ways for students to get into medical school

There are certain requirements that you must meet in order to be admitted into the medical school of your choosing, such as certain MCAT scores, a certain GPA, required courses and even more. For especially getting into these fields students need to focus on their main subjects which will make a good career in medicine.

HAVE A GOOD CGPA

If you’re reading this during your senior year of college right before opening your AMCA application and you haven’t done well in school, don’t give up hope!
Consider entering a post-bac program, because as much as people talk about the trend that medical schools care more and more about your background, personality, extracurriculars, etc. I know tons of people who had mediocre grades in college but then rocked the post-bac classes due to newfound motivation and maturation. This definitely works. Of course, it’s best if you’ve gotten good grades all along. The other option is, starting at age 18, work hard and do really well in college. If you’re a genius, this isn’t that hard. If you’re not, get ready to sacrifice some fun.

MCAT GRADE

The people who have the most trouble getting into school (besides people with bad grades, who pretty much don’t get into schools), are those who bomb the MCAT. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the MCAT, I don’t support the MCAT, in fact, I hate the MCAT, but you need to post a decent score.

In my non-expert opinion, the 505-507 range is a passing grade on the MCAT. Anything lower will hurt you, anything higher will help you. Don’t stress too much about it, just study a lot, take TONS of practice tests IN exact testing conditions (no breaks, same time as real test, sitting at a desk quietly, etc.), and then do as well as you can.

TAKE GUIDANCE

I also recommend a research recommendation and a letter from someone who’s seen you do clinical work. If you’ve had a legitimate job, get one from there too. Professors are great, but the committee letter takes care of that aspect for you, at least it’s supposed to. Since you want to apply in June, you should really contact your recommenders by January of your application year. That way, they have plenty of time to write it, you can send them reminders each month, and everyone is happy in the end.

Most people will agree to write you a letter if they know you at all, but try to get people who really and truly know you and who you can level with. The best recommender is someone you can sit down with and say, “this is what I think should be in my letter, blah blah blah.”

GET MEDICAL EXPERIENCE

If you’ve had particularly cool hands-on clinical experience or responsibilities, that’s a plus, but the important thing is that you’ve spent lots of time with physicians while they’re on the job, and you know what you’re getting in to.

Schools want to make sure you don’t just like the idea of being of a doctor, but that you like the reality of the job. This is important for your own clarity too. This is not Grey’s Anatomy or House, this is actual life. Be sure you know what you’re getting into, and prove that on your application.

BE PREPARED FOR INTERVIEWS

Get prepared and do some practice interviews. My practice interviews helped me a lot. Some people are natural interviewers and don’t really need the practice. Decide which one you are and go with that.

Again, current doctors and premed advisors are the best people to do practice interviews with. It’s easy to explain to your friends who know nothing about the field why you want to be a doctor – it’s much harder to explain it to an actual doctor. Before your interviews, make sure you can talk about ALL activities on your application, and why a career in medicine suits you. Beyond that, and this is a cliche of course, but be yourself. The bottom line, if the person interviewing you likes you as a person by the end, you have a good chance of getting in.

CHOOSE PROPER MAJOR SUBJECT

Choosing the proper subject in which the student is interested as a major play a vital role in building up a career in medicine.  Classes like biology, physics, chemistry, and math that are required for medical school admission. If you are struggling in any classes, get help right away.

COMPLETE RESEARCH PAPERS AND PROJECTS

To get into medical school, you need to show your ability to research through extensive research projects. And to get into a top med school, you’ll need to complete impressive research, beyond what students typically produce. Additionally, you should try to have published work that demonstrates your ability to do research.

APPLY TO VARIOUS SCHOOLS

Even if your sights are set on NYU, Brown, Harvard, or Dartmouth, make sure you apply to many schools, including a few safety schools. According to a recent AAMC report, the average number of schools med students apply to is 15. You should look up your target med schools and see what their admitted applicants look like, aka their GPA and MCAT scores, volunteer experience, clinical experience, etc.

From this article, you will get knowledge for a career in medicine and medical schools.