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Reflections of a Former Admissions Dean

Dear Prospective Medical School Student,

I offer my perspectives as a former medical school admissions dean, and to offer you some

helpful advice as you prepare to apply to medical school. I hope you will find my comments to

be informative and encouraging.

Initial Screening

Different medical schools may vary in how they make decisions, but the considerations

discussed below are important in one way or another to all schools. After your application is

complete receipt of AM!AS application, M!A" scores, secondary application, and letters ofrecommendation#, it will receive initial screening.

$ecause of the high volume of applications for a limited number of first year places e.g. %,&&&applications for '%& places at a given school#, regardless of how applications are processed, a

great deal of emphasis will initially be placed on your grades and M!A" scores. Some schoolsmay actually use a formula based primarily on academic criteria to initially place applications in

interview or re(ection categories) however, unless the applicant falls well below competitiveacademic averages, most schools will review the entire application in making decisions to

interview. Academic assessment involves more than merely crunching numbers. *or e+ample,

an applicant with a % M!A" and -.& PA may not automatically considered desirable on thebasis of academics unless he / she has a strong load of credits, including a depth in the ma(or and

breadth in other disciplines, a progression from lower to higher level courses, and evidence of

substantive scholarship. 0esearch in science or non1science areas# is not re2uired, but it may bea way to e+press academic creativity, the ability to work independently as well as with others on

the research team.

Importance Of Timing

Most schools are only able to interview around '%13%4 of their applicant pool. So being

selected for an interview is a tremendous advantage, and drastically increases your chances foradmission. As it gets closer to medical school deadline dates the time taken for the processing

and review of applications will backlog at AM!AS and medical schools. In some cases

applications can be backlogged by 3 months or more. "he early completion of an applicationmay help you to avoid a long delay in admissions decisions and lower the risk that interview

slots will be filled by the time your application is reviewed. $ecause state schools typically

favor in1state residents, I heartily encourage you to apply to your state schools. $ased on my

e+perience at both state and private schools, I believe that the caliber of students and preparationare 2uite similar at all medical schools in the 5nited States. Also, I worked within a university

that had a school of osteopathic medicine) I learned about the rigor and 2uality of this pathway to

medicine. 5nfortunately, many premedical students are not familiar with osteopathic medicine orthink of it as preparation for a different kind of career. 6ou should be aware that osteopathic

medicine is also a viable way to become a physician.

Critical Factors That Make A Difference

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admissions dean and committee will want to know what e+periences you;ve had to

confirm your interest in medicine.

"ersonal $%alities: Do you have strong communication and social skills, the ability to

relate to people from diverse backgrounds, the capacity to be serious as well as pleasant87ave you shown evidence of professionalism, humanism, and integrity8 Are you a

caring, compassionate and tolerant person8 "hese are 2uestions that you should ask

yourself before you decide to apply, because these are features that medical schools will

want their students to possess. ssays and letters of recommendation are often helpfulsources of information about the applicant) however, the interview will be essential to the

assessment of these 2ualities.

The Role&Importance Of The Inter!ie'

5nlike the folklore, which portrays medical school interviews as a way to see how an applicantcan handle stress, I believe that the vast ma(ority of interviews are intended for admissions

committees to become better ac2uainted with the applicant, find out more about the substance of

his/her e+periences, and get a sense of the applicant;s humanism, and social and communicationskills. As a matter of fact, I considered the interview day as an opportunity for recruiting

prospective students. "his is why medical schools spend an enormous amount of time ande+pense on admissions. ven if we didn;t select an applicant, or he / she didn;t select us, there is

a good chance we would see the interviewee later as a resident, member of the faculty, orassociated with us in some other capacity. Beep in mind that you are si=ing up the school as

much as they are assessing you. 5ltimately, I think of the interview as a way to find reasons for

selecting students rather than re(ecting them. Students often tend to view the interview in theopposite way, which is disappointing. Perhaps, this is the reason why many applicants think they

did poorly on an interview when the reality is they did very well. $e aware, admissions

personnel, students and others with whom you meet at the medical schools may have input aboutyou. It;s important to be on your best behavior, but also to be your natural self. !ommittees

and deans are 2uite astute in differentiating between the real person and play acting.#

7ow the interview is conducted will vary from school to school and with each interviewer. 6ou

may have multiple interviews at some schools that are given by faculty, students or others) single

interviews e+ist less so, as do panel interviews. In order to understand how the admissions

process works, I would note that committees use ob(ective criteria, but in the end the process isalso sub(ective. Ctherwise, decisions would be focused almost entirely on M!A" scores and

grades, and your e+periences, essays, personal 2ualities, letters, etc. would have little value.

$ased on my e+perience, academic records and M!A";s are usually not an issue duringadmissions committee meetings, because with few e+ceptions applicants invited to interview are

deemed to have the academic foundation to succeed in medical school. Schools have tried to

find ob(ective ways to classify sub(ective areas, but without much success. 9hat;s important to

know is that the medical school admissions process is as thorough and deliberate as any otherarea of admissions with which I;m familiar. Admissions committees and deans work very hard

at meetings to make thoughtful choices and use their best (udgment. 9ith a range of

perspectives from faculty with diverse backgrounds and specialties, a consensus emerges duringcommittee meetings that is intended to select the best possible class for a given school.

My role was to provide consistent and uniform information and guidance to help the committeemake good decisions, although I often wished we had a larger class, because there were so many

e+cellent candidates. Assuming you have a competitive application, you are likely to have some

surprises) you may get admitted to some schools that you thought would re(ect you, and viceversa.

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Closing Tho%ghts

ven if you have a strong application you may not get admitted, or for that matter, get

interviews at most of the schools where you apply. It is difficult to convey the enormous

volume of other outstanding applicants to medical school. Don;t be discouraged by the

long and arduous time it takes for medical schools to make decisions. In the event youare not admitted, confer with your premedical advisor) there may be some viable ways to

strengthen your preparation for a successful application in the future.

An Admissions Dean;s Pet1Peeves:

o Cverly persistent individuals, who fre2uently email, call or write to the

admissions office. +cessiveness indicates a lack of patience and an abundance

of self1importance.

o Applicants who hold many acceptances for a long period of time, and especially

those who hold multiple acceptances after the deadline date of May '%. "hisshows a lack of sensitivity to peers, i.e. other applicants, and disrespect to medical

schools. If an applicant needlessly held a large number of acceptances in addition

to one at my school, I;d want him / her to go elsewhere.

o Applicants who felt they were entitled or showed signs of arrogance < there was

no room for these kinds of students at our school.

An Admissions Deans; *avorite "hings:

o "he opportunity to meet so many wonderful and talented applicants. A sense of

faith and reassurance about the future knowing that these students will becomepracticing physicians.

o "he chance to meet hard working faculty who spent a tremendous amount of time

for unselfish dedication to students and their medical schools.

9ords of Advice and ncouragement: 6ou have chosen one of the most honorable

vocations for your life;s work. !ongratulations. 6ou will fre2uently be challenged, butnever lose sight of your commitment and compassion for each of your patients.

I wish you great success for your acceptance to medical school and career in medicine.

Sincerely,

David "rabilsy, d.M., d.S.

*ormer Assistant Dean of Admissions

ohns 7opkins School of Medicine, 'EFG13&&&