U.S. Allopathic medical schools

Your Premed Priorities: Non-Clinical Experiences that Medical Schools Love

For a strong W&A section, you’ll want to highlight both clinical and non-clinical experiences. Your non-clinical experiences are an excellent way to demonstrate some of the traits and characteristics that will lead to your success in medical school, while also showing some personality. Here are a few of the non-clinical experiences that medical schools love to see.

Research and/or Lab Work: AMCAS matriculation data for the 2018 entering class at Johns Hopkins stated that 96% had research or lab experience. If you want to attend a school famous for its research, you need more than one of these gigs. Even schools that aren't explicitly known for research love seeing multiple research positions in your W&A.

There's so much critical thinking involved in research. And there's the opportunity to be published—a slam dunk. In research work, you will collaborate with a team to accomplish a measurable and valuable task. The cooperation and diligence you need to be a part of such projects are exactly the qualities you want to highlight in your W&A and Personal Statement. Even being a small part of something can make a huge impact. We had a client who essentially did data entry for a research project, but her careful work caught two mistakes that would have ruined the data set. Her team credited her on a scientific paper for her contributions, an unexpected peacock-sized feather in her cap.

Non-Clinical Volunteering: Service is a huge part of medicine—but not all your service has to be medical. Schools like Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine that emphasize caring for the whole person will especially value roles in which you interacted with your community. Volunteering shows compassion and often builds communication and collaboration skills. Share a story where you connected with another person or collaborated with a team of other volunteers.

Such a position can also prove ingenuity. One of our clients volunteered at a non-profit that helped families register for SNAP benefits. After a couple of weeks on the job, she suggested changes to the organization's method for approaching people at family court hearings. She was able to connect with more caregivers who needed help as a result.

Big Academic Wins: To include awards and accolades in the W&A, you must go beyond listing them. Give some background about what you had to achieve to be recognized. If you did a thesis as part of your school's Honors College program, share the process, skills you learned, and how you felt upon accomplishing this goal. If you had any help reaching your goal, say so. Did a mentor work with you during office hours? Did a librarian help you track down a rare manuscript? Medical schools love it when a candidate seeks, accepts, and appreciates help.

Science-Related Anything: A science-related club or volunteering experience will be attractive to schools because it shows a passion for scientific study. Tutoring and mentoring looks especially good because teaching is a big part of medicine. We had a client who spent a year's worth of Tuesday afternoons helping high school students learn about physiology. It improved his ability to break down information. You'll be teaching med students as a resident, residents as a fellow, fellows as an attending, and you'll be translating complexities for a layman patient daily. 

Conferences: Attending a conference is typically only a one-day time commitment, but it shows an interest in learning about the current state and future of medicine. Conferences can be very inspiring. These speakers were selected for a reason. Networking with doctors is great, and talking to any patients in attendance is even better. When you're writing this entry, don't just list what you did or heard at the conference, tell us how it affected you after that one day. 

Outside of the W&A, having attended a conference can come in handy during an interview. You might be asked if there are any new developments in healthcare that you find riveting. If you attended a conference and subsequently read more about the topics discussed, you're going to have a lot of thoughts to share.

Campus Organizations: If you've dedicated years to the same organization, highlight your biggest accomplishments. What did you change as part of this organization, or what important tradition did you carry on? Did you bring anything medical into the mix? For example, when your sorority did charity work, was it for a medicine-related cause? If you have some control over your organization's next event, see if you can swing things in that direction. Incidentally, if your school has a pre-med club and you're not in it, join it now.

Hobbies: Hobbies are not superficial. Yes, your medical experiences, volunteer work, noteworthy club positions, and academic accolades are going to outrank this in the W&A. But you have fifteen unique entries to fill, and you want to show different dimensions of yourself. We believe a hobby is a must in a W&A. Read our blog post dedicated to hobbies. 

Related: 

Your Pre-Med Priorities: Clinical Experiences that Medical Schools Love

Your Work & Activities Section Series

Your Work & Activities Section: Two Problems You Don't Really Have

"Help, I have too many experiences!" 

We've heard it before: "How am I going to keep this at 15 entries? I have 20 options." Here's the thing, you probably don't. You can and should bundle certain activities. Doing so reduces repetition and allows you to include a wider variety of experiences. Say, you were secretary of your student council for one year and vice president for two—that's material for one entry. Even if one of those roles produced one of your Most Meaningful experiences, you can likely cover both in one write-up.

"Help, I Don't Have Enough Experiences!" 

You may insist: "I have had three clinical experiences, two volunteer posts, and was in one club in college. I don't have 15 options!" 

Here's the thing, you probably do. Did you take a weekend long improv class with some friends? It might have teased out a braver you or helped you to think on your feet. Do or did you have a non-medical job? Obviously, you're going to include all medical work or volunteering experiences as well as impressive internships or jobs in any industry. But even working as an office temp, swiping cards at the college food court, and ringing up retail at the local bookstore exemplifies your work ethic and commitment. It also implies that you're not spoiled. Facts are facts: A lot of med school applicants are privileged. Earning your own money can set you apart because it shows personal responsibility and that you know how to balance work and studying. 

Hobbies count too. It is not a waste of space to share that you're an artist or love to garden. You can angle these activities to be more relevant to your application by explaining what transferable qualities—creativity, dedication, patience—you can apply to medicine. Your hobby write-ups also can highlight different strengths than your other entries, have a passionate delivery, and show some personality. 

"No, I really don't have enough experiences."

If you don't have enough experiences, now is the time to get them. Put together a group to clean up tree pits in your neighborhood to practice leadership. Take a hip-hop dance class to become less stiff and stern. If you're interested in mental health, volunteer for a crisis hotline. Exercising empathy and learning to talk to people on the worst days of their lives is useful for a future physician. Last-minute shadowing experiences are an option, too. They in no way should replace clinical experiences, but, if you are light on clinical experience or want to get some career goal-related shadowing experiences in, this is the ticket. Attending a conference or volunteering at a community health fair are one-day events that can lead to impactful encounters. Pursuing and sharing education is very valuable to medical schools.

Your Work & Activities Section: Where to Begin

To improve your W&A writing experience and the quality of your entries, try this: 

Raid your brainstorm. As we’ve frequently mentioned, your brainstorm serves every part of your application process. If you're having a hard time with W&A entries, copy and paste info directly from a brainstorm bucket or two and cut and sew together the first draft of an entry from that material.

One client began a W&A entry on her time as an EMT by briefly sharing salient details about things she did and skills she acquired while working on an ambulance. She then copied (literally control-C) a poignant story from her brainstorm's ah-ha bucket wherein she showed compassion for a patient who had miscarried. She pasted it directly into her W&A draft document. She proceeded to trim unnecessary parts of the story (what day it was, what her partner was doing), and add a takeaway about seeing the importance of caring for a patient's mental health.

Start with the easy ones. Do you know what your takeaway was from shadowing a pediatrician? Did working on a poster presentation with a group help you learn to manage conflict? Have you been swimming competitively since you were a guppy? Instead of writing W&A entries in the order of their occurrence or importance, start with whatever comes naturally.

Do a dirty draft—and re-read it later. You don't have to refine your first draft text right away. In fact, we’d recommend that you write all 15 first drafts (that doesn't have to happen in one sitting) and then go back to the entries with fresh eyes later. Sometimes when you're reading one entry repeatedly back-to-back, you see what's in your head and not what is on the page. So, you might think a description makes perfect sense. But later, you'll read it, discover issues, and revise it accordingly.

Craft your stories. You'll always share some basic duties and details; and they can be pretty cut and dry. For example, "At the free clinic, I checked in patients and learned how to take vitals. I interacted with approximately 20 patients during every four-hour shift." But you must also include what you got out of this experience, preferably using an engaging anecdote. "One patient, Linda…" If you don't think you have a specific story to tell, schedule time with an Apply Point consultant and we'll talk things over and find one. You'll be surprised at how much of a story you can fit into 700 characters. But don't worry about going over the word count in your first draft. We're here to help you pare down, if necessary.

Your Work & Activities Section: Before You Start

Before we make a case for the kinds of experiences you should include in your W&A and get into the deep details you should be sharing, we're going to give you three super-basic tips for writing these entries. Bookmark this page and keep it accessible because you are going to want to check that you're doing these three things in each entry that you write.

  1. Use complete sentences. This is not a resume. You might have done an activity log when presenting your candidacy to your pre-med committee. That will be an excellent resource, but it's probably not polished, and these entries must be.

  2. Go beyond the "what." Don't just describe a job you did. Share details about how this experience challenged, changed, or motivated you. Through anecdotes, show the qualities that medical schools are looking for, which include leadership and critical thinking abilities, empathy, strong communication skills, resilience, intellectual curiosity, and maturity.

  3. Utilize your space well. For general entries, you'll have 700 characters with spaces to tell your story. Aim to max out that character count. Each experience should warrant it—700 is not that many characters. For the Most Meaningful entries, you'll have 700 characters with spaces, followed by an additional 1,325 with spaces. If you come up short on either section of the Most Meaningful entries, don't worry about it, so long as you have something compelling in each section.

Preparing for the MCAT: Tips and Advice from an Expert

In the tutoring world, Dr. Stuart Donnelly is known as “Dr. MCAT.” With 24 years of teaching experience, a unique take on MCAT prep, and a great sense of humor, he has become a favorite tutor of Apply Point clients (and consultants). 

We asked him to answer some of our clients’ most frequently asked questions. 

When should I begin studying for the MCAT? “I would say six months before you take it—though, some students leave it until a little later, say, five months before the test. It depends on how strong your background knowledge is in chemistry, physics, biology, biochemistry, psychology, and sociology. If you’re not feeling confident in these areas, start six months before because it will take three months just to get through the material.” 

What’s the biggest mistake I could make when prepping for the MCAT? “A major mistake students make: They wait to take the practice test until they get through all the material. And because it takes three months to read the material the first time, by the time they take a practice test, their score is nowhere near where they want to be, and they freak out. So, they go back to reading the material again for another month or two. They’re putting off that next practice test often until the week before the real thing. And their score is still terrible. I think students can begin taking practice tests as soon as two weeks into the studying process. When you’re taking a practice test for the first time, you don’t know how to take the test yet. The first two or three practice tests are going to be just awful. So, get used to it and get it out of the way quickly.”  

Is there a "best way" to take a practice test? “When you’re taking a practice test, take it at the same time in the morning as when the tests are; have your routine be the same as it will be on test day.

The MCAT is such a long exam—the “seat time,” including breaks, is about seven and a half hours. How can I build my stamina? “By doing lots and lots of practice tests. Seriously, that is the only way to do it. Early into practice, students don't have the stamina yet and lose concentration. They don’t have any time management skills yet either. It's only when you've taken three, four, or five practice tests that your score starts to improve. And when you’ve taken seven or eight of them, you get closer to your target figure. I would say nine or 10 tests into it, you start to score in the ballpark you're looking for. And then you want to do that at least two or three times more to make sure that it wasn't a fluke. Then you're ready to take the test. We’re talking about 20 weeks—at least—of preparation. You could take the test every other week.”

Any advice for test day? “Keep your schedule the same as it normally is. If you’d normally have a cup of coffee in the morning, make sure you get your cup of coffee. You'll also want to be familiar with the testing center. Go the day or week before just to make sure you know what train to catch or where to park, and which room the test is in. On the day of the exam, you want to get there as calm and relaxed as you can be.”

Related: Thinking of Retaking the MCAT? Here’s What You Need to Know.

The 2024-2025 Allopathic Medical School Application: An Overview with Suggested Timing

If you’re looking to start medical school in the Fall of 2025, now is the time to get started with the application process! Applying to medical school is arduous, but proper planning can reduce your stress and help you to maintain a manageable task load.

The four components of the medical school application include:

  • Standardized tests: MCAT and Situational Judgment Exams

  • AMCAS application 

  • Secondary Applications

  • Interviews

Standardized Tests

MCAT: Your MCAT scores are typically valid for three years prior to matriculation, and you can take the exam up to three times.

  • Register: Select your preferred date, as well as a few alternative dates that would work. You can register for the test here. The ten-day deadline prior to the test is your last opportunity to schedule, reschedule, or cancel.

  • Prep: Start preparing for the MCAT at least six months prior to your planned test date. And sit for the exam no later than May 24, 2024 (scores released June 25th): This will avoid application delays. Keep in mind that we recommend that you take your exam by mid-April so that you can re-direct your attention to preparing the AMCAS application. 

Review our blog posts on the MCAT:

Situational Judgment Exams: There are two exams (CASPer and AAMC’s PREview) that fall under this umbrella. Depending upon the specific application requirements at the schools where you apply, you may need to take one, or possibly both. Currently, CASPer is the most commonly required of the two. 

CASPer: This test gauges your ability to critically evaluate complex scenarios and employ sound judgment and communication skills. Not all medical schools require applicants to take the CASPer, however, a growing number of allopathic programs do, currently over 40. Your CASPer score is generally only valid for one application cycle. 

The CASPer score is often requested alongside your secondary application or prior to an invitation to interview. Opting to take the test earlier in the cycle, rather than later, will allow you to have your scores readily available when requested, meaning that you can dedicate that time to preparing your secondary application materials or for mock interviews. It will also ensure that your application is not delayed as you wait for your scores.

Review our blog post on CASPer.

AAMC’s PREview Exam: Similar to the CASPer, the Preview exam gauges professional readiness by assessing your judgment in nine competency areas identified as critical for medical school success. It is unique in that it was created specifically for use in medical school admissions. Currently, only six allopathic schools require the Preview exam, while an additional seven allopathic schools and one DO program recommend it.

  • Register: Find instructions for registering for the test here. You are able to reschedule your test up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled test time. Be sure to sit for the exam during the spring or summer of 2024.

  • Prep: Familiarize yourself with the test format and content before you take the exam. Once you have registered for the test, you will gain access to an exam tutorial. 

Review our blog post on the AAMC PREview Exam.

AMCAS Application: 

Submit no later than mid-June.

  • The AMCAS application opens and will be available here on May 1, 2024.

  • The first date to submit the AMCAS application is May 28, 2024.

  • The first date that processed applications will be released to medical schools is June 28, 2024.

We recommend that you submit your application in early to mid-June because your application will go through a verification process prior to the data being released to medical schools. This can take anywhere from a couple of weeks early in the process, to over a month during peak application submission periods. Note, in order to complete verification, your application must contain your official transcript, so request this document as well as your letters of recommendation a month or two before your planned submission date (by March 28, 2024). You also want to submit your AMCAS application early because this step triggers schools to send out secondary application materials, either automatically, or after a pre-screen of your application. 

Review our blog posts on the AMCAS application:

Secondary Applications:

Submit within two weeks of receipt. 

Secondary applications are typically sent between June and August, although they can come later depending upon the timing of your AMCAS submission. Many schools will not review your application file until you have submitted your secondary application. And, because most schools review applications on a rolling basis, and invite applicants to interview accordingly, it is important to send in your secondary application materials promptly, which we define as within two weeks of receipt. 

Additionally, because many of the schools will use at least some of the same prompts, you can start preparing responses to the most commonly asked questions as soon as you’ve submitted your AMCAS application. 

Review our blog post on common secondary application questions. 

Medical School Interviews: 

Fall through Spring 2025 (by invitation only)

Many applicants receive invitations to interview following their submission of secondary applications and/or CASPer or Preview Exam scores. Schedule yours as early as possible. And before solidifying your travel plans, you should contact nearby schools to which you’ve applied and let them know you have an interview in the area in case they have availability. This serves the dual purpose of letting the other school know that you are “in demand,” while also showcasing your strong interest in their program.

Review our blog posts on medical school interviews:

Other Related Blog Posts:

Choosing Allopathic (MD) Programs: Our Top Tips

In our last post, we discussed the reasoning behind applying to a large number of medical schools. Now, we'll walk you through what else you should know about the school selection process, starting with a real biggie.

  • Apply to a bonkers number of schools. For the 2021-2022 cycle, the average applicant applied to 18 schools, according to the AAMC. We typically recommend 25 to 35 schools. If you have the resources (and an MCAT score below 510), it's not a terrible idea to apply to even more. The average medical school acceptance rate is 6.5%, according to a 2020 U.S. News & World Report survey of 121 ranked schools. (The acceptance rate between schools runs the gamut from barely 2% to around 20%.)

  • Apply to every state school in your state. If you're going to apply to a state school outside of your state, that school should matriculate at least 25% of their students from out of state, à la the University of Vermont and University of Iowa.

  • Consider newer medical schools, which have higher acceptance rates and take on students with lower average GPAs and MCAT scores. The AAMC reported that the mean GPA of 2021-2022 matriculants was 3.74, and the mean MCAT score was 511.9. 

  • Your scores are important, but they are not everything. It is possible to have a higher GPA/MCAT than a school's average and still not get into it. Incidentally, this is why your Work and Activities, Personal Statement, and Secondary Essays are so important. They show a whole person—and that's often what lands you an interview. 

"Something we consider beyond an MCAT score and GPA is the balance of the class," a six-year medical school admissions veteran told us. "We look at personalities. Does this applicant have leadership qualities? Are they collaborative? Are they resilient? What unique perspective could they bring to our community? And frankly, is this a person who fellow students and faculty are going to want to be around for years?" 

  • Don't underestimate seeming compatible with a school. Each campus is a close-knit environment. Research schools. Find your commonalities with each, express them in your essays and interview, and you could find yourself with an acceptance letter. Researching schools also helps you connect to a school that you're feeling iffy about—say, you don't love the location or were hoping to attend a smaller program. Knowing a program is aligned with your values and goals will allow you to stay open-minded.

Related: Choosing Allopathic (MD) Programs: Take a Broad Perspective

Choosing Allopathic (MD) Programs: Take a Broad Perspective

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommends researching schools several months before submitting your AMCAS application. In a perfect world, we like our clients to start by February or March at the latest. 

You've likely thought about your top picks—but you need to apply to many more than those. The biggest mistake you can make when applying to medical schools is not applying to enough of them. We recommend applying to between 25 and 35 schools. The second biggest mistake is wasting your attention and money on long applications for only shot-in-the-dark schools. You should apply to one or two of those and a slew of target schools where your GPA and MCAT numbers are at or above the average of accepted students. 

We're often asked: "How on earth am I going to find 25 to 30 schools that I like?”

Our answer: It's not about like. It's about where you can get in. There are only 155 accredited allopathic medical schools in the U.S. Having so few options makes this much more competitive than the undergraduate process. But it's not all bad news. Because while campus vibes and research and clinical opportunities will vary, all medical schools MUST teach you the same thing. Going anywhere is going towards your goal of becoming a physician. Did you get into one school of 30? Congratulations, almost-doc! 

This doesn't mean that you shouldn’t push hard on your application to your favorite school. Every year, our clients go to top-ranked programs and ones known for their desired area of interest. We're just advising you not to get into your head that there's only one to five schools for you. Many clients are laser-focused on school rankings; that can take some reprogramming to correct. Because of overall low acceptance rates, there is no such thing as a "safety" allopathic medical school. Yes, attending an upper-tier school could land you incredible research, residency, and career opportunities. But schools that aren't your first choice can also lead to first-choice experiences. (And frankly, residency is kind of what matters most.)

Related: Choosing Allopathic (MD) Programs: Our Top Tips

Applying to Both Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Programs? Here’s What You Need to Know.

If you’re a prospective medical student, particularly one interested in primary care, it’s a good idea to consider osteopathic medical programs in addition to allopathic ones. While many students grow up dreaming of an MD behind their name, osteopathic medicine continues to grow in popularity. One in four medical students in the United States attends an osteopathic program, according to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). 

The program requirements for MD and DO programs are similar, although osteopathic students are required to take an additional 200 hours of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) training, which focuses on the spine, bones, and muscles. “Osteopathic physicians use all of the tools and technology available to modern medicine with the added benefits of a holistic philosophy and a system of hands-on diagnosis and treatment known as osteopathic manipulative medicine. Doctors of osteopathic medicine emphasize helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health education, injury prevention, and disease prevention,” the AACOM says.

Additionally, while osteopathic programs are highly competitive, entrants typically have slightly lower GPAs and MCAT scores than their allopathic counterparts.

Mean GPA and MCAT scores for Entering 2022 Osteopathic Students:

  • Overall GPA: 3.61

    • Science: 3.53

    • Non-Science: 3.70

  • Overall MCAT: 504.8

    • Psychological, Social, and Bio: 125.3

    • Bio and Biochemical: 127.2

    • Chemical and Physical: 126.4

    • Critical Analysis and Reasoning: 126.0

Mean GPA and MCAT scores for Entering 2022 Allopathic Students:

  • Overall GPA: 3.75

    • Science: 3.68

    • Non-Science: 3.84

  • Overall MCAT: 511.9

    • Psychological, Social, and Bio: 128.9

    • Bio and Biochemical: 128.2

    • Chemical and Physical: 127.9

    • Critical Analysis and Reasoning: 127.0

Recipients of both degrees have similarly high residency match rates (over 90 percent for both in 2023), though DOs tend to specialize in primary care at higher rates. In May 2021, the AOA’s Physician Masterfile reported that 56.5% of osteopathic doctors (DOs) practiced primary care (including specialties like obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics). And in 2022, nine colleges of osteopathic medicine were in U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top 10 schools with the most graduates practicing primary care. 

Among the more competitive specialties, MDs continue to outnumber DOs in residency placement. But DOs can increase their competitiveness by taking the USMLE (MD accreditation) in addition to the COMLEX (DO accreditation). 

Sounds appealing? Here’s what to keep in mind for your DO application:

  • Submit your AMCAS and secondary applications first. Then, turn to your osteopathic applications (AACOMAS), which you’ll want to submit by October. 

  • Spend at least 20 hours working alongside a DO and ensure your application demonstrates your understanding of and motivation to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine.

  • Request a recommendation letter from a DO. 

  • Review the guidelines for any program where you would be considered in-state, as some schools must admit a certain percentage of in-state students.

  • Review the residency placements for the DO programs you are considering to ensure the school’s placements align with your goals. 

Allopathic Medical School Applicant Guide to Secondary Essays

After you submit your AMCAS application, you will begin to receive secondary essay prompts. Some schools send the prompts automatically, while others are the result of a pre-screening process. It may seem overwhelming at first, but many of the schools will use at least some of the same prompts and you can start preparing now for some of the most common question types (listed below). 

But first, some advice:

Get organized. With a number of different schools, prompts, and a quick turnaround time, we cannot overemphasize the importance of setting up a system that will work for you. Pick what you like, a Word or Excel file, calendar reminders, file folders, a legal pad. But make sure you keep an overarching list that includes the name of each school you’ve applied to, secondary essay prompts, submission dates, and status. 

You’ll also want a way to organize your essay responses so that you can efficiently retrieve and recycle content when possible. Once you have final drafts, we recommend that you keep copies organized in folders by school and by question type, e.g., a Harvard Medical School folder, and a diversity essay folder. Name the files in a consistent convention that uses the school name, prompt type, and word count, e.g. “HarvardMed_Diversity_500”. This way if you receive a similar diversity prompt from another school, you will easily be able to access the final version you used for Harvard, make any necessary updates (e.g., wordcount, school name, etc.), and then save it with an updated name.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Don’t hesitate to re-use content. You will—and should—recycle your secondary answers for different prompts and use aspects of your secondary drafts for your super-short answers too. 

Submit your essays promptly. Submit your responses no later than two weeks after receipt of the prompts.

Common Secondary Essay Prompts

Use these common prompts to get a head start on brainstorming and drafting your responses.

How will you add diversity to our student population?

This answer doesn't have to be about race, sexuality, or religion. What unique experiences and perspectives do you have to offer, which will show the reader your ability to thrive in a diverse environment? 

Tell us about a time you faced adversity.  

This one can be a trap because it tempts you to be very negative. While you don’t need to be all sunshine in your essay about facing adversity, be careful not to overly criticize others or paint yourself as pitiable. Instead, focus on how facing adversity gave you a formative experience that you learned from and grew or persevered through. 

Tell us about a time you failed.  

Talking about a failure or weakness can make you feel vulnerable—good. Vulnerability leads to bravery. When you share a failure, you want to spend about 20% of your answer explaining what happened and 80% on what you learned and you've done since to improve. Lastly, how are you feeling now? Hit these beats: Situation. Action. Result. You don't need to seem ever-resilient and impervious to future failure, just like you've grown.

How do qualities you have relate to our mission statement?  

Mission alignment matters to schools. They want to know that you share their values and goals. Will you be a valuable member of their community? Schools often hit similar themes: innovation, collaboration, servant leadership, and health equity and social justice. Even if you're not drafting this answer yet, think about experiences you've had that involve those things and jot down some notes. 

If this question isn't in the secondaries mix, you should be looking to reflect the mission statement back to the school in your other secondaries. For example, if a school especially values collegiality, you might include a story about how you collaborated on a class project in one of your answers. (This is another example of show don't tell.)

While you 100% should be researching schools individually to learn other specifics, AAMC has a convenient document that rounds up all allopathic schools' mission statements in one place. https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/6966/download

What will you be doing until matriculation or what have you done since graduating from college?  

You may have mentioned some of this elsewhere in the application. While you don't have to max out the word or character count, it is important (and fun!) to account for all your time, even if some of it won't be spent prepping for medical school. Check out this example: "Since graduating from Large Private University, I became a clinical research assistant at Near-My-Hometown Children's Hospital, coordinating 10 studies. I collected and analyzed study data for an academic paper on pediatric asthma and was asked to draft a section of it. It will be published this fall in Impressive Kiddo Journal, and I will be credited as a co-author. I will continue my work at Near-My-Hometown Children's Hospital until matriculation. On Saturdays this summer, I'll be volunteering at an organic farm. Nutrition matters to me, and I love to spend time outdoors. In August, I'll take a two-week trip to Europe (my first time abroad!), visiting relatives in Denmark and Sweden."

Why our school?  

Obviously, this is a place to mention courses you're excited to take, potential mentors you'd seek out, clubs you'd join, what the school's hospital affiliations and research opportunities mean to you, etc. You also might share how the school's location will set you up for the kind of career you want—say, for example, you want to work in an urban area. Mentioning that you love other aspects of the town or city or that it is located near friends and relatives is also relevant here. Schools love to hear that you'd have a local support system.

Have you applied to our program before? If, so how has your candidacy improved since your last application?

This one is self-explanatory. Even if you have no idea why you were rejected last time, you do know that you've gained more clinical experience, maybe some overall workplace experience, earned a Master's, and have matured since your last application. If none of those things are true, then perhaps you should be applying next year instead.

Frequently Asked Questions Related to the Secondary Essay Prompts:

What if I don’t have a hardship?

A "hardship" prompt is different from an adversity prompt. We've all faced adversity in our own way. But there might also be an optional essay asking about any hardships you've experienced. If you have had health, family, or financial issues, or any significant interruptions to your education, share them here. But if you don't have hardships, don't exaggerate a small hurdle, or massage any facts. 

Read our blog post on the Disadvantaged Applicant status here. 

When should I use the “is there anything else we should know” prompt? 

If you have no issues to address, you could use a secondary essay from another school here just to bolster your application. But this is also the school's nice way of saying: "What not-so-great thing did you do? Explain why we shouldn't be concerned about it." 

So, did you tank a class your freshman year? Does your lowish MCAT score not reflect your ability to thrive in a challenging academic environment? Did you get a citation for underage drinking at a campus music festival two years ago? You want to keep this answer concise no matter what your topic is, but for things like the latter, keep it very brief. Do not make excuses, simply address the situation, placing the emphasis on what you learned. Remember, everyone makes mistakes, taking accountability and moving forward demonstrates maturity. You do not have to max out this wordcount.

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Alternatives to Allopathic Medical Programs in the United States

For the 2017-2018 school year, over 51,600 students submitted an average of 16 applications each for placement into a U.S. Allopathic Medical School. With a resulting, 43 percent admittance rate and 41 percent matriculation rate, almost three out of every five applicants found themselves without a spot. While re-applicants made up just under 30 percent of the applicant pool in 2017 – 2018, and schools look favorably on re-applicants, there are some medical career alternatives worth considering.

1.       Osteopathic medicine. According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), more than 20 percent of current medical students in the United States are training to be osteopathic physicians. These physicians or surgeons, who receive a D.O. rather than an M.D. degree, are doctors licensed to practice in the United States. While the education and certification paths are similar, differences exist in both the training curriculum and philosophy of patient care. AACOM says, “Osteopathic physicians use all of the tools and technology available to modern medicine with the added benefits of a holistic philosophy and a system of hands-on diagnosis and treatment known as osteopathic manipulative medicine. Doctors of osteopathic medicine emphasize helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health education, injury prevention, and disease prevention.”

Osteopathic residency is currently in a transition to a single accreditation system for those pursuing both osteopathic and allopathic degrees. By 2020, all medical internship, fellowship, and residency programs will be accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), whereas previously the ACGME accredited allopathic programs and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited all osteopathic. The changes are very much underway, and according to National Resident Matching Program 2017 data, 3,590 D.O. candidates submitted rank order lists of programs with a match rate of 81.7 percent. Both the number of candidates and match rates were all time highs.

2.       International Medical Programs. While the U.S. is home to many excellent medical schools, there are also compelling programs in Israel and the Caribbean, which tend to be less competitive from an admissions standpoint. Caribbean schools often have the benefit of rolling admissions, and allow for students to start in January. In Israel you can attend an American Medical Program where classes are facilitated in English, though you may need to acquire some Hebrew for matriculation at The Technion and the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University.

In 2017, according to the National Resident Matching Program, the number of U.S. citizen graduates of international medical schools who registered for the match and submitted rank order lists of programs declined. However, for the 5,069 who submitted rank order lists of programs, the match rate was the highest since 2004 at 54.8 percent. Match rates tend to be higher among those attending American medical programs in Israel, as compared to graduates of Caribbean programs.

3.       Podiatry School. Doctors of Podiatric Medicine are certified physicians or surgeons who specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting the foot, ankle and related structures of the leg. These Physicians receive a DPM, rather than an MD, and undergo a similar education, residency, and certification process. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects faster than average growth in the employment of podiatrists, with projected growth of 10 percent from 2016 to 2026. This is due to the aging population and the likely increase in demand for medical and surgical care of the foot and ankle, as well as for treatment of issues associated with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, that impact patients’ feet and ankles.

4.       Physician’s Assistant. A Physician’s Assistant works closely with a licensed physician or surgeon as a part of a collaborative medical team and can examine, diagnose, and treat patients under supervision. While certification requirements vary by state, most PAs graduate with a master’s degree from a Physician Assistant degree program and then need to complete a set number of clinical work hours before sitting for the National Certification exam.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects much faster than average growth in the employment of PAs, with projected growth of 37 percent from 2016 to 2026. This is due to the growing and aging population and a projected increase in the demand for healthcare services.

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