How To Set Yourself Apart: Constructing an effective

AMCAS application

November 6th, 2013By Benjamin Ostrander

1) The WHAT and the HOW

Success in the application process starts with WHAT you do and HOW you do it

WHAT?

It is no secret what admissions committees want to see… (Hint: Google “medical school selection

factors” or “med school applicant traits”)The important thing: Do what you

love, love what you do! Your activities should be things you enjoy There are endless options, so do something

you are passionate about These are not boxes to check

HOW?

If you enjoy what you do, it makes a huge difference

Questions to ask: Am I learning? Thinking critically? Actively participating? Reflecting on this activity?

2) READ/WRITE

Read read read. Write write write.Many fail to recognize that the quality

of an application is heavily dependent on your ability to effectively express ideas and experiences through language

So you have to practice

READING

All good writers are voracious readers. So read!

My suggestions: Atul Gawande, Paul Farmer, Oliver Sacks, Michael Gladwell, Abraham Verghese, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Economist…

Bonus: Through reading, you not only improve your writing and vocabulary, but you are also preparing for interviews

WRITING

Write a lot! And not just for school Write for the Guardian, Prospect

Journal, Saltman Quarterly, Triple Helix, or start a blog

Keep a journal, preferably one that you will share: This forces you to write, and to put effort into

it

3) START EARLY

Plan: How are you going to take care of all the

requirements and still stay sane? When are you going to take the MCAT? Do you realistically have time to fit that activity in this quarter? Will you have time next quarter?

Then you finally reach the application year…First: Start prewriting for your personal

statement

BASIC TIMELINE

Spring Break: Write a first draft of your personal statement.

May: AMCAS opens online. Start filling it in.June: Submit! Apply early. This is especially

tough on the quarter system. July-August: Complete supplemental apps.September: Let the interviews begin!

4) TELL A STORY

This is probably the most important thing!

Many premeds participate in very similar activities, so the difference is HOW you talk about them in your application

AMCAS COMPONENTS

AMCAS is your medium: The application is to you as the poem is to Robert Frost and the novel is to Leo Tolstoy.

Academic transcript: Believe it or not, this tells an important story What did you major in? Did you have a minor? What trends

are apparent in your grades?

Essay: 5300 characters Work/Activities Section

15 slots available, 700 characters each 3 most meaningful activities, 1325 additional characters

STORYTELLING

This is hard! Your mindfulness and reflection during all

your premed activities (the HOW) and all the reading and writing you have done to become the next (insert favorite author here) now take center stage.

Think deeply about who you are, your personality, and why medicine. Show these traits in your writing.

SHOW DON’T TELL!

MY EXAMPLES

Personal Statement:

Most Meaningful Activity

5) FOCUS, BALANCE, SHINE

Focus on the traits medical schools are looking for and that you honestly feel you possess (see selection factors/traits: compassion, empathy, leadership, motivation, communication…)

Tailor your app: This is especially important for secondary

applications: Is the school a research institution? Is primary care the focus? Do they have an affiliated school of public health?

Pay very close attention to the language in the mission statement and on the admissions website.

BALANCING ACT

Construct a balanced application This is especially important for the primary

app. You can narrow your focus more in the supplemental apps.

Your 15 slots in the Work/Activities section should ideally be divided somewhat evenly into the different categories

SHINE

How will you be remembered? How are you going to differentiate yourself?

Do not hold anything back There are ways to describe what you have

done and really highlight and accentuate them without falsifying information.

You are all interesting people, so be interesting!

RECAP

1. The WHAT and the HOW.

2. Read read read. Write write write.

3. Start early.

4. Tell a story.

5. Focus, balance, shine.

INTERVIEWS

If you submit early, you can expect to hear back from the first schools sometime in September

BUT: Interview invites are stochastic and unpredictable. Be patient.

Prepare: Browse the school website, see Student Doctor interview feedback surveys, do mock interviews, think…

HOW ARE THEY ANYWAY

In general, on interview days schools are recruiting you just as much as you are trying to prove you deserve a spot

Usually consists of a dean welcome, two 40-60 minute interviews (or MMI format), lunch with current students, and a tour

Interviews so far have been largely conversational

REMEMBER

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to shoot me an email:

bostrand9@gmail.com