2008 Woodie Awards
Ask The Pre-Health Advisor
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: Features
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Q: Is it easier to get into medical school on your second try? No - in fact admissions deans will look for significant differences between the applicant's first and second application before giving serious consideration to a re-applicant. For applicants who are not successful on the first attempt, many medical school admissions offices will provide individualized feedback and suggestions on how to improve an application upon request. The areas where students typically need to strengthen their applications are: -Intense clinical exposure (over 100 volunteer hours in an emergency room along with work/volunteer experience in clinical research or a clinical setting) -MCAT scores -Science grades -Maturity - interview skills, quality of personal statement Medical school deans of admissions emphasize that it is crucial that applicants apply to medical school when they have credentials that make them competitive - when they are at their best. What to do if any of these areas are lacking: A minimum of 100 hours of emergency room volunteer experience (shadowing a doctor is not counted as volunteer experience because it does not typically happen through an institutionally sponsored program) should be completed BEFORE applying to medical school. If your science grades need improvement take additional upper division science courses and consider a master's degree in physiology. Determine where preparation for the MCAT was lacking and get outside assistance to prepare to re-take the test. Plan on putting six months of hard work into improving areas of weakness. Communication skills can be addressed through working with your pre-health advisor, asking trusted mentors for feedback and mock interviews, and by attending workshops on-campus that address both verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Personal statement help is available through the combined efforts of the Writing Center and the Pre-Health Office. It is crucial that you apply to medical school with a robust application the first time, but if you do so and are not accepted, there are ways to correct your deficiencies in order to become a successful re-applicant.