What to Consider Before Applying to Medical School
The medical school application process can be daunting. When all is said and done, it takes well over a year and can cost upwards of thousands of dollars. Although most applicants traditionally apply during their junior year of college, applicants should carefully consider various factors to determine if he or she is prepared and ready to begin the application process.
Make sure you have completed the prerequisite courses. Most medical schools require students take particular courses -- for example, biology, chemistry and physics -- and ideally, those courses should be completed when an application is submitted. Not only do medical schools want to know that applicants have the baseline knowledge acquired from these courses, the grades are a significant consideration in an applicant's competitiveness.
Most college students have planned their courses and are able to complete most requirements before they apply, but this consideration is very significant for students who may have had a non-science major or taken some time away from school.
[Read: How to Make Sure You Fulfill Medical School Requirements for Admission.]
The bottom line is: If you don't have the majority of your prerequisite courses completed, you may want to consider postponing your application.
Check your GPA and MCAT score. As mentioned, grades from your time in college, especially the prerequisites, are evaluated very closely by medical school admission committees. Admission committees also look for very strong MCAT scores.
Not only should the prerequisite courses and MCAT be completed before applying, the numbers should be strong. If an applicant has a weak GPA, they may need to consider a postbaccalaureate or master's program to strengthen this area of the application. Or if their MCAT is sub-par, then they should likely retake it before applying.
If your GPA and MCAT scores are significantly below the average for schools you want to apply to, consider ways to improve them before applying.
[Read: 6 Types of Applicants Who Would Benefit From a Postbaccalaureate Program.]
Examine your extracurricular activities. In addition to courses and the MCAT, a competitive applicant should have well-rounded extracurricular activities to include clinical experience, research, physician shadowing, community service and leadership. If an applicant does not have sufficient time spent in extracurricular activities, or is deficient in one specific area, an applicant should consider delaying their application until they are able to commit more to time to their experiences.
If you have not participated in any activities that showcase your interest in and commitment to medicine, you may want to think about boosting these up before you submit your application.
[Read: 4 Ways Premed Students Can Develop Strong Leadership Experience.]
Consider your financial circumstances. Applying to medical school is expensive. Just to submit the AMCAS application costs $170, and each school an applicant adds cost an additional $39. Most applicants are applying between 20-40 schools. In addition, secondary applications costs anywhere from $50-100 for each school. If asked to interviews, an applicant has to travel to the school and find and pay for lodging and transportation.
Do some math. Do you have enough savings to work through the application process? If not, think about when your financial situation will allow you to afford the application.
Are you ready for the commitment of medical school. Even with all the above preparation and consideration, the application process takes over a year and after that, it will be several years still before an applicant becomes an actual practicing physician. It is not an easy path, so applicants should really be sure that they are mentally ready, and know exactly what they are committing to.
Before applying to medical school, think about your goals and intentions, and before committing to the application, be sure as sure as possible that you want to become a physician.
