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During the past few years, the number of applicants to medical schools has increased dramatically. Thus, it has become considerably harder to gain admission to medical school. Before you apply, you must try to realistically evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant. Once you identify the factors that might work against your admission, you will find it easier to submit and strong and successful application. You need not go through the assessment and application processes alone; pre-health advisors in Career Services are available to serve as a resource.

The two most common factors that hinder applicants' chances of admission are:

1) Weak Academic Credentials:

2) Poor Application Strategies:

STUDY:

Undergraduate-Level: If you earned a "C-" or lower in any of the core pre-medical requirements, you must retake those courses. Beyond that, it is not usually helpful to retake courses. Medical school admissions personnel assume that you can earn an "A" or a "B" the second time you attempt a particular course. So...how do you counteract the effects of a pattern of C's in science courses? You must take additional science courses and noticeablyimprove your performance.

Caution: If you have earned a number of weak grades in science courses, you should try to consider some of the reasons why this happened. Were you devoting more time to extra-curricular activities or to work responsibilities than to your studies? Were you taking the introductory science courses without an adequate background? Were you distracted by personal problems? Were you studying long and hard, but not efficiently? Before taking additional science courses, it might help you to identify the factors that worked against your success in previous courses.

Once you're ready to take additional courses, you have a number of options to consider. Some programs lend themselves more to applicants with particular needs and strengths. You can consult a Pre-Health Advisor for help in deciding among the options.

Clearly, the fastest way to improve your science average is to take science courses on a full-time basis. That option may not be practical for you. Students enrolled as non-matriculant (non-degree) students and those enrolled in some of the special post-baccalaureate programs are able to take courses on a part-time basis. Some applicants discover that they can gain part-time tuition benefits from their employers. A number of universities offer this benefit for full-time employees. For some applicants, the combination of working full-time and taking courses on a part-time basis provides the most effective and satisfying way to improve their competitiveness as applicants and/or to enhance their preparation for medical school.

Special Post-Baccalaureate Programs. "Traditional" post-baccalaureate programs were designed for students who never took the pre-medical science courses and maintain those admission criteria. Several post-baccalaureate programs have added an additional track for students who need additional science courses, either because they took a different set of science requirements (e.g., engineers or nurses) or because they didn't do well in the pre-med science courses and need a chance to prove that they have scientific talent. Such programs provide a structure within which you can take the courses that you need. They tend to be in schools that offer a variety of intermediate and advanced science courses, so you should have ample chance to find additional courses. If you're enrolled in a program, you should qualify administratively to apply for additional loans and/or to apply for deferment of undergraduate loans. Also, such programs are directed by advisors who can provide you with additional information and support. In many of these programs, if you follow the program guidelines and succeed in a number of courses (typically six science courses) you can gain a letter in support of your medical school application. For more information, ask at the Pre-Health Desk for the list of Post-Baccalaureate Programs for those who have fulfilled the pre-med requirements.

Ad Hoc Post-Baccalaureate Study. Many college and universities welcome students who have already earned baccalaureate degrees but need to take additional courses. Such schools provide an important option. This is especially helpful for college graduates who might find it necessary to relocate, in order to save money on living expenses. If you do take the post-baccalaureate courses on an ad-hoc basis, try to take all of them in the same school. Logistically, you will find it easier to coordinate your courses in one school. Further, some schools will provide advising to students who take a substantial number of courses. Also, your improvement in the science courses will be more clear and more convincing if you complete all of the courses in one school. In evaluating settings for post-baccalaureate study, look for schools which send many graduates to medical school each year. Such schools tend to offer strong science courses. Also, they tend to offer an array of courses beyond the minimum pre-medical requirements.

Masters Programs: For some students, a masters degree program is a better option than additional undergraduate coursework. Many science graduate programs are geared to Ph.D. students. Some do not even offer the masters degree. Some programs only offer the masters degree to Ph.D. students who fail to pass the qualifying examinations to admit them to doctoral candidacy. To find program information, refer to the GRE/CGS Directory of Graduate Programs and the Peterson's Guide to Graduate Programs. These guides include addresses to write for more applications and for more information.

Some applicants are interested in and qualified for graduate training in fields that are related to their interest in medicine. Such programs would enable them to develop special skills that would complement their later work as a physician. Public health, which includes a variety of areas of study, is a good example. Some public health specialties, like epidemiology, include an ample number of science courses, which contribute to repairing a weak or inconsistent undergraduate science performance. Other areas of study in public health programs include administration, public health education, and international health issues. All of these, while not including a significant number of science courses to improve your science average, would enable you to develop special skills to enhance your work as a physician.

Remember, though, if your weakness is your performance in the science courses, then a stunning performance in a social science or humanities masters degree by itself is not likely to convince the medical school admissions personnel of your preparation for medical school. It would be far too easy to enroll in and excel in an interesting program in a non-science discipline, and fool yourself into thinking that you are actually improving your credentials and removing the stumbling block to your admission to medical school.

Special Masters Programs: Some medical schools sponsor special programs designed to strengthen the preparation of students whose credentials were strong but not strong enough to gain them admission to medical school. Such programs enable you to take courses with first-year medical students. Should you perform well, you have strong chances to gain admission to that medical school. Should you gain admission to that medical school, you might be able to earn credit for the courses you completed in the special program. Usually, this is about half of the first-year requirements. You would also apply to other medical schools. Should you gain admission to other medical schools, you could ask about whether they would honor any of your credits or allow you to take placement exams in any subjects.

Other Options:

At this point, you may be considering options other than allopathic medical schools – in particular, osteopathic medical schools. Though somewhat less selective from an admissions standpoint, you should keep in mind that these programs are not less demanding. They do consider a broader range of criteria when assessing candidates. Some of these schools might be particularly committed to identifying candidates who are likely to pursue medical careers in areas underserved by physicians, for example. To that end, they might de-emphasize initial academic performance if your later work shows considerable improvement and if your extra-curricular activities and personal accomplishments reveal an interest in the goals they want to promote.

You might want to consider other health-related professions. Some Penn alumni have gone on to dental school, or to graduate programs in optometry, podiatry, or pharmacy/pharmacology. Others have gone on to programs in psychology or medical social work or to physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy programs. Others have trained in nutrition or in combined programs of public health and law, to do health advocacy. Still others have trained for careers in health care management or hospital administration. Others have made careers for themselves in medical or science writing or publishing.

Experience: Medically-Related and General:

Although grades and MCAT scores seem to play a prominent role in the admissions process, medical school admissions committees also consider carefully applicants' experiences, both general and medically-related ones. While you're evaluating your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant, you should consider the breadth and the depth of your experiences outside the classroom. Although you might have already earned your baccalaureate degree, you still have time to participate in additional activities. There's still time and there are still opportunities to gain additional exposure to the clinical and/or research environments. There's still time and there are still opportunities to become involved in community service activities, particularly ones that enable you to provide direct help to others. It's never too late to enhance your experience in this area. Remember, although this experience tends to enhance your strength as an applicant, that is not its primary purpose. This experience is designed to increase your familiarity with the field, to improve your ability to discern that medicine is the right field for you, and to enhance your preparation for the many challenging personal and emotional experiences you will face when you are training and working in the field.

APPLICATION STRATEGIES TO CONSIDER:

Timing: Application deadlines are not flexible. You must complete your applications within the stated time frame. Better yet, you should aim to complete your applications early in a rolling admissions process.

Timing of MCAT: For various reasons, some applicants find themselves unable to take the MCAT before they apply to medical school. Since most medical schools will not invite an applicant for interview for the MCAT results arrive, such applicants are reviewed toward the end of the applicant cycle. Thus, those applying for Fall 2009 admission to medical school have the best chances for success if they take the MCAT before May 2008. If you applied unsuccessfully for admission to last year's class, and your scores are so strong that you need not retake the test, then your application should move along more swiftly on this applicant cycle. If you need to retake the MCAT, try to do so as early as possible.

If take the September test, you should still submit your other application materials early - long before you take the MCAT. If you must take the September test, determine whether all the other important aspects of your application are ready for this round of applications. If not, and there are other characteristics for you to improve - such as your grades - then it would be much more prudent to delay your application for one year.

Choice of Schools: You must be realistic in choosing schools. It is important to apply to a range of schools. If you only apply to the most competitive schools, you run a strong risk of being rejected no matter how high your grades and MCAT scores. For help in assessing your competitiveness for particular schools, read carefully the Medical School Admission Requirements, published annually by the Association of American Medical Colleges. From this resource, you can see how much preference state residents receive at particular medical schools. State residence alone accounts for a number of rejections each year. You should consult the Career Services Pre-Med Statistics, which provide information about the grade point average and MCAT scores of Penn applicants to U.S. allopathic medical schools. You should also consult the list we prepared of U.S. medical schools (MD and DO) in descending order of the average GPA and the average MCAT of their most recent matriculants. These lists are available on the Career Services web site. Remember it is not necessarily the number of schools that increases your chances of admission, it is usually the appropriateness of the schools and the mix of schools that contribute most to your chances of success.

Recommendations: When considering your recommendations, remember to think broadly of your academic and extra-curricular experiences. Try to ask a number of recommenders so that, taken together, your recommendations reveal a broad overview of your strengths as a candidate for medical school admission. If you are reapplying to medical school, you've participated in additional courses and extra-curricular activities since your first application, so you should consider asking for additional recommendations. Such recommendations would reflect additional courses, in which you performed well, or additional accomplishments, either academic or extra-curricular.

Organization, Completeness, and Enthusiasm: There are a number of reasons that applicants have poorly organized, incomplete, or unenthusiastic applications. Some applicants are so eager to submit their applications that they do not pay close enough attention to details. Others are ambivalent about applying to medical school so they find it difficult to apply themselves to the application process. If you are genuinely interested in gaining admission to medical school, you can certainly devote the time and energy necessary to prepare a careful, well-organized application. Plan ahead so that you anticipate all the resources, including time, money, and energy, that you will need to complete the applications. Prepare drafts of your applications and review the drafts before typing final copies. Remember to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Whether you are using paper or electronic applications, copy all application materials before you submit them. Keep records of when you submit materials.

Note: We urge Penn students and alumni to speak with a Career Services Pre-Health Advisor, who can help them consider the most appropriate strategies for enhancing their chances for admission. You can reach a Pre-Health Advisor by calling 215-898-1789.