ACADEMIC PREPARATION FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL

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ACADEMIC PREPARATIONFOR MEDICAL SCHOOL
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Medicine Needs YOU

• African Americans, Latinos/as, and Native
  Americans comprise 25 percent of the U.S.
  population, but only 12 percent of US medical
  student graduates and only 6 percent of
  physicians in practice...
• So were offering our advice in hopes that you
  will be able to join the ranks and thereby
  increase the percentages

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There is no magic formula for getting into
medical school
Important Considerations

• We, University of Chicago students, didnt have
  an identical journey to medical school

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General Pre-med Pointers

• Take the time to find out how you learn and to
  determine what mixture of studying techniques
  works the best for you
• Get to know your professors
• Helps you understand and enjoy the material more
  and is a great way to begin cultivating
  relationships for LOR!
• Utilize your resources! Go to office hours,
  review sessions and your learning center

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General Pre-med Pointers

• Research is good to have on your
  application-whether it is basic science, clinical
  or social sciences research
• Continuity of extracurricular activities is good
  to have on your application
• Conveys passion about the activities in which
  you were involved
• Being involved in some of your activities
  consecutive years and holding leadership
  positions in these activities are good ideas

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General Pre-med Pointers

• Activities/Organizations to Consider
• Activities in which you are genuinely interested
• Organizations that allow you to use your talents
• Outreach activities that acquaint you to
  community issues
• Health or medically oriented programs/projects
  that provide or reinforce reasons for wanting to
  become a physician
• Activities that allow you to add to your sense of
  self

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General Pre-med Pointers

• Your success during your freshman year will not
  determine whether or not you are accepted into
  medical school
• A strong upward trend and having a long pattern
  of excellence by the time you apply 
• You can fail classes your freshman year and still
  go to med school 
• Find an activity that de-stresses you and do it
  regularly

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freshman year

• Choose in which organizations you would like to
  be involved, and run/apply for leadership
  positions in them at the end of the year
• Choose a volunteer activity about which you are
  passionate, and engage in the volunteer activity
• Meet with a premed advisor and make an honest
  assessment of where you are in your pre-med path.
  

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freshman year

• Determine what you want to do this summer
• SMDEP, work in a lab, or do something different
• Find a class that really fascinates you to take
  next year
• Think about whether or not you want to go abroad
• Choose a clinically related activity in which to
  get involved during your sophomore year and
  possibly during the upcoming summer

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freshman year

• Chicago Academic Medicine Program
• 6-week non-residential tuition-free summer
  program for freshman and sophomores
• Helps students build knowledge base and academic
  skills for success in a pre-med program
• Group-learning and team-building projects
• Interactive lectures on 3 major organ systems
• Clinical shadowing opportunities
• Pre-medical advising
• 1000 stipend
• Application Deadline Monday, March 14, 2011

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freshman year

• Start saving up for an MCAT class (if you want to
  take one), application fees and the interview
  trail
• MCAT class-1800
• Application Fees-2000
• Note AAMC will reduce your application fees if
  you can show financial need
• AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP)
  http//www.amcas.org/FAP
• Interview-300-400/interview (assuming a flight
  and a hotel stay)

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sophomore year

• Engage in a clinical experience
• Volunteer
• Pursue leadership positions again for your
  junior year
• Decide when you want to take the MCAT
• If you can complete the pre-med requirements
  early, consider taking the MCAT early (e.g.
  summer before junior year or during winter break
  of junior year)

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sophomore year

• Decide on the science classes in which you are
  going to obtain letters of recommendation from
  professors
• Plan your junior year schedule so that you can
  focus on doing well in those classes
• Plan to do something geared toward your pre-med
  path this summer
• If you are interested in working in a lab, make
  sure you investigate summer research programs at
  your institution and elsewhere

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sophomore year

• Pritzker School of Medicine Experience in
  Research (PSOMER)
• 8-week research, education, and mentoring
  experience with University of Chicago faculty
• Research presentation at the end of the program
• Advising sessions with Pritzker admissions
  officers
• 3,200 stipend
• Participants will live on campus
• Projects range from basic science laboratory to
  clinical research projects
• Application Deadline Monday, March 7, 2011

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sophomore year

• Meet with a pre-med advisor and make an honest
  assessment of where you are in your pre-med path
• Developing Application Portfolio Handout
• Decide on additional experiences and classes that
  would be helpful in order be competitive for
  medical school
• Consider whether or not you want to apply during
  your senior year or take some time off

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junior/senior year

• Take the MCAT
• Take all subjects on the MCAT-biology, chemistry,
  organic chemistry, and physics-before taking the
  MCAT
• Register early-spots fill up very quickly
• Also, sign up with the AAMC Medical Minority
  Applicant Registry (Med-Mar) Program when you
  take the MCAT

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junior/senior year

• If you can afford it, consider an MCAT Class
• Pros-
• Structured study regimen
• Additional resources-lectures, books, practice
  exams
• Cons-
• Costly
• A waste if you do not apply yourself
• Not absolutely necessary-but have to be very
  disciplined if do not take a class

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junior/senior year

• Alternatives to taking a class
• Study from review books specifically made for the
  MCAT as not all topics on the MCAT are covered in
  college courses
• Look for summer programs or scholarships that
  provide free or reduced MCAT prep
• The AAMC provides one free practice exam online ?
  Order others for 35 each from website
• www.e-mcat.com

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junior/senior year

• Take the MCAT during the summer or after/during a
  light semester
• MCAT2 Classes
• Understand that preparing for the MCAT is like
  preparing for a marathon
• Allot at least 3 months of intensive studying
• PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
• Take at least 6 practice exams before you take
  the exam

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junior/senior year

• Obtain letters of recommendation
• Provide your CV and personal statement to all
  recommenders
• Give recommenders at least 1.5 months
• If recommender will be mailing your
  recommendation, provide an addressed and stamped
  envelope

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junior/senior year

• Determine whether or not you want to apply during
  your senior year or take some time off
• The gap year will never hurt you it is better
  to apply once you're the best candidate you will
  be
• Are You Applying This Year? Handout
• Engage in a clinical experience
• Volunteer

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application process

• Review requirements of each school and the
  average GPA and MCAT scores of accepted students
• Determine your safety, feasible and reach
  schools

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The MSAR aka Your Best Friend

• The Medical School Admissions Requirements
  (MSAR) profiles ever medical school in the US,
  Canada
• Check the MSAR well before applying to see the
  schools numbers , requirements, and curricula

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Another Essential Text MSOUSMS

• Review Minority Student Opportunities in US
  Medical Schools (MSOUSMS) learn about
  recruitment, applicant and matriculant data by
  gender, race and ethnicity
• Also provides descriptions of programs designed
  to provide opportunities for racial/ethnic groups
  underrepresented in medical education
• E.g. summer programs and educational partnerships

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application process

• APPLY EARLY
• Many schools have rolling admissions, so when you
  apply is very very important!
• Submit your AMCAS primary application by July 4th
  
• Obtain sample interview questions from a pre-med
  website
• Do 2-3 mock interviews before you have your first
  interview

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application process

• Research each school thoroughly before you
  interview
• Write down questions that you would like to ask
  your interviewers
• Try to stay with a host when you interview
• Send thank-you cards to your interviewers after
  each interview

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GOOD LUCK!
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• For Additional Questions jtayl14_at_gmail.com
• Thank You To
• Washington University in St. Louis College of
  Arts and Sciences
• University of Pennsylvania Office for Diversity
  and Community Outreach
• Powerpoint is available at http//snma.uchicago.ed
  u/