<p>As you all know, medical school acceptances are ridiculous these days. Even though I'm only a freshman, I still worry about applying/getting in. I guess worry is the wrong word. I just don't know what to expect, and what to do to make sure that I DO actually get in. So my question is, what type of students get in? I know you obviously need a high GPA and strong MCAT score, but I feel like there are so many students that have that. What else can I do these next three years to help with admissions? There are so many kids that have the grades, scores, community service and research....but they don't take them all. How do you stand out?</p>
<p>
You stand out by having a genuine passion towards medicine. It may be common to see people with the grades and extracurriculars, but it’s rare to find someone who also has a passion in addition to those. If you go to a big name school, that’s a plus, too (when adcoms have to choose between two people with equal stats, extracurriculars and passion, they choose the one from a better school).</p>
<p>That makes sense…but how do you show passion? I guess interviews, right?</p>
<p>Your passion for medicine will show in your interview, but also in your essays and in your ECs. You need to show that you have a genuine interest in helping others, through your volunteering and other activities. You passion is also reflected in your grades, that you care enough to keep plugging along through organic chemistry.</p>
<p>Get the best grades you can, take a lot of biology classes, find a volunteer activity you like, get some patient experience, start making some contacts with drs. you can shadow. Get some interesting experiences in job, volunteering, travel, etc., so you have something to write about in your essays. Read books about being a dr. and the medical situation today, insurance mess, etc. Read the NY Times and other similar materials to help your logic skills. There is a whole lot you can be doing for the next three years.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is bad advice if it prevents students from exploring interests they have in other academic areas. Sure, it’s nice to see a transcript with great grades in biology, but frankly, it’s a lot more interesting to see a transcript with great grades in pre-reqs and great grades in something like art history or classics.</p>
<p>Of course, if your interests genuinely lie in biology, then go for it. But don’t think that it’s got to be bio or nothing.</p>
<p>LORs-</p>
<p>Get to know profs, well, talk to them, go to office hours, find profs who can be a true mentor/advisor. My DD at a huge school really only had one strong LOR writer by junior year, but lucked into senior & graduate classes with a couple of profs with whom she connected well and who could both get to know her and then were willing to write STRONG letters of rec.</p>
<p>Your premed req classes are not usually the place to find this person, it’s usually going to be upper div classes in your major where you can forge that relationship, at least at a big school. On the other hand, my DD at a small school found by being one of only 2 A students in a prime weeder for her major, she gained entre into a special relationship and mentoring with the dept head, so it does depend on the school size and class size. </p>
<p>1200 Ochem students in a huge state school does not really give you the chance to make an impression even if you were to earn an A. Also, it is not just A grade profs, one of my DDs refs is from a prof who gave her two B+s but who got to know her quite well and who offered to write her a strong letter.</p>
<p>Your LORs are a chance for a theoretically respected outsider to relate your passion and why you are interesting</p>
<p>I do not believe that there are a lot of kids with gpa=4.0, why not strive to have that? Given that you do want to be a doc (have passion for it) and you are planning to participate in all volunteering, shadowing, research, maybe some meanningful other activities / minors that are important to you. Most who apply to Med. school, do have a passion, some might not be able to communicate it clearly though and perception is very subjective, while 4.0 is clear cut number that nobody can take from you. It does show work ethic and ability to clearly define goals and setting plans to accomplish them.</p>