Listen up and pay attention...

This is going to make the difference between whether you get into medical school or not.

Honestly you don't want to be one of the middle-age adults who I meet and they tell me, "you know I was once premed..."instead it's much better to put in the work now so that you can live the rest of your life as a DOCTOR.

After your MCAT and GPA getting into medical school is all about how you present yourself to AdComs and nothing is overlooked.

I'm going to take you behind the scenes so you can see what AdComs really think about your medical school applications.

Apparently too many applicants are making unforced errors that are going to kill your chances of getting into medical school no matter how high your stats are.

Are you ready?

Here's a peek view of what goes on in the mind of an AdCom as they review your apps. Seriously, it's not a good thing if they take to the internet to vent about apps and and how terrible they are.

Just a FYI, AdComs can be savage AF when it comes to apps. You have to remember they receive way too many applications then they can possibly admit so they are looking for each and every reason to reject YOU!

Don't make the decision easy for them.

One way to get ahead is to NOT use forums to find random strangers to give your PS a once over and ask "does it make sense" or "i just need another pair of eyes before submitting". You have to remember how much time and effort it took to get to this point where you are finally applying to medical school so don't take shortcuts.

This is your medical future.

You actually may have to invest in yourself to get ahead. Yes, spend money on a consultant, advisor or coach to ensure you have a sterling application that will get you to the next level.

Now, I'm not saying you have to work with me although I can guarantee you will be extremely happy with the results but seriously get someone who knows what they are doing and who has actually been through the process to help you.

If you don't get help you are practically shooting yourself in the foot. There's a reason why 60% of first time applicants to medical school are REJECTED! Don't let it happen to you.

Problems Encountered
1. Personal Statement: This can be hit or miss but if you have to make your reader work to understand what you are talking about it is never good. AdComs read hundreds of PS so if you want to be cute, use poetry and stretch of the imagination then be prepared for a medical school to take a pass on inviting you to an interview.

Just write normally. Be a normal human. If you are having trouble imagine you have to read your essay to AdComs out loud if that would make you cringe then don't put it in your PS. Too many premeds change their tune when they are writing to get into med school and it comes off just badly.

2. Secondaries: Answer what's being asked of you. Keep it simple. Don't f&$k up and copy and paste the name of another medical school either. Not a good look. Yes, it makes your life easier to recycle essays but you better do a thorough review before submitting.

3. EC: We want to see medical experience and involvement. Anything else just won't pass muster. Just because you have 1,000 hours volunteering in a business atmosphere will not get you more points than the kid with only 100 hours of clinical experience.

You're applying to become a doctor so there must be activities that directly correlate to the field of medicine. Heck, even paid work in the medical field is better than thousands of hours of unpaid work in a different field.

In a Nutshell
What I am sharing came from an AdCom and should be taken very seriously.

Social media has changed the game and now I can share with you some of what happens behind the scenes.

Sometimes students will come to me for help applying to medical school because the previous year they were not admitted. They will tell me their stats and no alarm bells go off with a 3.87 GPA and 513 MCAT. Yet they got rejected everywhere.

With this post, it serves as a reminder of how you approach the application process matters.

Plus as my Dad would say, "there's a difference between smarts and commonsense..." make sure you have both if you want to be successful in getting into medical school.