1. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE APRIL 9, 2011 Everything You Need to Know About Getting Into Med School Thomas C. Arnold, MD, FAAEM, FACMT Professor and Chairman Department of Emergency Medicine LSUHSC-Shreveport Medical Director - Louisiana Poison Center

6. Objectives Goal of Admissions Committees What to do now Application Process Personal Statement The Interview Final Caveats Questions

7. Job of the Admissions Committee Our Main Goal: To select a class of applicants with the best chance of successful completion of each step of the national board process and the rigors of medical school Secondary Goal: Seek out those who can accomplish the above goal in such a way as to bring honor to the profession of medicine

8. What To Do NOW! Prerequisites:  BIOLOGY + Lab  CHEMISTRY + Lab  ORGANIC CHEMISTRY + Lab  PHYSICS + Lab  ENGLISH  ADDITIONAL UPPER-LEVEL SCIENCE TOTAL OF 90 SEMESTER HOURS

9. What To Do NOW! MCAT and GPA are your foot in the door!  Your chances of acceptance are linearly related to these two factors… All the extracurricular activity in the world will not overcome poor MCAT & GPA Excellent MCAT & GPA will not help a poorly prepared applicant MCAT viewed as a test of potential intelligence…. GPA is a measure of how hard you are willing to work…  Best not to be mediocre in both…  Withdrawals on your transcript will be viewed negatively

10. What To Do NOW! Extracurricular: “Intangibles”  Service to Humanity  Something Medical  Leadership  Research?... You need to convince the committee that you have plotted a course for this career choice and have proof of contemplative progression along that course Any hint that you are in it for the glamour or money..you’ll not be invited to play

11. Application Process EARLY: First day possible your application should be complete Remember that EVERYTHING you send is a direct reflection of YOU! Put some thought into your photo…it should leave the impression of someone confident, and on the ball….

12. Application Photo

13. Application Process Leave NOTHING to chance…confirm and verify everything Follow-up until complete Letters are YOUR responsibility  Committee Letters are preferred  If no committee, two or three Professors who know you well  Letters from politicians and family friends…don’t bother

14. Personal Statement This is your chance to tell us a few things we want to know about you:  What makes you unique…  What is your motivation…  Do NOT use it to explain your weaknesses….  You own it!!!...Get it right!  One page only…please Personal Statement should be treated like the most important paper you ever turned in for a grade…a bad one can KILL you

16. The Interview Practice, Practice, Practice… no kidding, practice Arrive on time (that means 15 minutes early) DRESS..Like it’s the most important day of your life! Greet interviewer with a firm handshake and make eye contact… Have a note pad and nice writing instrument…take notes

17. The Interview Be upbeat and TALK…silence is interpreted as either “not interested” or “not very smart” Be very courteous to the administrative help…they can be your biggest advocate or torpedo you This is your time to shine…if you’ve ever tried to highlight your strong points…now is the time No Excuses…own up to your failures and mistakes

18. Sample Interview Evaluation Sheet Interview Presence – appearance, poise, enthusiasm, attitude, sense of humor, open-mindedness Communication Skills – vocabulary, organization of thoughts, discussion flow, expression, clarity Leadership Qualities – extent of roles, academic & non- academic Assessment of Patient Contact Experiences – why were they done, how meaningful were they Motivation for Medical Career– degree of SELF- motivation Self-Awareness – realistic self-appraisal, maturity, independence, responsibility

19. The Interview Questions to expect: Be ready for the predictable ones…  What books have you read lately?  What do you do for fun?  Tell me about yourself?  If you could invite three people for dinner…..? How about the tough ones?  What accomplishment are you most proud of?  Tell me about the greatest failure in your life and what did you learn from it?  What makes you different from the 600 other applicants and why should we pick you?

20. The Interview How about the even harder ones? If you get accepted, what is your predicted chance of success? What will you do if you don’t get in this year? If you get in, and next year see the student next to you cheating…what will you do? What is your moral compass for determining right from wrong in a given situation?

22. The Interview How much should I talk about my religious convictions? Most everyone understands that we live in the “Bible Belt”… It’s ok to mention religious background and motivation but be careful not to come across as proselytizing or overly zealous REMEMBER…not every committee member comes from the same background… Is it ok to discuss mission trips and Christian related service?.....ABSOLUTELY

23. The Interview Topics to prepare:  Be prepared to talk intelligently about current events of issues that affect healthcare…  Be sure to mention your experiences in medicine and service  Be able to express your motivation for choosing this career path  Have an intelligent question ready to ask…Do your homework…. Other preparation  Prepare and bring a one-page resume highlighting your strong points – make sure it is clean and professional with a nice photo of you in the corner  Be aware of your social networking presence….

24. Final Caveats INTEGRITY MOTIVATION PASSION  If you have these…. make it known! Luke 12:48  To whom much is given, much will be required.

25. Questions ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? TArnol@lsuhsc.edu www.admissions.lsuhsc.edu