Blog Archives

How to Use the MSAR to Your Advantage

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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Happy Medical Training: An Oxymoron?

Medical school and residency training usually decrease one’s happiness for several reasons. Happiness researchers have demonstrated that a feeling of control and the amount of spare time one has both correlate with happiness. Both of those factors are limited during med school and residency. Relationships are also correlated with happiness, and those can be squashed during medical training as well.

I’m not trying to be a downer here! I want to encourage applicants to consider this happiness quotient when selecting an institution and training program. A lovely client recently emailed me to ask if he should consider medical schools’ residency program director scores in deciding where to matriculate. (He had already gotten multiple acceptances!) I advised him to consider where he would be happiest instead. If you are able, maximizing your contentment by choosing an institution that fosters your greatest happiness is key. Geography; proximity to family, friends and community; and a location that provides an opportunity to enjoy hobbies during limited free time are significant.

Excellent training is important, but, in the end, many programs turn out equally qualified clinicians. At least consider your well-being as a factor in selecting where you might be for the next three plus years of your life.

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Top 25!

While I’ve written before about my (and Malcom Gladwell’s) hesitation with school rankings, I do reluctantly use them in listing where my clients have been accepted because they are more illustrative than alphabetic order.

Please note that the top 25 schools are all represented on the Insider accepted list (plus many, many more).

If you are a previous Insider medical school admissions client and you do not see all of the schools that accepted you on the list, email me.

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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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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: