Three Popular Myths About Medical School Admissions
As a med school applicant, you may have heard several myths regarding the med school admissions process. To know more about the truth behind these myths, read on.
You need to have high MCAT scores and exceptional undergraduate grades.
First things first. Undergraduate grades are one of the most important criteria for acceptance to any medical school. Furthermore, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score, as a standardized examination, should be high—a good indication that you did fairly better than the rest of the applicants from different schools. Your undergraduate scores or your general weighted average (GWA) may reflect the type of student you are—your study habits or maybe even your intellectual capacity. These are important factors that the medical admission panel needs to see to find out if you are fit for the rigorous training that a medical student needs.(1)
However, those are just “numbers,” and they actually can be affected by other things, such as a personal problem before the MCAT, hence, the low score. There are other things that a medical school admission panel looks for, such as your “essay about myself” and the interview. Those things will show them your “about myself” side that cannot be squeezed out of your grades and MCAT score.
You need to graduate from a big school.
This is one of the most common myths and is definitely false. Again, before and after medical school, your “about myself” side is more important than the things around you—it’s you that counts. After all, what’s the sense of graduating from a “big” school if your undergraduate records are not that “big?”(2)
Life experiences are not important.
Again, your GWA and MCAT scores are extremely important, but they are not the only factors for medical school admission; life experiences also count. If your life experiences are not important, then why do almost all medical school admission panels require an “essay on myself” and an interview? The personal statement will let the admission panel know if you have the personal characteristics fit for becoming a good
medical professional, which in the long run, are definitely more important than your intellectual capacity.(3)
(1) http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/understandingscores.htm
(2) http://youngadults.about.com/od/collegeprep/a/Admissionsmyths.htm
(3) http://www.unmc.edu/Community/ruralmeded/model/preprof/advice.htm
