What should I do to get into med school?

 

Great medical school applicants have five essential elements:

1.  GPA of 3.7 or higher

2.  MCAT score of 33 or higher

3.  Understanding of Medicine

4.  Service in Underserved Communities

5.  Leadership

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3.7 GPA or Higher

It does take an excellent grade point average to get into medical school. While some people are successful getting in with a 3.4, most medical school matriculates (those who start med school) had an undergraduate GPA of 3.7 or higher.

If you go to an extremely competitive school, say Harvard, you still need a great GPA. But, you where you attend college will factor in.

If you don't have a great GPA after your junior year of college, consider completing your college degree and applying after you have a better GPA under your belt.

Having excellent grades in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics are essential.

If you have already graduated from college with a low GPA, consider bolstering your GPA with undergraduate coursework in the sciences.

If you have a C in a class. Don't take it again. Simply take a science course and get a great grade in it. That will balance out your C.

    

    

MCAT score of 33 or higher

The Medical College Admissions Test is typically taken during the spring of your junior year or the summer after your junior year of college. A perfect score is a 45. A great score is a 33.

The average university of Minnesota matriculate had a score of 33.

      

Understanding of Medicine

If you really want to be a doctor, you need to know why. You can never tell anyone that you want to be a doctor because you want to help people. You can never tell anyone that you want to be a pediatrician because you like children. You need to know more about yourself and about medicine.

To know medicine, you should consider:

  • Volunteering at a clinic or hospital
  • Shadowing physicians
  • Working in a clinic, hospital or nursing home
  • Working as a medical interpreter, if you fluently speak a language other than English
  • Doing a reserach internship a a clinic or hospital
  • Doing research at your college, under the direction of a professor

   

Service in Underserved Communities

Physicians are servants in the community. They must know the types of families that live in their communities and how they can support the healthy lifestyles of all families. In order to understand families, you need to serve them as undergraduates.

Too often, incredibly nice, smart college studnets travel to far off lands looking for big experiences that serve others. You never need to leave your own backyard to meet people who need your help.

You need to step off campus to know your underserved communites around you. College studnets are not underserved( typically). Get off campus and see the world around you (in your own backyard).  

To serve underserved communities, you should consider:

  • Serving meals and eat with individuals who use homeless shelters and soup kitchen
  • Tutoring children who don't speak English at home
  • Serving children and families who are homeless
  • Helping individuals attain their GED or English language skills
  • Helping families understand medicine, by bringing them to health care events
  • Volunteering in any non profit within your home town or college community
  • Meeting people who don't speak your language, share your religion, or share your culture. See how they live, what they need, and how they enjoy life.

      

Leadership

Leadership comes in many forms. Many leaders are elected to offices at college or within community clubs/religious organizations.

Leadership also come in the form of having a group of people get behind you to serve others.

Get a group of your dormmates or soccer club pals together to do something great for an underserved family. Or paint a community center's gym, host a soccer tournament for homeless kids, or make meals for a group of hungry families.

You could also consider creating your own community based research project. Are you concerned that teens in your neighborhood are turning to gang violence? Study their needs and behavior, report on it. Are you concerned that men in your church organization never discuss or consider prostate cancer screenings? Develop an awareness campaign or research project.

Leadership doesn't mean you have to be elected to an office. You can be a young health care leader in your community by addressing a health care concern. Get moving!