The medical school cycle is revving up, and it’s (past) time to get started on your application. Here’s an article I wrote for Student Doctor Network called “Ten Ways to Improve your Medical School Application.” The piece includes statistical truths, strategies for optimizing your approach, and philosophical guidance.
Blog Archives
Quick Tip: Schedule Your Strategy Session and Mock Interview Now
Applicants, secondary to very high demand this summer, I am currently booking 2 to 3 weeks in advance for Strategy Sessions and Mock Interviews. If you are in need of an upcoming Strategy Session or Mock Interview, please make sure to hire me at your earliest convenience to secure a slot.
Can a Medical School See the Names of the Other Medical Schools You Apply to?
Medical school applicants sometimes worry about adversely affecting their chances of admission because they might “offend” one school by applying to others. Good news: Schools will not know which other institutions or how many other institutions you applied to through AMCAS.
However, later in the season, medical schools at which you are accepted will be able to see at which other schools you are holding acceptances. But, of course, at that point, it’s too late for that information to harm you.
So, rest assured, applying broadly will not adversely affect your chances at an individual school.
Personal Statement Russian Roulette
It’s time (okay – not to freak you out – but actually late) to start working on your medical school personal statement. Check out this under-one-minute Guru on the Go© video on an important misstep to avoid when crafting your essay.
DO vs. MD
As the medical school application date looms nearer, I’ve had several pre-meds ask me about DO school. There was an excellent article in the New York Times a few years ago about what doctors of osteopathy do and how their admissions criteria are different from allopathic schools’. It’s here and worth a read.
The topic of DO schools is an enormous one. A few quick points many candidates don’t know about DOs:
1. Many doctors of osteopathy practice medicine just like allopathic doctors do. I do per diem emergency shifts at Kaiser and work with many DOs. Candidly, I usually do not know which colleagues have osteopathic degrees and which have allopathic ones unless I see a prescription blank or a signed computer note.
2. If applying to osteopathic school, candidates are generally better off with at least one (strong) letter of recommendation from a DO supervisor.
3. Osteopaths currently take the COMLEX for their board tests, instead of the USMLE. If an osteopathic medical student wants to enter an allopathic residency, s/he may need to take the USMLE in addition to the COMLEX. On the other hand, there are many allopathic residencies that accept the COMLEX. Also, there is talk that in the future (when exactly is unclear, however) there may be just one board test that both groups take.
4. The osteopathic Match occurs before the NRMP Match, a fact that can be difficult for osteopaths applying to both types of residencies. If those applicants are successful in the osteopathic Match, they cannot enter an allopathic residency. If, on the other hand, they wait and enter the NRMP Match, they run the risk of simply not matching.
Again, this topic is complicated and nuanced. If you’d like to discuss your candidacy and the DO option, contact me for a Strategy Session.
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
