Monthly Newsletter     Interview Feedback     Contact "I provide results-oriented, professional counseling to highly motivated young people dedicated to a career in medicine." - Dr. Cynthia Csernansky Newsletter Home | Newsletter My monthly newsletter provides quick, informative information on application strategies for that particular month. If you would like to receive the newsletter, use the information request form and select "Newsletter Signup" in the Service of Interest menu. Past newsletters are included below. February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 February 2003 The medical school admission process can be daunting, but the dedicated student need not fear. With careful planning and preparation, you can be quite a competitive candidate. This month, here are a few tips from Dr. Cynthia Csernansky to aid on the road to medical school acceptance: "The MCAT is approaching fast. By now, you should be finished with topic review, and working LOTS of sample problems! I have some tips to share about preparing for test day Get your sleep cycle on track now, so you are accustomed to rising at 6:30 AM, fully rested. Do not take sleep aids-they may make you drowsy. Do not eat or drink anything but water after 9 PM on the night before the exam. Eat a good breakfast the morning of the exam-eggs, oatmeal, non-sugar dry cereal, whole grain toast, fruit and non-caffeinated beverages. Avoid pastries, white bread or bagels, high sugar cereals, juice, jam and caffeine. Bring water-No soda! Pack small snacks for the breaks between sections-choose high protein items and complex carbohydrates rather than candy. A small piece of fruit or high protein bar is a good idea. Eat a lunch that is high in protein, but not in carbohydrates, fat, salt or cheese-NO pizza or chips, and no candy for dessert! Choose lunchmeat, veggies, fruit, whole grain breads or salads, and more water. Stretch and relax between sections. Bring foam earplugs and a watch. Dress in layers - be prepared for a room that is too hot or too cold. Lastly, remember to relax. You will be fine!" Best wishes. December 2002 If you are not accepted or invited to interview, now is the time to begin planning for reapplication. You should have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses by now. Examine your application with an admissions-eye view, and decide how to become the "most competitive" candidate. You may need to: Retake the MCAT-be certain that you are aware of the content changes that are taking effect on the April 2003 exam Take additional upper division science courses to boost your science and overall GPA Gain experience with a physician through a comprehensive shadowing commitment (50 hours or more!) Choose a volunteer or service project and stick with it! Move a research project to the stage where you can present or publish your date (especially for MSTP candidates) You should call the medical schools that did not accept you in June (NO EARLIER) and ask for feedback about your application. In general, the admissions staff is open to helping students become more competitive applicant-and they will be honest with you regarding areas of your portfolio that are weak. The success rate for students who reapply is high-so persistence does count! Just make sure that you have addressed the weakness in your application prior to submitting the AMCAS anew. Good luck! January 2003 Is allopathic medicine the only choice for you? If you are considering a health career, be certain to look broadly prior to deciding that there is only one option for you. Many other health careers offer wonderful opportunities to serve patients. Consider: Osteopathic medicine-a holistic educational approach to the training of physicians that emphasizes relationship building, prevention, education and treatments that take into account all the complexity of a patient's medical conditions, personal and family issues and social and cultural influences. DO's often choose family medicine and primary care practice, but are represented across the entire spectrum of medical practice specialties. Physician assistant-an essential partner to the physician who takes patient histories, performs physical exams, participates in diagnosis and treatment planning and follows patients through treatment. Most PA's can prescribe medicines and often they join practices in rural or urban underserved areas. Dentistry-there is a growing shortage of dentists as several schools of dental medicine have closed in recent years. This is a profession with enormous growth potential, and dentists are less affected by the constraints of managed care. Most people expect to pay a substantial proportion of their dental care. Many adults now seek orthodontics and cosmetic procedures and there is a shortage of pediatric dental specialists. If high income and less evening and weekend call, as well as patient care are important considerations, dentistry is an ideal option. Physical therapy and occupational therapy-PT is concerned with restoring movement and function, where OT is concerned with optimizing function at the patient's level of mobility. Both disciplines now offer a clinical doctorate degree, and there will be a shortage of PT's in the next decade. If you like to work in sports medicine, pediatrics or geriatrics, these are wonderful clinical specialties. Public health-at the master's or doctoral level, public health provides broad opportunities to influence health on a large scale. From vaccine programs to infectious disease control to national and international policy there is room for flexibility in a public health career. The eradication of diseases like smallpox and polio and prevention of influenza pandemics are examples of the kinds of complex initiatives headed by professionals in public health. You will be happy in a career that fits you well-so investigate and think broadly about all the opportunities to serve in a health care setting. Best wishes. December 2002 If you are not accepted or invited to interview, now is the time to begin planning for reapplication. You should have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses by now. Examine your application with an admissions-eye view, and decide how to become the "most competitive" candidate. You may need to: Retake the MCAT-be certain that you are aware of the content changes that are taking effect on the April 2003 exam Take additional upper division science courses to boost your science and overall GPA Gain experience with a physician through a comprehensive shadowing commitment (50 hours or more!) Choose a volunteer or service project and stick with it! Move a research project to the stage where you can present or publish your date (especially for MSTP candidates) You should call the medical schools that did not accept you in June (NO EARLIER) and ask for feedback about your application. In general, the admissions staff is open to helping students become more competitive applicant-and they will be honest with you regarding areas of your portfolio that are weak. The success rate for students who reapply is high-so persistence does count! Just make sure that you have addressed the weakness in your application prior to submitting the AMCAS anew. Good luck! November 2002 If you are fortunate enough to have multiple acceptances to medical school, how do you choose the program that best fits your needs? A few minutes spent after each interview visit evaluating the positive and negative features of your experience is the place to start. Your state institution represents the benchmark for evaluating all offers. So, Review the program's strengths and weaknesses Assess how well you would "fit" into the programs Be honest about whether you want to live there Consider any intangibles that draw you to a program Run the numbers. This is a very important investment in your future, so make certain that you understand clearly how much it will cost you to complete your medical training at every institution you are considering. Understand the differences among grants and loans, so you know both the current and future cost of monies borrowed. Remember that unlike college, you will take 3 board exams with ALL your peers in medical schools across the country. Performance on these exams ranks you among all these medical students, diminishing the influence of an institution's name in the process of evaluating residency candidates. You can shine anywhere if you perform well both academically and in clinical rotations! Don't be reluctant to seek help if you do not understand anything about the information you receive from a medical school. Good luck! October 2002 What should you do if you are not yet invited for an interview or wait listed after an interview? Make certain that all your materials have reached the admissions office-don't assume if you have not heard from a school that this means your application is complete. Send an e-mail asking about the process for selecting candidates to interview so you are informed about these procedures. Keep the medical schools informed of any new developments that add to the strength of your application-honors or awards, publications, new leadership positions, athletic achievements, etc. Send your grades at the end of the term directly to each school-an official transcript from you is OK. Don't send these grades to AMCAS! If you interviewed-make sure you sent thank you notes, and address any new positive developments that add to the strength of your application both to the admissions director and your primary interviewer. Reiterate in your correspondence with medical schools your interest in their program (with specific examples) and your commitment to attend if you are offered admission. If a program is your first choice, be sure to let them know this! Remember, there is a great deal of fluidity in the early months of the application process as schools begin to sort through all the qualified applicants to their programs. So, make sure that you have done everything that can help the competitiveness of your application and let the process work. September 2002 It is time to prepare for interviews. Your goal is to present the unique elements of your portfolio and convince the interviewers that you should be among the students offered acceptance at their medical school. So…. Review your application and material from the medical school prior to arriving. Choose 4-5 key experiences, characteristics or accomplishments that distinguish you as an applicant. Practice responding to likely questions by writing answers ahead of time and reading the answers out loud. Integrate your distinguishing qualities into the responses. Keep answers to 3-4 min. This will help you remember what you want to say during the interview. Be prepared to tackle tough questions on ethics, policy and the occasional inappropriate inquiry. Prepare and ask questions about the medical school that indicate you have a strong interest in their program. Mind your manners and write thank-you notes. Keep a notebook with pro and con columns and fill them out thoroughly so you can refer to the information when you are deciding among schools. Remember that dress should be simple and professional, shoes comfortable and jewelry minimal. Good luck!! August 2002 Secondary applications are of great importance to medical schools. Most medical schools will require a secondary application and they are looking for: The same level of care as in your primary application-spelling, grammar, syntax and clear writing count just as much here. Greater detail regarding your accomplishments and activities-how deep was your commitment or leadership in an organization, for example. Explanations for any academic or personal difficulties that impact your competitiveness-NOT excuses-and an understanding of how you solved your problems. Assurance that you are a serious applicant to their school-are you informed about their programs, students and culture. A good fit-do you share their values and interests and would you bring something to the class to enrich the mix. Keep everything you write for your secondary applications in a word processing file. This way, when it is possible to do so you can edit text from one application to another rather than writing anew each time. Try to return your secondaries within 72 hours of receipt. If you decide not to proceed with an application, send a polite e-mail and let the medical school know that you are withdrawing your application. Most important, BE HONEST!! July 2002 Hope that you had a wonderful Independence Day and are ready to get back to work on medical school applications! By now you should have: A draft of your personal statement that is nearly final. Set it aside for 48 hours prior to pasting it into the AMCAS, then do a final check for spelling, grammar and syntax errors. Verified that your official transcript(s) are accurate and sent transcript request forms to all necessary institutions. Filled out all of the biographical and course information on your AMCAS. Researched medical schools and prepared a list of 18-20 that you will refine to a final list of 15 3 schools. Decided if you are retaking the MCAT in August and begun intensive studying for the exam. Requested and/or received your confidential recommendations from 2 science professors and any additional academic, research, volunteer or clinical mentors who can speak to your qualifications as a future physician. Decided to send off the AMCAS by July 15, 2002. Prepared a budget to make certain that you can afford to travel for interviews. The best way to be successful is to be prepared in advance so you have plenty of time to deal with the inevitable snafu's-lost transcripts, uncooperative software and processing delays. MAKE A COPY OF EVERYTHING YOU SEND TO AMCAS AND MEDICAL SCHOOLS!!!! Stay calm and follow up regularly to make certain your applications are on track. June 2002 How many schools should I apply to? This is one of the most important decisions you will make. If you use a shotgun approach you will be overwhelmed with secondary applications and unable to give careful attention to each one. If you are very narrow in your choices you may fall victim to the serendipidy that makes the admissions process so difficult to predict. Here are a few suggestions: Apply to 15 ±3 schools Apply to ALL your state medical schools or private institutions in your state that receive taxpayer support. To assess this check the % in-state resident column in your copy of the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements). Apply to all schools where you have personal connections-legacy, etc. Apply to a range of schools-some on your wish list, several that are a solid match for your qualifications and some that are less competitive. Do NOT apply only to the top 10 schools-the process is too unpredictable. Fill out secondary applications with as much care as your AMCAS primary application. Save everything you write in a folder for future use. Research each school sufficiently that you can speak to one or two unique features that you particularly like somewhere in the secondary application. Remember, the differences among medical schools are largely erased by the requirement that all medical students pass the USMLE. So, think broadly about your choices and try to find the best "fit" for your interests. May 2002 The medical school admission process can be daunting, but the dedicated student need not fear. With careful planning and preparation, you can be quite a competitive candidate. This month, here are a few tips from Dr. Cynthia Csernansky to aid on the road to medical school acceptance: After your MCAT recovery period is over, it is time to start thinking about your personal statement for the AMCAS application. The personal statement is the most important piece of writing for your applications. A good personal statement tells the Admissions Committee who you are, not what you have done. It conveys your personality and motivation, and highlights your best qualities. If done well, a good personal statement makes the reader want to meet you in person. Choosing the best approach for the personal statements requires a great deal of thought and effort. Experimenting with ideas and working through many drafts is important to find the "best fit" for your unique circumstances. Don't procrastinate. Start now and be prepared to spend as much time as it takes to create a compelling story about you. Remember, the goal of this statement is to encourage the reader to want to meet you, so be creative, think broadly and have fun! April 2002 The medical school admission process can be daunting, but the dedicated student need not fear. With careful planning and preparation, you can be quite a competitive candidate. This month, here are a few tips from Dr. Cynthia Csernansky to aid on the road to medical school acceptance: The MCAT is approaching fast. By now, you should be finished with topic review, and working LOTS of sample problems! I have some tips to share about preparing for test day: Get your sleep cycle on track now, so you are accustomed to rising at 6:30 AM, fully rested. Do not take sleep aids-they may make you drowsy. Do not eat or drink anything but water after 9 PM on the night before the exam. Eat a good breakfast the morning of the exam-eggs, oatmeal, non-sugar dry cereal, whole grain toast, fruit and non-caffeinated beverages. Avoid pastries, white bread or bagels, high sugar cereals, juice, jam and caffeine. Bring water-No soda! Pack small snacks for the breaks between sections-choose high protein items and complex carbohydrates rather than candy. A small piece of fruit or high protein bar is a good idea. Eat a lunch that is high in protein, but not in carbohydrates, fat, salt or cheese-NO pizza or chips, and no candy for dessert! Choose lunchmeat, veggies, fruit, whole grain breads or salads, and more water. Stretch and relax between sections. Bring foam earplugs and a watch. Dress in layers - be prepared for a room that is too hot or too cold. Lastly, remember to relax. You will be fine! Home | Monthly Newsletter | Interview Feedback | Contact Copyright 2002 MedCareerConsult. All Rights Reserved. Website designed with { i } Integrity.