Ask a Medical Student Anything: What do you wish you knew before applying to medical school?
Hi there! I’m Madison, a medical student in the Northeast who just started their fourth year of medical school. I’ve spoken to a number of premedical students over the years, and it made me reflect on things that I wish someone had told me before I applied. I discovered a lot of this stuff from browsing forums, and unless you’ve applied to medical school yourself, it’s really difficult to tell what’s actually relevant! That being said, here are some things to keep in mind when you apply…
Prewrite your secondaries!
Your primary application isn’t the end of the essays! Once your application is verified and transmitted to medical schools, the vast majority of schools will send out their secondary applications within one to two days. The exact contents of the secondary app vary by school and previous years’ prompts can be found online for comparison, but it’s often a few essays per school. This can add up fast! I highly recommend looking up the essay prompts for your school online and prewriting them. It’s important to try to submit secondary apps within two weeks, as your app is incomplete without it. It goes without saying, but if you copy and paste essays for similar prompts, make sure you change the school name and double-check the prompts in the portals when they open!
Know your application!
If you write something in your application, make sure you can talk about it! Anything that you’ve included is fair game for interviewers to ask about. It couldn’t hurt to review that research poster or abstract to make sure you’re comfortable discussing it during an interview. Your primary application DOES matter, so make sure you take your time to polish it up and can vouch for it as much as it vouches for you!
Interviews are for you, too!
Interviews are just as much for you as they are for the school! In order to make an informed decision, ask interviewers about things you find important. Some ideas include:
- How does the school support students taking a research year or a leave of absence?
- What is the relationship between the student body and school faculty and staff?
- How much hands-on experience do students receive within the hospital?
- How easy is it to get involved in research or extracurricular activities?
- What do you think this program excels in, and where do you think there is room for improvement?
Not all programs are equal!
Medical school is medical school, that much is true for sure. However, each program is unique, and some may match your interests and goals better than others. If you’re interested in a competitive specialty or a specific region, check the match lists of your schools. If no one has matched into plastic surgery on the West Coast from School A in the past 5 years, but a few have from School B, you might want to consider School B a bit more if you are interested in doing plastic surgery residency in California.
In-state preference is real. My medical school openly advertises the number of matriculating students who are from the surrounding area. This can also matter for residency, as both medical school and residency want their trainees to remain in the area if at all possible.
Reach out to Financial Aid offices to see what scholarships are available and what the typical financial aid package looks like for incoming students! Medical school can get expensive, and it’s important to know what your housing budget will be. Speaking of housing…
Some medical schools provide housing, and some do not. It’s never a bad idea to reach out to current students to see how much housing is, where most students live, if they live with roommates, and what the general options are for housing in the area.
Check and see if your school provides other benefits like meal stipends, board prep resources, tools like stethoscopes, and the like. This will help you determine your ideal budget and if you need to set anything aside for things like practice exams for boards or food from the cafeteria.
Some schools offer unique opportunities up to and including additional degrees. Opportunities include things such as MD/MEd (Master's of Education) tracks where you graduate with both degrees after four years, three-year primary care tracks or three-year specialty tracks, reduced tuition for primary care, Clinician Scientist programs, and much more. If you know you want something specific, do your research! If you want to practice Family Medicine in a certain region, some programs may cover your tuition on the basis of you completing a Family Medicine residency through them and working in a specific area after graduation.
Keep an eye on that portal!
Once you’ve chosen a school, make sure you finish the paperwork! The vast majority of schools will ask for a background check, a physical exam, blood draws for immunization titers, and official transcripts. My school lost my first transcript and I had to resend it. Do not miss these deadlines!
You are important!
Just like studying for the MCAT, remember to prioritize yourself. Explore as much as you can and find your passion!
Anything I didn’t cover? Questions about other topics? Let us know in the comments – it may be covered in our next AMA!
Comments
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Hi! What would you recommend doing during a gap year?
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Hi @bianca_cangiano - that's a great question! Gap years are highly individual, and there's no one right answer. If your application doesn't have a lot of research or shadowing, you can spend some time on those areas. Personally, I studied for the MCAT, took some summer classes to raise my GPA, and then worked full-time during the rest of the year to save money. However, those are far from the only options - you can travel, pursue a certificate or Master's, pick up a new skill, or just relax!
Stay tuned - we'll have another AMA next week about this topic in more detail!
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