school. If you, by your own volition, write a letter of intent promising to matriculate if accepted, that is legally binding. Of course, no med school is going to waste its time suing you if you end up at another school. But, you will be blacklisted and you will find it extremely difficult to get interviews at affiliated hospitals come time to apply for residency.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There is a place on the AMCAS to indicate and explain if you've been disadvantaged. Med schools LIKE the fact that you've made it this far despite economic disadvantages. Otherwise, they would have no idea of your financial situation because you don't apply for financial aid until the end of the application period.</p></li>
<li><p>Use professors who know you best, whether that's from freshman, sophomore, junior year, whatever.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I certainly never had any discussion remotely similar to "Are you using us as a backup?" Certainly not at Penn! I may have been "helped" by having a pretty low GPA for the schools I was interviewing at.</p>
<p>Ok so in regards to what norcal said about promising to attend a certain med school. Lets say for instance that I want to go to a certain med school b/c of their research, I could in theory write them a letter after I submit my med school apps and promise to attend their med school, right? Do you think that will have any affect on when they make their decision when considering my app?</p>
<p>It's generally a bad idea to write a letter of intent before interviewing at the med school. Write the LOI after you've interviewed at the schol and after you've interviewed at several other med schools.</p>
<p>It is okay to write an update letter or a general letter of interest pre-interview.</p>
<p>I initially didn't get into any of the 3 schools I interviewed at. I also interviewed very late, so I was pretty aggressive when it came to update letters. I wrote every every 6-8 weeks to update my application with significant happenings (awards, etc.) </p>
<p>After I graduated, I upped the ante by directly emailing to Dean Barnett at Sinai and saying, "If you accept me, I'll come." I also wrote very strong emails of interest directly to the deans of admissions at the other two schools where I was waitlist. I suppose it worked, because I got into Sinai during the second round off the waitlist. Of course, three hours after I shot off my very enthusiastic acceptance email, the dean at one of the other schools (which happens to be in my hometown) emailed me back to say, "Btw, we had a spot open up this morning... want it?" So it was quite a day. :)</p>
<p>In short, letters of interest/intent really do make a difference, but you need to have seen the school first. Update letters can be sent at any time, but you should have something significant to say - otherwise, it's a waste of time.</p>
<p>I've had interviewers ask me where else I'm applying and why I want to go to their school over the other schools. I HAVEN'T had anyone ask me to commit to their school on the spot.</p>