Business School Applications

There's a recent NYT article on the lessening interest in business school compared to years past. The decline is not severe, but I suspect that competitive candidates who considered business school in the past may now consider medical school, as being a physician is seen as a stable career choice in these uneasy times. As I've mentioned before, I think the poor economy may make medical school admissions rougher.

Medical Students Posting Profanity

Check out the recent article in the NYT regarding a JAMA study that demonstrates a surprisingly high number of medical students who post profanity online. It's kind of a strange research question, but makes for some good conversation.

Law School Admissions

My friend and colleague Ann Levine recently published a comprehensive book called The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert. Although the book targets a different applicant pool, medical school, residency and fellowship candidates may find the sections on writing an excellent personal statement and getting the best letters of recommendation helpful. Check out Ann's book here.

Interview Strategies: Why Did You Interview at this Time?

Most medical school, residency and fellowship applicants schedule their interviews according to convenience and cost, but you may be asked why you arranged your interview so early or so late in the season. The real concern behind this question is that you are interviewing early because you are using the institution for a practice session or that you are interviewing late because you had considered leaving the institution to the end in case you wanted to cancel.

Reassure the interviewer that you are serious about the program. If you are interviewing early you might say, "As soon as I was offered an invitation I took the opportunity to visit because I am very enthused about this institution." If late, you might say, "I wanted to maximally prepare for this interview because I am very interested in being here."

Contact me soon for mock interview assistance. I am scheduling two to three weeks in advance.

Updated Web Site

Please take a look at the latest updates to my testimonials page. As usual, for help with your medical school, residency, fellowship or post bacc application contact me here or email me at insidermedical@gmail.com .

Secondary Essays: A Blessing and a Curse

The number of secondaries some medical school applicants receive can be overwhelming. Some institutions send out secondaries to almost all of their applicants; remember that the process is a money-maker for schools. To lessen the time sink, try to use the same essay for several secondaries. With some small changes an essay may be used for multiple purposes.

Contact me for editing help.

Scheduling Mock Interviews

For those of you who will be seeking mock interviews please email me as soon as you receive your first invitation so that we can schedule a slot. Although it is early in the season, I am already booking two to three weeks in advance. Giving me as much notice as possible is really helpful. My email: insidermedical@gmail.com .