MD/PhD Admissions Medical School Admissions Myths

The summer may give longer warmer days, but for eager premeds the summer isn’t the restful vacation it should be. Numerous students are filling out their primary applications, in the hopes of achieving admission to the medical school of their dreams. As you navigate the path to MD admissions, it seems that everyone offers tips on how to succeed during this process. With the massive amount of information being hurled at you by a number of individuals, it becomes hard to know if you’re making the best impression you can. In this post, we’ll go through some of the common myths surrounding the medical school admissions process: 1. More activities = Stronger application A lot of premeds think that having a large number of activities is beneficial to an application. While it is important to demonstrate that you are a well-rounded candidate, having too many activities is not necessarily a good thing. An excess of activities can signal a lack of commitment. During your college years, in preparation for medical school admissions, it best to focus on a few activities that really mean something to you. As you go along the interview trail, you will be asked about these things repeatedly. Be prepared to speak about these events in your life and what you’ve gained from them. 2. My chances of acceptance go down as the interview season progresses. Many students feel the pressure to complete their applications as close to the time the application opens. While it’s a good idea to get it done as soon as possible, it shouldn’t be submitted at the expense of submitting a high quality admissions essay. Most schools have a rolling admissions process, which means that applications are read as they come in, interviews are granted, and after an interview is conducted, acceptances are made at a monthly admissions meeting. Don’t worry! Your chances don’t decrease if you apply in August or in October. The admissions committees select the most qualified applicants, and if you make the cut, you’re sure to get an acceptance. 3. I need to major, or have majored, in a scientific discipline. One of the biggest myths is that you NEED to major in a natural science discipline (physics, chemistry, biology) in order to gain acceptance to medical school. While it may help to have a strong background in these subjects, you will have to have taken introductory courses for all of the topics covered in the admissions test in order to gain admission, anyways. So, regardless of your chosen major in college, we all pretty much start on equal footing once medical school starts. Those are just a few of the common myths plaguing medical students. Hopefully, this post has reassured you a bit as your dive into medical school admissions success and refuted some of the post common myths. Good Luck with the application process! ;