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)
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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.

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):