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Medical Schools Value Personal Qualities of Applicants
Tweet Share on Facebook January 16, 2012 CommentMany medical school applicants fear the application process—especially if they feel they didn't get the GPA or MCAT score they think they need to be confident and competitive in applying. However, many of these same aspiring premeds also dedicated a substantial portion of their extracurricular time to medical volunteering or community service.
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What to Consider When Applying to Medical School With a Low GPA
Tweet Share on Facebook January 9, 2012 Comment (8)Strong GPAs, MCAT scores, and admissions essays are crucial for getting into medical school. However, sometimes life can throw unexpected roadblocks in your way. Whether it's getting off to a slow start in college or having unexpected personal problems, there are a wide variety of reasons premeds end up with low GPAs.
How can you make up for a low GPA?
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3 Medical School Admissions Tips for Older Applicants
Tweet Share on Facebook January 2, 2012 Comment (4)Medical school admissions can seem competitive. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reported that 42,742 applicants applied in the 2009-10 application cycle (a record), but only 18,665 applicants matriculated. While it may seem like applicants are all coming straight out of their undergraduate degree, that isn't the case.
Many incoming medical students are not recent graduates; a 2006 joint survey conducted by the AAMC and the American Medical Association (AMA) showed that as much as 10 percent of incoming medical students are 27 or older. However, because of the financial and time commitments involved in pursuing a medical education, many students have said that the later in their lives that they enter medical school, the more difficult it is to adjust.
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5 Ways for Premed Students to Maximize Physician Shadowing
Tweet Share on Facebook December 26, 2011 Comment (5)Shadowing a physician in practice is typically considered an important part of the premed experience. Though the experience is not explicitly required by most medical schools (a select few, particularly D.O. schools, or those that offer doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees, do require this experience), it is strongly advised to have some experience shadowing a practicing physician before applying to medical school.
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Is a Postbaccalaureate Medical Program Right for You?
Tweet Share on Facebook December 19, 2011 CommentNot all future doctors follow the traditional premed path. Those who decide they want to pursue a career in medicine later in school, or after graduation, may or may not have sufficient preparatory coursework in order to apply to medical school.
For those prospective medical school students, a postbaccalaureate (postbac) program can provide an opportunity for students to take required science classes after graduation, or to boost an uncompetitive GPA to help them become better prepared for admission to medical school.
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Some Medical Schools Embrace Social Media
Tweet Share on Facebook December 12, 2011 Comment (1)We all know it's become ubiquitous: Social networking sites with various names and of different types have permeated many aspects of our lives. Some would even argue that they have generated unprecedented political changes throughout the world.
As medical school admissions becomes more competitive—it's already been announced that a record number of first-time applicants have applied for the entering class of 2012—what role could social networking play in medical school admissions and education?
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How to Select Undergraduate Premed Coursework
Tweet Share on Facebook December 5, 2011 Comment (3)It's freshman year, and you're toying with the idea of becoming premed. Maybe you'll change your mind, but you want to keep your options open. As the medical school admissions process becomes more competitive, the threshold for grades and MCAT scores seems to rise exponentially. Most aspiring premed students can't help but wonder: Is it better to get the easier A, or to tough it out?
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How to Make the Most of Your Premed Adviser
Tweet Share on Facebook November 28, 2011 CommentMany students enter college knowing that they want to pursue a career in medicine. For those students, an important part of the preparation process is the advice and guidance provided by their premed adviser. To help students understand what type of help and advice to expect and how to make the most of this relationship, below is a timeline with suggestions to consider beginning freshman year.
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How Changes to Medical School Interviews May Affect Applicants
Tweet Share on Facebook November 21, 2011 Comment (1)Many of you are probably thinking that the medical school interview is hard enough as it is. Being shuffled around multiple medical centers can make the interview day seem pretty intimidating.
However, according to a July 2011 New York Times article, there is a growing movement to change the way aspiring doctors are evaluated during interviews. Medical schools are increasingly selecting doctors who they feel are effective and empathetic communicators with patients and other hospital staff, the Times reports.
How might this affect you?
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How to Pay for Medical School
Tweet Share on Facebook November 14, 2011 Comment (9)According to Julie Fresne, director of student and resident debt management services at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the median debt level for a graduating medical student was $155,000 in 2008, with 25 percent of medical school students graduating with debt exceeding $200,000.
These numbers can be daunting; however, there are many resources available to help you manage your money, identify the right loans, and even pay for medical school.
Below are five things you need to know about financing your medical education, as well as a list of websites to help you on your path.
