Applying to medical school began as soon as I knew I wanted to be a medical doctor. It consisted of enrolling in pre-medical courses and excelling in them, joining one of the many exemplary research teams at UCSD or Scripps, shadowing clinicians to ensure the medical route is suitable, spending time helping better the community, and practicing hobbies to stay well-balanced. When ready to apply to medical school, all those activities need to be converted into words, and expressed in a manner that exemplifies why the activities were meaningful and how they’ve shaped me. 

The medical school application process is a lengthy one, starting over a year before one plans on matriculating. It consists of a primary application that opens at the start of June, followed by secondary application(s) that roll in from approximately July through November, then interviews from around September through March, and finally selection of the best fit medical school. I began working on my primary application and requesting strong letters of recommendation in April, then researched and selected schools to send my primary application to in June. Thereafter, I began pre-writing secondary applications for my top schools based on years past’s prompts. From mid-July through August I received secondary applications which I hustled to submit within two weeks of receiving, prioritizing schools based on my eagerness to attend the institution. Finally, I received my first interview in November and my last in March.

The AAMC website has a ton of resources that assist with completing the primary application; additionally, it has tips for secondary applications and interviews as well.  As far as essay writing goes, I was proactive in using my resources for feedback. I set up a few one-on-one appointments with The Writing + Critical Expression Hub to work on my personal statement. I also asked my peers, friends in medical school, older brother, and letter writers for feedback on my essays. 

There were two types of interviews I encountered as a medical school applicant. The first was a standard interview where I met with either a faculty member or community physician, and we spoke about me, my application, and my drive to become a physician. This interview was either open or partially close filed, meaning they either had access to my entire application or my application minus grades and test scores. The second type of interview was what’s known as Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). The MMI style consisted of 7, 8 minute interviews, each pertaining to ethical situations. This interview was closed file, meaning the interviewers only had access to my name and picture. 

The required courses vary between medical schools, with some beginning to only “recommend” courses. Regardless, as a student in the Biology Department [Ed note: Jacob double-majored in Psychology and Physiology and Neuroscience], the majority of the pre-medical classes fell within the scope of my major. Two classes that could be added to increase the number of medical schools one can apply to are Math 10C/20C and Chem 40C, as many medical schools want to see a full year of math and organic chemistry.

The most valuable skill I would recommend is time management. If you are able to manage your time wisely, you will have a greater chance at succeeding in your courses, finding extracurricular activities to be a part of, and ultimately enjoying the success matriculation. For me, this meant creating a four-year plan that included both courses and extracurricular activities I wanted to be a part of, as well as being up-to-date and knowledgeable on what makes a good medical school applicant.