'Waiting on a Sunday afternoon,
for what I read between the lines.
Your lies.
Feelin' like a hand in rusted chain.
So do you laugh, or does it cry?
Reply?
Leavin' on a southern train,
only yesterday, you lied.
Promises of what I seemed to be,
only watch the time go by,
all of these things you said to me.
Breathing, is the hardest thing to do,
with all I've said and all that's dead for you.
You Lied - Goodbye
Leavin' on a southern train,
only yesterday, you lied.
Promises of what I seemed to be,
only watch the time go by.
All of these things I said to you.'
- Stone Temple Pilots, Interstate Love Song
Listen to it; then you'll understand that this what you go through when applying to medical school.
anyway...
I applied to some long-shot schools like Harvard, but luckily I got in at Emory. I would advise to send a letter of interest soon after an interview to let your school know you like it. That's what I did at Emory and got in right away.
If you want the big name schools you need to do a lot of volunteering. I know people who got interviews everywhere. They didn't have as good of stats as me but they traveled to other countries doing clinic work. That stuff makes you look really good.
Research will also help a lot if that is your thing.
Personally, I don't think medical schools liked the number of jobs I had. I just had to explain to them (at the interview) that I had to pay almost all my bills so I didn't have the same opportunities as some people.
However, if you really just want to get in somewhere my advice is the following:
A. for getting interviews:
- keep your GPA as high as possible (at least 3.7 no matter where you go)
- do A LOT - i.e. more than me - of clinic and hospital volunteer work (travel if possible). It doesn't have to be over the top but just enough so the school knows you really want to be a doctor.
- shadow a physician. do this as much as possible (at least 2 different doctors).
- take difficult classes at your school and excel in them
- write a very good AMCAS essay (take your time and have someone help you come up with good ideas and read it over)
- jobs won't hurt but just make sure they can exemplify some good aspect about you (I thought my supervising job would be impressive)
B. for getting accepted:
- get an interview at the school (part A will help in my opinion)
- be sure to research your school ahead of time (know the type of interview, important things about the school, etc.)
- practice answering questions ahead of time (do it with a parent, friend, or mock interview). Trust me, the schools I got accepted into I actually practiced for the interviews and I knew they went well.
- be confident but NOT arrogant during the interview. You really just want to be genuine and tell the truth. These people will know when you lie.
- do not act nervous. You will be nervous going in for sure but if you act nervous during the interview it will send negative vibes and make you less confident to answer more challenging questions.
- look your interviewer in the eye. looking away tells you are not confident.
- answer your questions after allowing for some brief thought time. You don't have to answer right away. SLOW DOWN. You look better if you speak more slowly while looking your interviewer in the eye.
- be aware of current medical problems in your country
- don't say you want to be a doctor because of ER, House, Grey's Anatomy or other shows like that. I know it's funny but I've heard stories of people actually saying this.
Basically just be yourself while being very confident and truthful and you should be fine on your interview. If you have a good interview you stand a much better chance of being accepted. Acting arrogant is a surefire way of not getting in to your school right away. The interviewer wants to see how you may deal with future patients.
well I hope this helps. It's what I've learned after this entire process.
