Preparing for Medical School

Indicate with a check or x when the task is completed.

First Year

• —— Become acquainted with your school's general course requirements for graduation.
• —— Familiarize yourself with the basic course requirements for admission to medical school.
• —— Determine if there are any specific school premedical requirements for graduation.
• —— Learn about your school's program of extracurricular activities and career guidance department services.
• —— Work out a program outline for meeting the general and specific premedical course requirements over the balance of your college career.
• —— Consider what major challenges you anticipate facing in the year ahead and how best to deal with them.
• —— Evaluate your study and test-taking skills and make improvements where necessary.
• —— Become personally acquainted with your premedical advisor and discuss possible majors and any other concerns you may have.
• —— Try to meet upper-level premedical students who can discuss with you what “pitfalls” to avoid in various aspects of your education.
• —— Set your sights on and make a concerted effort to become a high academic achiever (B+ or better).
• —— Initiate participation in extracurricular activities of interest and value to a premed student.
• —— Join the school's premed society and seek to be an active participant in its activities.
• —— Establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle to protect your physical and mental health.
• —— Use any free time available for accreditation as well as volunteer activities in a relevant area of interest.
• —— Formulate summer plans that may include hospital work, social service work, or possibly participating in a research program.
• —— Seek to secure exposure to medical school and residency activities by, if possible, linking up for a short time with an upper-class medical student or resident.
• —— Toward the end of the academic year, review your performance and draft a tentative program of studies for the balance of your college stay and evaluate it with your premedical advisor.
• —— Evaluate your year's performance and determine if and where improvements can be made.

Second Year

• —— Initiate your studies in your selected major as part of your program of studies.
• —— Continue your academic efforts to achieve an impressive GPA (B+ or better).
• —— Thus far, explore, through general medical reading, a variety of area of medicine.
• —— Continue volunteer work relevant to medicine in an area of interest.
• —— Become familiar with the basic organization and contents of the MCAT examination.
• —— Evaluate your performance at the end of the year and then make a reality check about your prospects for gaining admission to a medical school.
• —— Determine your future educational and career plans in light of your achievements of medicine.
• —— Establish your junior and senior year programs in consultation with your premedical advisor.

Third Year

• —— Establish a feasible systematic program of studies for the MCAT and apply to take it in April (or August, if necessary). Incorporate your preparation into your schedule of summer activities.
• —— Continue your efforts to attain an attractive GPA and science course average.
• —— Get a good night's sleep before the scheduled day to take the MCAT so as to perform optimally.
• —— Get information about medical schools of special interest to you from their catalog and/or Web site.
• —— Meet with your premedical advisor and discuss your application strategy and review and basically finalize your list of prospective medical schools to apply to.
• —— Get a copy of the AMCAS or AACOMAS application (around March) and review it carefully before completing it.
• —— Continue medical reading to become familiar with the general current information.
• —— Make an outline of the structure of your personal statement (essay) and then prepare a preliminary draft.
• —— Review your overall three-year performance and, if necessary, adjust the number and list of schools you will be applying to in light of your admission potential.
• —— Arrange for faculty letters of recommendation to be submitted on your behalf to your Premedical Office.
• —— Prepare for an interview by your school's Premedical Committee, if called for. This is aimed at facilitating preparation of a composite recommendation to go with your application to medical school.
• —— Formulate plans to obtain research or volunteer work in medically related activities during the summer.
• —— If necessary, study for the August MCAT during the summer intersession.
• —— Finalize your personal statement or (essay) early in the summer in consultation with your advisor and a person who writes well.
• —— Complete your AMCAS/AACOMAS application and send it off in a timely fashion (June–July).
• —— Review a student copy of your college transcript for accuracy before arranging for it to be sent out.
• —— Make preliminary preparations for medical school interviews that you will face.

Fourth Year

• —— Check to confirm that your AMCAS/AACOMAS application has been received.
• —— Carefully and thoroughly complete and promptly return all your secondary applications.
• —— When invited, schedule interviews on a convenient date.
• —— Prepare intensively for each of your medical school interviews and try to benefit from each.
• —— Following each interview, evaluate both your performance and the suitability of the school for possible enrollment.
• —— In consultation with your advisor, make a definitive medical school selection in the event you receive multiple acceptances.
• —— Advise your chosen school of your acceptance promptly and withdraw from all others (so that places can be filled by other applicants).
• —— Consider how best to respond, in the event an acceptance is not received.
• —— Discuss your options and formulate an action plan in consultation with your advisor.
• —— Appropriately acknowledge the assistance of your premedical advisor and faculty members who supported your application.
• —— Make plans to spend the summer profitably depending on the outcome of your application process. In any case, plan how best to prepare for your postgraduate activities.

Request Form for a Letter of Recommendation

Letter of Recommendation in Support of a Superior Candidate

Letter of Recommendation to Enhance a Candidate's Status

_____University

July 31, 2002

Chairperson

Admissions Committee Re: Daniel H._____

Dear Doctor:

I am writing on behalf of Daniel H._____, whom I have gotten to know very well during the course of his extended visits to my office.

I am especially stimulated to write on behalf of Daniel in the light of what I foresee as the special qualities that I think physicians planning to practice in the next century should have. It is my feeling that there is a need for prospective physicians to feel that their sense of satisfaction will be the major fulfillment factor in their future medical practice. Daniel _____, to my mind, is an individual with such an outlook.

Daniel was born and raised on Long Island, where he attended private elementary and high schools. His parents both have a higher education. He enrolled at_____University for his undergraduate studies because he desired the advantages that a smaller institution affords._____University premedical curriculum is rather unusual in that organic chemistry precedes inorganic chemistry. Daniel was academically unprepared for this regimen; nevertheless, by intensively applying himself he received a satisfactory grade in this course. This situation, however, impacted negatively on his freshman GPA (approximately 3.0). Subsequently, his performance steadily improved to the point where his GPA for junior year was 3.85. Clearly, his ability to face up to challenges and his determination to achieve his goal are most evident from his overall performance during the past three years. His science GPA (excluding freshman year) is superior and is reflected and confirmed in his strong showing on both of the science subtests of the spring, 2001 MCAT. His low quantitative score is probably an aberration. I believe it is to be of no significance in terms of a reflection on his ability. Nevertheless, he is retaking the exam because of his determination to rectify this situation.

What is especially striking about Daniel is that he comes from a family that has passed on a very successful business (wholesale fruit and vegetables) through several generations. His father, not surprisingly, would be quite amenable to his becoming active in the business upon graduating college and eventually attaining financial success. However, Daniel is seeking a service-oriented career.

Daniel has impressed me with the genuineness of his motivation and the sincerity of his conviction. He clearly realizes that the component of personal satisfaction is one of the most important aspects of a career in medicine. His considerable exposure to medicine has not only reinforced his interest in this field, but has provided him with evidence that such service can provide a unique means of personal gratification.

In summary, Daniel possesses solid academic and personal credentials and, in my mind, has the innate attributes that a prospective physician should possess. I strongly recommend him to your next freshman class.

Sincerely,

Chair, Premedical Advisory Committee