The Med School Pulse

What a great event! Medical School Insider 2013 was a huge success and we want to give a special thanks to our panelists for joining us Monday night!

-Paul T. White, Assistant Dean for Admissions, John Hopkins School of Medicine

-Leila Diaz, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

-Dr. Kathleen Kolberg, Assistant Dean, University of Notre Dame

-Dr. Elizabeth Wiley, National President, American Medical Student Association

We are working  diligently to get answers to your questions you sent in! Stay tuned for answers and for our next pulse event: Monday June 10th, on …

When preparing for the MCAT, most people can see the reason for needing to know Biology and General Chemistry because they are considered essential for practicing medicine. A case can also been made for learning Organic Chemistry and Physics since they are the basis for biological molecules and the processes which run the body. Hands down the biggest complaints that I hear are about the Verbal Reasoning section. Everyone wants to know: “How does my Verbal Reasoning score show my ability to be a good physician?” or “How does analyzing a passage about poetry make me a better doctor?”…

Kaplan Test Prep will host our fourth annual Medical School Insider on Monday, April 29th at 8pm ET.  This is our biggest event of the year for pre-meds and you absolutely don’t want to miss it!

The insights revealed at #medInsider are incredible, they’ll really change the way you look at the admissions process!  Be sure to mark your calendar now for this year’s live streaming event. Save your spot by clicking here now!

A sneak peak from one of the questions last year:

Do medical schools have a cutoff for GPA and MCAT scores?

…

Kaplan Test Prep will host our fourth annual Medical School Insider on Monday, April 29th at 8pm ET.  This is our biggest event of the year for pre-meds and you absolutely don’t want to miss it!

The insights revealed at #medInsider are incredible, they’ll really change the way you look at the admissions process!  Be sure to mark your calendar now for this year’s live streaming event. Save your spot by clicking here now!

A sneak peak from one of the questions last year:

What is holistic review in medical school admissions?

…

Navigating the waters of medical school admissions can be rough; from the personal statement, to the interview, admissions can seem daunting and confusing before one even begins to apply.  

While many people have opinions about the best way to gain admission, in the end, the only opinions that really matter are those of the admissions committees; after all, they’re the ones that decide whether you’ll be accepted or not. Unfortunately, opportunities to pick the brain of a Dean of Admissions are few and far between. In an effort to shed some light on what admissions committees think about when …

Monday can be the day where it is hardest to find motivation.  With so many MCAT test dates coming up I thought it would be important to talk about something often overlooked by the majority of students. When a student comes to me and says their scores are not increasing and they just simply can’t find enough time to study I often respond with one simple question, “How motivated are you feeling right now?”  The answers I get would astonish you. Many students regularly say that they feel terrible and it is painful even to drag themselves to the library …

Why do you want to go to medical school? It’s a question that you’re asked countless times on your path through college and the medical school application cycle. We know how big of a responsibility it can be, trust us. Like most pre-medical students you probably have a response ready- My dad/mom was a doctor, I want to help people, I love science, or I have always wanted to be a doctor.

Well, with a unique spin on that common question, a recent blog post on kevinmd.com listed 5 reasons why you shouldn’t go to medical school. The author …

June 1^st will be here before we know it.  Every year the opening day for submission of the AMCAS application comes and pre-meds apply to medical schools across the country in hopes of a coveted spot to continue the journey in their medical education.

This past month the International Journal of Medical Education released a an article The undergraduate premedical experience in the United States: a critical review that raises some interesting points for pre-meds to consider as they begin to gear up for application season.

Some important points to highlight from the journal shows empirical evidence insists that …

So, when you begin to prep for the MCAT, it’s very exciting. You have tons of resources! You make an ambitious study schedule! You are excited to tackle the content, master the strategies and conquer the MCAT!

Fast forward to approximately three to six weeks later. You’re exhausted. You’re overwhelmed. You start fantasizing about life post-MCAT and all you can think about is how great it would be to have a regular sleeping/showering schedule. In case you need them, here are some very useful resources about how to structure your study time and how important sleeping and exercising…

Preventative medicine is becoming a more common topic in healthcare today.  As future physicians it is important to understand the rising healthcare costs and how it is impacting our medical economy.  Simple daily changes by individuals can help curb these costs and improve overall health among our communities   Regardless if you consider yourself a ‘health nut’ or not, it is important for you to understand that as a future doctor people will look to you for advice on health as soon as you begin your medical school journey.  Start becoming an advocate now!

Straight from the Mayo Clinic, what may …