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Call me anytime

medical school application and residency applicationI recommend that if you have not heard from medical school, residency or fellowship programs to which you’ve applied, that you contact the institutions to inquire about your status.

After offering that advice to a client recently, she emailed me this week to say she obtained an interview in a competitive specialty with a call. Another said she received two preliminary interviews with simple emails. (I recommend calls over emails, however, because it’s hard to ignore someone on the other end of a phone line.

Still, if you simply can’t bring yourself to call, an email can be effective.) In years’ past I’ve seen this phone call strategy work for fellowship and medical school interviews as well.

Of course, if the school or program explicitly asks in written materials that you don’t contact them about your status, then calling is not a good idea.

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Don’t Rush that Residency Application

As of yesterday, applicants can begin applying to ACGME accredited residency programs through myERAS. Getting your application in early is a help, but make sure you don’t rush it if it’s not in its final form. Take an extra week to make sure you submit your best work.

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Medical School and Residency Interview Social Events: Dine but Don’t Whine

In an effort to attract desirable applicants, some medical schools and residency programs invite candidates to social events immediately before or during the interview day. The events usually include dinner, lunch, or even drinks with the students or residents.medical school interview and residency interview

It’s in your interest to attend these events: They show institutions that you are serious about their programs, afford you the opportunity to score social points, and allow you to gain valuable information about the students’ or residents’ satisfaction.

One insider piece of advice, however: Ensure you act professionally even if you are told that what you say will not affect your candidacy or get back to admissions. Even if everyone has good intentions, information garnered from these events can make its way to decision-makers. If you had a bad experience at the interview day, have a significant other who doesn’t want to move, or know your first choice is a different program, these social events are not the time to reveal that information.

For insider help with medical school or residency interviews, contact me.

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Think Before You Post

Before you tweet that racy comment or post a picture of yourself partying on Facebook, I recommend you pause. A recent study “Social Network Activity May Affect Medical School Acceptance” from the  Postgraduate Medical Journal indicates that social networking is affecting medical school and residency admissions. Nine percent of the medical school and residency program survey participants acknowledged routine use of social networking sites as part of the selection process.

The American Medical Association has advised doctors that social network content can adversely affect physicians’ reputations. That advice seems straightforward. However, what troubles me is that admissions officers can intentionally or subconsciously form negatively judgments about applicants based on the candidates’ family situations (e.g. a woman applicant with a new baby), political leanings, or romantic relationships.

Contact me for help with your residency application and medical school candidacy.

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Residency Application Help: AMSA National Convention

I have been asked to be a featured speaker at the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Annual Convention for the fourth year in a row. I’m grateful for the opportunity to interact with AMSA members again. In the past, the American Medical Student Association’s national meetings have been the largest annual gatherings of medical students in the United States.

I’ll be offering an interactive lecture called, “Getting Into Residency: An Insider’s Tips” on Friday, March 13 at 3pm in Washington, DC. Last year, we had a standing-room only crowd. More on the talk as we approach the date.

In the meantime, for those applying to residency programs this year or next, contact me for help with your residency application, the residency interview, and personal statement writing.

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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:

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