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How to Use the MSAR to Your Advantage

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The Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) is an online database that allows users to search, sort and compare information about U.S. and Canadian medical schools.The 2020 MSAR came out last month, and if you are applying to medical school, I’d recommend purchasing it ($28 for one year) because it provides so much information about schools and their admissions statistics. The MSAR allows you sort and compare schools by median MCAT scores, AMCAS GPAs, and other criteria.

You should use the MSAR to help determine which schools are in your range and which are “reach” schools. While it’s fine to have a lot of “reach” schools (if you can afford it), it’s critical to ensure you are applying wisely to schools that match your numbers. The advantage of the MSAR is that you can make evidence-based decisions. I’ve found some applicants have eye-opening experiences when they thoroughly review schools’ statistics and either realize that their numbers are low and that they should apply accordingly or, happily, that they have numbers that match with top schools. Either way, reviewing the data is critical to good decision making.

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How is COVID-19 Affecting Pre-Meds and Pre-Dental Students?

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COVID-19 has upended everyone’s lives, and I really mean everyone. Last week I mentioned some issues specific to pre-meds and pre-dental students. Here’s an update:

MCAT cancellations: As of last Wednesday, April 1, the AAMC extended the cancellation of MCAT testing through the month of April. (Prior, AAMC had only cancelled the March 27 and April 4 administration dates.)

Inability to acquire enough clinical, research, or volunteer hours is worsening, as applicants who had expected to get more experience this spring are being told that only essential workers should report for duties.

As the recession worsens, there is a decrease in individual wealth, leading to an inability to pay AMCAS/ AACOMS/ AADSAS fees or apply to as many schools as had been planned.

Difficulty accessing letter of recommendation writers who are no longer on campus or are, understandably, distracted with their own disruptions will continue to be a problem. 

A lack of enthusiasm for medicine (or an increase in it, for some) may rise as the great risk health care providers are currently assuming is more newsworthy. 

I’ve had an applicant or two ask me if this year is a better year to apply – perhaps less competitive – because of the above. I really have no crystal ball on that issue, although it’s an interesting question.

Keep safe and stay in.

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The Medical School Application Process and COVID

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Greetings from California where we are hoping to flatten the curve by proudly being the first state to order residents to shelter in place. 

Last week I posted some truly excellent articles and a podcast on COVID. This week, I’m listing some considerations pre-meds need to ponder in the setting of the virus:

1) The March 27 and April 4 MCAT exam administrations have been canceled globally. It’s unclear whether some future dates will be eliminated.

2) It is hard to get clinical experience right now. Many non-essential personnel are – rightly – being asked to stay home. 

3) Letter of recommendation writers may be harder to reach or focused on other concerns.

4) As of now, there is no indication that the AMCAS application calendar will change. 

Please stay home and stay safe.

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The Medical School Wait List: Can Anything Be Done?

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Just when you’ve completed your interviews and feel that you can finally sit back and relax a little because – after all – the rest is out of your hands, you may be surprised by a medical school wait list notification. What can you do?

1. Realize that getting into medical school has become increasingly competitive year by year. Being wait listed is infinitely better than being rejected, and thus a positive, despite the anxiety is causes.
2. Send a letter of interest. Let the school know of your continued enthusiasm and your new accomplishments. Ensure the letter is well written, streamlined, and brief. If the school is absolutely, positively your first choice, let the admissions committee know that. Feel free to send more than one letter if you are on a medical school wait list for months.
3. Ask the school if you can set up a second look. A supplementary visit indicates to the institution that you are serious, and it offers you more data in making your decision if you’re later offered a spot.
4. Do not neglect your other options. Don’t focus all of your attention on this institution to the exclusion of others: Ensure you are well-prepared for any late interview invites at other medical schools.
5. Ask a well-positioned faculty member who knows your work to make a call or send an email on your behalf. This tactic is especially helpful if the supervisor has a connection to the institution. (I do not recommend that a family friend who hasn’t worked with you contacts the school.)
6. Plan for last minute notice. At some institutions, applicants are offered slots off the medical school wait list throughout the summer. I’ve even heard of acceptances being offered the day before school was to begin. Would you be able to change your living situation, move your personal belongings, and uproot if this were to happen? Be prepared. 

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Urgent, Urgent, Urgent, Emergency?

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The AMCAS open-for-submission date came and went, and the question I’m getting now is: Should I panic if I haven’t yet submitted my AMCAS?

The answer is no – and depending on where you are in the process – yes. Submitting on Day 1 precisely is not worth losing your mind over, so if you didn’t do so, please don’t kick yourself. On the other hand, submitting very soon is to your advantage because of rolling admissions.

So, if you are wrapping up your work and have your written materials in a superior state, just keep moving and get your application submitted promptly. If you are behind the eight ball and don’t feel that you can craft outstanding written materials speedily, consider waiting a year to apply. Every season I encounter re-applicants who, during the previous application cycle, submitted their AMCASes in August or September…thus making them re-applicants :(. 

So… on your mark. Get set. Go!

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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