ANNA FAQ:Some stuff about getting in
If you're a CA resident, you unfortunately don't really get significant home turf advantage. It sucks. CA tends to have a HIGH number of really qualified applicants, and most of the schools in CA are just really really good schools. Our public schools can afford to not really give home turf advantage, and even when/if they do, you're battling a really high caliber applicant population. It may be why the pre-med counselors at CAL are just really discouraging if you don't have the best of GPA.
BUT FRET NOT (so much): In 2013, there were ~48K applicants, 11K of which were reapplicants. Ultimately there were 20K enrolled. (look at more details here:
https://www.aamc.org/newsroom/newsreleases/358410/20131024.html)
Daunting numbers, but not as bad at looking at schools and thinking OH **** they only like 3% in or something. I don't know, seeing these numbers actually helped me, but maybe I've hurt someone. Damn if I did, I'm sorry what it means is apply wide, apply early. Shoot for quite a few out of state schools and some not so well named schools too. Do your research.
About the app itself: Something I wish I had really understood about apps when I did them was the whole deal-y-o about primary and secondary apps. Basically, AMCAS opens up the primary app on May 1. START IT THEN. Basically tell yourself that your app is DUE June 1 and set about getting it done. Treat it like a full time job. Get it in early so that you can get verified before the late rush. If you get it in June, then it usually takes ~1-3 weeks to get it verified. Submit it in July or August, it may take up to a month or more. I'm sure you've heard it before - the apps are by rolling basis. That means more advantage the earlier you turn it in. Ideally, get the primary in by the first week of July. I'm telling you to treat the deadline like it's in June because let's be honest here, a lot of us are procrastinators by habit and maybe we can trick ourselves to actually get it in early
Secondaries vary by school. RESEARCH the schools you want to go to
BEFORE May 1. Know how they do their apps - whether or not they screen for secondaries, how many letters of rec they want, etc.
GET YOUR SCHOOL LIST TOGETHER BEFORE YOU DO YOUR APP MAY 1. It's a headache. Get MSAR. Many schools keep similar secondaries to previous years, so take a look at SDN (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/allopathic-school-specific-discussions.962/ ) for the questions. [the only time I would ever tell you to go to SDN] As soon as secondaries come out, someone will usually post the secondary questions (usually sometime early-mid June). WORK ON THEM while you wait for your primary to get verified. You many times can't submit them until your primary is verified but at least you'll have it done for the minute your primary is verified. You want to get your secondary in 1-2 weeks by when you got them (so depending on the school, after you get verified, or after you get the green light from being screened.) Some secondaries are cool, some suck. Some just have you verify your grades, others have you write a BUNCH of essays (I'm looking at you, UCR, UCD, LL, UCI) or one giant biographical essay (UCSD).
It can get overwhelming and I'd panic realizing that OH DAMN THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO. That goes to say, don't make it harder by applying the same year as doing a late MCAT date (like June, July or Aug of that year).
Enjoy the year off and apply the next year when you're stronger. I'm glad I applied after I graduated, sice I got to travel to Alaska, Taiwan, and Malaysia, and backpacked through Europe. ENJOY LIFE SOME BECAUSE MED SCHOOL IS LONG AND EXHAUSTING. After this recharging year off, I've saved up quite a bit of money and now I'm just chomping at the bit to get thrown into school again.
I've heard the worst thing about med school is trying to get in. Can't verify if it's true yet, but I'd tend to think so, since it just really sucks not knowing about your future and putting in so much work just to have a chance at something.
You can do it though! I BELIEVE IN YOU. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. YOU GOT THIS.
Audience Question/Comment: Although it's the best to start ASAP (5/1), some if not many of us won't really be able to actually focus on it because of research presentation, dead week and finals. And after a week of break after my last final and graduation, reading this helps me to start focusing my attention on the real important stuff again. Thank you!
Anna: h, you're already ahead of the curve looking at it now (: Just trying to help kick asses into gear! YOU CAN DO IT! Get it out of the way now early in the summer so you're not sweating into August, Sept, Oct, whenever. hahaha
discussion:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UC.PremedAdvising/permalink/650002121720777/
BUT FRET NOT (so much): In 2013, there were ~48K applicants, 11K of which were reapplicants. Ultimately there were 20K enrolled. (look at more details here:
https://www.aamc.org/newsroom/newsreleases/358410/20131024.html)
Daunting numbers, but not as bad at looking at schools and thinking OH **** they only like 3% in or something. I don't know, seeing these numbers actually helped me, but maybe I've hurt someone. Damn if I did, I'm sorry what it means is apply wide, apply early. Shoot for quite a few out of state schools and some not so well named schools too. Do your research.
About the app itself: Something I wish I had really understood about apps when I did them was the whole deal-y-o about primary and secondary apps. Basically, AMCAS opens up the primary app on May 1. START IT THEN. Basically tell yourself that your app is DUE June 1 and set about getting it done. Treat it like a full time job. Get it in early so that you can get verified before the late rush. If you get it in June, then it usually takes ~1-3 weeks to get it verified. Submit it in July or August, it may take up to a month or more. I'm sure you've heard it before - the apps are by rolling basis. That means more advantage the earlier you turn it in. Ideally, get the primary in by the first week of July. I'm telling you to treat the deadline like it's in June because let's be honest here, a lot of us are procrastinators by habit and maybe we can trick ourselves to actually get it in early
Secondaries vary by school. RESEARCH the schools you want to go to
BEFORE May 1. Know how they do their apps - whether or not they screen for secondaries, how many letters of rec they want, etc.
GET YOUR SCHOOL LIST TOGETHER BEFORE YOU DO YOUR APP MAY 1. It's a headache. Get MSAR. Many schools keep similar secondaries to previous years, so take a look at SDN (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/allopathic-school-specific-discussions.962/ ) for the questions. [the only time I would ever tell you to go to SDN] As soon as secondaries come out, someone will usually post the secondary questions (usually sometime early-mid June). WORK ON THEM while you wait for your primary to get verified. You many times can't submit them until your primary is verified but at least you'll have it done for the minute your primary is verified. You want to get your secondary in 1-2 weeks by when you got them (so depending on the school, after you get verified, or after you get the green light from being screened.) Some secondaries are cool, some suck. Some just have you verify your grades, others have you write a BUNCH of essays (I'm looking at you, UCR, UCD, LL, UCI) or one giant biographical essay (UCSD).
It can get overwhelming and I'd panic realizing that OH DAMN THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO. That goes to say, don't make it harder by applying the same year as doing a late MCAT date (like June, July or Aug of that year).
Enjoy the year off and apply the next year when you're stronger. I'm glad I applied after I graduated, sice I got to travel to Alaska, Taiwan, and Malaysia, and backpacked through Europe. ENJOY LIFE SOME BECAUSE MED SCHOOL IS LONG AND EXHAUSTING. After this recharging year off, I've saved up quite a bit of money and now I'm just chomping at the bit to get thrown into school again.
I've heard the worst thing about med school is trying to get in. Can't verify if it's true yet, but I'd tend to think so, since it just really sucks not knowing about your future and putting in so much work just to have a chance at something.
You can do it though! I BELIEVE IN YOU. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. YOU GOT THIS.
Audience Question/Comment: Although it's the best to start ASAP (5/1), some if not many of us won't really be able to actually focus on it because of research presentation, dead week and finals. And after a week of break after my last final and graduation, reading this helps me to start focusing my attention on the real important stuff again. Thank you!
Anna: h, you're already ahead of the curve looking at it now (: Just trying to help kick asses into gear! YOU CAN DO IT! Get it out of the way now early in the summer so you're not sweating into August, Sept, Oct, whenever. hahaha
discussion:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UC.PremedAdvising/permalink/650002121720777/