Miscellaneous

Networking 101 – From Nerd to Networker: Reinventing Your Elevator Pitch

Your story shows your passion, your journey, and your connection with your audience. In this article, you’ll learn how to use your story to make a compelling pitch, how to adjust your story for different scenarios, and how to use a fun Mad Libs game to create your own elevator pitch. Your story is your secret weapon, whether you’re pitching to a startup, a job interview, or a mentor. Read on and discover how to turn your story into your strength.

T'was the Night Before Deadlines

Just for the fun of it, we wrote a humorous and relatable take on the experience of applying to college based on the seasonal poem “T’was the Night Before Christmas”. It follows a student who is struggling to finish their essays before the deadlines, when they receive a surprise call from Admit Nick, a friendly and helpful admissions coach! Read this amusing take on the classic Christmas poem!

From Biceps to Box Office: The (Unofficial) Schwarzenegger Guide to Crushing College

What can you learn from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bodybuilder, actor, and politician? In this article, you’ll discover five life strategies inspired by his remarkable journey, from total immersion to schmäh. Whether you want to pump up your muscles, your career, or your confidence, you’ll find some valuable tips to upgrade your programming and become the hero of your own story

Unlearning Your Bad Writing Habits from School (Part 1)

Our schooling–whether consciously or inadvertently–trains us to be crappy writers.‍ And that’s a big problem for anyone who needs to write in a real-world context, whether for an application, a cover letter, a journal submission, or just in everyday life. ‍So, if you want to be a successful writer, you’ll need to unlearn all your bad habits from school.‍ Let’s focus on one of the worst writing habits you developed in school and discuss how to give your writing a total makeover that will instantly make it more readable, original, and enjoyable for the reader!

The 5 Best New Year's Resolutions for Pre-Meds

New year, new YOU, right? We all know that New Year’s resolutions are only as useful as one’s ability to actually follow through on them, but now is as good a time as ever to develop new habits and plans that will increase your chances of acceptance into medical school. Whether you’re five months or five years from applying, we believe this list will give you some valuable targets and inspiration to make the most of the new year.

Are You Ready to Apply to Medical School? (The Quiz Results!)

Last month, we posted a quiz to help you figure out whether you're ready to apply to medical school. We've gotten dozens and dozens of responses, so we wanted to post the quiz results and share some key advice for those whose results indicated "Not Ready." You might be wondering how to improve your readiness or what your next steps should be. Fear not! We've got you covered!

Right and Wrong Ways to Use Social Media as a Medical School Applicant

As a pre-med, you must take your social media presence seriously. Better to be safe than sorry. Just imagine the embarrassment and regret you’d feel if your unsavory posts on Facebook or Instagram were the reason you were rejected. My goal in this article is to provide tips on the right and wrong ways to use social media as a medical school applicant, to ensure that your internet presence plays to your advantage and not the other way around.

What Kind of Pre-Med Monster Are You?

In the spirit of Halloween, Savvy Pre-Med's own Ryan Kelly is here to describe the most common pre-med monsters and how to recognize them. His goal is to help you avoid becoming a pre-med monster, or associating with too many of them, so that you can be the pre-med who’s most enjoyable to work with and be around. He hopes you'll view this article as a nice treat, rather than a nasty trick.

Is It Getting Harder to Get into Health Professions Programs?

We're a blog focused on pre-meds, but we have a lot of love for the other health professions programs, too. In fact, our advisors regularly work with all types of applicants, including physician assistants (PAs), physical therapists (PTs), dentists, podiatrists, and optometrists. Our expert team has been gathering data to answer one of the most common questions we receive: "Is it getting harder to get in?" For now, we've focused on the five disciplines listed above (along with med school, of course), compiling our data into handy graphs and determining the verdict about whether it's harder to get in now vs. five years ago.

Is It Okay to Be Political in Medical School Application Essays and Interviews?

“I don’t want to be political,” my students will say, “what if the wrong person reads my application and suddenly hates my guts?” I understand where my students are coming from. It can be scary to advertise one’s political views amid such contentious and polarized times, especially on the competitive chopping block of medical school admissions. So, what’s the answer? Is it ever okay to be political during the application process?

Ask Ms. Owl All Your Pressing Pre-Med Questions (Cartoon)

Ms. Owl may not be a doctor, but she has all the knowledge and wit to answer your most stumping pre-med questions. Make sure to take our poll and submit your own question for our next cartoon. We promise that it will be (somewhat) helpful and (super) funny.

The Fauci Effect's Influence on Medical School Admissions

We all know the term “supply and demand,” right? Well, this might come as a shock, but it turns out the supply of medical school spots available has never been as high as the demand. Being the savvy pre-med student you are, this probably isn't news to you, but why is the applicant rate still so high if the number of available spots is so low?

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Scientific Inquiry

Medical schools are interested in more than just statistics when reviewing applications. In particular, they are looking for students who display the 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students | AAMC. In this post, we will discuss Scientific Inquiry and how to display this competency in your application.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking

Medical schools look into more than raw statistics and take a holistic approach when reviewing applications. Specifically, they are looking for students who display different core skills outlined by the 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students | AAMC, which describe qualities of a good applicant and potential doctor. Today, we aim to discuss Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Living Systems and Human Behavior

Throughout this series, we have been exploring many core competencies, but in this article we will analyze Living Systems and Human Behavior. We will examine the courses you will need to take in order to receive a biology degree or complete the prerequisites for medical school; we also have different study habits that we recommend. In addition, we will review opportunities for you after completing the courses and where you can apply the material.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Written Communication

The 15 AAMC Core Competencies can be seen as the backbone of the ideal medical student. Some, of course, are straightforward enough - service, teamwork, cultural competence. But what about the ones hidden at the bottom of the list? How would you make, say, ‘Written Communication’ hold substantial weight in your application?

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Oral Communication

If you’re applying to medical school, you must understand that admissions committees want well-rounded candidates. Statistics are not everything. In your application, you should try to display the AAMC's 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. Throughout this series, we have been exploring many core competencies, but in this article we will explore Oral Communication. We will examine the common ways of satisfying this core competency versus how to stand out from other applicants. 

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Capacity for Improvement

Being a pre-med can be very demanding. Pre-meds are bound to experience failures, which are a normal part of life. However, it is important to bounce back from failures and strive to be better moving forward.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies: Social Skills

The range of social skills among pre-med students is very large. Some are very talkative, active, and extroverted, while others are shy, reserved, and introverted, but in the end, "social skills" aren't just about being outgoing versus quiet. Social Skills are one of the AAMC's 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students that medical schools look for when selecting candidates. Let’s talk about what it means, how most pre-meds satisfy it, and how you can make your Social Skills stand out among the pool of applicants.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Teamwork

Medical schools are interested in more than just statistics when reviewing applications. They’re looking for students who display different core skills, particularly the AAMC’s 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. In this article we’ll be exploring Teamwork. Let’s talk about what it means, how most pre-meds satisfy it, and how you can make your Teamwork stand out among the pool of applicants. 

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Ethical Responsibility

How does the AAMC define 'Ethical Responsibility,' and what does that mean for you as an applicant to medical school? Read this post to find out the best and worst ways for you to demonstrate this core competency in your application.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Service Orientation

The AAMC Core Competencies are a groundwork for personal achievements and skills that can underscore your qualifications to enter medical school. This blog post will break down the intrapersonal competency of Service Orientation. Why is it significant and why do medical schools focus on your service when you seemingly have so many other tangible qualities to offer?

Everything You Need to Know About the AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam

Imagine being presented with complicated medical dilemmas and conflicts, only to have your reactions compared to physicians with way more experience than you. That’s pretty much how the AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam is going to work, and odds are, you’ll have to take it sometime over the summer if you want to apply to medical school in the 2022-2023 cycle. This article will serve as a comprehensive FAQ about everything you need to know surrounding the PREview exam, including timeline, logistics, test format, and the best preparation strategies.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Resilience and Adaptability

Let's go into detail about this core competency, what it means for your application, and how to present yourself with these qualities without making it feel like you are just checking the boxes.

Breaking Down the AAMC Core Competencies - Cultural Competence

In case you didn’t already know, medical schools look at more than just statistics when considering an applicant. Among many factors, they want to see future students who can exhibit the AAMC's 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. In this article we’ll be exploring Cultural Competence. Let’s talk about what it means, how most pre-meds satisfy it, and how you can make your Cultural Competence stand out among the pool of applicants.

How to Start Your Career Over as a Doctor as a Non-traditional Applicant

The path to medicine can seem daunting as a non-traditional student. There is no denying that the journey is chock-full of uncertainty and obstacles. We interviewed two non-traditional students (one medical student and one current applicant) about their roads to medicine and how they overcame their challenges. We hope these FAQs will be helpful in your own journey!

Can Community College Students Become Doctors?

Community college is a practical and affordable way to receive your education, but what about the stigma that surrounds it? Is it really true or just a myth? The following FAQs will break down every major concern you may have about community college to help ease your journey to medical school. 

8 Can't Miss Books, Blogs, Podcasts, and TikToks for Pre-Meds

While the pre-med journey is certainly tenuous and competitive, it is crucial to ensure that your precious downtime is spent wisely. Worry not; we have you covered! Here are some recommended books, podcasts, TikToks, and blogs for you to continue preparing for your future as a healthcare professional.

In Our Shoes: A Physician’s Take on Virtual Shadowing and Medical School Applications

The pre-med path often seems less like a path and more like a smooth-faced, dastardly vertical cliff to climb. Which foothold should we pre-meds choose? How many should we choose in order to stay latched onto the unruly rock? While we all latched onto the plethora of virtual shadowing and clinical opportunities that popped up during the pandemic, is it time to let go? In this interview, Dr. Christopher Behringer surmises how he would have approached shadowing requirements and medical school applications had he been a pre-med right now. Dr. Behringer also discusses the exciting new ways he and the HEAL Clinical Education Network are working to make the pre-med, medical school, and residency paths more integrated than ever before! 

5 Reasons Why Pre-Med Shadowing Requirements are Unfair

Imagine being a pre-med student in Grant, Nebraska. There are no physicians in your city, the closest clinic is miles away, and you have no connections with anyone in the healthcare field. But your dream is to go to medical school, and all of them require shadowing hours, something you simply don’t have the luxury of pursuing. Physician shadowing is often considered to be one of the most important things a pre-med student can do to prepare for applications and get real-world experience. But while shadowing can be an incredible asset, it’s not always feasible for every pre-med. 

Pre-Med Self-care is in Jeopardy, but It's Not Too Late!

The pre-med years are infamous for their high stress and burnout rates: the striving for straight A’s and 528s on the MCAT, the anxiety of meeting a gazillion deadlines, accumulating shadowing hours, working on those extracurriculars, and much more! As you can probably already imagine, you will encounter many more stressful situations in your journey from medical school to residency and so forth. If not addressed promptly, these elevated stress levels can lead to burnout and empathy erosion over time. Thus, it can be helpful to home in on those stress-management strategies right NOW and give yourself a head start. We’ve collected some statistics to give you a better view of the level of stress medical students endure throughout their journey, and the habits some of them have adopted to deal with the high-stress environment of medical school. 

10 Do’s and Don’ts When Describing Your Pre-Med Shadowing Experiences

Do you understand all the challenges that lie between you and your dream medical school? You might recognize obstacles like obtaining a high GPA or taking the MCAT, but there’s a challenge that blindsides many: describing your shadowing experience. Getting shadowing is difficult enough, and its true benefit is often lost through poor or common descriptions. In this article, we’ll provide you with some do’s and don’ts on how to make your shadowing experiences shine while analyzing samples of students’ writing.

4 Tips for Blending In-Person and Virtual Shadowing Experiences

“Virtual shadowing is a waste of time.” All of us in the premed community have probably heard or thought this over the past year as we casually sat in our beds and watched clinical shadowing videos. We may also have wondered, does virtual shadowing really count for anything? As fellow pre-meds, we think that virtual shadowing can definitely play a strong role in your medical school applications if applied effectively. Here’s how you can strengthen your application and maximize your medical knowledge by combining virtual and in person shadowing opportunities!

Deconstructing Pre-Med Buzzwords: What Does ‘Holistic’ Actually Mean?

The term ‘holistic’ can be pretty contentious. I’ve even heard comments that pre-meds will “never get in” if they use the word in their essays for osteopathic medical schools (but I have hundreds of past students who’ve proven that wrong). The reason it’s so contentious is that it can have several very different meanings to different people. With that in mind, it’s crucial for you to understand how this term can be interpreted so that you don’t use it in a misleading or confusing way. This article will break down the most common definitions and interpretations of the buzzword ‘holistic’ and give some examples of each. That way, you can make it work effectively for your intentions and purposes in your application.

Deconstructing Pre-Med Buzzwords: What Does ‘Cultural Competence’ Actually Mean?

Do you know what ‘machismo’ is and how might it affect Latino men’s health or family dynamics? Do you know why many Jehovah’s Witnesses disagree with blood transfusions? Are you aware of the disparities that have led to greater maternal and infant mortality in African American women and babies? These are just a few of the questions that physicians need to explore in their goal to provide culturally competent care. There’s the key buzzword - the triple C - ‘culturally competent care.’ It might sound like a broken record in pre-meds’ essays and activities, but it has both intrinsic and practical value for you as a future physician. This article will do its best to deconstruct and simplify the term ‘cultural competence,’ while also providing some concrete examples.

Deconstructing Pre-Med Buzzwords: What Does ‘Critical Thinking’ Actually Mean?

Regardless of what you think about the term 'critical thinking,' it has unfortunately become a cliche buzzword in the pre-med world. But like most cliches, there is some truth behind it and its importance in the pre-med path. As with most unavoidable pre-med cliches and buzzwords, the key goal is to “make it your own” through specific illustrations and examples from your own personal experiences. In this article, I will simplify something that’s needlessly complex, explain what ‘critical thinking’ really means to you as a pre-med, and show you how you can effectively demonstrate it to medical schools.

The Best of #premed on TikTok

Time is a precious commodity for pre-meds, which makes TikTok a pretty interesting choice for their energy and focus. On one hand, the social media app’s video format is short, so TikTok might be conducive to a pre-med’s busy, on-the-go lifestyle. But on the other hand, the app is literally named after the sound of a ticking clock, representing the passing time that’s potentially wasting away as you endlessly scroll. So, should pre-meds be spending time on TikTok? And if so, what’s the content that’s worth watching? 

6 Holiday Break Activities to Increase Your Chances of Getting into Medical School

The holiday break can be a time of blissful unproductivity - lazing around, eating hearty meals, tinkering with new presents - but it can also be a good time to put in some work on your medical school application (hopefully it’s a little bit of both!). So, if you’re feeling ambitious, how exactly should you spend your holiday break? Well, that depends a little bit on how far along you are in your pre-med journey. Regardless of whether you recently applied or won’t be applying for a few years, we wanted to give you 6 possible options for holiday productivity.

Is a Machine Named ‘Samantha’ Going to Take Your Medical Scribing Job?

As plastic, steel, and carefully crafted artificial intelligence (AI) continue to steal jobs and make professions obsolete, modern life can feel a bit like a Black Mirror episode. And now, the medical scribing profession is the next job being threatened by machines and AI. Whether you’re a current scribe, a hopeful scribe, or an aspiring physician who will eventually work alongside scribes, it’s important to consider the future of this profession (and other ‘nonessential’ medical staff), especially in our current COVID-19 era and in the coming age of telemedicine. Here’s what you need to know.

Every Question You Have About Medical School Waitlists

For each medical school, only about 10-15% of applicants are offered an interview each year, let alone placed on a waitlist. So, if you’re on a waitlist, you’re in rare company! It’s actually quite an accomplishment. Okay - sorry - we know that’s not much consolation. The waitlist is the medical school equivalent of “being in limbo,” so we’re sure you have lots of anxious questions. Let’s get them answered!

How to Write an Effective Letter of Intent for Medical School

Have you recently interviewed at your dream medical school? Were you just placed on its waitlist? Is interview season over, and you’re still waiting to hear back from your top-choice program? If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, it’s likely time for you to write a letter of intent. This letter is quite high-stakes, so you want to get it right! This article will help you write an effective letter of intent that gets noticed and moves the needle.

How to Make Connections with Your Professors in Zoom University

Professors are busy, and they don’t get paid to write letters of recommendation. Other than effectively lecturing in their classes and offering a certain amount of office hours, they don’t owe you anything, so you need to meet them more than halfway and have realistic expectations of them. In other words, the onus is on you to make them care about you and your future. Here are some useful tips that will endear you to your professors, especially during these COVID times of virtual learning. 

COVID-19's Legacy: Predictions for the 2021-2022 Medical School Admissions Cycle

Canceled MCATs; online coursework; in-person shadowing restrictions; virtual interviewing - COVID-19 undoubtedly shifted the medical school admissions process in 2020 and created unprecedented challenges for pre-meds. But how will it impact medical school admissions moving forward? What will COVID-19’s legacy be in the 2021-2022 cycle?

How to Upgrade Your Virtual Interview Appearance for Less than the Price of a Secondary

Secondary application fees range anywhere from $75 to $150, averaging at $112.5. What if we told you that you could significantly improve your virtual interview appearance for less than a single secondary fee?

Every Question You Have About Medical School Update Letters

Once you submit your secondaries and the summer dies down, it's time to send update letters to the medical schools on your list! Confused about how to start? What to include? When to send them off? We're here to answer all of your pressing questions and help you craft a stellar update letter that gets noticed by medical schools.

Top 5 Helpful Podcasts for Pre-meds

As a pre-med student, your time is precious. You’re writing your secondary essays, practicing your virtual interview skills for AAMC’s VITA, preparing for the CASPer, studying hard for mid-terms, planning your path to med school, and stressing about whether you're good enough to make it in the end. How in the world will you have time to find the information you need to succeed in this application process? The answer: podcasts. Whether you’re studying, driving, or exercising, podcasts allow you to multitask. What better way to kill two birds with one stone? With podcast popularity on the rise, podcasts offer endless options and topics, including the medical school application process, medical education, and medicine. Out of the 700,000 active podcasts, which are most helpful for pre-meds?

Everything You Need to Know About the New AAMC Video Interview Tool for Admissions (VITA)

Imagine having to record an 18-minute speech about your qualifications for becoming a physician. Now imagine that speech being sent to all the medical schools you’re applying to, without being able to make any edits or start over. Sounds pretty terrifying, right? Well, that’s essentially how the new AAMC Video Interview Tool for Admissions (VITA) is going to work… more or less.

Answering Your FAQs About the Pilot AAMC Situational Judgment Test (SJT)

It was recently announced that two medical schools - University of California Davis School of Medicine and University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities - will be participating in the AAMC’s pilot Situational Judgment Test (SJT). If you’re applying to either or both of these schools, you probably have a lot of questions: Is the pilot test mandatory? Will the test affect my admissions chances? What kinds of questions will be asked? We’re here to help get those questions answered!

Why is It So Damn Hard to Get into Medical School?

We’re facing a shortage of doctors in the United States, anywhere between 40 and 100,000 by the year 2030. And yet, getting into medical school is harder than ever. What gives?

How to Reset Your Biological Clock and Circadian Rhythms for the New MCAT Test Times

With recent changes to the MCAT start times to 6:30am, 12:15pm, and 6:00pm each day, some people may find that adjusting their biological clock has been added to the test-day preparation list. Good news - we have some tricks that will make adjusting your sleep much easier.

How to Talk to Your Parents About Applying to Medical School

When we Googled “how to talk to parents,” the results were all over the map. Some were quite serious: depression, dating, moving out, etc. What we didn’t find was how to talk to your parents about applying to medical school. In our experience, this task can range from laidback to very stressful, depending on the pre-med, family, and numerous factors like income or culture. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, we have some helpful tips to prepare you for this pivotal conversation in your pre-med journey.

Updates: Medical School Admissions 2020-2021

UPDATES 8/27/20:‍ Medical School Applications Have Gone Up 14% Over This Time Last Year. Click here to read more about this development!

The Best Volunteer Opportunities for Pre-meds During Coronavirus (Without Leaving Home)

The Best Volunteer Opportunities for Pre-meds During Coronavirus (Without Leaving Home)

50 Activities for Your Pre-med College Bucket List

50 Activities for Your Pre-med College Bucket List

5 Bold Coronavirus Predictions: What Will Happen to Med School Admissions in 2020?

5 Bold Coronavirus Predictions: What Will Happen to Med School Admissions in 2020?

Quiz: Should You Hire a Medical School Admissions Consultant?

Quiz: Should You Hire a Medical School Admissions Consultant?

5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Medical School Admissions Consultant

5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Medical School Admissions Consultant

The Art of Small Talk: 40 Questions for the Pre-med Conversationalist

The Art of Small Talk: 40 Questions for the Pre-med Conversationalist

Pros and Cons of the New Pass/Fail Step 1 of USMLE

Pros and Cons of the New Pass/Fail Step 1 of USMLE

Pros and Cons of the New Pass/Fail Step 1 of USMLE

On February 12th, it was announced that Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) will now be graded on a pass/fail basis, as opposed to a numerical score. According to the official announcement, the change will be phased in over the next 11-24 months.

Are Do Schools Harder to Get Into Than MD Schools

On its face, it looks like DO schools are harder to get into than MD schools (their overall acceptance rate is 7 points lower). So what's happening in the data?

Should You Move to Texas to Improve Your Chances of Getting into Medical School?

They say “everything is bigger in Texas” - 10-gallon hats, 72oz steaks, the world’s largest cowboy boots - but does this expression hold true for your chances of getting into medical school as well?

Every Question You Have About the New 2019 Medical School Traffic Rules

Imagine a private gathering of medical school admissions officers, perhaps in an ivory tower somewhere. This conclave of academic gatekeepers, mostly from prestigious schools, is meeting behind-the-scenes to discuss candidates and divvy them up amongst their programs.

8 SDN Medical School Myths That Can Keep You From Getting In

In an era of fake news and an explosion of opinions on social media, you may have heard the term “confirmation bias” before. If not, it’s pretty simple - it means we tend to seek out and believe information that reinforces our pre-existing opinions.

One Surprising Habit to Improve Your Self-Discipline

People tend to view their strengths and weaknesses as unchangeable - certain superpowers or fatal flaws that are hardwired into their genes and personality.

21-Day “Write Everyday” Challenge

You've heard us stress the importance of good writing in your medical school application, and being a good writer, just like staying in shape, takes training and practice.

A celebration of poop hot dogs: the best responses to our favorite SDN thread

We received a healthy flow of poop responses from all of you, dear readers. Your verbal discharges will not go to waste; no, let us wallow in the bouquet of responses, both good and terrible.

Quiz: Are You Ready to Apply to Medical School?

Don't apply to medical school haphazardly "just to see what happens." Instead, focus on applying once and applying well. Wondering if you're truly ready to apply? Take our carefully curated quiz and find out for yourself!

The Savvy Pre-Med: A Conversation with Rob Humbracht

The Savvy Pre-Med: A Conversation with Rob Humbracht

Top 5 Non-Academic Reasons Students Get Rejected From Medical School

Are you an optimist or pessimist? A glass-half-empty person, or glass-half-full? Patch Adams or Dr. House?

Can Your Political Ideology Affect Your Practice?

Following the 2016 election, our country has reached unprecedented levels of political polarization. Even the most moderate seem to be caught up in the us-versus-them mentality. People have written each other out of their lives entirely, all in the name of ideology.

What to Do if You’re Rejected from Medical School

“No one can go back and make a brand new start, but anyone can start from the present and make a brand new ending.”

Highly Recommended a Comedians Tips for Becoming a Better Doctor

With graduation right around the corner, pre-meds everywhere are taking inventory. You’re looking back - reflecting on your favorite memories and funniest stories from college.

5 Ways to Rebound After Being Rejected from Medical School

Getting rejected from medical school is like getting dumped. You feel fully committed and enamored with the medical field, only to find out that it doesn’t feel the same way about you. You might feel jaded or cynical. You might even be tempted to give up. It’s only natural to dwell on your flaws or wallow in the self-doubt that comes with rejection.

What If We Stopped Trying to Fix Patients?

For pre-meds, this question might sound sacrilegious. Downright blasphemous. Why would we want to stop fixing people?

Highly Recommended: Punctuation Pet Peeves

Like grammar, punctuation helps to ensure clarity in your writing. It’s also a bit like dressing up for an interview--it’s part of your presentation and professionalism, a way to show the reader that you care about how your message is conveyed.

The Most Underrated Quality of Successful Pre-meds

Pre-meds have to be successful to get into medical school: successful at school, on the MCAT, and outside the classroom. The idea of failing might seem foreign or taboo, so resilience is something that pre-meds don’t always realize, or admit, that they need.

The Zen Valedictorian, Decreasing Your Stress without Decreasing Your Ambition

When people hear the word ‘valedictorian,’ they might think of a hustling overachiever who participates in every possible organization or activity. Others might picture the opposite--the highly gifted coaster who gets by on nothing but his or her natural ability.

What Will It Take For Me To Get In? - "The Teacher"

In part two of our new series, the experts at Passport Admissions will be analyzing a student’s application, including both the applicant’s chances of getting accepted into medical school and which aspects of his or her story to highlight. We’ll also give strategies that we recommend to leverage the applicant’s personal strengths and experiences

Highly Recommended: Take the Quiz: Where Do You Stand on Healthcare Issues?

It’s no secret that doctors are viewed as experts.They are said to provide ‘consultation.’ They hand out notes that free people from work and other responsibilities. If 4 out of 5 of them recommend something, few will disagree. Due to their esteemed position, doctors will always be seen as authority figures whom the public can trust.

What Will It Take For Me to Get In? - Juliana

In our brand new series, the experts at Passport Admissions will be analyzing a student’s application, including both the applicant’s chances of getting accepted into medical school and which aspects of his or her story to highlight.

Highly Recommended: Why Where You Keep Your Ketchup Can Help Get You Into Med School

When pre-meds see the word “diverse,” they’re likely to consider race, gender, ethnicity, or class status. Most would never think about where their families stored the ketchup.

What will it take for me to get in?

Highly Recommended: When Winning Friends Goes Wrong

In the last edition of Highly Recommended, you learned about Dale Carnegie’s famous best-seller, How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936), which encourages certain attitudes and behaviors for achieving social aptitude.But does Carnegie’s advice hold up in the modern era? And if it does, are his steps to winning friends and influencing people even plausible?

7 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Acceptance Over the Holidays

Quiz: Are You A Pre-Med at Risk for Severe Burnout?

Imagine a pot filled with cold water, with a frog peacefully swimming in it. A fire is lit under the pot and the water becomes lukewarm. The frog finds this rather pleasant and keeps swimming, but then the temperature keeps rising. As the water turns hotter, the frog grows uncomfortable, but it also becomes weak, so it stands the heat as long as it can and does nothing.

Highly Recommended: How to Interest People and Make Them Like You Instantly

Pre-meds need help, and not just psychiatric help (though, let’s be honest, plenty of them do). To get into medical school, pre-meds need the help of influential people: professors, doctors, and even other student-group leaders. Pre-meds are often assertive and competitive people, but that’s not always enough to secure letters of recommendation, internships, or research positions.

Highly Recommended: Should you be worried that your patients will attack you?

Highly Recommended: John Oliver on Big Pharma

A fascinating piece by John Oliver and company at This Week Tonight shows just how much money big pharmaceutical companies are spending on marketing to doctors. In fact, while pharmaceutical companies are spending $4 billion dollars a year to market to all 300 million Americans, they're spending $24 billion just to market to the roughly 1 million doctors in the United States.

Highly Recommended: How Much is a Year of Life Worth?

Highly Recommended: How Doctors Really Talk

Highly Recommended: Getting Over the Fear of Being Rejected

How to Pick Your Workshops at Upcoming Pre-Health Conferences

You’re excited! You’ve got a ticket to the pre-health conference coming up, and you want to make the most out of your workshop schedule. Unfortunately, there’s more workshops than you can possibly attend, so you’re forced to prioritize. How should you figure out what to see and what to skip?

So, what should you major in if you want to go to medical school?

Coping with Admissions Anxiety - Strategy #3