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.
Quantitative reasoning is one of the four Thinking and Reasoning Competencies defined by the AAMC. The AAMC defines Quantitative Reasoning as applying “quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world.”
In simple terms, they want to see that the student is able to solve a real-world problem by using the facts of the problem to mathematically derive the answer to the problem. For example, "What is the average amount of candy that each city resident buys per year?" The facts are that the city population is roughly 12,000 and the total number of pounds of candy sold per year is about 20,000. So, on average, each resident of the city buys 1.67 pounds of candy per year.
Critical thinking is also one of the four Thinking and Reasoning Competencies defined by the AAMC. The AAMC defines critical thinking as using “logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.”
In simple terms, they want to see that the student is able to analyze the available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgment. For example, a triage nurse analyzes the cases at hand and decides the order by which the patients should be treated.
Basically, medical schools want candidates who are thoughtful, observant, self-reflective, quick on their feet, creative, and open-minded. And generally quantitative reasoning and critical thinking are quite literally a significant part of the job as a doctor and in the day-to-day life of a medical school student.
It works out conveniently that these are qualities you should already want to hone and improve as a person and that are applicable in any field, regardless of ambitions in medicine.
A good way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by participating in research during your undergraduate years and hopefully presenting the research at a symposium.
A standout way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by publishing several articles with your research team.
A good way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by participating in an entrepreneurial incubator or joining a competition team.
A strong way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by placing in a high position in comparison to the rest of the participating teams in the competition.
A standout way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by winning the competition and transforming your start-up into an actual product/company.
A good way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by creating a study guide for a class that you tutor or TA for.
A strong way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by helping your professor teach the class and helping them make their curriculum.
A standout way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by creating a new class that can be taught in the university.
A good way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by running board meetings.
A strong way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by dissolving/solving a conflict, whether internal or external.
A standout way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by creating something for the community from the ground up.
A good way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by inferring a patients’ need for listening and comfort.
A strong way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by navigating a language barrier to enroll them in a patient portal.
A standout way to demonstrate your Quantitative Reasoning and Critical Thinking is by working with the healthcare team to help an uninsured patient obtain care.
Try breaking things down into these five categories:
About the Author:
Srinikhil Vemuri is a second-year biomedical engineering student at Texas A&M. Srinikhil is passionate about sports medicine and integrating his education in engineering to further aid in the development of technologies that assist in the recovery of injured players and to detect the chances of injury before they even occur, all while working as a physician. Srinikhil's other interests include watching soccer, reading magazines about cars, and spending time with friends and family.
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