Chasing Medicine

It all started when…

For Halimat Olaniyan, MD, chasing medicine started with the opportunity to be the co-chair for the Future Physicians Summit. The summit was a day event that brought youth from Ypsilanti, Southfield, and Detroit, Michigan to Michigan Medicine’s campus for a day of exploration. It started as an idea from Dr. Jasmyne Jackson MD, as a way to give underrepresented minorities early exposure to careers in healthcare. After the summit’s successful first implementation, our founder took on the role of Media Manager to help promote its second rendition.

Dr. Jackson made all the difference for our founder in helping her apply to medical school. We cannot thank Dr. Jackson enough for helping us strengthen the pipeline to medicine. After all, how can youth hope to be what they don’t know of? The cycle ends here.

Affirm

We value the narratives of the students that come to us and know that it is not our place to tell them what is or isn’t important in telling their story, but rather to assist them in making sure their story reads how they intend it to.

Collaborate

We embrace diverse perspectives by working with a team of pre-med and medical students, residents, physicians and staff from all backgrounds to offer the best support we can.

Empower

We help students by providing them with the knowledge, exposure, and resources they need to understand the application process so that they may go on to help their peers and the communities they belong to.

Quick Tips for Success

Facing the MCAT

Set aside a large chunk of time where you can focus on just the MCAT

1. Make a plan

2. Adapt your plan as you see what does and doesn’t work for you

3. Do NOT think you’re going to be able to memorize everything

4. Focus on PRACTICE

   • Practice without review is pointless

   • Spend at least the same amount of time you spend on practice, reviewing

Writing Your Personal Statement, Activities, Secondaries & Updates

Keep your tense the same throughout

1. Use active voice and descriptive narration

2. Don’t be cliche or make grand generalizations

3. Show through examples, don’t make claims or list characteristics

4. Tie it all back to your WHY medicine

5. Remember it should be about YOU

Time is of the essence

• Generally, you should aim to send completed secondaries back within two weeks of receiving them

1. Don’t be afraid to reuse the same material for all of your secondary’s

   1. Of course, make edits as necessary but often times schools ask the same questions just in different ways, save yourself the hassle

2. Do the optional prompts

   • Yes, they are truly optional but offer another opportunity to tell them your story

3. Only apply to schools you truly have an interest in attending

   • This will make writing their secondaries and answering why you are interested in that school a lot easier

   • Do your research on how different schools offer programs that suit your interests

   • It’s not just about how well you fit them but also how well they fit your needs and wants

4. Send updates!

   1. Not a lot of schools except updates so be sure to take advantage of the ones who do

   2. Show them what you are up to and how you are continuing to pursue your goals

Interviews

Familiarize yourself with the different types of interviews

1. There are the multiple mini-interview format (MMI) and traditional types where the interviewers may or may not know details from your application

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

   1. Do mock interviews with family and friends

   2. Ask for critical feedback and analyze areas for improvement

2. Take a Stand

   1. While you should acknowledge the other options make sure to take a stand on an answer and explain your choice

3. Be Confident

   1. Do not look to the interviewer to see if you are answering the question correctly

4. Know Your Application!

   1. Anything you shared could come up again

   2. Be prepared to elaborate

Frequently Asked Questions on the Road to Medicine

PRE-MED

Do I have to get perfect grades?

No! First of all, there’s no such thing as perfect grades. Some people will tell you that you have to get straight A’s to get into medical school, but people who get straight A’s and perfect scores aren’t necessarily the ones who get into medical school. It is way more important to be a well rounded student than to be a perfect student. Of course, you should always do your best, but when things don’t go your way, that doesn’t mean you should quit. We find that truly having an interest in what you are learning, or the desire to learn, will pay off more than beating yourself up over the grades you get. There’s nothing wrong with wanting good grades, just make sure you’re competing with the person you were yesterday to be better tomorrow, not with the kid that claims only perfection gets you into medical school.

If you are confident that your grades are not enough to get into medical school, look into a special Master’s programs or Post-Baccs. These programs are usually a year long can help give a boost to your GPA, however they can be expensive. If you choose to attend one of these programs make sure to also address other areas of weakness in your application while working on classes and grades. Gain new experiences and work with a population you are unfamiliar with in order to further become a well rounded individual.

What makes a strong applicant?

Again, there’s no perfect applicant or one guaranteed path to medicine. It is about being well rounded, having interests and experiences outside of medicine that somehow make you want to pursue medicine even more. We recommend following your passions and letting them guide you. When it comes time to build a resume, schools will know if you did things just to say you did them or if you really enjoyed the experiences.

Do I have to meet certain criteria?

People say you have to complete a certain number of volunteer, research, or leadership hours to get into medical school. We disagree. Yes, there is a place in your application where you will list up to 15 activities and how many hours you spent on each, but it is more about what you gained from the experiences than doing them because you felt you had to. Again, med schools will see straight through that. Of course you should volunteer, but because you want to better yourself and your community, not just to get into medical school. Find volunteer opportunities that speak to you. If your curiosity leads you to want to learn more about a topic, than yes you should do research.

Now, there are schools that require research but if you don’t like research, don’t apply to those schools. And there are also schools that require a certain amount of community service or hands on medical experience hours. Even the pre-med curriculum requirements vary from school to school. So no, you don’t have to major in Biology or publish a research paper to get into medical school. But if your interests take you there, then that’s great. If there is a specific school you’re interested in than you might want to look into their requirements before you plan on applying. Over all, it is best not to plan your life around these requirements and instead look for how you fit with what certain schools are looking for. Fit works both ways, a school should want you just as much - if not more - than you want them

THE MCAT

How should I prepare for the MCAT?

No one can tell you how best to study for the MCAT, unfortunately you have to figure out on your own what works best for you. We believe that are three essential things every MCAT study plan needs: discipline, practice, and time.

1. DISCIPLINE

   Whether you’re studying on your own or taking a course, you must be disciplined. We find that the best way to do this is to set a schedule for yourself like you would if you were taking classes. If you’re good at self discipline than maybe a suggested MCAT study plan and a planner are enough for you. If you struggle with discipline, and MCAT course might be really helpful.

2. PRACTICE

   A lot of people make the mistake of trying to re-learn 2+ years of science courses or memorizing every detail, but it’s not possible! You have to see the courses you’ve taken before as your foundation and brush up where you need to, otherwise there isn’t enough time to learn/memorize everything. And practice problems will be your best friend. We recommend spending the majority of your MCAT study time doing practice problems, take practice tests, and most importantly REVIEWING your practice. Practice without review is pointless. And you should set aside time to practice every day, building in more time as you go along.

3. TIME

   You have to give yourself enough time to truly devote to studying for the MCAT. It doesn’t have to be a year or anywhere near that long, it really just depends on how good you are at discipline and how well practice is going. We think the best way to do it is to set aside 2-3 months where, if possible, studying for the MCAT is your only responsibility. For pre-med students, there are some really great summer opportunities that will support you in doing just that. You can also ask your school to see if they offer any free MCAT resources.

   • The University of Michigan Health Sciences Institute: Career Development Academy

   • The Pre-Admission Program at the University of Kansas

When should I take the MCAT?

Again, only you can decide when you’re ready to take the MCAT. However, there are some things to consider like when you want to apply to medical school. Most schools would recommend you take the MCAT no later than the spring before the summer they apply. That’s because it takes 30 days after taking the MCAT for your to receive your scores back. Taking the MCAT a couple months before you apply can give you time to re-take it if you need or address it in your application. We think it’s okay to take the MCAT and apply for medical school in the same summer, as long as you can do successfully juggle the two.

Do I have to take the MCAT by a certain date?

• No, however, you application can be delayed based on when you take the MCAT.

• It is best, if possible, to take the MCAT and receive your scores before submitting your application

What is the delay?

• It takes 30 days to receive your MCAT score, so if you take the MCAT any day up to May 28th, you’ll get it on or before June 26th - the first day applications are released to medical schools. Effectively having no delay on your application.

• If you take the MCAT past May 28th or later into the summer, schools may wait until receiving your score to offer secondaries and will definitely wait before offering interviews.

What if I am applying and taking the MCAT at the same time?

• That’s okay too! Some people think this is risky, especially if you don’t like your score on the MCAT

• We recommend taking the MCAT as early as possible but for the best chances waiting no longer than late July. That way your application is still complete by the end of August as the application pool gets more dense, and thus more competitive, going into the fall.

Can I take the MCAT multiple times?

• Of course, however, you should aim to only have to take it once if you can. The MCAT is expensive and time consuming, so it’s better to wait and take it when you’re ready than rushing into it if you know you aren’t ready.

• There is also a limit to how many times you can take the MCAT:

  • Up to 3 times in 1 year

  • Up to 4 times over a 2 year span

  • Only 7 times in a lifespan

• If you have to take the MCAT again, we recommend spacing it out, at least a month, to make sure you’re giving yourself the best second shot you can.

How early can I take the MCAT?

• Most people take the MCAT their junior year of college if they plan to go to medical school right after graduation. Some people will take it as early as their sophomore year.

• The earlier you take it, the more flexibility you have in if/when you retake it.

• MCAT scores do expire after 2-3 years, however, so keep that in mind.

The best advice is to wait to take the MCAT when you’re ready. After all, there are limits to how many times you can take the MCAT and the exam requires huge financial and time commitments. For more information on taking the MCAT visit the AAMC’s MCAT hub.

Also be sure to apply for the AAMC’s Fee Assistance Program BEFORE you sign up for the MCAT! The Fee Assistance Program can help making taking the MCAT and applying for medical school a lot more affordable or even free!

What’s a good score?

This varies so much depending on your personal background, the school you went to, and the schools you are applying to. Academic counselors, mentors, and MCAT prep programs can help facilitate that decision by looking at your application as a whole. We will say, that you should at least be in the 500s to be competitive, as much as we hate to admit it, this number matters. But there’s a lot you can do to get where you need and want to be! So don’t let this, or any other score, define you. If you would like to know what the average MCAT scores and GPAs are for the schools you’re interested in, you can checkout AAMC’S Medical School Admission Requirements portal or MSAR. But remember, there is not one right path to medicine and just because your numbers don’t perfectly align with theirs doesn’t mean you should quit. We recommend only using MSAR to gauge what your potential “safety” and “reach” schools are when you are applying. We use these terms loosely as medical schools don’t follow a set equation to pick the students they admit and you may end up denied by your safeties and accepted by your reaches.

APPLICATION SEASON

When can I start working on AMCAS?

The AMCAS application portal opens on May 1st, but you can start working on your application remotely ahead of time. We recommend securing letters of recommendation at least three months in advance to when you intend to submit. You can also work on your personal statement and activities sections before the portal opens. Once the portal opens, you can copy all your information into the specific AMCAS boxes. Collecting the information you need ahead of time, like all of your transcripts, will save you a lot of frustration later.

What is AMCAS?

• Most medical schools, except Texas schools and international programs, partner with the Association of American Medical Colleges so you can apply for all the schools you want through one streamlined portal.

What is the earliest I can submit?

• May 31st is the first day you can submit your completed AMCAS application

For more information on what schools participate in AMCAS and their deadlines visit https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/participating-medical-schools-deadlines/

Source: https://students-residents.aamc.org/

When are applications due?

The first day you can submit your completed AMCAS is May 31st. Most schools have flexible due dates ranging from as early as November 1st to as late as January 30th. The majority of schools work on rolling acceptances, where they accept students as they apply. That means when you apply earlier, there are less students taking up the pool of acceptances. The later you apply, the fuller the pull and harder it is to get an acceptance, because now there are fewer open seats and more people who want them. We recommend having your completed application, including MCAT scores and letters of recommendation, in by no later than mid-August.

What is the latest I can submit?

• This varies from school to school and can be as early as November 1st, or as late as January 30th

• Most programs highly recommend early submissions but early can be as “late” as July since AMCAS sends applications to schools in approximately two week buckets.

• It takes two week to verify all of the information in your application and the first batch of applications aren’t released to medical schools until June 28th. Basically, there’s no difference between submitting May 31st and up to the second week of June.

Once I submit then what do I do?

• AMCAS houses your primary application, after submitting, medical schools may request a secondary application. Secondaries are essay questions specific to each school.

• This time is filled with a lot of waiting. Waiting to receive secondaries then waiting for interview invites. We recommend getting secondaries back within 2 weeks to accelerate the process.

Narrowing Your Top 3 for AMCAS

Up until April 15th, you are allowed to accept and hold as many seats as you want. That means you can accept every acceptance you get and don’t have to to turn any schools down, yet. That is really nice if you have lots of good options to have time to narrow your choices. However, for people on wait lists and still waiting to hear back, they probably won’t until after this date and more students have declined their acceptances.

What do I do?

• Go to AMCAS and decline/accept as needed making sure you’re only holding 3 acceptances by midnight, we recommend doing this in advance if possible

• Make sure to email the schools you’re withdrawing from in addition to withdrawing on AMCAS! It is up to you to communicate with each school and how well you follow step can have big implications!

What are secondaries?

AMCAS exists as a portal or one stop shop for to you submit your primary application to as many schools as you like, as long as they are participating in AMCAS, most schools are except Texas and international schools. Then, after you submit your primary applications, some schools will send back secondaries. Secondaries are essay questions specific to the school you’re applying for used to learn more about you and your interests outside of your personal statement and activities.

A lot of schools will send secondaries immediately after receiving your primary application, that means if you apply for 30 schools you may have to write up to 30 secondary essays. It is important to be purposeful in how many and what schools you apply to, or at least what secondaries you choose to write. Some schools will first screen applicants through their primary application, that means they will wait to receive your MCAT score before deciding if they send you a secondary or not. Keep that in mind when deciding when to take the MCAT.

Secondaries are usually the last communication you receive from medical schools before interview invites. They mark the beginning of a potentially long waiting game. We recommend returning completed secondaries in within 2 weeks of receiving them to facilitate this process. You can also start writing secondaries ahead of time, best to wait until after you’ve at least submitted your primary application.

How fast can I expect secondaries and interviews?

• Some schools send secondaries immediately upon receiving your primary application. Other schools filter some applicants out before sending secondaries so may wait to receive your MCAT score as well.

• The earliest interview dates are in August but most people will be interviewed by February. The earlier you submit, the more likely you are to get an earlier interview

Some people look up previous secondary questions on StudentDoctor.net forums but essay topics can change, though they rarely do. But there are general themes you can expect at least a couple schools will ask you about, so if you’re feeling bored waiting you can think about some secondary essay favorites:

1. Why are you interested in this (at that specific school) program?

2. What unique experiences or point of view do you have to offer the incoming class?

3. Have you had to overcome any barrier of significant consideration?

4. Name a time where you were in charge and you made a mistake. (don’t forget to mention what you learned!)

5. What did you during your gap year? (if you took one, they’re definitely going to ask)