Tips for Applying to Medical School

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My absolute #1 (and longest) tip is to BE PREPARED. Be prepared for the amount of time and money you need to invest, be prepared for stress, be prepared to be overwhelmed. This was my personal downfall when I was applying for schools. You have to be aware of deadlines, transcripts, LORs, secondaries, etc.

1. Before you apply, go to each of your chosen schools' websites.  Make a spreadsheet of deadlines, minimum requirements (coursework, GPA, residence), and application requirements (number of letters, where to send transcripts/letters, etc). Most schools are streamlined to accept everything through AMCAS/AACOMAS, but some schools differ in their policies.
2. Take note of how many and what kind of letters each school requires. Write down how many letters and what kind of letters each school requires (e.g. 2 science, 1 non science, 1 character) You will need to assign letters to each school when you apply to schools on AMCAS and AACOMAS, and making a list will make life much easier. 
3. Get a rough calculation of how much applications are going to cost. Do this so that you won't be surprised once AMCAS/AACOMAS calculates your total and you feel like backing out or subtracting a few schools.
4. Have your personal statement ready no later than July. Schools will receive a majority of applications in July and August, and you will want to be one of those applications. (Remember: It takes 4-6 weeks to process/verify applications) Write a draft and have multiple professors, parents, and other peers read your personal statement. You will want their feedback and impression of you after reading so that you can edit accordingly. 
5. Have your transcripts sent immediately to the application service once you've started your application or once your final grades are in. From what I remember, you can't even submit your application until they've received your transcript. Do not wait until end of summer to submit your transcripts because it will take the school some time to send it, as well as for AMCAS/AACOMAS to process them.
6. If you plan on submitting your application first week of July for example, make sure you have asked for Letters of Recommendation well before that deadline. As a courtesy, give your recommenders at least a month (if not way more) to have your letter ready. Professors and physicians are very busy people so I gave my recommenders 3+ months. Be sure to give them an ultimate deadline so that you are not anxiously waiting to see if will send it in time. 
7. Most applications are sent to schools in July. Schools will take some time to filter applications and decide who to send secondary applications to (usually one week to a month after submission). If you apply to a lot of schools or are still in school, those e-mails will come flooding in and you might feel overwhelmed (my personal problem when I was applying). Once you get those e-mails create another spreadsheet and to-do list. Filter and categorize. For example, immediate response, 1 week deadline, 2 week deadline. Applications that only require you enter your personal information and a payment, do immediately. 1 week deadlines are for your top choice schools and 2 week deadlines for the rest. *Keep in mind, some schools will have a 1 week or 2 week deadline for a response anyways.
8. While waiting for secondary invitations to be sent out, research possible secondary essay questions. Student Doctor Network is a great resource for applicants to research what was asked in previous years or that current year if they have already been sent out. Also keep in mind school missions when writing secondaries, it will prove your motivation and interest in the school.
9. Do not wait until the deadline to submit your secondary applications. Not only does it show lack of interest, most schools are on a rolling basis and will have filled most of their class by that time. 

Letters of Recommendation (LORs) can be sent directly to AMCAS/AACOMAS, the school, or sent to a letter service that will send your letter anywhere. Personally, I love Interfolio. The system is simplified, their customer service is helpful, and they have experience with AMCAS/AACOMAS -- it's worth the investment. Interfolio does have a yearly subscription requirement but is free if you find a promo code (I can send you one that worked for me, if you're interested). The benefits of Interfolio are really only if you have to send letters to schools directly or if you need to reapply. If you have your recommenders send your LORs directly to the application service, you cannot get them back. If one school requires letters directly, it may be a hassle to your recommender to send it out a second or third time. However, with Interfolio, they keep the letter in their system for up to five years. Each time you need it sent elsewhere, you input a new mailing or e-mail address and they will send it out for a small fee. This also goes for if you need to reapply. In a year's time, your professor or supervisor may have deleted your LOR, Interfolio on the other hand has kept your letter and is ready to be sent any time. 

I briefly mentioned this in the first tip, but another regret of mine was not applying to a lot of programs my first time around because I thought it was a waste or unnecessary. I have heard from numerous other applicants that one thing they would tell other applicants is to apply everywhere! Of course, that comes with a cost. Applying to school is expensive, but so is med school tuition. $1000 to $2000 on applications to get into med school pales in comparison to the amount of money you will need to borrow and spend to complete med school. (The MCAT alone is $310!) Therefore, my advice is to save up or borrow so that you can apply anywhere and everywhere because you never know which school is going to give you the chance to become a physician.

The simplest and obvious piece of advice. Do not lie. Do not over exaggerate. If you lie or exaggerate on your activities section, schools will know. You will have to explain yourself in an interview and it will be difficult to keep up with incoming questions if you know nothing about what they are talking about. Admissions committees have done this for a long time and can pick up on that you really haven't spent 2000 hours tutoring in one year while in school full time, with 3 mission trips and research. If you really have, make sure to leave good references and detailed explanations. 

I've spoken with a few professors and their advice to me was to have a passion and a focus, and it will be reflected in your application. Having an underlying passion to why you volunteered in this mission trip or why you were a TA will make you stand out in the AdCom's minds. Having a focus will also help you pick and choose which activities to include in your application. Do not list every small event you participated in college because it is irrelevant unless it meant something to you. And make sure to really spell out why it meant to you so much in the explanation section of each activity.

Do not feel pressured into submitting exactly the day you are allowed to submit unless you are ready. This is to stray you from submitting your application prematurely. Spend time reflecting on your personal statement, your activities list and details, your LORs, etc. You cannot edit your application once you have submitted it through AMCAS/AACOMAS. I believe the only thing you can do is add schools to which the service sends your application. Take a few days or another week to just think it over, perfect your personal statement, or anything else that needs attention. This goes for secondary applications as well. Secondaries are an AdCom's in-depth look at your personality and passions to see if you are the right fit for their school, so take it very seriously and do not submit unless you have proven yourself the right to have a chance to become a student at their school.

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I really hope these tips helped you or provided some insight into this crazy application process. I will be sure to update this post if I ever think of something else. I also intend to continue premed-related blog posts as time goes by. Perhaps, secondary application tips, interview tips, or even some posts related to premed life in general. I'd also love to hear your suggestions in the comments! I do these posts to help anyone out there struggling and I will be sure to make a dedicated post if you request it!

All in all, this is my first blog post. I've never attempted to do something like this before. If you didn't find this helpful, I'm sorry if it's too long or if it didn't provide any new info. I'm trying! If you did like it, please be sure to enter your e-mail address over on the right side of the page if you'd like to be updated on more blog posts from me!