It’s fulfilling for a doctor to receive a patient, and as per the description of how they’re feeling, they can run tests and diagnose the problem. They feel even better when they can prescribe a treatment plan, which includes medicines as per the diagnosis, and the patient recovers after that.
Before becoming a certified and legal medical practitioner, the doctor must go through medical school. Medical school is quite a journey that requires perseverance, patience, and resilience. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the national acceptance rate into medical schools is 43%. Competition is stiff, and you need to put in a lot of work, including going through prerequisite classes, which may be difficult to survive.
People often apply to get into medical school, but don’t succeed for various reasons, including not meeting the set requirements. It’s not the end of the road when your application is rejected. You can pick yourself up and join others who’d like to go to the medical schools of their dreams and go over the various processes.
If your application is rejected, you’ll need to review how to make the application from the beginning to the end correctly. For instance, you need a catchy personal statement. Medical Aid explains some of the steps to come up with a convincing one, so you may want to visit that site if you want some expert tips.
Here are several ways you can successfully get into the medical school of your dreams:
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Be Informed That Great GPA And MCAT Scores Are Not The Only Prerequisites
GPA and MCAT scores are crucial in showing that you qualify for medical school. However, in the pre-screening process that all medical school applications go through, the GPA and MCAT scores are checked alongside the average score, which is the threshold. Once it’s ascertained that you’ve reached the threshold, it’s your experience that’ll be the next point of concern. In other words, good scores in GPA and MCAT alone won’t be enough.
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Embark On Research Projects
Experience in research goes a long way in applications for medical school. Since most medical schools would like to have students on board interested in research, you’re better placed when you have the experience.
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Ensure To Have Captivating Recommendations
To get into a top medical school, you need strong recommendation letters. It’s not enough to have a recommendation letter that only records regular attendance and top scores in the various examinations. Your recommendation letter should show how you’re committed to serving, your ability to work with others, and your intellectual knowledge.
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Don’t Be Stuck With The Must-Do Major Units To Join Medical School
In the past, as an undergraduate, you needed to major in biology, chemistry, or physics to join medical school. Over time, medical schools have begun to appreciate the value of liberal arts. A variety of pre-med majors have also been made available; therefore, students are free to study what they like, as long as they ensure a good GPA and MCAT scores.
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Be Focused
Don’t be caught up in so many activities that may not be necessary for your application to medical school. Focus on your passion, then find ways to relate that with medicine creatively. That way, you’ll be doing something worthwhile with your time before applying for medical school.
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Don’t Limit Yourself To One School
You may have a preferred medical school, or it may even be your dream school. But, as the saying goes, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You’ll find that different schools have different requirements. Research well on each school and acquire information about their offered programs and expectations from the admission committees. You won’t lose everything when your application to your dream school is rejected. You’ll still have other chances as you applied to a couple of other schools.
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Get Some Work Experience
You’ll be expected to have some medical experience, which isn’t treating patients per se but to show that you have an idea of your job in the future. Such experience is obtained by job shadowing, i.e., volunteering at hospitals or physicians’ offices to learn basic and specific skills in the medical world. Work experience is an added advantage to your resume as you apply to medical school.
Conclusion
It’s one thing to go to medical school and another to go to the school of your dreams. Whereas it may be challenging to go to your dream medical school because of medical schools’ highly competitive nature, you’ll have higher chances of getting accepted if you consider applying to more than one school. Don’t lose hope when your application is rejected; it happens. Instead, go over the application process again and be keen on rectifying areas that made your application unsuccessful.
