to medical school and take the next step in their journey of becoming a doctor. Unfortunately,

there is a great deal of misinformation resulting in several common pre-med mistakes that hinder

their chances of getting accepted. Here are the top 6 mistakes to avoid, and what you

should be doing instead.

Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com.

A surprisingly common mistake amongst pre-meds

is going through the application process without actually being ready. Applicants often decide

to apply one year, knowing full well that they may not get accepted and that they would

be a stronger applicant by waiting one year. But hey, if it doesn't go well, they can

just apply the following year with a bit of practice under their belt. Seems like a good

idea, right?

This is actually a terrible idea for multiple reasons:

First, and most obviously, it is a significant waste of money. When you apply to medical

school, you'll be using the American Medical College Application Service, also known as

AMCAS. This is a common application you fill out once and send to multiple schools, and

it's the first step in the application process, thereby called the primary application. In

2019, AMCAS costs $170 for the first school and $39 for each additional school you apply

to. With the average applicant applying to 15-20 schools, that brings the total cost

between $755 and $911. But that's just the primary application fees. After receiving

a primary application, most schools also require a secondary app, which requires additional

essays, and is also subject to additional fees. There are then

additional fees for submitting your transcript and letters of recommendation from your college.

And then there's the interview process, the cost of which adds up quick between airfare

and lodging. In total, it's safe to say you'll spend more than $2,000 or even $3,000

just to apply to medical school.

Second, the application process is not something you want to do more than once. Certain aspects,

like the interview process, are particularly fun and rewarding, but most if it is quite

tedious. You'll be writing countless essays, handling the administrative aspects such as

score reports and letters of recommendation, and likely finding yourself somewhat stressed

during the process.

But lastly, and most importantly, being a reapplicant decreases your chances of acceptance. If you

apply and don't expect to get in, understand that next year you'll be earmarked as being

a reapplicant. Schools will know you applied in the past and did not get in. You'll

now have to overcome the additional hurdle of explaining how you're an improved applicant

this cycle and why you deserve a second chance, which will also require a complete rework

of all your essays. This is a position you should avoid if possible. That being said,

if you do find yourself as a reapplicant, our team at MedSchoolInsiders.com specializes

in finding the weak spots and crafting a compelling narrative to your medical school application

to maximize your chance of an acceptance. We've helped dozens of reapplicants ultimately

become successful medical school matriculants and we have the highest satisfaction rating

in the industry.

Now rather than applying prematurely and then expecting yourself to reapply again the next year,

it's best to strengthen your application and apply just once. Apply to win, and apply to

get in. Don't shoot yourself in the foot.

Tying in with the first point, I've come

across far too many pre-med applicants who are surprisingly nonchalant about the idea

of going to a Caribbean medical school. Sure, gaining acceptance to a Caribbean medical

school is quite easy, but there is a reason for that.

To get a more in-depth understanding of the pros and cons of going Caribbean, be sure

to first watch our video covering the truth about Caribbean Medical Schools.

I'll give you a hint, there aren't many upsides.

Rather than going the Caribbean route, we advise most of our pre-med clients to do two

things: first, work on strengthening your medical school application. Most applicants

are surprised how much can be done in a single year. And second, apply to D.O. schools if

you are unable to secure a U.S. M.D. acceptance.

For most students, I would recommend going Caribbean only after one or more failed attempts

at applying to U.S. allopathic and osteopathic medical schools.

If you were to check the application deadlines

for most medical schools, you'd find dates listed between October to even February of

the next year. Does that mean you'd be fine to apply any time before that? Absolutely

not. Applying early is one of the most important medical school admission strategies. Why is that?

Unlike college or university admissions, most medical schools follow a rolling admissions

process, meaning applications are reviewed sequentially as they arrive. If you are late

in submitting your application, many interview slots may already be filled, and now you're

competing for a smaller number of open spots. You may even find yourself in a position where

you don't make the cut for an interview, but would have had you applied earlier.

AMCAS opens up for data entry in early May, with application submissions opening in early

June. But know that once you hit submit, your app is not immediately sent to medical schools. AMCAS

first has to verify your application as well. If you submit early, expect the verification

process to be relatively quick. If, however, you wait until July, it can take several weeks.

My general recommendation is to apply as soon as possible, ideally within the first two

weeks of June. July is not optimal, but is fine in most cases. Applying in August is

borderline, and September would be considered too late. Of course, exceptions exist, and

that's something that our advisors can take a look at with 1-on-1 guidance.

It happens every year. A student with stellar

numbers, a 3.99 GPA and 99th percentile MCAT score does not get accepted. Usually, they

have very few interview invites, which points to poor primary and secondary applications.

Less commonly, they can have several interview invites but no acceptances. This points to

weak interview skills.

We had a few students approach us who were in this exact position. After working with

us, they didn't only get accepted, but are now attending prestigious programs. Now how did

that happen? It's a matter of understanding that the application is multi-faceted and

your numbers are only a part of the whole picture.

A big part of an effective and optimized medical school application is conveying an effective

narrative as to why you will be an excellent future doctor, an asset to the program, and

bring value and diversity to the upcoming medical school class. Conveying this narrative

starts with a nuanced and strategic personal statement, AMCAS application, and secondary

essays. Congruence in the interview along this narrative is also required to get an

acceptance offer.

Now tying in with the previous point, put yourself

in the shoes of a medical school admissions committee member. They are bombarded with

thousands of applications every cycle, yet they only have 100 or 200 seats to fill. Of

all the hundreds of highly qualified applicants, why should they pick you?

Imagining the perspective of someone from the other side is one of my favorite tools

not only for medical school and residency admissions, but even as a strategy to perform

better on the MCAT or USMLE Step 1. As a medical school admissions committee member, what would

you care about? What would concern you or make you apprehensive about an applicant?

What would you want to see?

Once you understand these principles, it becomes more readily apparent why certain elements

and narratives are more effective in a medical school application compared to others. Demonstrating

a commitment to medicine, maturity, resilience, and the ability to handle the rigors of a

medical school curriculum are going to go a long way in improving your odds. Effectively

communicating these and other traits in a nuanced, indirect, and interesting way is

going to be much more effective than claiming to be those qualities.

It's great to have another pair of eyes looking at your essay, whether that's your

mom, friend, aunt, or mentor. Improving your writing is never going to be a bad thing.

But while effective story telling and writing skills are important, they're just one element

of the application and personal statement. You also have to consider what admissions

committees are looking for.

Last cycle, we had a student with a relatively well written essay. The essay opened, as many

do, with a personal anecdote related to medicine. While what was written was completely innocent

and well intentioned, the physician advisor who was editing the student's essay pointed

out that the story used could remind some physicians of drug seeking behavior. A negative

association like that is something you absolutely want to avoid in your personal statement.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, drug seeking behavior occurs when patients present, most commonly

to the emergency department, with the desire to obtain pain killers. It's a massive headache

and not something you want your admission committee member to be thinking of while reading

your essay.

If you're a reapplicant, it's even more important to get this soft elements of your

application just right. The personal statement, AMCAS or AACOMAS or TMDSAS application, the

secondaries, and of course the interview. If you need help, look no further than Med

School Insiders. Our team of advisors has served on medical school admissions committees,

so they know firsthand how to make an applicant stand out and how to get them accepted. You

can learn more about our pioneering approach and why we have the highest satisfaction rate

in the industry at MedSchoolInsiders.com/our-method/. The first 20 customers to sign up for our

services will receive $30 off their purchase using the coupon code GETACCEPTED2019. Link

in the description below.

Now if you're applying to medical school this year, I wish you the best of luck. If you

have any video topic requests, let me know down in the comments below. My priority is

always providing you guys with value and helping make the journey to becoming a doctor a little

more manageable and a little more fun. Make sure you're subscribed with the notification

bell enabled, and I will see you guys in that next one.