Global Health Courses in Medical School

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Liza

Photo courtesy of New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Photo courtesy of New York-Presbyterian Hospital

As the world gets more globally focused and connected, more medical schools are incorporating courses to help medical students learn about and address global health issues. This trend is also, in part, due to increased interest in global health amongst medical students. Many medical school applicants and eventual medical students are interested in service learning during their medical education; as a result, more opportunities to engage in global health have emerged.

The approach in courses that teach med students about global health issues should be multifold according to experts such as Dr. Joel Shalowitz of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern, cited in this recent article in US News and World Report about the preponderance of global health courses in medical school.

Duke’s Global Health Institute offers an array of courses to educate students. The University of Colorado offers a Global Health Track.  Tufts also offers programs in global health, as does the famed program in Global Health & Social Medicine at Harvard.  In fact, most medical schools offer some sort of education in global health issues. Some other examples include Columbia and the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn.

–Liza Thompson, Medical School Admissions Consulting

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Health Humanities Undergraduate Programs

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Liza

Studying the humanities has been shown to foster medical students who have more compassion and empathy. As such, it’s a positive development that undergraduate programs in “health humanities” have increased exponentially in the last 20 years. Majors which combine science with the humanities are increasingly popular.  For example, at Vanderbilt the major in Medicine, Health, and Society is now the second most popular field of study, with over 500 students. Areas of inquiry in the major include racial and ethnic health disparities, social justice, literature, neuroscience, biology, psychology, sociology, and history, among other fields. Baylor was the first institution to offer an undergraduate medical humanities major and others soon followed. There are currently 17 colleges or universities which offer a major or concentration in medical humanities; many more schools offer a minor. The list of schools offering a major or concentration is as follows:

Baylor

Beloit

Benedictine

Columbia

DePaul

Emory

Florida Atlantic

Harvard

Hiram

Indiana

Johns Hopkins

Misericordia

Northwestern

Southern Methodist

Stanford

University of Alabama

University of Pennsylvania

University of Richmond

University of Texas at San Antonio

Vanderbilt

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

 

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PostBac Program Application Essay

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Liza

Doing medical school admissions consulting, I am often asked to weigh in on topics relevant to premedical students, postbac premedical program applicants, and medical school applicants. The Spanish & Medicine Program by Ecela recently asked to do an interview with me on postbac program application essays, given my expertise in regard to postbac programs and the postbac application process. If you want tips on writing the essay for postbac program applications, please listen here.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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When to Write a Letter of Intent

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Liza

love-letter1

As a medical school consultant, I am often asked by clients about letters of intent. For information about the purpose of the letter of intent, please read my other blog post about the medical school letter of intent. In the fall of the medical school application cycle, I am frequently asked about the timing of the letter of intent. Applicants are eager to indicate their interest to schools and they often think that a letter of intent can convey that.

Generally speaking, a letter of intent is normally written after an applicant has had the chance to interview at a number of schools, thereby giving the letter writer concrete experience that informs his or her interest. This knowledge of the school—and of other schools—equips the writer with more substance for the letter, which gives it more weight. A letter of intent written at a later stage in the application cycle than mid-fall thus has more insight to offer, based on the applicant having had the chance to compare one school to another and acquire real knowledge of the particular school in question.

The letter of intent should be submitted prior to a decision being rendered but after an applicant has interviewed; this timing will thus vary from applicant to applicant, depending on when interviews occur. A letter of intent can also be written even later in the cycle, when an applicant is on a waitlist.

Letters of intent are not required and not everyone writes them. They are written by applicants who have a very strong interest in one school—and this interest needs to be articulated with specificity and evidence as to why that school is the perfect fit.

If you have particular questions about a letter of intent pertaining to your situation or want help with your letter, please contact me at liza@thompsonadvising.com.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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The Top 15 Medical Schools: Research and Primary Care

Posted on September 14, 2016 by admin

US News and World Report has released its rankings for 2016. There are no real surprises here; most of these schools have been a constant presence in the rankings from year to year. You’ll notice that six schools are on the top 15 list in both categories: UCSF, Penn, Duke, UCLA, the University of Michigan, and the University of Washington. This is a marked increase over past years; the top-ranked research schools have been bolstering their focus on primary care in recent years, thus the new presence of some of those schools on the primary care list. Here are the rankings of the top 15 in each category.

Research

3. Johns Hopkins, UCSF, and Penn (tied at #3)
6. Washington University (St. Louis)
8. Duke, U. of Washington, and Yale (tied)
11. NYU, U. of Chicago, and Michigan (tied)
14. UCLA

 

Primary Care

1. U. of Washington
2. U. of North Carolina
3. UCSF
4. Michigan
5. U. of Nebraska
6. Oregon Health and Science U. and UCLA (tied)
8. Duke
9. Baylor and U. of Minnesota (tied)
11. U. of Colorado, Penn, and Pittsburgh (tied)
14. University of Wisconsin
15. Michigan State
 

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting 

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Early Decision for Medical School: Yes or No?

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Liza

Early Bird

Photo courtesy of PremedLife

Does the early bird get the worm when it comes to medical school admission?  Yes, if you apply early in the cycle of the regular process but generally not if you apply early decision.

As a medical school admissions consultant, I am often asked by clients whether applying to medical school early decision is a good idea. Applicants often believe that indicating their strong interest in a particular medical school will give them a better chance of getting in. This belief spills over from the resounding evidence that applying to college as an early decision applicant does, in fact, favor applicants. This is generally not true for medical school applicants, for the reasons listed below.

  • When you apply early decision in the medical school application process you are barred from applying to any other school.
  • By the time you usually receive your decision from that one school it is October, well into the “regular” application process timeline.
  • If you are denied acceptance by that one school, you are significantly behind schedule in the medical school application process.
  • Your application to other schools will subsequently be at the bottom of the pile, giving you a markedly reduced chance of admission elsewhere.

The evidence is clear: applying early decision in the medical school application process does not give you the same increased chance of admission as in the college application process.

My advice to clients is almost always the same in regard to early decision: do not do it. However, there are some exceptions to the rule. Some schools that do ED give their applicants an earlier decision (July or early August), which means that the applicant could still have a chance elsewhere. In every case, anyone who is considering ED should meet with the Office of Admissions at that particular medical school to get a red, yellow, or green light in regard to the feasibility of submitting an early application. Continue reading →

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Optional Secondary Application Essays

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Liza

In secondary (or “supplemental”) applications, each medical school poses several prompts, tailored to provide specific information for that school. These prompts will be different for each medical school, although similarities do exist from one school to another; certain themes are repeated (i.e., how you might add to the diversity of a school, what challenges you have overcome, etc.).

Of these prompts one or more may be listed as optional. While some “optional” questions discourage applicants from responding unless they truly have new information to add to the application, most others are not optional. If you fail to answer an optional question it may appear that you’re not making enough of an effort to advance your case with that particular medical school or that you’re not fully interested in that school, which is not the impression you want to leave with a medical school. It’s in an applicant’s best interest to think about the prompt given, then write an essay to fill that “optional” space.

What should you write for the optional essay?  Your response will depend on what’s been asked previously on that school’s secondary and the prompt for the optional essay. If no question has been asked about why you’re interested in that particular school, the optional essay is an opportunity to help the school understand why you’re interested. Continue reading →

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Medical School Secondary Application Tips

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Liza

As most medical school applicants know, the “primary” application, processed by the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), is the uniform application that allopathic medical schools receive. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) processes applications for osteopathic schools. The Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) receives and processes applications to public medical schools in Texas.

In addition, each medical school requires its own individual application, known as the “secondary” or “supplemental” application. Applicants first submit the primary application, which is verified and subsequently transmitted to the medical schools applicants choose. Individual medical schools then release their secondary applications or they may be readily available on a school’s website (check with each individual school in regard to their secondary policy).

Some secondaries are relatively simple, only requiring a repeat of biographic data and an additional fee. More commonly, however, secondaries consist of short-answer essays tailored to each school, requiring considerable thought and time and, of course, the requisite fee.

Having advised medical school applicants for the past 20+ years, I have compiled a list of tips to help applicants prepare outstanding secondary applications:

1. Prepare for the time it will take to do the secondary applications. Applicants rarely factor in the time and attention secondary applications demand. Be prepared to spend a solid month writing secondary applications. Make sure you have the time and attention necessary to write secondary essays.

2. Recognize that the secondary applications are as important as the primary. Remember that each medical school has thought carefully about the questions they include on the secondary; the applications are individually tailored to each school’s needs. As such, the medical schools pay close attention to their content. Secondary applications are an incredibly important aspect of the medical school application process and should be treated with the respect they merit. Pay careful attention to each secondary and write your essays carefully and thoughtfully.

3. Return the secondaries in a timely fashion. Your application is considered incomplete until you submit the secondary. Your application will not be read and reviewed until the secondary application is received (some schools screen applications prior to issuing the secondary but this is the exception and not the rule). Try to return your secondaries within two weeks of receipt; this will ensure that your application will be reviewed promptly.

4. Read the instructions in the secondaries carefully. Secondary applications vary from school to school. It is incumbent upon you to read the instructions and follow them to the letter of the law. Some secondaries require submission of a Dean’s Certification Form from your undergraduate institution. Others have strict deadlines. All secondaries are not created equal; they have different instructions and rules. Read them carefully. Continue reading →

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TMDSAS Secondary Applications

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Liza

The Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application System (TMDSAS) has a different secondary application process than AMCAS. In the American Medical College Application Service all the participating medical schools require a secondary application. In Texas, however, it’s different. Seven of the participating medical schools require a secondary. The following are readily available and should be filled out as soon as the TMDSAS has been submitted.

UT Southwestern

Texas A&M

Texas Tech – Lubbock

University of North Texas School of Osteopathic Medicine

Texas Tech – El Paso

These two schools have different policies:

Dell Medical School screens before sending its applicants a secondary application.

UT Rio Grande Valley invites via email all applicants to complete a secondary; the application is not readily available.

These secondaries have a range of prompts, such as the following:

Have you experienced any academic road bumps in your academic career (low academic performance, dropping, retaking, or failing courses, etc.)? If so, please explain your circumstance. 

What do you like or dislike most about the area you are from (500 words or less)?

In 500 words or less please describe what you would see as the “ideal” practice for you. (where, type of practice — clinic, hospital, both, specialty, who would be your patients, etc.)

Please tell us about your favorite recreational/leisure activities (500 words or less).

Describe briefly any experiences and/or skills that have made you more sensitive or appreciative of other cultures or the human condition. (3500 character maximum).

The honor code for the Texas A&M College of Medicine is: “A Texas A&M medical student is a professional who exhibits leadership, honesty, integrity, compassion, respect and self-discipline.” Please briefly discuss what activities or personal attributes demonstrate best that you would be a good custodian of our honor code (3500 character maximum).

Describe any circumstances indicative of some hardship, such as, but not limited to, financial difficulties, personal or family illness, a medical condition, a death in the immediate family or educational disadvantage. (Do not leave blank. If not applicable, please so indicate.  The character limit on this essay is 3500).

As with the AMCAS application it’s wise to submit the secondaries early in the process as an application is not considered complete until the secondary has been received. Applicants should prepare thoughtful and comprehensive responses to the secondary prompts. Since each secondary is tailored specifically to each school admissions committees pay special attention to them.

If you have questions about secondary applications or would like to have your essays reviewed, please contact me by email at liza@thompsonadvising.com.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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Reapplying to Medical School: Strategies for Success

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Liza

reapplicant_solutions

 

Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges show that in the 2015-2016 application cycle there were 52,536 individuals who applied to medical school. Of that number 14,087 were reapplicants who had previously applied to medical school without success. Why were these applicants rejected and what can they do to have a better outcome in the future? The obvious answer is that there were problems with their applications, some clear and others perhaps less so. The key to reapplicants’ success is to figure out what’s wrong with the application and take the time necessary to fix the problems before reapplying.

Take a close, honest look at the possible deficiencies in your application. Think carefully about what you can do to address areas of weakness. Will you be able to make improvements in enough time to go immediately into the next application cycle? It depends on the problem. If you truly want to go to medical school you may have to take time to turn around your application. Here are common areas of weakness that should be addressed in any medical school application, along with strategies for improvement: Continue reading →

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