OFFICIAL "What you wish you knew" Thread

[jammin06]

This is for all the people who have already applied but would like to leave some words of wisdom for the upcoming applicants (myself included). I remember seeing a thread like this last year, but i couldn't find it.

I'll start the list of:

1) Apply early
2) Build up a good relationship with your recommenders, because those letters do matter.

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[bmcgilligan]

That the premed committee at the University of West Florida does not recommend everyone and that the mock interview they give to "help prepare you for your real interviews" is actually an interview to see if they will recommend you. They only recommended myself and one other person (ArmyBeat, I think) this past year and I was told that they only recommend those they know will get in (because they have a 100% acceptance rate for those they recommend) So, it all worked out for me at least.

 

[0T6]

That each progressive "wait" is 1000X much more nervewrecking than the one before it.
1) Waiting for MCAT scores
2) Waiting for interview invites
3) Waiting for admissions

 

[JimiThing]

I'll second apply early. Your goal AMCAS submission date should be June 1st.
But don't rush your application either, a hastily thrown together application that get's there early just gets to line the bottom of the trash bin.

 

[Realest]

Deflate your head until you're actually in. Interviews are not acceptances. I know that sounds painfully obvious, but when you're caught up in the rush of this process, it's easy to feel like as long as you show up breathing, they'll let you in. Not the case! PREPARE FOR YOUR INTERVIEWS. I'm the worst when it comes to preparing (whether it's for interviews, presentations, tests...) but man, it definitely would have helped to go through some basic questions. Almost all my interviewers asked why I wanted to be a doctor, and I gave a different answer every time. Everyone tells you to be honest, so I figured I'd just go in there and "speak from my heart". That went okay, but it definitely would have helped to serve it up on a silver platter instead of ziploc bag. It's all in the presentation.

 

[lunanv]

if you're having your undergrad sent out your rec letters for you, make sure they actually sent them and that the med schools you're applying to actually received them. i had three schools (tufts, duke, and UCLA) claim to never have gotten my packet, even though the premed office of my college swears they sent them out. i'd say to be persistent and call admission offices for status checks, even if you're worried about being annoying. it's better than finding out months later that a school hasn't sent your application to committee because they're still waiting on rec letters you thought were sent out eons ago...

 

[chopper]

if you're having your undergrad sent out your rec letters for you, make sure they actually sent them and that the med schools you're applying to actually received them. i had three schools (tufts, duke, and UCLA) claim to never have gotten my packet, even though the premed office of my college swears they sent them out. i'd say to be persistent and call admission offices for status checks, even if you're worried about being annoying. it's better than finding out months later that a school hasn't sent your application to committee because they're still waiting on rec letters you thought were sent out eons ago...

My premed office is AWESOME in this regard. They send out a stamped post card for the schools to return to them to verify they recieved the LORs. I had a couple schools who were 'positive' they had not recieved my packet magically find them when my school called them with the returned post card evidence.

 

[Megalofyia]

That the premed committee at the University of West Florida does not recommend everyone and that the mock interview they give to "help prepare you for your real interviews" is actually an interview to see if they will recommend you. They only recommended myself and one other person (ArmyBeat, I think) this past year and I was told that they only recommend those they know will get in (because they have a 100% acceptance rate for those they recommend) So, it all worked out for me at least.

This sounds horrible. They are denying a lot of people a chance when they might very well get in.


I wish I'd known about the DO option when I was in undergrad.
I wish I'd known about guaranteed acceptance programs.
I wish I'd known about combined programs.

 

[Cutiepi27]

I wish I'd known a lot of things.

1 - I wish I knew about the BA/MD program when I was in high school as my undergrad university has one with the school I am now currently waitlisted at

2 - How much studying I REALLY needed to do for the MCAT

3 - How insanely difficult it would be to take 20 credits/pledge a sorority/have a part-time job your sophomore year.

4 - How helpful SDN could have been for me 5 years ago.