Author Archives: Liza

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education accredits medical schools in the US and Canada. Accreditation ensures that medical schools meet standards set by the LCME. Medical schools are required to “demonstrate that their graduates exhibit general professional competencies that are appropriate … Continue reading

Posted in Medical Schools on Probation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Medical Schools on Probation

  Medical school applicants often wonder whether they should update schools. An “update letter” can keep medical schools informed as the application process unfolds. Applicants often wonder what merits sending an update; only significant additions to an application should be … Continue reading

Posted in Update Letters | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Medical School Update Letters

As the former director of both the Johns Hopkins and Goucher Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Programs, I have in-depth knowledge of the post-bac application process; I have screened, interviewed, and made decisions on thousands of post-bac applicants. The post-baccalaureate premedical program application … Continue reading

Posted in Post-Bac Interviews, Post-Bac Premedical Programs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Post Baccalaureate Premedical Program Interviews: What to Expect

The Multiple Mini Interview format is now commonplace among US medical schools. Here is a list of MD schools using MMI in the 2023-2024 application cycle; this list is subject to change, please check with each school to which you … Continue reading

Posted in Medical School Interviews, Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Medical Schools Using Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)

Secondary applications arrive soon after the primary application is transmitted to the medical schools. It is important to return secondary applications quickly; an application is not considered complete until the secondary has been received. The suggested time window for returning a … Continue reading

Posted in Secondary Applications | Tagged | Comments Off on Pre-Writing Secondary Applications

Casper  (Computer Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) an exam that is used by some medical schools in the admissions process. It assesses an applicant’s situational judgment in various scenarios. Here is the most recent list of MD schools requiring it; … Continue reading

Posted in CASPer | Tagged , | Comments Off on Medical Schools Requiring the Casper Test

Medical school admissions personnel have identified core competencies that are necessary to be a successful medical student and physician. The competencies are grouped into four categories: interpersonal, intrapersonal, thinking/reasoning, and science. The 15 competencies that are considered essential are: 1. … Continue reading

Posted in Competencies, Medical School Admission | Tagged , | Leave a comment

‘ Photo courtesy of umhs-sk.org Receiving an invitation to interview is an exciting step in the medical school application process. If you’ve been selected to interview it means that the medical school has vetted your application and you have passed … Continue reading

Posted in Medical School Interviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Preparing for a Medical School Interview

July is an incredibly busy month in the medical school application process. This is the time when secondary applications are in full swing. Having read thousands of secondary application essays over my career, which has spanned almost 30 years, I have … Continue reading

Posted in Secondary Applications | Tagged , | Comments Off on Writing Secondary Applications

As described in another blog post, secondary applications are an enormously important component of the medical school application process. Secondaries are designed to suit the needs of individual medical schools. As such, medical schools pay as much attention to the secondary applications … Continue reading

Posted in Secondary Applications | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Common Secondary Application Prompts