Pre-Medicine: Application Outcomes

Accepted?

First, Congratulations!!!

Be sure to share the news with your favorite faculty, and all your recommendation writers.

If you're wrestling with acceptances at more than one medical school, the AAMC has posted a list of applicant responsibilities at www.aamc.org/students/applying/policies/applicants.htm.

Get the financial aid ball rolling. Work closely with the financial aid office of the school that accepted you to identify scholarship and student loan possibilities. If you're accepted at the KU School of Medicine, this is the Office of Student Financial Aid, 913-588-5170, www.kumc.edu/studentcenter/financialaid.html.

The AAMC has posted some general information on financing a medical school education at www.aamc.org/students/financing/start.htm.

If you haven't done so already, the first step is usually completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), at: www.fafsa.ed.gov.

It will also be important to line up a place to live. If you were accepted at the KU School of Medicine, you can get some off-campus housing information by calling KUMC housing, www2.kumc.edu/classifieds/housingads, 913-588-4695.

Make sure you keep doing everything you need to complete your admission, and to graduate.

You may want to plan a vacation for this summer. You've earned it!

Wait-Listed?

Hanging in limbo on a waiting list can be very uncomfortable. The KU School of Medicine lets you know where you are on the waiting list, but the number accepted from the list varies dramatically from year to year. No one knows what will happen this year.

Even if you are deep on the list, being chosen as an alternate is a vote of confidence by admissions committee members. If there is enough room, they will be happy to have you attend their school. If you still want to become a physician, continue strengthening your candidacy, and begin re-applying.

Even if you're in the shallow end of the list, it's wise to continue developing as a candidate, and to begin the process of re-applying.

Not Accepted?

If you were not accepted, it's normal to feel stunned, a sense of loss, helpless, anxious, confused, embarrassed, rejected, depressed, and frustrated. If you feel seriously depressed, you can get help from the Watkins Student Health Center, www.studenthealth.ku.edu.

Not being accepted will give you an opportunity to carefully consider whether or not you really want to become a physician. 

If you plan on re-applying, talk with representatives from admissions offices. If you applied to the KU School of Medicine, I strongly encourage you to take Sandra McCurdy, Associate Dean for Admissions, up on her offer to talk with you about your application. 

In most cases, a "How can I strengthen my candidacy?" approach is much more constructive than "Why wasn't I accepted?" Because there truly are many more qualified candidates than seats in medical schools, there are often no satisfying answers to "why" questions. 

If you want to strengthen your qualifications, you can consider re-taking the MCAT, re-taking undergraduate science courses, taking additional science courses, and/or applying to formal post-baccalaureate programs geared toward helping candidates strengthen their qualifications. 

To learn more about formal post-bac programs, you can read the articles at www.naahp.org/resources_postbacMain.htm and see the AAMC's searchable database of programs at http://services.aamc.org/postbac.

If you plan to attend another graduate program, it would be wise to plan on completing that program before you enter medical school.

It's also helpful to continue strengthening other aspects of your candidacy by engaging in significant health care, social service, and/or research activities. For more information, see www.medadvising.ku.edu/medicine/medexperience.shtml.

If you didn't do so this year, I encourage you to consider applying to osteopathic medical schools. For more information, see www.aacom.org.

Whatever plans you develop, be very aware of state residency issues. The ratio of seats given to Kansas residents at the KU School of Medicine is favorable compared to the ratio in many states. It's possible to accidentally change your state residency, or even get yourself into a situation in which you do not have legal residency in any state. Different states have different residency rules, so it would wise to clear your plans with residency experts. You can reach the Kansas residency specialist at KU Med by calling 913-588-7055.

Many re-applicants are accepted!!! For example, out of the 175 seats each year at the KU School of Medicine, around 50 usually go to re-applicants.

If you're not accepted for a couple of years, and you can only be satisfied with a career as a physician, you may want to consider applying to international medical schools. There are many drawbacks to this approach, especially the high attrition rates in these programs. I've posted some information about international medical schools at www.medadvising.ku.edu/medicine/medinternational.shtml.

Many people, who at one time wanted to become physicians, eventually decide to pursue other careers. Some pursue careers in social/helping professions involving teaching and/or counseling, investigative professions involving scientific inquiry, and/or other health professions. And, some head off in other directions.

The University Career Center, www.kucareerhawk.com, 864-3624, can help you clarify your career values and goals, and can help you apply for internships and jobs. If you are interested in a biology career, see www.kuub.ku.edu/jobscareers.

In any event, I invite you to meet with me. I would be happy to act as a sounding board for any possibilities you would like to consider. Just call 864-3500, and the person who answers the phone will find a time that works.