Medical School 101: A Complete Guide to Applying, Succeeding, and Thriving
As a medical student, you will need to have a good medical school for you. When you are thinking of getting into medical school it is very important to be sure that you actually want to get into medical school or not. Once you are sure you want to get into it, you must know how to get into the medical school and which is best for you.
Quick Takeaways
- To get into medical school it is important for you to take the MCAT exam.
- After that select the schools which you want to get into.
- Apply to it and wait for the confirmation.
- There are many schools and thus you must select the best one according to your region.
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the medical schools.
When should you start medical school?
Many students believe that they must get into medical school by their early 20s. This will help them to get their job faster. But this is not true. Many factors depict that starting your medical school when you are at the age of 28 is effective. When you start medical college at 28 it will help you to earn the amount by which you can easily afford the tuition fees. In addition to that you will also get time to think if you want to get into this field. If you are interested in making a career in the medical field then you can think of taking the special master’s program. It will help you to learn the basic requirements in the medical field.
What is the medical application process?
As you are thinking of getting into medical school you must remember that they are hard to enter. Thus, when you think of applying for medical school it is important to know what is the process of a medical school application. Following is the procedure for applying to medical school-
1. Take MCAT
The first step to getting into medical school, you need to give MCAT exam first. It is the test in which you will be tested based on your science knowledge. There are generally 4 sections that you will find during the exam time. You will have to make sure that you are having good reasoning and critical thinking skills.
2. Think about the schools you want to get into
After giving the MCAT exam, you will have to look for medical schools. When you are applying for medical schools you must make sure that you are applying to at least 16 medical schools. This is because the competition for getting into medical school is increasing every day and every student is trying their best to get into it.
If you want to get into a particular school you can always send them a letter of intent. It will help the university to know that you are interested in the particular school.
3. Letter of Recommendations
The next thing is to take care of the letter of recommendation. You will have to look for professionals that can provide you with letters of recommendation. It should help to represent your skills and abilities.
4. Complete the applications
You will have to look for AMCAS and OSMAS applications. After getting the letter of recommendation, you will have to complete the application process. You may also have to submit secondary applications like diversity essays or supplemental ERAS applications. You must also remember to have proper patient care hours before applying.
There are chances that you may need to give a VITA med application. In it, you will need to record a video of 18 minutes in which you will have to answer 6 different questions.
5. Wait for the confirmation
Once you send the application wait for their confirmation. You may think of using this time for preparing yourself for the interview. Decide the outfit you want to wear while the interview process.
Why do students drop out of medical college?
Following are the reasons why dropping out of school-
- You may be not interested in a medical career. There are many times students get into medical schools just because of the parent’s pressure and then they regret it.
- Many students are not good at academics and thus think of dropping out of medical school. You must test yourself if you should go for it or not by taking the MCAT exam. It will help you to determine if you can easily apply for it or not.
- High tuition fees are one of the biggest reasons why most students drop out of school. Though there are different ways by which you can afford your medical school. You can think of making money by doing part-time jobs or providing tutoring services to your juniors. Further, you must also remember that if you are a medical intern you may also get paid for it.
- Many students consider college as a scam as there is no job guarantee and thus they may think of dropping out.
Top medical schools based in different locations
When we think of getting into medical school, the first thing that comes into our minds is to get a higher GPA. If you also have a 3.4 GPA, you can get into a medical college. Some of the medical colleges that accept applications with a 3.4 GPA are Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Utah School of Medicine, University of Missouri – Kansas City, etc. Though there are many more, we have discussed universities based on different locations-
1. Virginia
Following are the medical schools in Virginia–
| NAME | AVERAGE GPA (For Weighted and unweighted) | AVERAGE MCAT | TUITION FEES |
| University of Virginia Medical School | 3.94 | 520 | $50,004 (in-state) and $61,114 (out-of-state) |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 3.83 | 514 | $33,752 (in-state) and $56,578 (out-of-state) |
| Eastern Virginia Medical School | 3.72 | 513 | $33,767 (in-state) and $57,510 (out-of-state) |
| Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 3.4 | 503 | $48,000 |
| Northern Virginia Community College | 3 | 500 | $5610 (in-state) and $11,693 (out-of-state) |
2. Oregon
Following are the medical schools in Oregon–
| NAME | AVERAGE GPA | AVERAGE MCAT | TUITION FEE |
| Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) | 3.65 | 509 | $42,125(in-state) and $63,682 (out-of-state) |
| College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest (COMP) | 3.65 | 507 | $59,600 |
3. Hawaii
Following are the medical schools in Hawaii–
| NAME | AVERAGE GPA | AVERAGE MCAT | TUITION FEE |
| John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) | 3.7 | 512 | $36,672 (in-state) and $71,328 (out-of-state) |
4. Philadelphia
Following are the medical schools in Philadelphia–
| NAME | AVERAGE GPA | AVERAGE MCAT | TUITION FEE |
| Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine | 3.75 | 511 | In-state tuition is $18,146 and Out-of-state tuition is $30,768 |
| Philadelphia college of osteopathic medicine | 3.5 | 504 | $57,534 |
| Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | 3.72 | 511.6 | $33,000 |
| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | 3.5 | 503 | $28,100 |
5. Washington DC
Following are the medical schools in Washington DC-
| NAME | AVERAGE GPA | AVERAGE MCAT | TUITION FEE |
| Howard University College of Medicine | 3.5 | 504 | Approximately $42,000 |
| Georgetown University School of Medicine | 3.6 | 512 | Approximately $44,000 |
| George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences | 3.7 | 512 | $40,000 (in-state admissions), and $71,000 (out-state admissions) |
How to get easily into a UK Medical School?
You must follow the given steps to easily get into medical school-
- Start with making up a list of medical schools you think of getting into. There are different medical schools in the UK that are easy to get into. Make sure that you are doing proper research on it.
- Try to take on some volunteer projects or do an internship to get related experience.
- You must make sure that you are submitting the application form on time.
- Get references from some of your professors. It will help you to get a letter of recommendation.
- Prepare for the interview. Your interview is the time when you can show your abilities and help the admission heads to know that you are perfect for getting into their school.
Medical schools and colleges for different professions
There are different doctor specialities which you can think of getting into. Following are the schools based on different professions like PA, pre-vet, estheticians, etc-
Paediatrics
Following are the requirements of schools that you may choose to go to as a pediatric–
| Name of The School | SAT Score | ACT score | MCAT score | Tuition Fees |
| Stanford University | 1420-1570 | 31-35 | 519 | $56,160 |
| Baylor College | 1200-1350 | 26-31 | 518 | $19,425 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 1460-1570 | 33-35 | 521.9 | $61,586 |
| University of Washington | 1470-1550 | 34-35 | 510 | $63,310 |
| Harvard University | 1460-1580 | 33-35 | 520 | $66,284 |
Anesthesiology
Following are the requirements of schools that you may choose to go to as an anesthesiologist–
| Name of The School | SAT Score | ACT score | GPA | Tuition Fees |
| Harvard University | 1460-1580 | 33-35 | 4.18 | $66,284 |
| Stanford University | 1420-1570 | 31-35 | 3.96 | $56,160 |
| University of Pennsylvania | 1460-1570 | 33-35 | 3.96 | $61,586 |
| John Hopkins University | 1560 | 35 | 3.92 | $58,000 |
| Duke University | 1510-1570 | 34-35 | 4.13 | $61,170 |
Conclusion
You will have to go through a long procedure to get into medical school. Starting with you will have to take your MCAT exam after completing your Bachelor’s degree. Then you need to shortlist different schools based on your region. Send them the related applications and wait for their response.
