As a parent, you naturally want the best for your child, and if your child is considering a career in medicine, you may be wondering how you can support them in their journey to medical school.

We’ve compiled a list of helpful tips for you to assist your child in achieving their dreams. This article will guide you through the essential steps to help your kid get into med school.

Nurture Their Passion

Encourage your child to explore the field of medicine and to identify their interests. Share stories and articles about doctors or medical advances. This will help them develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the profession. By nurturing their passion, you’ll enable them to stay motivated and dedicated throughout their journey.

Encourage Extracurriculars

Medical schools look for well-rounded applicants who demonstrate not only strong academic achievements but also a variety of experiences outside the classroom. Encourage your child to participate in extracurricular activities such as volunteering, internships, and research opportunities. This will not only help them build valuable skills but also showcase their dedication to medicine and the community.

MedSchoolCoach advisors can offer guidance to help your child identify extracurricular activities that align with their interests and career goals, as well as provide advice on how to stand out in these activities. Additionally, they can assist in finding meaningful volunteer, internship, and research opportunities in the medical field to help your child showcase their dedication to medicine and the community.

Support Academic Excellence

Medical school admissions are highly competitive, and strong academic performance is crucial. Ensure that your child is receiving the necessary support to excel in their classes and maintain a high GPA. Offer guidance on time management, study habits, and stress management. You may also consider hiring a tutor or enrolling them in a prep course for challenging subjects or standardized tests like the MCAT.

MedSchoolCoach tutors can provide guidance on time management, study habits, and stress management techniques to help your child stay on track and perform at their best. They can also assist in identifying areas of weakness and creating a personalized study plan to improve your child’s grades and GPA.

Additionally, MedSchoolCoach offers tutoring and prep courses for challenging subjects and standardized tests like the MCAT, to help your child feel confident and prepared for the rigorous demands of medical school admissions.

Offer Guidance on Shadowing

One way to provide your child with a firsthand experience and deeper insight into the life of a physician is by shadowing medical professionals. It’s essential to help your child find shadowing opportunities with doctors in different specialties, as this will give them a more comprehensive understanding of the medical profession. Additionally, this experience can prove valuable when they’re writing their personal statement and during medical school interviews.

While shadowing can be an excellent way to gain experience, accumulating the necessary hours for acceptance into medical school can be challenging, especially in various specialties. That’s why MedSchoolCoach has developed a Virtual Clinical Education program that goes beyond shadowing. We’ve collaborated with over 20 of the world’s top doctors to provide a behind-the-scenes look at almost every specialty, and it’s all available online. Once your child completes each learning module, they can download a personalized Certificate of Completion and list over 20 hours of shadowing on their resume.

Assist with Networking

Networking can open doors to unique opportunities and help your child build connections in the medical community. Introduce them to friends, colleagues, or acquaintances who work in the medical field. Encourage them to attend conferences, seminars, and other events where they can meet professionals and learn about the latest developments in medicine.

MedSchoolCoach can assist students in networking by providing access to medical professionals in various specialties, exclusive events, conferences, and seminars. Our experienced advisors help students build relationships and advance their career in the medical field.

Prepare for the MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a crucial component of the medical school application. Support your child in their MCAT preparation by helping them create a study plan, providing resources such as practice tests, and offering emotional support during this stressful time. Consider enrolling them in an MCAT prep course or hiring an MCAT tutor for additional guidance.

MedSchoolCoach also offers many free resources students can leverage to help them with the MCAT including:

• MCAT Prep Mobile App – Access hundreds of MCAT videos to help you study and raise your exam score. Augment your learning with tons of flashcards and a question bank, all expert-created. It’s engaging, fun, mobile first and a fraction of the price of traditional test prep.
• MCAT Go – An audio course that allows you to study from anywhere at anytime with more than 450 chapters covering all the science topics you need to know for the exam.
• MCAT CARS Mastery – Gain more knowledge, reduce study time, and boost your score through decoding confusing passages, understanding question structures, and optimizing your study strategies.
• MCAT Practice Exams – Ace the MCAT with the most realistic and accurate simulation of the actual exam, featuring hundreds of unique passages and questions, all expertly crafted by the industry’s leading MCAT specialists.

Guide Through the Application Process

The medical school application process can be overwhelming. Assist your child by helping them stay organized and on track with application deadlines, gathering required documents, and proofreading their personal statement and essays. Provide constructive feedback and encouragement, and be there to offer emotional support during this challenging time.

MedSchoolCoach offers personalized guidance and support for the medical school application process. Their Physician and Writing Advisors work with students to craft compelling personal statements, develop strategies for their application, and refine their written materials.  Their comprehensive approach has helped over 15,000 students with a 99% client satisfaction rate.

Practice Interview Skills

Medical school interviews are a critical component of the admissions process. Help your child prepare by conducting mock interviews and providing feedback on their responses. Encourage them to research common interview questions and practice articulating their thoughts on various topics related to medicine and healthcare.

MedSchoolCoach offers medical school interview preparation with real physicians who have served on admissions committees and conducted actual interviews. They provide personalized attention and feedback on how to improve in real time, including assessments on what you say and how you say it. Our coaches ensure that you are fully prepared to tackle any questions that come your way during the interview process.