Lindsay Dawson, MS1
Stacey-Ann Whitaker, MS4
Derek Mazique, MS1
Nana Asabere, MS1
Although medical school is at least 2-3 years away,
there are steps you can take to better prepare
yourself for the application process, and for life after
graduation.
 There is no magic formula to get into medical
school, and no Penn Med student has an
identical journey.
 However, there are some basics which helped
all of us succeed.

Rule #1: Decide to devote a significant time commitment
to preparing for medical school.

Rule #2: Research national medical school acceptance
data based upon GPA and MCAT scores.

Rule #3: Seek advice from those well-versed in the
medical school application process.

Rule #4: Get to know your pre-med office!

Confer with premed advisors, mentors, and
upperclassmen who can support you through the
application process.

Attend a medical school recruitment fair to learn from
representatives about their schools.
 AAMC Calender: http://www.aamc.org/calendar/careerfairs

Register with AspiringDocs for information, guidance,
and inspiration about preparation for medical school and
medical careers.
 http://www.AspiringDocs.org
 Read “Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors” which
assists premedical and medial students in their planning
for the financial aspects of the medical education.
 http://www.aamc.org/md2
 The
Medical School Admissions Requirements
(MSAR) profiles every medical school in the US
and Canada.
 Check the
MSAR before applying to get a sense
of what a school’s numbers are, their
requirements, and their curricula.
 For
example, more and more schools require
biochemistry, and same require two semesters of
calculus.
 Before applying to medical school, you must take
the following courses (and LABS!):
 Biology
 General chemistry
 Organic chemistry
 Physics
 English/writing
 Meet with your pre-med advisor ASAP to discuss
your plan for taking these courses.
I am a wonderful, amazing person who…
 Rescued children from burning houses
 Built 50 houses with my bare hands by myself for 50
different families
 Volunteered in the ER
 Holds leadership positions in 10 different organizations
It doesn’t matter that I have a 2.9 GPA and a 25
MCAT score, right???
WRONG! Grades matter.
 Don’t bank on being the outlier case.
 It’s stressful to take that risk (both financially and
emotionally).
 No one will see how wonderful you are unless your
numbers get by the screening.
 Medical School Admission Committees WILL NOT read
every applicant’s personal statement and the rest of the
application.
 Every school has to screen its applications to reduce the
number they actually have to read.
 Once the screening process is done, then they start
reading the applications.
GPA
(Grade Point Average)
MCAT
(Medical School Admissions Test)
Fact and figures can be found at: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/
Table 19: MCAT scores and GPA’s for Applicants and Matriculants to US
Medical Schools by Race and Ethnicity, 2009
For example, if you have a 2.9 and a 25 total
MCAT…
MCAT
GPA:
2.802.99
18-20
Acceptees
21-23
24-26
27-29
30-32
33-35
36-38
39-45
17
56
89
65
33
8
.
.
Applicants
216
259
220
118
51
13
.
.
Acceptance
Rate
2.7%
6.3%
21.4%
26.3%
36.8%
50.0%
.
.
URM Applicants
GPA
Science
All Other
Overall
MCAT
VR
PS
BS
WS
2009/2010
3.48
3.67
3.48
2009/2010
9.0
10.0
10.0
P
URM First Year Matriculants
GPA
Science
All Other
Overall
MCAT
VR
PS
BS
WS
2010
3.68
3.77
3.71
2010
11.0
12.0
12.0
Q
Max GPA: 4.0
Max MCAT: 45 T (15 each section)
Your early grades can have a lasting effect on the
rest of college – make sure to maintain them!

Balance your schedule and major – you should be
challenged, but not to the point where you are
unhappy and aren’t doing well.

Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for help!

Go to professor AND TA office hours!

Work in groups to solve problems.

Don’t get caught up in the hype of how others are
doing (or how they claim they are doing).

When things don’t go quite right, troubleshoot – ask
yourself, “how can I do better next time?”




The MCAT is a multiple choice, standardized test required for
admission into medical school
Tested subjects include:
 Biology
 Physics
 General Chemistry
 Organic Chemistry
All sections except the Writing Sample will have many, many
passage-based questions
Don’t forget about the Verbal Reasoning and Writing sections of
the MCAT




You will need to get letters of recommendation that validate your
worthiness as a candidate for medical school from:

Pre-medical committee or adviser

Faculty members

Mentors

Supervisors
If possible, start an internship file at Career Services.
When a course is over, ask the faculty for a letter – if not then, keep lines
of communication open.
GO TO OFFICE HOURS!
Okay – good grades and MCAT scores
are important to get past the
screening.
What else should I be thinking about?
Extracurricular Activities!
Allows you to develop personal interests outside
of class and build leadership skills.
 Demonstrates you’re a well–rounded individual.
 Brings together people from different majors/
levels of education.
 Provides a chance to serve the community.
 Exposes you to health/medically – related project.

Tip 1: Join extracurriculars you're interested in
early, with the hope of a leadership role in
junior/senior year.
Tip 2: Don’t stretch yourself too thin! Seek quality
opportunities, rather than quantity.
Tip 3: Try to maintain a balance between
extracurriculars and good grades.
Activities in which you are genuinely interested.
Organizations that allow you to use your talents.
Outreach activities that acquaint you with
community issues.
 Health or medically oriented programs/projects
that provide or reinforce reasons for wanting to
become a physician.
 Activities that allow you to add to your sense of self.



Is there anything else I should
consider?
Shadow a physician!
 It’s one of those “intangible” (and unofficial)
requirements to get into medical school.
 It provides you with clinical exposure and
stories to talk about in the admission
interview.
 Shadowing allows you to see what medicine
and a physician’s life are like every day.
 It’s easy to set up and do.
 Meet with your pre-med/pre-health advisor
 Learn and know the required pre-med courses
 Begin basic science courses
 Seek volunteer experiences
 Look for summer programs
 Choose a major
 Run for an office
 Explore other health career options
 Become familiar with MCAT
 Seek honors and scholarships
 Ask for letters of recommendation
 Seek summer programs
Let’s keep in touch!
Lindsay Dawson, MS1
ldaw@mail.med.upenn.edu
Stacey-Ann Whitaker, MS4:
swhit@mail.med.upenn.edu
Derek Mazique, MS1
mazique@mail.med.upenn.edu
Nana Asabere, MS1
nasabere@mail.med.upenn.edu