DISCLAIMER: I AM IN NO WAY AN EXPERT ON APPLYING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, THESE ARE ONLY PIECES OF ADVICE THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN TO MY HUSBAND AND I, AND WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY. EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT JOURNEY TO MEDICAL SCHOOL SO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU.
1. THERE IS A LONG ROAD AHEAD
So you’ve decided you want to become a doctor? Well first things first, congratulations! The medical profession is an incredibly rewarding field and you are desperately needed. A few things you need to know about the process-get ready to hurry up and wait. The process of applying to medical school takes years, and is an ongoing process that often requires you to have several balls in the air at once. There are some great resources available to you in your career center and online that lay out an effective timeline for preparing and applying. In general, Jonathan and I went into the process with the attitude that the more information you have the better. We had many friends from college who did not do the research necessary and found themselves playing catch-up at every turn. I will do a post specifically dedicated to the timeline that we followed over the last few years so look for that. In general, though, it is never too soon to begin preparing and you will have your patience tested at every turn. My biggest piece of advice would be to live in the moment and do not let it consume you, but also DO NOT procrastinate. Find whatever that balance looks like in your own life and stick with it even when things get rough.
Here is a general timeline that we followed:
Disclaimer: we are sharing this information not to brag or to say that the method we took is perfect for everyone, but to help. The reality is that the three years Jonathan spent preparing his application while also going to school full time were HARD. There were many days we saw each other for only an hour a day (if that), many weekends where he stayed in and studied when I (desperately) wanted to go out and do something fun. We sacrificed a lot to make this schedule work, but when we started this process we committed ourselves and knew that our goal was a Top 20 school. We knew going in it would be an uphill battle, and that the odds would be against Jonathan standing out among thousands of other applicants. So again, take this schedule with a grain of salt, I am sharing it only because we get asked a lot what our approach was and how we tackled the seemingly impossible expectations set up for Pre-Med Students. My advice would be to have a plan and break down the hours and experiences required of you into semesters and chunks of time so they don't seem overwhelming.
January 2014-Took coursework for MCAT/applications
Winter 2015- Signed up for the MCAT
Winter-Summer 2015-Volunteered at a Hospice Center
Spring 2015- Studied 8-10 hours a day for MCAT in addition to regular coursework
August 2015- Took the MCAT
September 2015-Got MCAT score back
*note-if you did not score as expected consult with counselor or your support system, consider a possible re-take (more on this later)
Fall 2015-April 2016: Took a full course load, worked as a research assistant for two professors volunteered at a surgical center, shadowed doctors, worked as a teaching assistant 20 hours/week, worked as a sports camp counselor at the community gym 10-15 hours/week
January 2016: Asked professors/research advisers/colleges for letters of recommendation (a post to come on this)
April 2016: Graduated College
May 2016: Began AAMC application, pre-wrote personal statements and activities sectional statements
June 2016: Submitted AAMC application 3 days after it opened, began secondary essays
June-August 2016: Completed a research internship at a hospital in Minneapolis, wrote all secondary essays and submitted supplementary materials to schools
July 2016: Began receiving interview invitations from schools
August-October 2016: Attended interviews throughout the country
October 2016: Received first acceptances (on October 15th release date)
October 2016-March 2017: SUFFERED AND WAITED TO HEAR BACK FROM SCHOOLS
March 2017: Received additional acceptances (as well as a good chunk of wait lists and rejections)
2. ORGANIZATION IS KEY
Spreadsheets. Folders. Calendars. Google Docs. Stay organized from the get-go and you will thank me later. I suggest having a detailed list of the schools you are considering applying to, and collect information on their specific requirements and the things that are unique about them. There are a lot of factors that you need to consider before applying to a school (i.e. curriculum, teaching styles, match rates (more on that later), class size, cost). I highly recommend investing in MSAR, which is essentially a manual that will provide you with all of this information directly from the schools in one place. The subscription is annual and fairly cheap, and I guarantee there will be crucial information in there that you will not be able to find anywhere else on the interwebs. You will also want to have a system for keeping track of deadlines and costs, as not all schools use the same process for applications.
3. YOU NEED A SUPPORT SYSTEM
I need to establish one thing before we continue-people will not understand what you are going through. Your friends and family members will do everything they can to try and make sense of applying to medical school, but no one who has not gone through it themselves can truly understand. It can the most difficult, exhilarating, heartbreaking, and consuming thing you have done in your life thus far. You are embarking on a career that will demand much of you, and with that comes a great deal of sacrifice. You will constantly have to give up and sacrifice things in order to prepare for the rigors of being a doctor. There will be nights when you will have to study beyond your breaking point, when you have 53 things on your to-do list and none of them seem to get done.
I am not telling you these things to dissuade you from becoming a doctor. You will give up so much in college and sacrifice time with friends and family
4. DON’T DO IT FOR THE MONEY
It is a well know fact that physicians have substantial incomes and job security out the wazoo, which is what makes it so desirable as a profession. In fact, pre-med is one of the most popular majors for college students in the country. I hate to burst your bubble but becoming a physician is a long, expensive process-and that only covers getting you in. Forget the $200,000 in debt the average medical student graduates with, and the 4+ years they will make minimum wage in residency before earning an actual salary. Whenever my husband or I have someone joke with us about his future earning potential we roll our eyes and think “If only they knew…”
The reality is, we have spent thousands of dollars in the last three years between MCAT prep books, the MCAT itself, moving to a new state for a research opportunity, the AAMC Application, secondary fees, a new interview Suit, flights, gas, hotels, food…..and the list goes on.
5. PLAN NOW TO PROSPER LATER
6. FIND AN OUTLET
We found that this was CRUCIAL for Jonathan. During every phase of the application process Jonathan was stressed pretty much 24/7. There were a lot of demands on his time and the pressure to manage and balance everything and succeed 100% of the time can wear a person down quickly. We are very lucky to have a strong foundation in our faith, and the knowledge that we can turn to our Heavenly Father and receive strength and help when we need it. We relied a LOT upon God during this time, and we both know without absolute certainty that things would not have turned out the way they did without his help. Beyond that, we found that it was important for Jonathan to have an outlet to get rid of his stress and relax. His favorite ways to do this included working out, playing basketball with his friends, reading political books, and watching Netflix. Mostly, it was important for him to take breaks and step away from everything and just relax. Burnout is real, and it happened about once a semester for Jonathan. Make sure you are taking time for yourself amidst the insanity of this process, and that you have some FUN once in a while.
7. SELF-REFLECTION IS PAINFUL
Jonathan and I created a catchphrase that we used throughout this entire process:
“Your success this cycle is in no way correlated to your worth as a person.”
I know that sounds cheesy, but it is so easy to get wrapped up in the comparison game and become discouraged while applying to medical school. You will endure many sleepless nights wondering if you are doing enough or if you are good enough to make. Throughout this process you will face rejection, it is just a fact. Even if you are an all-star candidate with an impeccable application, the simple truth is that you will not have success 100% of the time. It is important that you go into the process with realistic expectations and measure your success accordingly. I recommend that you evaluate your personal situation well before you enter the application cycle so that you can determine what your strengths and weaknesses are as an applicant.
10. APPLY BROADLY
8. DO WHAT YOU LOVE (aka BE INTERESTING)
9. FIND BALANCE
