How do you get into medical school in the U.
S.
? Getting into medical school is considered the biggest obstacle in the process of becoming a doctor.
Below are some tried and true tips on how to get into med school.
1.
Grades Matter While you do not need to be a straight A's student in college, a good GPA will make your med school application process a lot more competitive.
The general rule is that you want a 3.
5 or above because the average GPA of the matriculated students are usually around 3.
5 to 3.
7.
Depending on where you go, what you major in, and what you do outside of school, however, medical schools will still consider you if your GPA is significantly lower than 3.
5.
But if you want to get into medical school, you need to try your best in college.
2.
The MCAT Matters...
Even More Just because those med school websites say that "MCAT is not everything", does not mean that it isn't.
Although most med schools look at an array of things when you apply, the MCAT remains as the most important element for getting into med school.
Again, like the GPA, you do not need a killer MCAT score to get into medical school.
However, you need to perform well, generally a score of 30 or above, to stay competitive in the application process.
3.
Extracurriculars - Prove that You Are Caring and Genuine Volunteering, research, leadership...
there are so many things that med school admissions seem to like and you seem to unable to cover them all.
In addition, every one of your pre-med friends seem to be doing something different.
What extracurricular activities should you focus on to get into med school? Contrary to popular belief, medical schools don't look at your activities as a checklist.
Rather, they use them to figure if you really have the desire and personality to become a doctor.
For that reason, your extracurricular activities should reflect commitment, compassion, and interest in medicine.
As long as you stick to a few things, do them well, and construct a genuine and coherent story of how your activities influenced you to become a physician, you are good to go.
4.
Apply Early, Apply Early, Apply Early Many qualified students make this mistake every application cycle.
Because many medical schools grant interviews on a rolling basis, the sooner they read your application, the better chance you have at getting an interview.
5.
Interview with Confidence Before the interview, make sure you know exactly why you want to go to medical school and why you want to be a doctor.
During the interview, talk confidently but politely at the same time.
You want to appear as an asset that the school would miss out if they did not accept you.
Just be careful not to confuse confidence with cockiness.
Only the former can get you into medical school.