Reflections of a Former Admissions Dean
Dear Prospective Medical School Student,
I offer my perspectives as a former medical school admissions dean, and to offer you some
helpful advice as you prepare to apply to medical school. I hope you will find my comments to
be informative and encouraging.
Initial Screening
Different medical schools may vary in how they make decisions, but the considerations
discussed below are important in one way or another to all schools. After your application is
complete (receipt of AMCAS application, MCAT scores, secondary application, and letters of
recommendation), it will receive initial screening.
Because of the high volume of applications for a limited number of first year places (e.g. 5,000
applications for 150 places at a given school), regardless of how applications are processed, a
great deal of emphasis will initially be placed on your grades and MCAT scores. Some schools
may actually use a formula based primarily on academic criteria to initially place applications in
interview or rejection categories; however, unless the applicant falls well below competitive
academic averages, most schools will review the entire application in making decisions to
interview. Academic assessment involves more than merely crunching numbers. For example,
an applicant with a 35 MCAT and 4.0 GPA may not automatically considered desirable on the
basis of academics unless he / she has a strong load of credits, including a depth in the major and
breadth in other disciplines, a progression from lower to higher level courses, and evidence of
substantive scholarship. Research (in science or non-science areas) is not required, but it may be
a way to express academic creativity, the ability to work independently as well as with others on
the research team.
Importance Of Timing
Most schools are only able to interview around 15-25% of their applicant pool. So being
selected for an interview is a tremendous advantage, and drastically increases your chances for
admission. As it gets closer to medical school deadline dates the time taken for the processing
and review of applications will backlog at AMCAS and medical schools. In some cases
applications can be backlogged by 2 months or more. The early completion of an application
may help you to avoid a long delay in admissions decisions and lower the risk that interview
slots will be filled by the time your application is reviewed. Because state schools typically
favor in-state residents, I heartily encourage you to apply to your state schools. Based on my
experience at both state and private schools, I believe that the caliber of students and preparation
are quite similar at all medical schools in the United States. Also, I worked within a university
that had a school of osteopathic medicine; I learned about the rigor and quality of this pathway to
medicine. Unfortunately, many premedical students are not familiar with osteopathic medicine or
think of it as preparation for a different kind of career. You should be aware that osteopathic
medicine is also a viable way to become a physician.
Critical Factors That Make A Difference
As your application proceeds from screening to possible decisions to interview and admit, the
assessment of letters, essays, experience, motivation, and personal qualities will have increased
significance. Here are some considerations that I would give to these areas.
Experience: Is there evidence of leadership? A long term or short term commitment to
extra-curricular activities? What is the degree of involvement: is it limited or extensive?
Are the stated applicant’s talents (e.g. music, athletics, art, etc.) demonstrated at a low or
high level? I often found that appealing applicants would show some degree of
connectivity with their academic work and experiences. For example, a student who does
research in oncology to learn about the science of medicine, who also volunteers with
oncology patients to learn about the human dimensions of disease. In this case, each area
– scholarly pursuits and experience – serves as a basis of interest and motivation for the
other.
Levels of Recognition: indicate the perceived value of your experiences. I would closely
consider which of the following (with examples) are the sources of recognition for
activities listed on application forms: self reported (playing a musical instrument,
intramural sports), peer (election to a position with an established organization),
institutional (selection for being a resident assistant, an award, or teaching assistantship),
national (publication or fellowship). A greater degree of recognition usually indicates a
more impressive accomplishment. Aspire to develop your abilities to the fullest.
AMCAS Personal Statement and Secondary Essays: The AMCAS essay probably has
the greatest range of use – some schools and individual admissions deans and committee
members will consider essays to be very important, others less so. I found that most
essays were good, but a much smaller percentage were either bad or outstanding.
Nonetheless, it may be the best way for schools to become acquainted with you
personally, to determine what distinguishes you from many other outstanding applicants,
and to learn about the depth of your motivation and experiences. Secondary applications
provide an opportunity to share more information about yourself, and by taking the time
to carefully answer these essays, it will show your interest in the school.
Letters of Recommendation: provide an assessment of you and your abilities from
mentors and supervisors. If you attend a school that has a premedical advisor or
committee, it is imperative that you take advantage of these services, including the
writing of a premedical letter of evaluation. Many medical schools require a premedical
letter from undergraduate institutions that have premedical advisors or committees. In
order for your premedical advisor to help you, it is necessary to follow all directions and
meet all deadlines, which may also be viewed as a reflection of your professionalism and
ability to assume responsibility. The premedical advisor or committee letter gives
admissions committee details about your academic skills, talents, degree of involvement,
potential, personal qualities, and motivation. They’re a good frame of reference for what
you write in your applications and may serve to confirm what you say you’ve done. In
order to have the most helpful information for your premedical advisor or committee
letter, you should get letters from individuals who know you well, such as professors,
research mentors, employment supervisors. Furthermore, medical schools may want you
to have individual letters from one or more science faculty.
Motivation: must be demonstrated not just espoused. You may want to “help people”,
but without sufficient direct exposure to medicine, how do you know you want to become
a physician, rather than a teacher, or social worker or other health care provider? The
admissions dean and committee will want to know what experiences you’ve had to
confirm your interest in medicine.
Personal Qualities: Do you have strong communication and social skills, the ability to
relate to people from diverse backgrounds, the capacity to be serious as well as pleasant?
Have you shown evidence of professionalism, humanism, and integrity? Are you a
caring, compassionate and tolerant person? These are questions that you should ask
yourself before you decide to apply, because these are features that medical schools will
want their students to possess. Essays and letters of recommendation are often helpful
sources of information about the applicant; however, the interview will be essential to the
assessment of these qualities.
The Role/Importance Of The Interview
Unlike the folklore, which portrays medical school interviews as a way to see how an applicant
can handle stress, I believe that the vast majority of interviews are intended for admissions
committees to become better acquainted with the applicant, find out more about the substance of
his/her experiences, and get a sense of the applicant’s humanism, and social and communication
skills. As a matter of fact, I considered the interview day as an opportunity for recruiting
prospective students. This is why medical schools spend an enormous amount of time and
expense on admissions. Even if we didn’t select an applicant, or he / she didn’t select us, there is
a good chance we would see the interviewee later as a resident, member of the faculty, or
associated with us in some other capacity. Keep in mind that you are sizing up the school as
much as they are assessing you. Ultimately, I think of the interview as a way to find reasons for
selecting students rather than rejecting them. Students often tend to view the interview in the
opposite way, which is disappointing. Perhaps, this is the reason why many applicants think they
did poorly on an interview when the reality is they did very well. Be aware, admissions
personnel, students and others with whom you meet at the medical schools may have input about
you. It’s important to be on your best behavior, but also to be your natural self. (Committees
and deans are quite astute in differentiating between the real person and play acting.)
How the interview is conducted will vary from school to school and with each interviewer. You
may have multiple interviews at some schools that are given by faculty, students or others; single
interviews exist less so, as do panel interviews. In order to understand how the admissions
process works, I would note that committees use objective criteria, but in the end the process is
also subjective. Otherwise, decisions would be focused almost entirely on MCAT scores and
grades, and your experiences, essays, personal qualities, letters, etc. would have little value.
Based on my experience, academic records and MCAT’s are usually not an issue during
admissions committee meetings, because with few exceptions applicants invited to interview are
deemed to have the academic foundation to succeed in medical school. Schools have tried to
find objective ways to classify subjective areas, but without much success. What’s important to
know is that the medical school admissions process is as thorough and deliberate as any other
area of admissions with which I’m familiar. Admissions committees and deans work very hard
at meetings to make thoughtful choices and use their best judgment. With a range of
perspectives from faculty with diverse backgrounds and specialties, a consensus emerges during
committee meetings that is intended to select the best possible class for a given school.
My role was to provide consistent and uniform information and guidance to help the committee
make good decisions, although I often wished we had a larger class, because there were so many
excellent candidates. Assuming you have a competitive application, you are likely to have some
surprises; you may get admitted to some schools that you thought would reject you, and vice
versa.
Closing Thoughts
Even if you have a strong application you may not get admitted, or for that matter, get
interviews at most of the schools where you apply. It is difficult to convey the enormous
volume of other outstanding applicants to medical school. Don’t be discouraged by the
long and arduous time it takes for medical schools to make decisions. In the event you
are not admitted, confer with your premedical advisor; there may be some viable ways to
strengthen your preparation for a successful application in the future.
An Admissions Dean’s Pet-Peeves:
o Overly persistent individuals, who frequently email, call or write to the
admissions office. Excessiveness indicates a lack of patience and an abundance
of self-importance.
o Applicants who hold many acceptances for a long period of time, and especially
those who hold multiple acceptances after the deadline date of May 15. This
shows a lack of sensitivity to peers, i.e. other applicants, and disrespect to medical
schools. If an applicant needlessly held a large number of acceptances in addition
to one at my school, I’d want him / her to go elsewhere.
o Applicants who felt they were entitled or showed signs of arrogance – there was
no room for these kinds of students at our school.
An Admissions Deans’ Favorite Things:
o The opportunity to meet so many wonderful and talented applicants. A sense of
faith and reassurance about the future knowing that these students will become
practicing physicians.
o The chance to meet hard working faculty who spent a tremendous amount of time
for unselfish dedication to students and their medical schools.
Words of Advice and Encouragement: You have chosen one of the most honorable
vocations for your life’s work. Congratulations. You will frequently be challenged, but
never lose sight of your commitment and compassion for each of your patients.
I wish you great success for your acceptance to medical school and career in medicine.
Sincerely,
David Trabilsy, Ed.M., Ed.S.
Former Assistant Dean of Admissions
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1987-2000