How to Survive the Medical School Admissions Process

Medical school admissions is an arduous, nerve-wracking process that can take up to a year. It involves dozens of letters, essays, applications and recommendations. After the MCATS, hopefully you'll receive an invitation to interview. Survive the medical school admission process with a few helpful tips.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Arrange to travel the day before and spend the night, unless you live very close to the school where you are interviewing. Many schools offer overnight housing or have programs in which current students host candidates.
2. Get a haircut and decide what you're wearing to the interview one week before your scheduled appointment. Inspect and try on a new suit or new shoes.
3. Shake hands correctly. Make sure that the full of your hand from your thumb to your index finger meets the same area of the other person's hand. A handshake measures your confidence.
4. Know your undergrad curriculum, performance and MCAT scores. Be prepared for interviewers to ask about academic strengths and weaknesses.
5. Plan to meet with a panel of interviewers or to have three separate meetings: one each with a physician, professor and someone from administration. Individual notes regarding the interview are compiled and presented later at a candidates meeting.
6. Take along copies of your resume, any important documents and letters of recommendations in a flat large envelope. These things should all be in your file, but a back-up copy is a good idea.
7. Follow up with hand-written thank you notes to the Dean, the Admissions Office staff, your interviewers and your student host. These small things makes a candidate stand out as an ideal choice.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't take a chance on traffic or flight delays or getting lost the day you're interviewing. Arrive early, if possible.

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