“[Medical] schools get upwards of 5,000 applications, some up to 12,000, so it is hard for schools to sort through each of these applicants,” Sahil Mehta M.D. President at MedSchoolCoach, stated. “The two most important factors are grades and MCAT scores, so applicants are often ‘screened’ by these two factors… It is nearly impossible for a medical school to keep up with changes of every particular undergrad school in terms of their ‘curve,’ so invariably grade deflation will hurt candidates from that particular school. Medical schools do know some basic trends—several years ago all Harvard students were getting A’s, they know that MIT is notoriously difficult, etc. but sudden changes are harder to keep up with.”

For the full article, visit http://www.wellesleynewsonline.com/grading-policy-discussions-enter-senate-and-house-councils-1.2862986#.T6rzR-s9kQI

From the NY Times article:

The adoption of the new test, which will be first administered in 2015, is part of a decade-long effort by medical educators to restore a bit of good old-fashioned healing and bedside patient skills into a profession that has come to be dominated by technology and laboratory testing. More medical schools are requiring students to take classes on interviewing and communication techniques. To help create a more holistic admissions process, one that goes beyond scientific knowledge, admissions committees are presenting candidates with ethical dilemmas to see if their people skills match their A+ in organic chemistry.

Questions abound about the new MCAT. Will it make for better doctors? How can you capture empathy and compassion with a multiple choice test? Can you teach someone to have better bedside manner and a better “people person”, or is it ingrained in you from the start. These questions have vague answers right now but one thing is for sure, beginning in 2015 students will no longer have to just worry about organic chemistry, but also about social skills.

Of course medical schools already interview candidates to get a feel for these less testable skills, but the new MCAT will provide a quantitative measure. I believe while the new MCAT is taking correct steps in making physicians of the future more cognizant about bedside manner and skill other than the hard sciences, there is still no better way to get to know a person than to meet them and interview them one-on-one. If you know how to interview, you can know almost instantly whether they have the social skills to be a good physician.

The following information can be helpful in a letter of intent to medical schools:

• An updated on your application since you interviewed
• An updated on your upcoming plans
• An explanation of why the school is your top choice

Remember to really dig deep into why the school is your top choice. Think back to your interview day and find specific examples of things that stood out. Reference your interviewers and how you may have connected with them. Finally, find an advocate. Your premed advisor, professor, or mentor can call the admissions office of a school in which you are interested to offer support for your candidacy.

Remember, your medical school personal statement can get you in, or leave your out, of medical school. A great personal statement can set you apart from your peers. Many applicants are coming in with similar MCAT scores and GPAs, so the deciding factor is intangibles like the personal statement.

Learn More About MedSchoolCoach’s Editing Services

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Medical School Letters of Recommendation

The most important thing to know about letters of recommendations is to ask for them early. A lot of focus gets placed on who you should ask for letters, and rightfully so, but if your letters are not in on time it does not matter who wrote them. Your letters can be continuously added into the application system until you submit your application, after that they are locked in and cannot be changed. Most schools require three letters, but check the requirements for each school before submitting your application. You can also assign different letters to each program, which a maximum of 10 letters uploaded. After designating your letter writers in AMCAS, they are e-mailed and given instructions on how to upload your letter into AMCAS electronically. You will be able to see when letters are uploaded as they become available. Give your letter writers at least two weeks to write your letter, but obviously the more time you give them the happier (and therefore likely better) they will be when sitting down to write it.

Who should you ask?

Most advisors would say to have the people who know you the best write your letters. It is obvious when someone has known you for more than a week, and those letters are much more meaningful and provide more insight into your character. If you happen to know someone at a school you are applying, that is an advantage that is hard to ignore, but the quality is still the most important part. Still, do not ignore this advantage, try to get to know these connections in a more in depth way so their letters are meaningful, this will definitely give you an inside track. A famous research name is nice to have if they know you well, but the chances that whoever is reading your letters will recognize those names is pretty remote.

Other options to obtain medical school letters of recommendation

If your school offers a committee letter (a compilation of multiple letters of recommendation, plus a brief excerpt from your premed advisor), you should absolutely make use of this service. To find out, stop by your schools preprofessional office right away. It is important you stop by early because these letters are often written first come first serve so that you may have your letter sent in very late, or not at all, if you are too late.

If your office does not offer a premed committee letter, they may offer at least a service to gather letters (via interfolio or VirtualEvals). You can take advantage of these services to streamline the process.
If your school offers none of these, we recommend you set up an account with Interfolio.com which will allow you to upload all your letters to a central location and use them again if you need to for another purpose.

You should approach your letters writers as early as possible so that they have plenty of time to write them. You should meet with them in person and present them with your resume and a draft of your personal statement as well so that they can write a more cohesive letter.

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MedSchoolCoach, LLC (referred to as “us” or “we”), provides the medschoolcoach.com website,, as well as certain downloadable products and services (collectively referred to as “Services”), subject to your compliance with the following Terms and Conditions of Use (“Terms”), as well as any other written agreement(s) between us and you.

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All communications between MedSchoolCoach, LLC and client are strictly confidential. At no time will your name or work be released beyond our advisors

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Services. MedSchoolCoach, LLC provides a number of Services for users on its Site, including post-baccalaureate and medical school educational admissions counseling, entrance essay review, mock interview preparation and career and medical residency counseling. A full list of Services provided can be viewed at www.medschoolcoach.com/our-services.

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Temporary Interruptions. You understand and agree that temporary interruptions of the Site may occur as normal events that are out of our control. You also understand and agree that we have no control over the third-party networks or service(s) (including, but not limited to: Skype, AOL Instant Messenger, etc.) that you may use to access the Site or Services we provide. You agree that the Services available on this Site are provided “AS IS” and that we assume no responsibility for the timeliness, deletion, misdelivery or failure to store any user communications or personalization settings.

Time and Availability of our advisors:

MedSchoolCoach, LLC shall have discretion in selecting the dates and times it performs such consulting and editing services giving due regard to the client’s needs. No edits will be returned later than 168 hours after receipt of initial draft, except in extenuating circumstances. Typically, edits will be provided within 72 hours. Over the phone consultations should be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. Mock interviews should be scheduled at least 96 hours prior. However, we are available on shorter notice if anything “urgent” is needed!

Editing Services:

I acknowledge that when working on essays, MedSchoolCoach, LLC will never write my essay for me. MedSchoolCoach, LLC will provide guidance in the writing process and offer detailed revisions, however no portion of the personal statement will be written by MedSchoolCoach, LLC. As outlined in the AMCAS certification: I certify that all written passages, such as the personal statement, essays required from M.D./Ph.D. applicants, and descriptions of work/activities, are my own and have not been written, in part or in whole, by a third party. Quotations are permitted if the source is cited.

Your exclusive remedy and our entire liability, if any, for any claims arising out of these Terms and your use of this Site shall be limited to the amount you paid us for Services purchased on the Site during the six (6) month period before the act giving rise to the liability.

IN NO EVENT SHALL WE OR OUR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFIT LOSS, WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THIS SITE OR OF ANY WEBSITE REFERENCED OR LINKED TO FROM THIS SITE.

FURTHER, WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR THIRD PARTY PROMISES REGARDING OUR SERVICES OR CONTENT, OR FOR ASSISTANCE IN CONDUCTING COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS WITH THE THIRD PARTY THROUGH THIS SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE PROCESSING OF ORDERS.

SOME JURISDICTIONS PROHIBIT THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. PLEASE CONSULT THE LAWS IN YOUR JURISDICTION.

Gold Package Agreement

Thank you for choosing to work with MedSchoolCoach, LLC for your medical school application. Outlined below are our Terms of Agreement for the Gold Package.

Services to be provided:

MedSchoolCoach, LLC shall provide advice, consulting, and editing services to clients with respect to matters related to medical school admissions. MedSchoolCoach will provide the specific services purchased by client. In the case of the Gold Package, this includes:

• Unlimited advising hours via telephone
• Unlimited interview preparation
• Unlimited editing of the primary application, both AMCAS and AACOMAS (namely, the personal statement and the activities section)
• Unlimited edits of up to 20 of secondary applications.

Services for the Gold Package are valid for one application cycle (i.e. until the Fall of the year the student is trying to gain acceptance). All services are offered via phone, email and webcam. If in person consultation is desired, applicable travel expenses are the responsibility of the applicant.

Time and Availability of our advisors:

MedSchoolCoach, LLC shall have discretion in selecting the dates and times it performs such consulting and editing services giving due regard to the client’s needs. No edits will be returned later than 168 hours after receipt of initial draft, except in extenuating circumstances. Typically, edits will be provided within 72 hours. Over the phone consultations should be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. Mock interviews should be scheduled at least 96 hours prior. However, we are available on shorter notice if anything “urgent” is needed!

Payments:

Payments can be made monthly or in a lump sum. The lump sum payment option is $5,500 whereas the monthly payment option totals $5,725 ($1,145 per month for five months). All payments can be made online via PayPal.

Editing Services:

I acknowledge that when working on essays, MedSchoolCoach, LLC will never write my essay for me. MedSchoolCoach, LLC will provide guidance in the writing process and offer detailed revisions, however no portion of the personal statement will be written by MedSchoolCoach, LLC. As outlined in the AMCAS certification: I certify that all written passages, such as the personal statement, essays required from M.D./Ph.D. applicants, and descriptions of work/activities, are my own and have not been written, in part or in whole, by a third party. Quotations are permitted if the source is cited.

Confidentiality:

All communications between MedSchoolCoach, LLC and client are strictly confidential. At no time will your name or work be released beyond our advisors.

Termination of Services:

Either party may terminate this relationship at any time for any reason by giving written notice to the other party. Upon termination, refunds cannot be issued for used services. In the case of payment plans, future payments will not have to be made upon termination of services.

No Guarantee:

I acknowledge there is no guarantee that the services provided by MedSchoolCoach, LLC will improve my chances for admission to medical school. However, every effort is made to put forth the best application possible with the help of MedSchoolCoach, LLC’s advisors.

Your responsibility:

The student is solely responsible for his/her own application in its entirety, including the submission, meeting of deadlines and communicating with AMCAS/AACOMAS or medical schools.

“Guarantee of admission or we work with you again the next application cycle” provisions:

MedSchoolCoach, LLC, through its Gold Package, will work with you again on the next application cycle if you fail to be accepted to medical school during the current application cycle only if the following criteria are met:

• You begin working with MedSchoolCoach, LLC at least in the December prior to the year you will be applying (i.e for matriculation into the 2013 class, December 2011).
• You follow all advice outlined by MedSchoolCoach, LLC advisors (including, if applicable, to apply to DO or international MD schools as “backup” options)
• You have been accepted into the Gold Package (note, the Guarantee of admission or we work with you again the next application cycle only applies to the Gold Package)
• Your status as an applicant does not significantly change based on factors such as grades, academic misconducts, legal misconducts, etc.

Further Agreements (the fine print):

By purchasing MedSchoolCoach, LLC’s services I agree to the following: I release MedSchoolCoach, LLC’s including its associated employees, consultants and contractors (all of whom shall be referred to as “MedSchoolCoach”) and discharge MedSchoolCoach from all claims, demands, or actions by me, on the basis of the discussions and interpretations of MedSchoolCoach. Consideration for this release and disclaimer of liability on behalf of MedSchoolCoach, shall be the services rendered by MedSchoolCoach. Each service requires full pre-payment. Fees paid to MedSchoolCoach are non-refundable. No partial refunds will be issued. MedSchoolCoach reserves the right to terminate a relationship with a client for any reason and at the sole discretion of MedSchoolCoach. If a refund is issued, this amount will be determined at the sole discretion of MedSchoolCoach at the time of termination. No refunds will be issued for unused services. Advice provided by MedSchoolCoach is the intellectual property of MedSchoolCoach. Services are not transferable. Parents and significant others may participate in discussions. By purchasing MedSchoolCoach’s services, I agree with the aforementioned under any applicable law or regulation.

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1. Fill out the following questionnaire
2. Schedule your 15 minute free consultation by using the button after the questionnaire

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