Information for Medical School Applicants
Please refer to the current SIUE catalog or the Biology Department Web Page for detailed specialization requirements.
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The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
The MCAT covers biological sciences, physical sciences, thinking, problem solving, and writing. Students should plan to take the MCAT after completing chemistry and physics and at least two years of biology, but not necessarily calculus.
The best time to take the MCAT is in April of the junior year. This ensures that the medical
school will have the MCAT scores in hand at the time they begin to evaluate applications.
It also permits the student to decide to retake the MCAT in August if they want. On the other hand, students may have more time to prepare for the August test date,
so taking it then may mean they don't need to repeat it later.
It is acceptable to have more than one MCAT score sent to a medical school.
Different schools have different rules about how many scores they look at.
The MCAT Interpretive Manual has replaced the paper MCAT packet. It has descriptions of the various sections of the MCAT and sample questions of each type.
The test dates and deadlines for 2006 are below. In 2006, the MCAT is phasing into a computer-based testing program. There will be CBT administration at selected US sites in 2006. By 2007, all MCAT tests will be computer-based and there will be close to 20 test dates rather than two.
You can register on-line for the MCAT at a link on the AAMC web site.
The AAMC site has extensive information for students about planning for medical school, taking the MCAT, preparing the AMCAS application, and attending medical school. This is one of the most valuable resources available to pre-medical students.
Medical College Admissions Seminars--Don't miss them! Students planning to apply to medical school should plan to attend a medical college
admission seminar at least once, preferably before fall of junior year. The next seminar
will be March 4, 2006, at Midwestern Univ. in Downers Grove, IL. They are free and generally last all
day on a Saturday. They are presented by the eight Illinois medical schools, who all have
representatives there to talk to prospective students and to provide information about
their schools. There are minisessions on choosing a medical school, applying, interviewing,
writing personal statements, being a nontraditional student, financing, etc. There is usually
a panel discussion with current medical students who answer questions. These seminars would
be valuable even to students who are not applying to Illinois medical schools.
Students should plan to apply to medical schools the summer after the junior year--don't
wait until fall of the senior year. Plan to spend a substantial amount of time on your
application and especially on your personal statement. The AMCAS application materials should be
usually on-line by mid-April from a link on the AAMC site and
more directly at the link for student
information about the AMCAS application.
The AAMC site has extensive information for students about planning for medical school, taking the MCAT, preparing the AMCAS application, and attending medical school. This is one of the most valuable resources available to pre-medical students.
Minority Medical Education Program A free summer enrichment program for underrepresented minority students is available through
AAMC at
http://http://www.smdep.org/
Most students who ask me to critique their rough draft for a personal
statement provide me with a chronological description of their lives,
highlighting experiences that they feel have contributed to their desire
to become physicians. This is a good starting point, but does not make a
distinctive, memorable, or convincing personal statement. The people who
read personal statements may read several hundred--yours should distinguish
you from the hundreds of other applicants with similar paper credentials. Giving
specific details of your unique experiences and linking each experience
to what you learned from it, or how it changed you, will make your statement
both more descriptive and more memorable.
There are several general comments that I find apply to the majority of
the statements that I read.
In all cases, be careful to correct all errors of spelling, punctuation
and grammar--make sure those are perfect, regardless of any other
changes you might make. There should be no typographical or grammatical errors at all.
Usually, the subjects students choose to cover are fine--it is the
approach that I usually suggest changing. Most draft statements that I have
read are very chronological (I did this, then I did that, then I went there
and did something else.) Try to change the emphasis from sequential descriptions
of the events in your life to discussion of certain events that were most
important to you or to the development of some particular aspect of your
character or your motivation to attend medical school.
The statements are also usually very I-dominant (I did this, next I did
that, I ....). I recommend changing that, if only by rewording some
sentences.
Identify certain classes of experiences that you feel have molded you
into the person you are today and the person you would like them to accept
into medical school. Use your supporting text to provide emphasis and
detail about each class of experience.
For instance, you might describe various types of formative events--
family-related experiences, service-related experiences, or international
experiences. In each of these you probably learned things about yourself,
your ability to relate to or to help others, and about your motivation
toward medical school. Put the emphasis on what you learned, rather than
on the order in which you learned it. Each formative experience may have
given you insight into some aspect of your character, your personality,
that would be relevant--point that out. Be sure to add as many specific
details as you have room for. Add lots, and then edit it down to size.
Have people who know you well read your draft statement, and read it out
loud to you. You read it out loud to someone else. Make sure it still
sounds like you after you edit it. Make sure the English is perfect.
Elsewhere in your application, there are factual details (dates, schools, etc.)
regarding your education and other aspects of your life--don't include them
in your statement unless they are essential to help the reader understand
the importance of what you are describing.
On the 2001 AMCAS application personal statement, there may be a specific question that
asks you to write about where/how you envision your medical practice ten years from now. Such a question might
also appear appear in a supplemental or secondary application. In answering this sort of question,
I would give more than just a straightforward answer. Explain with specific examples why you would have made the choices
that would lead your medical practice in a particular direction.
I would talk about whether it would be a family practice, or you would be working as an ER physician,
or a pediatrician, or surgeon--and why? Would you choose to be in a group private practice or a community
clinic, and why? Would you choose to work diredtly for an HMO clinic, or just sign up for certain insurance companies?
How do you think various aspects of insurance/HMO/PPO would affect your practice and why?
You might, if it seems to fit and is important to you, get into ethical considerations that might apply to certain
types of practices. If there are meaningful examples from your personal experience of physicians, practices,
or clinics, use them. How do you expect to interact with your patients? Educate them?
Your final product must fit in the space on the form. You will need
to consider the importance of each word and the wording of each sentence
to eliminate excess verbiage, but keeping the essentials of each description
intact. This is sort of like writing a prose poem, where each word has significance.
Good luck!
Dr. Wilson is now providing a centralized evaluation letter service--ask her for the waiver forms
(or feel free to print the forms yourself using the link below) before you talk to your evaluators. The medical
schools prefer to receive a single packet containing all of the evaluation letters for each student. Dr. Wilson
will gather your evaluations together and send a packet of them to each medical school to which you apply.
Evaluators should send their letters and forms directly to Dr. Wilson at SIUE. Make sure that you give Dr. Wilson
a copy of a waiver form for each evaluator for your file.
Link to Waiver Forms to Give Evaluators and Dr. Wilson (adapted from the Medical College Admissions Seminar Session entitled "How to Interview Effectively")
Preparation for the Interview
Get to know yourself well--think about your motivation, personal characteristics, values, opinions, and goals. Are you honest, empathetic, compassionate, curious, analytical?
Motivation: Consider your life experiences and how they relate to medicine.
How have your experiences, your relationships with people, your accomplishments motivated you toward medicine?
You should be able to talk about such things in a conversation without sounding self-centered or arrogant.
Consider your strengths and weaknesses. Are you a planner, well-organized and reliable?
What are your talents? What do they contribute to making you a good candidate for medical school?
What are your shortcomings? Don't try to hide them, but think about them, and how you have dealt with them to be a successful student, etc. Don't blame others for your problems or shortcomings--if it is necessary to talk about them, explain them and how you compensate for them. Don't try to turn a weakness into a strength.
Maturity: What major decisions have you made on your own? How have you dealt with disappointments? How do you handle stress and anxiety?
Intellectual curiosity: Are you a well-read person? What do you read? Are you aware of current controversies in medicine? How do you spend your free time? Have you taught yourself some special skill? Are you interested in some topic beyond what is required of you in classes?
Leadership: Have you taken advantage of the opportunities available to you on campus to become involved in a community or people-oriented activity? Have you taken a leadership role in such an activity? How involved were you? How has it helped you and the organization in which you participated?
Interpersonal communication skills: Evaluate yours, and do what you can to improve them. Practice listening, as well as talking, to others.
Values and opinions: Have opinions regarding current social/political/medical issues. Be able to discuss your opinions logically and back up your opinions clearly, but be open to other ideas. Read recent issues of Time magazine or Newsweek so that you are familiar with current events. Be prepared to consider a hypothetical situation (possibly medical, but possibly not), devise solutions for it, and defend them.
Goals: What do you see yourself doing in 5 or 10 years? Will you be doing medical research, be a primary care physician, be teaching in a medical school, be in family practice in a rural setting? Where will you fit into the medical world?
Get to know the school at which you are interviewing before you go there--look at its web page (or other sources) and know as much as you can about its philosophy, history, curriculum (required and elective courses),
research, clinical facilities, socioeconomic characteristics of its setting. Look at its catalog, if possible--have some questions to ask about the particular school at which you are interviewing.
Know the typical schedule for the interview day at a particular school (number of interviews, single or group interview, lunch, travel arrangements, tour of facilities). Be sure to call if you need to cancel an appointment.
On the Day of the Interview
Arrive early and walk around the campus. If possible, talk to students, perhaps arrange to sit in on a class. At some schools, a tour is part of the interview process. Occasionally there is an overnight orientation stay with a medical student.
While you are waiting for an interview, it is probably ok to accept coffee if it is offered (discard the cup before the interview).
Interviews tend to be more formal at the beginning and loosen up toward the end, if at all.
Your body language may convey signals you don't intend--be aware of nervous habits, mannerisms, and eye contact.
Ask a friend to practice with you or practice in front of a mirror. Your appearance and style do matter. Your honesty, interest, and sense of purpose count. Expect yourself to be nervous
The interviewer is looking for personal characteristics and interpersonal communication skills desireable in a physician.
They will consider your attitude (not overconfident, but not uncertain), your language (avoid slang), and your demeanor.
Look at the person you are talking to--not at the floor or ceiling, or someone else. Don't give the appearance of needing to hide something. Be forthright, up-front, but not arrogant. Use courtesy, tact, and a sense of humor. Smile, look friendly....
It is ok to bring a notebook to an interview, but don't spend time writing in it instead of talking to the interviewer.
Interviewers may be medical school faculty, administrators, admissions staff or senior students. They must follow a manual that has rules for appropriate and inappropriate questions.
If you bring up a topic, they are generally entitled to follow up on it, but there are many topics they may not bring up.
Don't introduce topics you don't want to talk about, but do talk about the topics the interviewer asks about. Don't be too long-winded--stop talking when you have finished what you have to say.
Interviews are more important at some schools than at others. Most use the interview to assess interpersonal skills and noncognitive qualities.
Some schools just use the interview to confirm the original impression your application has made. Some use the interview as a recruiting tool--these make a point of letting you know about opportunities available as part of their program. Look interested! It is possible to have double-digit MCAT scores and a 3.9 GPA, but be a blank page to talk to (no confidence, no opinions, no conversational ability)--this will come across in an interview very clearly.
A helpful site that gives interview questions asked at particular schools is http://www.interviewfeedback.com/. Examples of questions an interviewer might ask:
Follow-up to the Interview
Thank you notes are ok, gifts/presents are not. Preference regarding phone calls varies from school to school--you might ask at the final phase of the interview day if you could call to check on the progress of your application in a week or two.
Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors (financial aid before and during medical school) Extensive information about financing a medical education is available at http://www.aamc.org/md2/. Be sure to look at the speaker's notes and the power point slides in addition to clicking on the title of each phase of medical education--the pre-medical years, the medical school years, and residency and early practice. Much of this information has been presented at the Illinois Medical School Admissions Seminars as a session called "Financing a Medical Education."
UIC College of Medicine Pre-Requisites At SIUE, we interpret the social science requirements for UIC to mean that a student should plan to take two sequential courses in either psychology or sociology, presumably 111 and some 2xx course, plus one other behavioral science course. Appropriate behavioral science courses at SIUE might include Psyc 111, 205, 206, 201, 203, 204, 420, or 431 or Soc 111, 304, 308, or 391.
Regional Medical Schools
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School
American Association of Medical Colleges (allopathic) |