Let’s face it; you’re probably a bit nervous the minute you decide to turn in your medical school application to the college of your dreams and subsequent safety schools. You may be thinking that you did all the right things for pre-med so you should have no problems getting in. However, there are a few common reasons why people don’t get accepted. Some of these are common sense and some might slip your mind. It’s best to avoid these medical school “no-no’s” if you’re still in the process of attaining your undergraduate degree.
Top 5 Reasons for Med School Application Rejections
- If you had a rocky start at the beginning of your pre-med career, try not to worry too much about it for your medical school application. Medical schools, above anything, want to see improvement. As long as your record shows active improvement over your 4 years of college, your chances of getting the boot are far less likely. On the other hand, what they absolutely don’t want to see is declining grades. This shows a core problem with commitment and that won’t cut it in the medical field.
- While it’s a good idea to expand your scope with some humanities classes, you shouldn’t display a history of bouncing around majors. This also reflects a sense of unfocused behavior. They might think you need a fallback plan in case medical school doesn’t work out and these actions could be perceived in the same way as the above item. Showcasing a variety of different skills and activities doesn’t make up for a low GPA on a medical school application either.
- Lacking a discernable commitment to expanding your growth as a medical student is something you need to avoid as well. If you have average grades and no shadowing, intern, or other experience to show for it, you’re more than likely going to have another commitment issue on your hands. You need to have some form of experience under you belt when you send in your medical school application to show that you are committed to becoming a doctor.
- This one seems a little obvious but there is hope. If you have really bad grades, you’re in some trouble. You need to have a good explanation for even a single D/F on your record. Sometimes, life happens and you can’t help but take some time away from school for important reasons, such as a death in the family or you were seriously ill. Make sure to include that explanation in your medical school application.
- Scoring low on the MCAT is another thing that requires a good explanation. The only other thing that you could do to get some “brownie points” back with the medical school committee is trying to sell yourself and stand out in the personal statement section. You can showcase your strengths well here and try to make up for your low test score.