Key to Getting Accepted

You have your program, school or residency all picked out- now all you have to do is get accepted! Sounds easy enough, right?

Getting accepted into medical school is hard, going through 4 years of hard work is equally as hard and then applying all over again to residency is- you guessed it- hard!

A lot of people will say that the process is ‘out of your control’ and although that is partially true, there are many parts of it that ARE in our control!

Great news! 

This means if we are able to recognize which parts are in our control and take advantage of them, we can significantly increase our chances of getting into our preferred programs.

So lets go over some of the aspects of the application process that we CAN control with these ssuccessful application strategies:

Understanding admission requirements of that program

Just like you would prepare yourself before a job interview with the stats and numbers for that company, you should absolutely be doing the same for that program. Learn about their application deadlines and program prerequisites.

• Did they make ground-breaking research discoveries this year?
• New developments in their curriculum or program?
• Who are the individuals on the admission committee?
• Does the program offer scholarship opportunities?

You should know everything about that program and leave no stone unturned!

Find out about that programs events

Since being in medical school and becoming a mentor to pre-med students in the community, I have come to realize just how many opportunities a lot of these programs have for premed students to interact with faculty and peers. 

And its A LOT! Being able to attend events that are being hosted by the medical school in your area is a huge opportunity!

And for those applying to residency- theres opportunities for you too!

As a medical student, I have been able to participate with the residency programs within my state by volunteering to be an ultrasound model and teaching aid at the hospital for their curriculum. Be on the lookout for these in your own area!

Any time that you can have face-to-face interaction with medical students, residents, peers, faculty and program directors, there is an increased chance of being remembered by those individuals since they can now put a face to your name. And if you are someone who they had a positive interaction with at these events- you are one step closer to getting accepted!

Letters of Recommendation + Personal Statement

This one might seem obvious but a letter of recommendation goes a loonnngg way in your application. The medical community is so small and we spend so much time working alongside our peers that it really does give off ‘small town vibes.’

Everybody knows everybody.

So just be extra cautious and confident about who you want writing your letter of recommendation. A strong letter of recommendation from a physician who you worked with for years or had a positive experience with on your rotations will ALWAYS outweigh a letter from someone who hardly know you but is in the specialty you desire.

Also, do not leave your personal statement to the last minute- this may be the ONLY thing that the admission committee will read about you!

Conferences

ATTEND THEM!

There are literally 100’s of conferences every year and this is your chance to meet your dream programs IN-PERSON! And it may be the only chance you have to impress them- don’t miss out!

The programs you are applying too will be able recognize you when you begin the application cycle.as they track that information at these conferences.

They want to see who checked out their program prior to the application cycle and it is a great way to stand out!

These have been successful application strategies that I have personally used myself and seen implemented among my own peers.

I hope they can help you in this upcoming application season!

Image by Лариса Мозговая from Pixabay