United States medical school enrollment is up for the eleventh consecutive year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Check out this short article on the topic.
Blog Archives
The Early Bird
For all of those pre-med students who are reading my blog in preparation for their future applications to medical school, here’s a reminder: Start early. One of my clients from this application season has already been admitted to two top medical schools. As I’ve mentioned before, medical school admissions are rolling. You can increase your odds by getting your AMCAS in during June and July.
Tags: October 2009
Dress for Success
A few simple rules regarding clothes and interviews:
1. Do not be noticed for your clothing. You do not want to be the “guy with the Bugs Bunny tie.” This is not the time to be creative, unfortunately.
2. Be professional but comfortable. You may have to walk a mile between interviews. I still remember a miserable ten minutes in a Manhattan winter, getting from one building to another.
3. Pack carry-on. I won’t forget the embarrassed applicant who came to our institution in jeans when his suitcase was lost by the airline.
Contact me for mock interview assistance soon.
Tags: October 2009
Don’t Beg
There are a lot of good points in my colleague Ann Levine’s book The Law School Admission Game: Play Like An Expert. In particular, I want to point out her advice regarding avoiding pleas for acceptance. I notice many applicants make this error at the end of personal statements for medical school, residency and fellowship. Here’s Ann’s take, which I think is very useful:
“Your personal statement should convince the reader to admit you based on the strength of your experiences and perspective. No begging at the end. None of this, “I truly hope for the opportunity to prove myself” nonsense…” (p.91).
Remember: If you make yourself a distinctive candidate through your accomplishments, you won’t feel the need to address your reader in this manner.
Tags: October 2009
Distress in Medical Training
Here’s more on the difficulties associated with training to be a physician. This isn’t new news; it’s just getting more attention as of late.
Tags: October 2009
Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more
