Pre-Med Advice | Medical Admissions Consulting : Insider Medical Admissions

Who Says You Can’t Have It All?

January 28, 2013 By Michelle Finkel Leave a Comment

Pre-meds and 2014 ERAS applicants: Who says you can’t have it all?

Every winter applicants contact me asking if I can work with them throughout the medical school and residency admissions processes. In the past, my help has been through a la carte services, but now I’ve created two packages (each with a $430 discount) for those applicants seeking my assistance from the beginning to the end of the admissions process.

The Complete Package for medical students covers a one-on-one Medical School Strategy Session, Editing Services (including the Medical School Personal Statement, AMCAS®, Medical School Secondary Essays, and a Letter of Intent) and Medical School Mock Interviews. Check it out here on my website!

The Complete Package for residency applicants (including IMGs) includes a one-on-one Residency Strategy Session, Editing Services (including the Residency Personal Statement, ERAS®, Curriculum Vitae, and a Letter of Intent) and Residency Mock Interviews. Check it out here on my website!

As always, feel free to email me with questions: insidermedical@gmail.com

Check me out at www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com

Filed Under: Pre-Med Advice, Residency Admissions Tagged With: Curriculum Vitae, Editing Services, Eras, Imgs, Letter Of Intent, Medical School Personal Statement, Medical Students, Meds, Mock Interviews, Residency Applicants, Residency Personal Statement, School Strategy, Secondary Essays, Strategy Session

Wall Street versus Medical School?

May 7, 2012 By Michelle Finkel Leave a Comment

This NYT article regarding college students’ recruitment to Wall Street is compelling. The author highlights the financial incentives that direct students to financial careers – and away from graduate degrees like medicine.

Filed Under: Admissions Consulting, Finances, Financing your medical education, Health Policy, MBA, med student, Medical School Admissions, medical school admissions consulting, medical school applications, Medical school rankings, medical student, Physician salaries, Physician shortage, Pre-Med Advice, premed, Public policy and medical education Tagged With: College Students, Financial Careers, Financial Incentives, Graduate Degrees, Medical School, Medicine, Nyt, Nyt Article, Students Recruitment, Wall Street

Insider’s Evidence-Based Advising Strategy

April 2, 2012 By Michelle Finkel Leave a Comment

As those of you who have worked with me or have heard me lecture know, I use Evidence-Based Advising in mentoring my clients. Just like we use data to drive good clinical practice, I have developed the concept of Evidence-Based Advising to use facts to drive strong application decisions.

In previous blog entries, I’ve discussed the utility of the NRMP Program Director Survey and the NRMP’s Charting Outcomes in the Match in helping to make solid, informed application decisions.

The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’ (ECFMG) data on Match results is another piece of information that can be helpful. For those contemplating applying to an international medical school or for those International Medical Graduates (IMGs) approaching this year’s application cycle, understanding IMGs’ performance in the Match is important. The current data just came out and is available here.

Of course, basing your decisions only on numbers is not adequate. When we provide excellent clinical care, we use experience, as well as the literature, to make our decisions. (This necessary combination is what makes managing patients during medical school and residency so hard.) For those of you interested in strategy based on years of admissions experience, coupled with Evidence-Based Advising, please contact me for one-on-one help.

I’ll continue to publicize useful sources of data for applicants.

Filed Under: "Getting Into Residency" CD-ROM, Admissions Consulting, Choosing a specialty, IMGs, International Medical Graduates, international medical schools, med student, Medical Residency Admissions, Medical Residency Application, Medical School Admissions, medical school admissions consulting, medical school applications, medical student, NRMP Program Director Survey, Pre-Med Advice, premed, Residency Admissions, Residency Application, The Match, where to apply to medical school Tagged With: Application Cycle, Application Decisions, Educational Commission For Foreign Medical Graduates, Foreign Medical Graduates, Good Clinical Practice, International Medical Graduates, International Medical School, Mentoring, NRMP, Program Director

Letters of Intent

March 5, 2012 By Michelle Finkel Leave a Comment

Medical school letters of intent (or what some applicants jokingly call “love letters”) can be used for several types of applicants:

1) Those who have been wait listed
2) Those who have been interviewed but have not yet been accepted or rejected
3) Those who have not yet been invited to interview

When writing your letters of intent (LOIs), you should have the following principal goals:

1) Restating your interest in the institution
2) Positioning yourself as a distinctive candidate

The biggest error I see in LOIs is too much content about a specific institution’s advantages. There is no reason to spend a paragraph or more telling medical school admissions members what makes their institution special. They already know! Using your precious space this way is an opportunity cost, keeping you from fully showcasing what makes you a compelling applicant.

For those of you interested in LOI assistance, please contact me. I do offer a popular LOI editing service.

Filed Under: Admissions Consulting, AMCAS tips, Application stress, Letters of Intent, Medical School Admissions, medical school admissions consulting, medical school applications, Medical School Interview, Pre-Med Advice, wait list Tagged With: Editing Service, Letters Of Intent, Medical School Admissions

Outside of the Box

January 16, 2012 By Michelle Finkel Leave a Comment

Now that the new year is here, many pre-meds, medical students and residents will be asked to finalize their schedules for the next year or more. Although it’s easy to get wrapped up in it all, I wanted to put in a plug for something a bit unconventional – time away from the field entirely.

When I was in medical school, I took almost a year away to travel and explore journalism, a career that had always interested me. I obtained a small grant to conduct research in Mexico and then backpacked with some friends through Mexico and Guatemala. I also spent a month in Thailand. Additionally, I was awarded an American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Fellowship in Science Writing, so I worked in Portland at the Oregonian writing articles for the paper.

Taking time away from medicine is not an option for everyone: Some institutions do not encourage it, and there is usually a financial opportunity cost. I will say, though, that being away from medicine made me appreciate it more and helped me improve several useful skills, including foreign language and writing.

If taking a scheduled break from the norm is a viable choice for you, I would strongly encourage it. The experiences I had have long-reaching effects that continue to help me as a physician today.

Filed Under: Admissions Consulting, Application stress, Being a good doctor, med student, Medical school activities, medical student, Physician satisfaction, Pre-Med Advice, premed Tagged With: American Association For The Advancement Of Science, Experiences, Foreign Language, Journalism, Medical School, Medical Students

Who Says You Can’t Have It All?

Wall Street versus Medical School?

Insider’s Evidence-Based Advising Strategy

Letters of Intent

Outside of the Box

About Michelle Finkel

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