Impress a Medical School Admissions Committee
You're thinking you want to go to medical school. You know there is this MCAT you have to take. And you know that you will need to take certain prereq courses. But how exactly do you impress a medical school admissions committee? There are certain things you can do that will really help win over a med school admissions committee. Read below to find out what those are.
Instructions
1. Get some clinical experience at a hospital or private practice. Medical schools need to see that you are serious about becoming a doctor and consider clinical experience and patient interaction as a very important factor.
2. Take your clinical experience to the next level. Lots of premed students applying to medical school volunteer in a hospital. But not all premed students have meaningful experiences. Make sure that you talk to patients. Ask them about what they think of doctors or what they think you should keep in mind for when you become a doctor. You'll have a much better explanation when asked about it on your application or in your interview.
3. Volunteer in an activity not directly related to medicine. You could teach art in a homeless shelter or play the piano during retirement home dances. Having an activity not related to medicine shows that you are versatile.
4. Take your volunteering experience to the next level. Just about any premed student has done volunteering work. Sticking out to a medical school admissions committee doesn't mean you have to volunteer your life away and participate in a million activities. A great way to stick out is to pick a unique activity that you participate in for a long time - maybe 1 to 2 years.
5. Perform research. This can be clinical research or basic science research. And realize that you don't need a lot of experience to get into research at the undergraduate level.
6. Take your research experience to the next level. Try to stay with the same lab for several years. This will allow you to build a strong relationship with the head of the lab. You will become more trusted and be able to work on more important projects. And you will have a greater chance of getting published. Publications where you are a first or second author are very impressive to an admissions committee. To enhance your research experience, consider doing a paid summer internship at the NIH (see "Resources" section below).
7. Be your own person. This means that you should have several genuine interests that show who you are as an individual rather than as a premed trying to fit the mold of a perfect premed student. Do you like frisbee or yoga? Maybe you enjoy playing in a band. Your personal interests can help you stick out, provided that you shine in the areas previously discussed.
Tags: clinical experience, experience next, experience next level, next level, school admissions, Take your