Poll closes on December 20th (that's right, 2 month long poll). Remember, 30 votes for statistics, but 100 is nicer.
On inspiration and creativity in medicine
Inspiration seems to be the theme of the month for me, so I thought I would share an inspirational moment with you. Below is a 20 minute speech by Ken Robinson, who, as I learned recently, is one of the best speakers you will ever hear. Although he talks about education in general and its relation to creativity, this talk got me thinking about premedical and medical education.
As we strive to achieve the highest GPAs, excel in every possible and impossible endeavor we undertake and maintain at least a semblance of human contact, many will take a safe path to success. We will take courses we know will yield us the highest return for our investment. We will choose to study instead of seeing are friends. We will stay on the beaten path; that means that people in sciences will be reticent to take arts classes and vice versa. There is, however, a drawback to such strategies. Even though they undeniably give us a shot at actually getting accepted into medical school, they strip us of our potential for creativity. And for most of us, medical school will not be the place where it would start to develop, rather a place where it would completely die off unless it was exercised previously. With the habits of studying till exhaustion, being in the top 10%, feeling like any exam is too easy, - all these attitudes transported into medical school create an enormous potential for burnout and a definitive creativity killer. In order to maintain and develop your creativity, you have to be both critical and curious. Challenge authority. Always ask yourself 'why?' about anything and everything. Never settle for 'that is just the way it is' or tell yourself 'it will become clear later, when I really need to think about it'.
Another interesting point is most medical schools have rigorous structure in the curriculum. Understandably so, they have to pass the accreditation in order to grant MD dipomas in Canada, and a structured curriculum is a definite prerequisite for a passing grade. However, by using the traditional 2+2 (preclinical/clinical years) and the organ systems overview approach these schools divide something that occurs simultaneously within one minute in the brain of a staff physician into 24 months of class, labs, interactive presentations, didactic lectures, patient testimonies, hospital visits and maybe some situational simulations. Is that an oversimplification or is it just right? If everyone else who graduated previously practice now and have no apparent problems, should we content ourselves with that much, or, perhaps, that little? I know I did not mention the small groups. I did so intentionally, because I want to discuss the whole problem based learning in another post, going over all the pros and cons. My point was only to show you that it is easier to think of congestive heart failure complicated by pulmonary edema when you are learning about the cardiovascular system. How about when it is a 55 year old lady who is delivered into your emergency room because she has trouble breathing?
Poll: What do you think about the MMI's (multiple mini-interviews)?
As it stands right now, I think the MMI's are the only specific and sensitive way to weed out people who are into medicine for the wrong reasons. You cannot prepare for the situations, thus you will be forced to act genuinely. If you think people can fake it, you underestimate the level of stress associated with the situations. They might ask you to talk to "your friend" in one, but most of them will be difficult and nerve wrecking.
Wisdom from Dr Patch Adams
I was very fortunate to be able to attend a lecture given by one the world's most caring doctors. He, who's name made Robin Williams 20 million dollars, he who told us that he could not stand his first year in peds because his view of medicine was so staggeringly different. I am, of course, talking about Dr. Hunter Campbell Adams, more commonly known as Patch Adams.
Although there were many great things in that speech, I wanted to share a couple because of their impact on me personally. First, Dr. Adams was asked about which character inspired the most his clown roles. Without a second of hesitation, he answered that it was an adult with Down's syndrome. To illustrate his reasoning, he gave us an example of a pediatric burns ward, where you would look at a child and see the awful damage that a 75% surface area third degree burn did to him. You would almost feel the tremendous pain he is suffering. You might even feel pity. However, it is almost indisputable that you would be deeply affected. An adult with Down's syndrome, on the other hand, would only see a child. Using Dr Adams' words, he would "unconditionally love" the child. This example reminded me about all those delightful "adult" behaviors and thoughts we acquire in the process of maturing and entering the realm of grown-ups. Where we are more preoccupied with making the Halloween party than spending an extra 5 minutes with a patient, where we get used to human suffering, and, ultimately, when we start to know what real suffering is so well that we can tell. This example reminded just how full of shit we are sometimes. It reminded me that sometimes simple is better. It reminded me to never forget.You can take whatever you want from this example, but I urge you to at least ask yourself how would you want people to perceive you with a severe burn...
The other interesting thing was about the medical elective course called Humanistic Medicine: Constructing Your Humanism, that Dr Adams set up in his Gesundheit Institute. Like most universities, my own has their take on making doctors more human. We get speakers, small groups, invited patients - all talking about humanity and its impact on patient outcomes. Although it has some relevance, for a very long time, even before being admitted and more so afterward, I started becoming convinced of the almost complete uselessness of this exercise. It informs, but it does not transform. Coming back to Patch, in his course about humanism he brings the students on the busiest street in the city at rush hour and requires them to start a friendly conversation with every single person passing by. This is teaching humanity. He takes them out of town, and makes them appreciate nature and their own thoughts, Sounds silly? If you think about it, being nice to others and keeping your cool in such isolation after our typical overstimulated overbooked urban life is a sign of the capacity to have a more meaningful relationship with yourself (and by extension with others) than the shallow, common, superficial pretend-interaction that I regretfully saw all too often in the hospitals.
Choosing a medical specialty
It is an unfortunate truth of experiential reality that choices are not clear-cut, and the event window for choice may vanish before the information enabling the choice is present.
Eluki bes Shahar
For those lucky enough to have the need to contemplate this...
Ref: http://aggiepie.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/12medicalspecialtystereotypesfull.jpg
Ref: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-peter-rost/want-to-become-a-doctor_b_20148.html (via BMJ?)
All jokes aside, researching which specialties you prefer early on in your medical school years has its advantages. These include the pre-clinical years as much as the later, more exciting time spent in the hospital rotations.
For pre-clinicals, you will want to get a mentor who practices in the specialty you are interested in. This will allow you to be in the hospital early on, with no pressure to perform. You'd be surprised how much you will notice when you are not concerned with evaluations/patient responsibility. You also, more importantly, get to see the "collective body" of the specialists. There are definite stereotypical traits attributable to some specialties more than to others. The common example would be a more commanding or dominating personality for surgery. Does that mean you cannot be a calm, mellow surgeon? Absolutely not! But the law of life is that you will find it much harder to be the exception.
For the clinical years, there is a lot more to do. For example, if you decide to aim for dermatology, you might want to make sure you get an invitation to Stockholm for their annual ceremony, or at least put in the extra effort to beef up your application. Another example would be doing extra electives at rural sites to get experience in self-reliance for a great career in family medicine. If you like a particular program, it is usually good to get an elective there. According to CaRMS, some universities openly state they have preferential treatment for people with whom their faculty is familiar from such electives.
For a competitive specialty, you would probably want to get involved in research in a related field. The reasons are twofold. Firstly, what better way to put your foot where your mouth is when it is time to back up your claim of interest in the specialty. Some elite residency programs in the States require you to have done research, published, or even to have a Msc degree. Secondly, don't neglect the opportunity to get to know the program director of your Oh-So-Desired-Specialty if you get a summer grant in their lab/hospital clinic. Although I will elaborate on it in later post, I would caution you from molecular biology research unless you absolutely love it and know exactly what you want to do. Most likely you are going to be a practicing clinician, so stick to the clinical.
Some residencies, it turns out, are more competitive and select from an extensive pool of medical graduates for a minute number of spots. You'll immediately recognize that this early preparation for one critical point in your life vaguely reminds you something...However, your competition just received a serious upgrade from the last time you had to prove you are better than the average Joe to the medical school admissions committee.
And finally, some serious tools:
- Careers in Medicine via AAMC (usually your career advising office will email you a password)
- Medical Specialty Aptitude Test
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty
via Amazon
(The best book I found on the subject, although by no means perfect. In fact, much of it is focused on US specifics, which are somewhat irrelevant for hardcore Canadians like us. Don't feel insulted if you are from outside of Canada, I did mention in the prelude to this blog that I write for and about Canadian medical school applicants/students) - Your colleagues in upper years. Corner one and question them about their rotations in a given specialty. If you are extroverted enough, you could probably get away with leeching on to them for a day in the hospital. From my experience, there is much more amicability and much less cut-throat attitudes in medical school than there are in premed.
The MCAT will change
Before I talk about the changes, I would like to digress for a little bit. Although the MCAT season is almost over, quite a few of my good friends have either just recently come back from AAMC-land or will be going there soon. With so much MCAT in my life this summer, despite my strong desire to erase the memories of my own test taking, I felt a post about the elephant in the room was appropriate. I am sure that either you or somebody around exclaimed at least once "This MCAT is stupid! It tests all those little things. Why on Earth would I need to know the Krebs cycle or Heisenberg's uncertainty principle? If this is the case, the following article would soothe your mind and clear your conscience if you had spent time studying for it. This Science publication discusses the capacity of the MCAT to assess thinking abilities versus rote learning and minute details. As my recent poll indicated, not all of you have access to online journals, thus I will provide the gist of it. The authors use a neat classification system to compare the biology sections of MCAT, standard undergrad tests, first year medical tests, the GRE and the AP biology on their ability to test critical thinking skills or higher psychological learning levels. As you might have guessed
The MCAT also has the lowest percentage of knowledge-level questions [...] and the highest average raw question rating of any of [...] five exam sources(ASSESSMENT: Application of Bloom's Taxonomy Debunks the "MCAT Myth". Alex Y. Zheng, Janessa K. Lawhorn, Thomas Lumley, and Scott Freeman (25 January 2008). Science 319 (5862), 414.)
Next time somebody tells you the MCAT is a dumb test for antisocial high IQ outcasts, tell them Bloom knows better.
Now, to the actual topic of the post. The MCAT had recently changed, yet this is only the beginning. In January 2007, the AAMC turned the pre-med world upside down. The eager and tenacious cohort of students taking the test ended up with a shorter, computerized, version given more frequently, with faster results communication. Some content changed, but the changes were relatively insignificant. Well, that was two and a half years ago.
According to a recent article in Science (I love Science!), there is a discrepancy between how medical schools determine the applicants' aptitude for success in medicine compared to how current medical students at those same institutions are tested. Although I'd strongly recommend reading the article, but I will again provide the main message here: the MCAT might soon be testing competencies, as opposed to the traditional premedical undergraduate curriculum. (Science for Future Physicians. Sharon Long and Robert Alpern (5 June 2009). Science 324 (5932), 1241.).
If you thought "What does Science know! They are not the ones making the MCAT", you were absolutely right. Right? Actually, not quite. The AAMC is currently conducting a study geared to address the growing concern about the inadequacy of current focus on courses instead of competencies. Sounds familiar? According to AAMC's document, a new MCAT will be announced no earlier than 2013. The Fifth Comprehensive MCAT review or the MR5, as the AAMC lovingly calls it, will establish what kind of changes future premeds will face. If you would like a glimpse at this competencies idea, scroll about halfway through the following document (Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians). For a time-line and general interest, read this one as well (Overview of the MCAT project).
For the time being, this will be my last post about the MCAT. Stay tuned for the continuation of the admissions process tips. Just in time for the new applications cycle.
Who are you ? (poll summary, July 10-17, 2009)
WHO ARE YOU?
Pre-med | 11 (78%) |
Medical student | 2 (14%) |
MD | 0 (0%) |
I am not in the medical field | 1 (7%) |
Votes: 14
Medical school personal statement tips from the opposite side
Things you should do for a guaranteed acceptance?
- Forget to edit out another school's name in your essay. In the same train of thought, you should not be bothered by actually answering each school's specific questions. Instead, simply write a generic essay about what you think they should know and send it to all schools.
- Have multiple grammatical and syntactic mistakes. Here are a few specific tips:
- Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.
- Never use no double negatives.
- Use the semicolon properly, always where it is appropriate; and never where it is not.
- Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it where it is not needed.
- Make it crystal clear that you don't really care if they accept you, since they are not your first choice anyways. To be sure the admission committee knows 'who's the man', state that they should feel honored that you even applied.
- Write things that are not true, in great amounts, providing lots of colorful details. For example, mention you like Mozart and play piano, since it sounds much better than spending every other night playing Wii and listening to Kurt Cobain and Marilyn Manson.
- Make an emphasis on the how's, not the why's. For example, spend a whole paragraph describing exactly what you did during your volunteering (preferably providing a detailed schedule), and omit what you took out of it. Feelings and introspection are for sissies.
- Do not be afraid to brag. You did it, right? Why should you be ashamed of your own accomplishments?! Besides, every doctor I know is arrogant, this type of personality trait seems to give you that special extra edge before the admissions committee.
- Pick a controversial topic and make sure to take an uncompromising, unilateral stand on it. For example, say that you are for saving lives and that Jehovah's witnesses are all a bunch of unenlightened inbred retards in regards to blood transfusions. The ad coms will love a doctor who can defend his convictions when he is confronted by patients.
- If you have a bad grade/MCAT score, please do yourself a favor and use your essay to explain why. It would be such a shame if the ad coms did not know that the "F" in intro to fairy tales was your sister's fault - she just had to get pregnant at thirteen and get dumped by her boyfriend when you were taking that course/MCAT. As you see from my example, you get extra points if you blame your failure on someone else.
- Never let anyone else read your essay, because they either do not know you well OR they know very little about the admissions process. Their advice will not bring anything you haven't thought of for your application. If you do find somebody who possesses knowledge about both yourself and the application, make an extra effort to hide your essay from them. Obviously, they (or their friends/family) are also applying and they will use whatever you give them for their own draft. Consequently, it is a good idea to submit as soon as you finish typing the first draft - that way you can claim intellectual property on your literary masterpiece should there be a dispute.
- Here are some excellent reasons for becoming a doctor to use in your essay:
- Because my parents/close relatives are doctors.
- Because I loved ER/House/Scrubs/Grey's Anatomy and want to be just like them.
- Because I knew since I was little that all I wanted to do is be a doctor.
- Because I love people.
- Because I want to help people.
- Because as a doctor I will have employment security.
- Because I always wanted to give orders to other people and have them actually listen to me.
- Because I promised my girlfriend/boyfriend and now I don't want to back out.
- Because... Well, I don't really know why, I just thought it seemed cool and I ought to try it.
- etc...
- Buy a "Collection of the Best in the World Essays That Got Their Writers into Medical School" type of book, look for the most creative one, type it up (at this point you may use your name, if you wish; additionaly, you may wish to change some facts to make the story closer to your own life, but that is absolutely optional) and submit it.
- Use the thesaurus, for Christ's sake (because common everyday words just do not impress ad coms nowadays)! Here are a couple of words to get you started:
- gargantuan instead of large/huge
- interminable instead of endless/very long
- pulchritude instead of beauty
- tyro instead of beginner/novice
- Finally, under no circumstances should you visit or use the information provided below:
- http://books.google.com/books?id=W3gfDobI3MUC&lpg=PA87&ots=2E2NqxBWpX&dq=kaplan%2010%20mistakes%20to%20avoid%20personal%20statement&pg=PA87
- http://books.google.com/books?id=B6kS0Zcj0e4C&lpg=PA101&ots=a-gfTevBue&dq=kaplan%2010%20mistakes%20to%20avoid%20personal%20statement&pg=PA101
- http://www.essayedge.com/medical/essayadvice/course/ (this one requires a registration, so do not even bother wasting your time)
- http://www.petersons.com/common/article.asp?id=1009&path=gr.gs.advice&sponsor=1
For more examples go to the full list. (Almost forgot: U need 4 shoe 2 write in c00l chat lingo str8 off the net, I swear, the ad coms dig it)
The Ups and Downs of Applying for Medical School
Today is a special occasion, because we have a guest post. P.L. has written about his hurdles with what is the main theme of the day on my blog, 24/7/356. Please be kind, constructive and critical - leave comments, so he might write again... (remark by premedc)
--
I’m sure most of you have heard the expression “Being a doctor isn’t easy”. Doctors not only have to work crazy hours, not only are they responsible for the lives of their patients, but they have to do all of this and at the same time manage their time effectively so that they can have time with their family and friends. Easy right? Well I’m sure the fact that the divorce rate for physicians is 10-20% higher than the general population is a testament to exactly how difficult it really is. But the purpose of this post is not to dissuade you from wanting to be a physician or to tell you about the hardships that physicians have to face, because the reality is that you are not physicians yet. Instead I’m going to talk to you about the application process to medical school and how some future physicians learn how hard their job is before even being accepted to medical school. I will be talking to you about my own experiences applying to medical school and maybe you can learn something worthwhile from my wild roller coaster ride.
The biggest thing that I have taken away from my experience applying to medical school is that the actual process of applying can affect you and influence you in ways you cannot begin to imagine. Most of the people I speak to about applying to Medical School all have the same thought in mind. They all believe that they have gained valuable life experiences from their ECs and from their time in school. This may very well be true but it’s unfortunate that I haven’t come across many people who tell me that they have learned as much from the application process than I have. Maybe this is because most people haven’t gone through as many hardships as I have during the past two years in my attempt to get into Medical School or maybe it’s because some people haven’t taken away as much as they should have from the application process.
Two years ago I began my adventure. I knew my 3.4/4.3 GPA wasn’t stellar and I knew my 27P MCAT was below average, but I was never the kind of person that gives up easily so I proceeded to continue with my applications to medical schools. Well I don’t have to tell you what the outcome was. I was devastated, but after receiving rejection letter after rejection letter I knew that I wasn’t living up to my potential and that I could honestly do better for myself. I channelled all my anger and focused it on doing the best I could do at school. I stopped hanging out with friends, I stopped watching TV and my entire life became school. In my last semester at Concordia University I accomplished a feat I knew I was capable of but never actually did it before. I got straight A+s and ended my Bachelor Degree with a 3.7/4.3 GPA which was far from my 3.4 GPA that I had a year previously. I knew that this was a glimmer of hope for my aspirations to get into medical school, but by no means did I get my hopes up. I knew that in order to give myself the best chance to get where I wanted to be, I had to do a second undergrad degree instead of continuing upward with my education and doing a Master’s. This was definitely not an easy decision for me, but the thing I kept coming back to was the fact that I knew that I had more left in me and I knew that by doing another Undergrad degree I was giving myself a fresh start to prove to myself and everyone else that I can really do this. So I applied to Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill and was accepted and thus began a new chapter in my adventure.
But doing another undergraduate degree was not the only obstacle I had to face. I knew that my MCAT score was another big factor in my multiple rejections and I knew that a retake was the only option. So I devoted my entire summer to studying again for the beast. It wasn’t easy to sit inside for the second summer in a row while all of my friends were going out and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. However, I knew that this was a sacrifice I had to make. I took the MCAT in the middle of August and by the middle of September I received my results. I improved my score significantly from a 27P to a 31Q, and although I knew that I could have done even better I was satisfied that my work had paid off and that I had brought my MCAT score to a competitive level.
The next obstacle I had to face was actually applying all over again. I focused myself and really spent a lot of time on my Autobiographical sketch. I got feedback from friends and family and in the end I was extremely satisfied with the final result. I sent it in along with my updated MCAT mark, and updated transcripts, and crossed my fingers. I knew that in all likelihood I was going to receive the same rejection letter that I had received a year prior, but deep down I hoped that McGill would see my perseverance, determination and improvement and that they would at least give me the opportunity to show my face and show them who I really am. Then on February 27th, 2009 I received an unexpected email. “The Admissions Office has reviewed your application as a Fall 2009 MDCM (Quebec) applicant and, based on your overall dossier, has selected you as a candidate for interviews.” I experienced a mix of emotions from shock to joy to crying tears of happiness. I still had another hurdle to get over, but I got another inch closer to my goal and for that moment I really caught a glimpse of what it might be like at the finish line.
As much as I was enjoying the celebration, the party was about to come to an end. I knew that I had 3 weeks to prepare for one of the most important days of my life and I wasn’t sure if I had enough time. From doing practice MMIs to doing mock traditional interviews to meeting with friends over coffee and doing mock interviews with them, I did it all. I searched deep to find answers to the tough questions like “Why do you want to be a doctor?” and “Tell me about yourself”. I gained confidence and my spirits were high. I did the interview and upon initial thought I honestly believed that I did very well. However, these thoughts were very short-lived. On April 7, 2009 I received the exact same letter that I had received a year before. The date was different but the words and the outcome were the exact same. My world came crashing down and now I write to you in the same place as I was one year ago. WRONG! I am most definitely not in the same place. The outcome may be the same, but there is no way I could have learned the lessons that I did without going through this tumultuous experience. I have learned that I have more determination and perseverance than I thought I ever could have had. I learned that by being rejected and making mistakes you can actually learn more than by being perfect. I learned that if being a doctor is something I really want to do then I am not going to let a bunch of people sitting around a little table tell me that I can’t. I learned that only you can be your own worst enemy, I learned that anything is possible if you really put your mind to it. I learned that sometimes short term sacrifices need to be made in order to get something worthwhile in the long term. And last but certainly not least, I learned that the people who said “Being a doctor isn’t easy” were most definitely spot on but failed to read the fine print that said “Applying to be a doctor isn’t any easier”.
By P.L.
Medical school application process (or the Ten Steps of Medical Admissions Application)
So, you bought a stethoscope and want to order those business cards with the coveted M.D. on them next to your name? Well, applications to medical schools sound like a good idea to begin with. I feel a little odd writing a whole article about what might be more than obvious to you over-zealous mega-achievers. However, I also feel some of you will severely underestimate the importance of spending enough time on the actual application process (as opposed to the years of preparation that go into having something to write on that application). For shortness' sake, let us assume you have accumulated enough padding for your CV, took the MCAT and aced it, and you feel mature enough to become a doctor (I will write about that one soon, when I discuss the interviews). Here are the Ten Steps of Successful Medical School Applications (this is a quick guide, so don't blame for not being thorough):
First - Official
Sounds simple. It is. Make sure you learn by heart the admissions website of every university you apply to. This means taking the time to list for yourself all the requirements. Circle all the deadlines on your calendar. Learn about things that are important to you (the duration of the program, for example, since there are 3-year programs leading to the same MD degree).
Second - Unofficial
Be proactive, not reactive. Do not wait for the rejection letter to learn something you should have known. Use the internet. Seach Google. Make sure you fish out everything you can on the subject of "your-school-of-choice medicine application". See how it contradicts/complements/confirms the information you gathered in step one. One of the best resources for Canadian applicants is the forum of Canadian Premed and Medical Schools.
Third - Word of mouth
This one requires some social skills. Ask your friends who applied there or know somebody who did. Were there any quirks? Oftentimes, you will come across information that is not available on the official website, information people learned on their own experience. Information they will not share but with their good friends, such as you. If you are smart, you will cut short the wisdom gaining process and learn on others' experience, not your own. At this time, you can get some invaluable pointers at what the admission committee of that specific school is looking for.
Fourth - Clarification
Having formed your own idea of how you fit into the grand scheme of things at the Best Medical School, you will be primed for asking them questions. Preferably several times and on different occasions. Most likely there will come up an issue that is still unresolved after the above steps. You want an example? Sure : do they absolutely need 2 references from professors? Most likely, nobody except the admission committee personnel (please carefully mark my words: secretaries do not count) will be able to answer these definitively. You will need to call them, come in (if you are in the same city) or keep calling again. A good idea would be to ask your friend to call and ask for a different person (there are usually at least a couple of ad com officers). If you suddenly start feeling guilt for the extra work you will cause the poor office people working so hard to get you closer to actually having a legitimate reason to use your stethoscope - remember that you are paying them. The application fees got you covered.
Fifth - Personal review
This is a quick reality check. After getting all the information written down and broken down on a per school basis, set it aside. Let it sit for a while. Do something else and come back to it a week later (hence the suggestion to start applications early - you cannot skim on things like this). You will not believe what kind of things you might have missed. In case you did, go back up the list and repeat until you are completely satisfied with yourself.
NOTE: A post about worst application screw-ups coming soon. Prepare for a good laugh. Update: put on your laughing caps - it's here.
Sixth - Close person review
This is more pertinent to the creative part of your application, i.e. the Personal Statement, aka the Biographical Sketch aka the Biggest Bullshit of Your Life. Did I really say that? I guess I did. It does not matter since you should not be listening to an anonymous person who probably did not even get past the submit button on medical school applications anyway. Ok, ok, joke over.
Although I will write a post about the PS relatively soon, I think its worth to mention this important step right now. Make sure a close person (friend, family) reviews your application briefly and your PS thoroughly. Give them a list of pertinent questions (more about this later) and ask them to use the Review feature in Microsoft Word.
Seventh - Personal review
Now, when you have real person feedback on your application - make sure you use it. Compare the edited with the original. Decide which parts are better and make the final draft from the best parts of the two. This is going to be hard, but you have to integrate everything, don't just accept all the comments, as well as don't discard them altogether because they say you sound too arrogant when you say you already knew what you needed to know to decide you wanted to be a doctor when you were 3 years old. Be humble, but be aware that your friend/relative might not be as informed/enlightened about the intricacies of the PS requirements.
Eighth - Adviser/counselor review
Same old song about using what you pay for. Please be smart and go to your Career Office/Student Services and book an appointment with an adviser to look over your PS, CV or any other two letter acronym document you may submit.
Ninth - Personal review
At this point, you are probably so fed up with the applications, that you will punch the next person who says medical school, MCAT, accepted, interview or references. Nevertheless. Just like in step five, put the application aside. Do something fun and come back refreshed. See that silly word you missed? How about that date? Did you really think the admissions committe will believe you volunteered for Doctors Without Borders when you were 5 years old? What? Oh, its a typo. That's right, they will be understanding. The admissions committee will definitely understand how much effort you spent on their application when they throw it in the trash bin.
Tenth - Last checkup
Just before you are about to click that last button, print the last paper, pass the no-turning-back point - stop. I know how much you are going to hate me for this, how much I will be ridiculed, but I am still saying it: Go back to step one and complete this guide all over again. This time, quickly and without time-consuming parts (seek only people you can reach quickly, i.e. forgo the adivser this time).
In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the better you prepare you first application, the less likely you will need to think of a second one. Just like with the MCAT, volunteering, school and life in general, the effort you put may not grant you instant gratification, but it sure as hell will make you Birthday-Christmas-Marriage happy when you are accepted.
First - Official
Sounds simple. It is. Make sure you learn by heart the admissions website of every university you apply to. This means taking the time to list for yourself all the requirements. Circle all the deadlines on your calendar. Learn about things that are important to you (the duration of the program, for example, since there are 3-year programs leading to the same MD degree).
Second - Unofficial
Be proactive, not reactive. Do not wait for the rejection letter to learn something you should have known. Use the internet. Seach Google. Make sure you fish out everything you can on the subject of "your-school-of-choice medicine application". See how it contradicts/complements/confirms the information you gathered in step one. One of the best resources for Canadian applicants is the forum of Canadian Premed and Medical Schools.
Third - Word of mouth
This one requires some social skills. Ask your friends who applied there or know somebody who did. Were there any quirks? Oftentimes, you will come across information that is not available on the official website, information people learned on their own experience. Information they will not share but with their good friends, such as you. If you are smart, you will cut short the wisdom gaining process and learn on others' experience, not your own. At this time, you can get some invaluable pointers at what the admission committee of that specific school is looking for.
Fourth - Clarification
Having formed your own idea of how you fit into the grand scheme of things at the Best Medical School, you will be primed for asking them questions. Preferably several times and on different occasions. Most likely there will come up an issue that is still unresolved after the above steps. You want an example? Sure : do they absolutely need 2 references from professors? Most likely, nobody except the admission committee personnel (please carefully mark my words: secretaries do not count) will be able to answer these definitively. You will need to call them, come in (if you are in the same city) or keep calling again. A good idea would be to ask your friend to call and ask for a different person (there are usually at least a couple of ad com officers). If you suddenly start feeling guilt for the extra work you will cause the poor office people working so hard to get you closer to actually having a legitimate reason to use your stethoscope - remember that you are paying them. The application fees got you covered.
Fifth - Personal review
This is a quick reality check. After getting all the information written down and broken down on a per school basis, set it aside. Let it sit for a while. Do something else and come back to it a week later (hence the suggestion to start applications early - you cannot skim on things like this). You will not believe what kind of things you might have missed. In case you did, go back up the list and repeat until you are completely satisfied with yourself.
NOTE: A post about worst application screw-ups coming soon. Prepare for a good laugh. Update: put on your laughing caps - it's here.
Sixth - Close person review
This is more pertinent to the creative part of your application, i.e. the Personal Statement, aka the Biographical Sketch aka the Biggest Bullshit of Your Life. Did I really say that? I guess I did. It does not matter since you should not be listening to an anonymous person who probably did not even get past the submit button on medical school applications anyway. Ok, ok, joke over.
Although I will write a post about the PS relatively soon, I think its worth to mention this important step right now. Make sure a close person (friend, family) reviews your application briefly and your PS thoroughly. Give them a list of pertinent questions (more about this later) and ask them to use the Review feature in Microsoft Word.
Seventh - Personal review
Now, when you have real person feedback on your application - make sure you use it. Compare the edited with the original. Decide which parts are better and make the final draft from the best parts of the two. This is going to be hard, but you have to integrate everything, don't just accept all the comments, as well as don't discard them altogether because they say you sound too arrogant when you say you already knew what you needed to know to decide you wanted to be a doctor when you were 3 years old. Be humble, but be aware that your friend/relative might not be as informed/enlightened about the intricacies of the PS requirements.
Eighth - Adviser/counselor review
Same old song about using what you pay for. Please be smart and go to your Career Office/Student Services and book an appointment with an adviser to look over your PS, CV or any other two letter acronym document you may submit.
Ninth - Personal review
At this point, you are probably so fed up with the applications, that you will punch the next person who says medical school, MCAT, accepted, interview or references. Nevertheless. Just like in step five, put the application aside. Do something fun and come back refreshed. See that silly word you missed? How about that date? Did you really think the admissions committe will believe you volunteered for Doctors Without Borders when you were 5 years old? What? Oh, its a typo. That's right, they will be understanding. The admissions committee will definitely understand how much effort you spent on their application when they throw it in the trash bin.
Tenth - Last checkup
Just before you are about to click that last button, print the last paper, pass the no-turning-back point - stop. I know how much you are going to hate me for this, how much I will be ridiculed, but I am still saying it: Go back to step one and complete this guide all over again. This time, quickly and without time-consuming parts (seek only people you can reach quickly, i.e. forgo the adivser this time).
In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the better you prepare you first application, the less likely you will need to think of a second one. Just like with the MCAT, volunteering, school and life in general, the effort you put may not grant you instant gratification, but it sure as hell will make you Birthday-Christmas-Marriage happy when you are accepted.
