Creating an Admissions Strategy

For applicants six months or more away from applying to medical school, premedical advising is for students who are in college, post baccalaureate or special master’s programs and nontraditional applicants. MedEdits offers comprehensive mentoring to help these students gain admission to medical school by complementing guidance from students’ home schools.

Students often procrastinate and try to complete application materials in a hurry, which can compromise success. By working directly with Dr. Freedman, students are well prepared to apply when the time comes and maximize their chances of success.

The common goals of premedical advising are as follows:

  • Identify the student’s passions and interests, and create a plan to nurture them.
  • Discuss in detail the student’s extracurricular, research, teaching, volunteer and clinical experience and help the student identify themes in his or her background.
  • Evaluate the need to enhance the student’s academic record with additional coursework or formal programs.
  • Discuss when to take the MCAT.
  • Discuss course selection, if applicable.
  • Encourage journaling and writing about experiences.
  • Start developing a framework for the personal statement and application entries.
  • Provide a thorough explanation of the student’s record from the perspective of the medical school admissions committee.
  • Discuss circumstances that have affected academic and extracurricular performance, and discuss how to address these issues.
  • Discuss who should write letters of reference.
  • Conduct mock interviews so the student becomes comfortable speaking about himself and his motivations.
  • Create a master plan with milestones, periodic reviews and meetings until the application is submitted.
  • Complete all admissions documents before June 1st of the application year to ensure early application submission.