Medical school admissions are becoming increasingly competitive, in part, because of the failing U.S. economy. Bright applicants who used to target business school or law degrees are finding those fields unstable and are turning their interest toward medicine. Consequently, stronger candidates are now pursuing a medical career, making professional medical school admissions consulting increasingly important in optimizing medical school applications.
Medical school admissions consulting companies come in a variety of forms. Some are larger companies that focus on admissions to several types of graduate programs – not just medicine. Others are smaller companies that provide a medical focus, but have a pool of consultants of varying quality. Finally, elite companies offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients. These professionals are ex-admissions officers from respected medical institutions. They have the inside knowledge of how medical admissions work, providing personalized guidance to optimize candidates’ written materials and interview skills.
Because applicants can unknowingly undermine their chances of success with poorly compiled application materials, underdeveloped medical school admission essays and inadequate interview skills, a qualified, personalized medical school admissions consultant provides a great advantage.
An expert consultant can offer a variety of services to improve a medical school application:
- AMCAS® editing. The American Medical College Application Service is a centralized application processing service for medical school applicants. Ensuring that a candidate’s activity descriptions are optimally-worded is essential for showcasing the applicant’s accomplishments to admissions committees.
- Medical school personal statement and secondary essay editing. The AMCAS® medical school admission essay and follow up secondary essays allow the applicant to demonstrate his or her distinctiveness as a candidate. Excellent organization, format, syntax, grammar and spelling are essential.
- Curriculum vitae (C.V.). The C.V. is a standardized medical resume that is offered to faculty to improve candidates’ letters of recommendation (LORs), highly important factors in the medical school application process. The C.V. can also be used for the rest of the applicant’s professional career.
- Mock interviews. Few people would take the MCAT® without practicing first. But many applicants mistakenly arrive at their medical school interviews unprepared. Being coached by an experienced professional makes an enormous difference in an applicant’s confidence and presentation to the admissions committee.
When choosing a medical school admissions consulting company, an applicant should verify the company’s references and research its consultants. Elite companies that offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients offer a large advantage for medical school applicants, especially during these competitive times.
