Introduction
One of the worst nightmares of a pre-med student is the stories of students who could not get into medical school. Sometimes, even the academically competitive cannot make it into medical school even when they apply for the third time. This must give you a brief idea about the difficulty level of getting into a medical school.
How Hard Is It To Get Into Medical School?
Earning admission to medical school is challenging. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the national acceptance rate for medical school is 41%. Analyzing the past acceptance rate trends, this figure is only to lower in coming years. It means that more than half of applicants do not get admission to a medical school, despite being well qualified.
However, you can still be a part of the few lucky medical students. If you understand the factors that influence admission to Med School and align your admission application accordingly, you will have a higher chance of getting admission to the medical school. In today’s article, we will share the top five factors that have made it difficult to join medical school.
Level of Competition
According to an AAMC report in 2018, the U.S. is expected to be 121,000 short of physicians within 12 years. Admitting more medical students to colleges only makes more sense. Yet, medical schools are only making their admission tighter. The historical trends show that the acceptance rates to Med Schools are only decreasing every year. Moreover, there is a scarcity of residency in hospitals. There are several qualified people yet the spots for residency are limited. Things don’t seem to add up, right?
That’s because the situation is not as simple as it seems. There is certainly a shortage of doctors but that is true only for certain geographical locations and branches of medicine. Doctors prefer living in metropolitan areas where the people are educated and earn a higher average income. This deprives the less educated and rural population of better healthcare facilities. There is also a scarcity of doctors in certain areas of specialties such as primary health and geriatrics. However, all this does not stand against the most significant factor – the scarcity of U.S. residencies.
GPA and MCAT scores
With an acceptance rate of merely 41%, medical schools have become fiercely competitive. Premeds who meet all the academic requirements may not necessarily make it into Med School. Yet, a higher GPA can surely increase the likelihood of your admission.
According to AAMC, the average GPA of applicants is 3.58. Students must at least have a mix of A’s and B’s in their pre-med program. Irrespective of your major, the admission team will only consider your performance in the science subjects. A strong academic background represents your ability to learn and handle the pressure in Medical School.
MCAT Scores
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is one of the most challenging exams for any pre-med student. While MCAT is just a part of your overall admission application, studies show that it can predict your success in the USMLE. A high MCAT score compensates for a lower GPA and also offers students a competitive edge.
According to AAMC, the average MCAT score of the applicants is around 506.1. Maintaining a good pace in the biology, chemistry, and physics section will help you score above this. The exam is 7 hours and 30 minutes (inclusive of the breaks) and it covers all the important subjects like biology, physics, and chemistry. Students must have strong critical thinking skills along with reading comprehension skills.
Essays
Your GPA and MCAT scores merely represent your academic aspect. However, the essays help med schools understand you and your mental process in a better way. They want to accept students who have empathy, kindness, intrapersonal skills, integrity, and compassion. Writing a bold and robust essay will help you convey your personality beyond the academic transcripts.
Typically, students must write more than one essay for the Med School application process. Ensure that you align your primary essay with the supplementary ones. Some common themes for the essay prompts are as follows:
- Why did you choose our medical school?
- How did you overcome the biggest challenge of your life?
- Where do you see yourself after graduating from med school?
- How can you relate to someone who comes from a different culture?
Interviews
Only a handful of people are shortlisted for the interview. If you have landed one, the admission committee must already be impressed by your application. There are mainly 2 types of interviews – Multiple mini-interview (MMI) and traditional interviews.
Multiple mini-interview (MMI) involves multiple steps. In each mini-interview, you will be given a scenario to deal with. Your response will help the interviewer assess your communication skill, knowledge, and ability to strive in the medical field. On the other hand, traditional interviews are more comfortable because you only need to interact with one person. They will ask you several questions and you must give them a genuine answer.
Attending some mock interviews beforehand will make the interview process smooth.
Conclusion
Medical schools evaluate admission applications holistically. It means that every part of the application plays a significant role. You cannot underestimate certain requirements and expect to earn admission. Med schools expect future doctors to have qualities such as empathy, compassion, kindness, and skills such as intrapersonal relationships, research, and medical experience.
Essays play a crucial role in the admission process because they help us connect with the admission team member on a deeper level. Focusing on writing value-based essays can open the doors to Medical School.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What GPA is considered good enough to enter medical school?
According to the experts, a GPA of 3.5 or above is considered good enough to enter medical school.
- What fraction of doctors make it through residency?
According to an AAMC report, 55.5% of doctors earn a spot for residency. The percentage is highest in states such as California and lowest in states such as Delaware.
- How many times can a person take the MCAT exam?
Single testing year: The MCAT exam can be taken 3 times a year.
Two consecutive-year: The MCAT exam can be taken 4 times a year.
Lifetime: The MCAT exam can be taken 7 times a year.
