You may think it is too early to even think about or prepare for it but in reality it is harder compare your college application. You need to start in your Freshmen year to prepare for it if you are serious (or at least remotely think this can be one thing you want to do after you get your undergraduate degree).
- Academic Considerations
- Major: any major is fine but key is to meet the pre-health core curriculum (additional work in biology or chemistry; courses with significant analytical reading and writing components to maintain or improve their verbal skills)
- GPA: overall (4 years) and not just Sophomore/Junior like from high school
- MCAT: only twice a year and not 7 times like SAT/ACT; general take in April of Junior; 3 multiple choice sections: Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences (physics and intro chemistry) and Biological Sciences (biology and organic chemistry) and writing section (2 essays)
- Research Experience: get something published
- Non-Academic Experiences
- Extracurricular and Job Experiences: religious, sport, club; develop interpersonal skill, teamwork, leadership, time management; serious commitment (long term verse many different ones; depth verse breath)
- Health Care Related Experience: internship at clinics, hospitals, nursing home, shelters; shadowing a physician; work directly with patients
- Experience to work with people: community service, volunteer work like tutoring, short term mission trip; work with people with different background (ethnic, religious, socio-economic, etc.); compassion for others
- Personal Considerations
- Letters of Recommendation: from 4 faculty members; actively participate in class and get to know the faculty who teach you
- Interview: All medical schools require an interview, often two or three, with members of their faculty and, sometimes, medical students on the admissions committee.
- Professional Behavior: professionalism; personal accountability
- reference to 2 good articles
- People who can handle intensive workloads while being able to maintain some sort of life outside school.
- Every school is looking for a particular ‘breed’ of medical student.
- Personalities fitting the current wind of change.
- http://sites.allegheny.edu/health/web-resources/
- mdapplicants.com is a fantastic resource to compare your school lists and numbers to other applicants.
- a fantastic MDapplicants profile, please see here
- Medical School Requirements – Find and Get into Med School – http://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/medical-school-requirements.aspx
- Princeton Review | Medical – http://www.princetonreview.com/medical-school.aspx
- http://www.princetonreview.com/schoolsearch.aspx?sch=medical
- Top 100 medical schools – http://www.medical-school-insider.com/top-100-medical-schools.html
- US News List – http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools
- 10 Medical Schools with Lowest Acceptance Rates (August 14, 2012) – http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/2012/08/14/10-medical-schools-with-the-lowest-acceptance-rates
- GRE instead of MCAT
- volunteer work (200 hours) are required
- first aid and CPR certification
- 3 letters of recommendation
- interview