Med School? Yes you can!

Getting into medical school can seem like a daunting task. Here, I’ll give you tips to organize your PASSION and DRIVE into the perfect medical school application!

Step 1: You need a few main buckets. It’s better to be excellent at one or two activities than average at a lot. Medical schools want students who follow their passions to achieve outcomes. That being said, you still want to be well-rounded and hit a few basic “buckets”. Here are a few of my own:

1. Collegiate A Cappella Group Music Director for 4 years
2. Gap year in AmeriCorps working with underserved middle school students
3. Undergraduate research that yielded a peer-reviewed publication
4. GPA/MCAT

Step 2: Show yourself in your essays. Essays are the most important part of your application. Most applicants look good on paper, but the qualities and personal experiences that make you uniquely you are what will make you stand out to an admissions officer! Take the time to cultivate your voice and tell a story of who you are. Pro Tip: Don’t be shy – let friends and teachers give you feedback!

“Life isn’t perfect, any failures you have are actually learning moments. They teach us how to grow and evolve.”

― Phillipa Soo

Step 3: Prepare for your interview The interview is another critical opportunity to let yourself shine. Even if you don’t have the exact questions they will ask, it’s important to have some “pockets” at the ready. “Pockets” are stories about yourself that demonstrate a quality or identity to help someone understand a facet of who you are. For example, one of my pockets was how my experience as an Asian-American impacted who I am today (aka, “tell me about yourself”).

FAQs

1. If I’m not strong at math, can I still qualify for med school? Yes! Medical schools are moving more and more towards holistic applications. What does that mean? It means they are looking at a bunch of different factors – like the character you demonstrate in your essays and the experience you have with volunteering or research – to understand who you are. It’s important to demonstrate the ability to learn and retain information, as that’s a key part of your career as a physician, but you can demonstrate that skill in multiple ways, not just a perfect GPA!
2. Med school is expensive! How can I afford it? There are some merit- and need-based scholarships for applying to and attending medical school. Even with these financial options, most medical students will graduate with some amount of debt. After graduation, there are loan forgiveness programs that “forgive” or eliminate loans if you fulfill certain requirements (like working a number of years in a certain place or institution). Because medical school costs can be a huge barrier, some medical schools are moving towards free tuition, but it will be a while before this is the norm and not the exception.
3. Will my disability potentially become an impediment to keeping up with the high demands of med school? Disabilities take on a wide array of forms, and having a disability certainly could be a challenge for getting into or succeeding in medical school. However, I know individuals with both invisible or visible disabilities that are now great doctors or medical students. It’s important to have honest discussions with programs about what support you need, because it’s not just THEM picking YOU, but it’s also YOU picking THEM at the end of the day!

My Timeline:

4 years | East Chapel Hill High School

4 years | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

1 year | AmeriCorps (a “Gap Year”)

4 years | Duke University School of Medicine

3 years | Pediatric Residency