Top Tips for Preparing Your App

So med school application cycle 2015-16 is in full swing.  But for those of you who are putting the final touches on your app before sending it in and anyone wanting to know what to do to be prepared for future app cycles, here's my list of top tips for putting your best app forward.

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
There are currently 141 MD schools and 31 DO schools and a new one is popping up every year.  And each school you apply to costs you more money (see tip 2).  So it is unrealistic, as well as unnecessary to apply to every school.  So do your research.  Find out which schools appeal to you and which schools you are competitive at.  While the primary application is the same for each school, each school requires a separate secondary.  If you have applied to too many schools, you will begin draining yourself by writing essay after essay and by your 20th app, you aren't putting your best foot forward anymore.  Everyone will suggest a different number to apply to- I applied to 12 schools and sent in 6 secondaries- do your research and decide how competitive you are in general and at the specific schools you are interested in to determine how many to apply to.  A great place to do this is AAMC or AACOM.

2. SAVE MONEY
Everyone knows medical school is a fortune.  But many people overlook how expensive applying is.  Your primary application has a flat submission fee followed by an additional cost for each school you apply to (if you are applying to both MD and DO schools, you have two separate app fees to pay).  The majority of schools require another fee to submit the secondary ($50-100) as well.  Once you are offered an interview, you are responsible for the cost of interviewing.  This means transportation, hotels, food, a nice suit, ect.  While many schools offer discounts at local hotels, if you have to fly across the country, you can easily spend $600+ on a flight.  (This goes back to tip 1-do your research.....do you really have a shot at the California school to justify spending the money on a flight).  So start saving now!! This may not be the best advice, but I opened a credit card to use specifically on med school expenses and nothing else.  Ask for money instead of gifts and put it into a savings account.  Sell your old, unused text books.  Sign up to take surveys. Get a desk job in your school library (so you can study for the MCAT while you work). Do anything you can to save up money! Because once you're accepted the fees keep coming (deposits, background checks, apartment deposits, moving costs).

3. GET HELP
Do not....I repeat....DO NOT go into the application process alone.  Two sets of eyes and minds are always better than one.  If you are close to a professor that is familiar with the medical school application process, seek their guidance and advice.  You should definitely have at least one other person read your personal statement and each mini essay you write up for your activities and secondary applications.  You should also find someone to do a mock interview with.  I cannot recommend the company Lean On enough.  They offer personal statement editing, consults on secondaries, and even Skype interviews.  It was the best $50 I ever spent to have them help edit my personal statement.  Getting everything you need to say down in under 1500 words is no easy task and they were life savers!  But seriously, applying is stressful.  Don't do it alone.  I did it in secret and lost a lot of sleep over it...but that's for another day.

4. APPLY EARLY
Yes-the deadline for applications may be March/April but in no way should you wait until then to apply.  Every year you hear stories of applicants that are told they would have been offered a seat had they applied earlier in the cycle.  The day the application is open, start it! Aim to have it submitted within the first week after submission starts (they give you a month between the app opening and you submitting-this is plenty of time if you get your act together). You can always add in MCAT scores later.  Just get it submitted ASAP! Then add in your future MCAT scores when you get them.

Some final advice, check out SDN if you haven't already.  So many of my questions have been answered on there and it helps to see when interviews are starting to roll out and how best to prepare for them.

And some very finale advice.....find a hobby to keep you occupied.  Med school apps are a lot of hurry up and wait.  And you will go crazy waiting to hear about the next step if you don't have something else to do in the mean time.

GOOD LUCK ALL OF YOU FUTURE DOCS!!!! Send me your application questions!

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." -Seneca