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GM #2: Applying to Med School 101 September 19th, 2019
GM #2: Applying to Med School 101
September 19th, 2019
The Committee System
● Culture of Medicine
● REACH GS
● Public Health
● Fundraising
● Community Service
● amsa.berkeley.edu
● You can apply to multiple committees, but will be accepted into only one.
● Application deadline: Friday, September 20th by 11:59 P.M.
Task Forces
● Pre Meds of Berkeley● Can be accepted to both a
committee and a Task Force
● Applications Due Friday, September 20th @ 11:59PM.
External Team Intern Applications
● amsa.berkeley.edu
● Application deadline: Sunday, September 29th by 11:59 P.M.
Membership
National Dues
Local Dues (for returning members)
Local Dues (for first year participants)
Points (min.)
General Membership
$75 $25 $5 13
Committee Membership
$75 $25 $5 15
National Dues:
● $75 for 5 years ● All members must purchase
regardless of their year● NOT for UC Berkeley AMSA● Benefits of National Membership
Local Dues:
● $25 per year- returning members of AMSA
● $5 per year- first year participants ● Used by UC Berkeley AMSA● What does this money go toward?
Venmo @AMSA-UCberkeley (for local dues) before Sep 26th
Old System New System
● General members: 50% GM attendance + 1 CS event
● Committee members: 50% GM attendance + 2 CS event
● Meet the required minimum with any point combination, but committee heads are free to add their own requirements
● GM attendance: 2 points each● CS attendance: 2 points each● Instagram (@berkeleyamsa): 0.5
point each● Slack app/website: 0.5 point● Being a Mentor: 0.5 point● Feedback form (must have attended
event): 0.50 point each
Instagram Slack
● After following @berkeleyamsa on Instagram, you must message the account with your full name in order to receive the 0.5 point.
● Starting Sep 19th, if you join Slack, you must message me (Carl Inac) afterwards in order to receive the 0.5 point.
Reward System ● Top three most active members by the
end of the year will receive free CPR classes (certification awarded after completion of class).
● Top twenty most active members will receive the opportunity to visit a local med school (e.g. UCSF, Stanford).
Reward System Pt. 2● Every month we will have a member
spotlight. Winners will receive a $10 gift card!
● Our (new!) shadowing program is application-based, but do note that the amount of points you have will be taken into consideration.
Top 5 Leaders in Points
1. Tie with Jublie Yang, Malia Yamamura, Richie Chu, and Vivian Nguyen (3 points)
5. Tie with 11 people (2.5 points)
Mentor Tutoring● Necessary qualifications:
○ At least one year of experience in AMSA
○ Or be a 4th year/senior ● Duties:
○ Answer the questions of the lower classmen/new members
○ Assist with presenting/planning certain GMs
● Sign up here:○ http://bit.ly/amsamentor
■ Deadline: September 26th 11:59 P.M.
● Necessary qualifications: ○ Previous/current SLC tutor, residential
tutor, UGSI ○ Or have received an “A-” or above in
the class● Will work with you to determine
appropriate working rates (~1-2 hours/session)
● Sign up here: ○ http://bit.ly/amsatutor
■ Deadline: September 26th 11:59 P.M.
Family System
● Completely optional (but highly recommended!)○ Helps with the social aspect○ Family with most points
(from competitions) will win a prize!
● Two board members per family● Once you get to know a few
AMSA members,○ Pick your family:
http://bit.ly/amsafamily
○○
Family Leaders
1. Nikita and Subeksha (2 points)2. Fatema and Shivani (1 point)3. The rest of us with 0 points :(
GM 3: Personal Statement ● Speaker: Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D.
○ 15+ years of experience of academic consulting○ Spoken at Cal, UCLA, Northwestern University,
Stanford, and Yale ○ 90% of his students get into at least one med school
on their first attempt● Content:
○ Analysis of a personal statement that helped his student get into a top 10 med school whilst having a 3.3 GPA
○ Post-presentation: Comprehensive med school app guide (PDF) and links to articles related to our Qs.
GM 4:
Feedback Form (due every Monday): tinyurl.com/amsarocks
UC Berkeley, Pre Medical Chapter
Today’s Plan
● Break off into six groups● Family heads will present a topic to
each group○ Rotate after every 4 mins (just family
heads!)
○ Disclaimer: Some med schools have very specific requirements. So, double-check information with your schools of interest!
● Last ten minutes: presentation from Gift of Life and swabbing!
Useful Resources/Links:● Application/Admission to Med School Timeline:
https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/ba/55/ba55a911-e61f-
4cfa-acf3-79bda83fcc11/timelineapplication.pdf
● AAMC Fee Assistance Program Guide:
https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/06/4d/064d29ac-2e17
-429c-a458-d5aec8cb3518/fee_assistance_program_essentials_calendar_year_2019.pdf
● AMCAS:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/apply-to-med-school-with
-amcas/
● AACOMAS:
https://aacomas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login
● Cal vs National Acceptance Rates:
https://career.berkeley.edu/MedStats/national
● MSAR:
https://store.aamc.org/medical-school-admission-requirements-msar-for-u-s-and-canadian-me
dical-schools-online.html
Finances● Applying to Med School through AMCAS: $170
for the first school + $40 for each additional
school [Primary application]
○ Average: 16 schools (~$770)
○ Secondary Application Average Cost:
$100/app ($1600)
○ Total: $2370○ Interviews: Varies
● MCAT: $315○ Preparation: Hundreds or Thousands
● MSAR (Figure 1): $28 ○ Data directly from the med school
themselves (STATS)
○ Pre-med coursework charts
○ How classes are structured
○ Data and policies regarding the waitlist
Figure 1. MSAR example
Finances: AAMC Fee Assistance Program● Eligibility:
○ Total family income that is 300% of
the national poverty level (Figure 2)
○ Other requirements (e.g. US
citizenship, family income)
● Applying to Med School through AMCAS:
Fees waived for first 20 med schools that
you apply to
○ Secondary application: Some schools
will waive fees
● MCAT: Now only $125
● MSAR: Costs waived
Figure 2. Adjusted Values
MCAT
● 4 Sections● 8 Hours● Average Medical School
Matriculant has 512● AAMC Prep Material
● Most popular - Summer (Recommended)
● 2nd best - Winter Break● Latest = Summer before you
Apply○ (same summer you apply is
technically OK but no chance to retake)
● No Gap Year → Summer after 2nd Year
● Gap Year → Summer after 3rd Year
Courses for MCAT
MUST
Algebra (No calculus on MCAT)
Chem 1A / 3A / 3B or CoC equivalent
Bio 1A / 1B
Physics 8A / 8B
MCB 102
Could Be Helpful
Psych 1 / 2 (Very helpful)
MCB 136 - Physiology (Useful)
MCB 135 - Endocrine (Useful)
MCB 104 (pretty useless imo)
Writing classes?? (Probably unhelpful, but will
remind you how to read fast + critically and be
generally literate)
How Long?
On Average:
240 Hours over 12 weeks (3 Months)
Professional Testing:
Kaplan
Princeton Review
UWorld
NextStep
Gap Year- It’s okay to take a gap year (or more) before
medical school! Recover from CAL, prepare for the
rigors of med school, & make your app the best it
can be!
- Average Age of Incoming Med School Student: 24
- Apply June after graduation (1 gap year)
- You can:- Take a post-bacc, SMP, or master’s program to
improve grades or enrich the mind
- Study for the MCAT without distractions from CAL - Get a medicine-related job! Start medical school on
better financial footing.- Improve clinical experience, volunteer, do research,
and secure key letters of recommendation.- TRAVEL THE WORLD.- Above all, think about “WHY MEDICINE.”
Strengthen GPA!
Strengthen MCAT!
Strengthen EXTRACURRICULARS!
Strengthen LIFE EXPERIENCES!!!!
Letters of Recommendation
Required for medical school application:
- Usually minimum is 3
-2 from science professors
1 non-science professor or extracurricular
- May be able to submit more letters
Advice for getting letters:
- START EARLY-- ask well in advance of
deadline (professors are busy)
- Build good relationships with professors-
attend office hours, engage in lectures, etc.
(make them know you)
- Help them help you-- provide them with a
copy of your resume/CV/cover letter so
they can attest to specific traits and talents
Primary vs Secondaries
● Primary Apps!!○ centralized applications to
allow you to apply to multiple schools
○ MD- AMCAS○ DO- AACOMAS○ Includes 9 sections-
Personal Comments Essay, Work and Activity, etc
● Secondary apps!!○ School specific supplemental
application○ Distributed after completing
primary app○ Variant in size and content○ Usually have 1-2 short essay
questions○ When to submit: 1-2 weeks
after you receive them
Interviews
AMCAS app → Secondaries → Interviews
● Big deal!! Congrats!!
● August → April
● Can’t be accepted without interview...so
PRACTICE!!
● Higher chance of getting in if called in for
interview!
Three types:
● Traditional○ One on one (30-45 minutes)
○ Open or Closed○ Range of formality and what they are
looking for
● Group○ > or = 2 applicants○ Teamwork skills, communication
● MMI (Multiple Mini Interview)○ 6-10 stations, 2 min prep, 5-8 min
discussion/answer○ Closed○ Communication, critical thinking, ethical
decision-making, knowledge of healthcare system.
● Hybrid
Interviews (cont.)
Example interview questions:
● Traditional/Group--(Princeton Review)○ Can you think of any example in our society
when healthcare is a right? When it is a privilege? When it is not clear?
● MMI--(Astroff)○ A close friend in one of your university
classes tells you that his mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. He feels overwhelmed by his studies and is considering dropping his courses to spend more time with his mother. How do you counsel your friend?
Top medical schools and types of interviews:
★ Harvard -------------------------------Traditional
★ Johns Hopkins ----------------------Traditional
★ Stanford -------------------------------MMI
★ UPenn --------------------------------Traditional
★ UCSF ---------------------------------Traditional
★ Colombia -----------------------------Traditional
★ UCLA ----------------------------------MMI
★ NYU ------------------------------------MMI
★ UWash --------------------------------Traditional
★ University of Chicago -------------Traditional
Join us for our 3rd GM:Thursday, September 26th, 8-9 PM
Location: Wheeler 222
UC Berkeley, Pre Medical Chapter
