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Applying to medical school is a long process that includes prerequisites, an application process, and interview. For many people the dream of being a doctor starts when in grade school but that doesn’t mean you can’t start the process later in life.
Step 1 – Completing the prerequisites
Every school has some variation in their prerequisites for applying to medical school. The following are common requirements, but I recommend looking at each school’s specifics.
MCAT
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is a 7.5-hour test that covers foundational science knowledge in 4 domains:
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
There are several study methods for this test, and depending on your personal situation and education, you may choose to prepare 1 year in advance or 1 month. This test costs around $320 USD per write, and can be written 7 times in 1 person’s lifetime.
Financial supports – With the high price tag of the MCAT, there is a fee assistance program available that reduces the test cost and access to supplementary study aids. I recommend applying for this support a year in advance to your test, as applications have an annual submission deadline.
Disability Considerations
If you’re a student with a disability, the AAMC offers accommodations for writing the MCAT. Accommodations can include:
- Extra time
- More breaks
- Accessible writing station (height adjustable desk)
- Adapted computer mouse
- Enlarged print
To receive accommodations it is a process that includes providing supporting documentations. This can limit access to those with diagnosed conditions but if you are undiagnosed, it can be worthwhile bringing the documentation forms to your doctor and discussing the options. Sometimes, a description of symptoms and needs can be sufficient for these types of requests.
Undergraduate Degree
This varies between schools but many medical schools in Canada have moved away from requiring a Bachelor’s of Science. You can apply with any bachelor’s degree (often a 4 year) such as Theatre, Recreation, Business, Arts. This appears to be a step taken by medical education to diversify the field. In my medical school, the first unit is foundational sciences, allowing for everyone to be on the same page entering medical specific units.
Having a science background definitely helps with starting medical school, but if you are passionate about fine arts then that shouldn’t hold you back from pursuing medicine later on. Additionally, chose a degree you’ll want to dedicate your time and energy to – because your GPA will reflect just that! A high GPA in Business studies is worth more than a low GPA in Biology.
GPA
Many medical schools will offer a chart that combines minimum GPA & MCAT scores for their applicants. The 2 are often related, where you can have a lower GPA in return for a higher MCAT score (and visa versa). This can help your application if you perform better on tests or over the long term of a degree.
CASPer
The CASPer test is only required by some medical schools. It is an additional ~90 minute test done online to show case personal and professional skills that may not be reflected in grades. A challenge of this test is the short time given to type answers – many students will say that they did not finish typing their answers before timing out. It is ok to leave a sentence half written as long as the content meets the expected outcomes.
Studying for the CASPer varies for each person, some will do a prep course whiles others will review content a few days in advance. I found it most helpful to watch prep videos on YouTube that offered practice scenarios.
The test costs ~$40, with additional costs of ~$12 per school you release the results to.
The test is based on explaining how you would approach a situation or scenario. While most of that can be authentic and unrehearsed it is helpful to practice:
- Typing out answers on a short time frame
- Reducing spelling errors
- Forming an answer “template”, to help organize thoughts
- Practicing summarizing answers
Disability Supports
There are accommodations available for the CASPer test which can include (but not limited to):
- Extra time
- Text-Speech & Speech-Text software
The process for applying for accommodations includes submitted documentation (that requires healthcare sign off). It should be submitted 4 weeks before the test date, I’d give yourself some additional time if possible in case there is a need for resubmission or appeal.
Step 2 – Application Process
Congratulations, you have met the prerequisites to apply to medical school! Now its time to let the schools know how awesome you are. Each school is going to have their own application, but there are a few common elements of the application they may ask for.
References
From reference letters to vouching for extra curricular participation, a reference may be required for application to medical school. A reference who can speak to your involvement and character is better than one who knows you as a number on a file. Schools what to hear about what makes YOU unique from other applicants. Having a vague textbook reference from a high positioned person may not be as valuable as a detailed, honest, glowing review from a less known entity.
Extracurriculars
Keep track of your extracurricular activities! This is the best piece of advice I received when applying to medicine. On the most detailed application, I was asked to provide a list of extracurricular activities including work experience, volunteer experience, achievements, and interests (going back 5 years). Each activity asked for the following:
- Start & end dates
- Total hours
- Description
- Reference to vouch for submitted information
When applying to medicine many people rush to volunteer in the hospital or with a clinic. This can be helpful but is not required. A school wants to see your interests and community involvement. Choosing extracurriculars that excite you, build character, and work with your passions will support your application in multiple areas. When a school asks you to “describe your greatest learning experience”, speaking about an experience you were passionate about will shine through.
Essays & Short Answers
Over the past decade, medical schools have moved away from long essays to short answers or no essays at all. I think this is to save time with the application review process and reserving those questions for the interviews. Luckily, this saves prospective medical students time with their applications. If a school does ask for essay questions, I recommend writing the answers in a “word” document to save and repurpose for future applications.
Disability Considerations
The essay and short answer questions are the place people post often question whether to mention their disability. You are not required to disclose any disability status during applications to the admissions committee. With that being said, speaking about your disability doesn’t have to be a negative. I will share more on my own decisions in a future post. Subscribe to not miss it!
Step 3 – Interview Process
A key component of medical school applications are the interview processes. After meeting the schools prerequisites and submitting your application, you may then be invited to an interview. This is commonly the final step to your medical school application, and often the most important. Schools may chose between 2 types of interviews:
Panel style
A panel style interview is most common when applying through equity and diversity pathways. Panel interviews can allow for greater conversation and holistic application review.
Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
MMI interviews are standard most likely because they allow for hundreds of applicants to be interviewed over a single weekend. In MMI style you can expect to be shown the situation or question minutes ahead of time, then be given ~5 minutes to answer. If interviewed to a live person, follow-up question may be asked. If follow-up questions are an option, allow time in your response for those to be asked. Follow-ups can help guide your answer towards the topics being assessed by evaluators.
Since the pandemic, MMI interviews were moved online to synchronous and asynchronous formats. So far, synchronous online interviews have remained common practice. The online component offers greater accessibility of interviews, because previously applicants had to travel to the interview often creating a financial barrier.
Disability Considerations
Applicants with disabilities can request accommodations for the interview directly through the schools disability support centres. Those accommodations can include:
- Extra time to view the question
- Extra time to respond
- Ability to take notes while preparing to respond
You can work directly with the school for specific accommodations that would support your success in the interview. The benefit of working with the school’s disability support staff is that they are not a part of the admissions committee. Keeping your information private and on a need to know basis.
After interviews….you wait. Offer letters are sent out months after interviews, I recommend staying busy! It can be easy to stew over what you said, didn’t say, and wanted to say. Know that you did well, trust yourself, and clearly did something right to get to this point.
Please be aware that this is not an exhaustive list of the medical school application process. Each institution will have their own guidelines, therefore it’s important to research each school’s process for which you plan to apply.