the medical school admission process: from mcats to interviews

The Medical School Admission Process:From MCATs to Interviews –

What You Need to Know

Jonathan K. Muraskas, M.D.Professor of Pediatrics & Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Research,Fellowship Program & Perinatal Center

Chairman of Medical School Admissions CommitteeLoyola University Medical Center

March 10, 2006

Admission Committee 19 Years

• Applicants interviewed to date 1500

• Time spent yearly on committee 300 hours

• For Loyola, you need a passion for medicine

• You can have a MCAT of 38 T with a 3.99 and be rejected if you have not explored medicine

There is grade inflation at certain schools and the MCAT often will prove or disprove this

The Interview

• Be yourself

• We really just want to get to know you

• Group Interviews - Northwestern

Interview Evaluation Form

Educational Developmentand Self Education

• Is there evidence the applicant has a genuine interest in learning and would be capable of the continuing education required of a physician? Has the applicant ever sought education outside the traditional classroom structure?

Rigor of Activities

• Has the applicant sought out challenging extracurricular activities and employment? How seriously has the applicant pursued interests or hobbies?

• You were a varsity athlete, RA and TA!

• You bet we think that is time consuming and it also shows strong character and can sometimes justify a lower GPA

Community Involvement

• Has there been any effort to assist the people with whom the applicant lives, either at school or at home? What has the applicant accomplished that improved the society in which he or she lives? What has the applicant learned from this community involvement?

• You cannot spend 18 hours a day in a classroom and library

• Communication and common sense will go a long way in being a good physician

Human Relationships

• Do the activities in which the applicant has engaged provide evidence that he/she can initiate and sustain good interpersonal relationships? Is there any evidence the applicant is comfortable with a wide range of people? Was the applicant’s behavior appropriate during the interview?

• If you lack social skills, unless you spend a career doing bench research on animals, you’re going to get sued

Maturity

• Does the applicant have a sense of his or her strengths and weaknesses? Is there evidence the applicant can handle success, frustrations, uncertainties, or failure?

Responsibility and Leadership

• Is there evidence the applicant assumes responsibility for his or her actions? Would the applicant inspire the confidence of others?

Motivation

• Does the applicant demonstrate a realistic and progressive exploration of the field of medicine? Does the desire for a career in medicine originate with the applicant?

• Medicine is not what it use to be like

• Unless you have a passion for it, you will have a miserable life

Issues and Ethics

• Has the applicant considered current issues in medicine which may affect the professions and the public? Consider his or her ability to discuss the question with intellectual honesty, rather than your agreement with the position taken. Do you have any reason to question the applicant’s integrity?

Letters of Evaluation

• Please rate the degree of support indicated by the letters, taking into account your opinion of their usefulness in evaluating the applicant. Is there anything in the letters that should be brought to the attention of the Committee? Does your assessment of the applicant agree with that contained in the letters?

What If:

1. I got 3 C’s my freshman year?2. I got 3 C’s my senior year?3. I got a D or F in organic chemistry?4. I am in varsity sports and practice before

and after classes?5. I come from a disadvantaged background?6. I went to a gang infested high school and

got a poor education in the sciences?

What If:

7. I came from an alcoholic dysfunctional family and parents are divorced/separated?

8. I am terrible taking standardized tests?9. I broke up with my girlfriend/boyfriend in

my first semester of my sophomore year?10. I was written up for a 12 pack in my

dorm?11. I did no research?

If I interview in the spring and get put on the Wait List, is that the

kiss of death?

Loyola’s Secondary Application

1. What do you consider a valuable experience in your personal development? This might be a decision you have made, an achievement of which you are particularly proud, or a person who has influenced your life.

2. Describe briefly how you have dealt with a personal or academic problem you have encountered.

3. How did you reach your decision to enter medicine? Describe your participation in any health care or other activities which reinforced your decision.

4. What self-education, research, or independent scholastic work have you undertaken and what do you feel you have accomplished in this work?

5. If you will not be enrolled as a full-time student during the current academic year, please explain what you will be doing prior to your planned matriculation into medical school.

Bio (BS) 8 12 11 9 10

Chem/Phy (PS) 8 11 11 9 9

Verbal (VR) 8 6 11 9 10

Writing (WS) P P M 0 0

Bio (BS) 10 13 13 7 9

Chem/Phy (PS) 6 13 7 6 10

Verbal (VR) 8 13 9 6 5

Writing (WS) 0 T P N 0

Red Flags

• I spent the last 2 summers working in my father’s trucking business.

• My parents are physicians and I shadowed them often.

• I did a Family Practice Practicum in my junior year in --------.

• I am interviewing at this medical school because I heard it has a good reputation.

• Health Care – “It’s not good”

Red Flags

• Bloomington is a happening town!

• I carry Allstate auto insurance

Ditka coaching 1 Illinois Wesleyan basketball player

versus Duke

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine:

From 8 Ounce Babies toSiamese Twins to Quintuplets

A Medical and Ethical Adventure

• COMPETENT• CARING• CONCERNED• COMPASSIONATE• PASSION FOR MEDICINE