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COVID-19 May Bring Record Growth to Med School Competition

Breaking News: Spike in MCAT Registrations Along with Tutoring and Advising by MedSchoolCoach During the COVID-19 Pandemic May Prove the Physician Industry May Be On the Cusp of Tremendous Growth and Competition.

• May 2020: MedSchoolCoach sees 113% increase in MCAT Tutoring and Admissions Coaching
• April 2020: MedSchoolCoach sees 74% increase in MCAT Tutoring and Admissions Coaching
• 463% Increase in MCAT Registration (Opening day of Registration May 7, 2020)

Current Medical School Admissions Candidate: “There will be a very renewed appreciation for public health and that we need to invest in it. Next year, it will be significantly harder with more people applying which as an applicant creates an even larger challenge. You are hopeful med schools will open up the number of spots.” Graduating HS Senior, BS/MD Candidate: “We are facing a shortage of doctors. Medical schools are already competitive, and I believe as a result of this pandemic it is about to get even more difficult to be accepted.” MedSchoolCoach Founder: “It’s a testament to the resulting interest in the medical profession and the future competitiveness of medical school acceptance.” Boston, Mass – June 1, 2020 MedSchoolCoach, one of the nation’s leading medical education companies, is witnessing the impact and inspiration the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the next generation of physicians. During May and April of 2020, the company’s MCAT tutoring and medical school advising services experienced significant growth compared to the same months in 2019. MedSchoolCoach saw a May increase of 113% and an April increase of 74%. MedSchoolCoach growth is parallel to the recent announcement from the Association of American Medical Colleges showing a 463% increase in MCAT registrants on May 7th, 2020, the opening day of summer MCAT registrations versus prior year. MCAT tutoring and medical school advising are early steps on the medical school acceptance journey toward becoming a physician. “For the first time, physicians are rightly being considered heroes in the minds of so many. While the increase in MCAT registrations was directly related to the chaos of testing centers shutting down as a non-essential service, the number of students turning to MedSchoolCoach services during our global pandemic is a testament to the resulting interest in the medical profession and the continued increase in competitiveness of a medical school acceptance. Students at the collegiate, graduate and even as early as the high school level, wanting to become physicians are looking for expertise on securing the coveted spots at medical schools,” said Dr. Sahil Mehta, MedSchoolCoach founder. As the medical profession serves our country in the fight against the global pandemic, the next generation of physicians at all stages of their medical school journey is being inspired. The increased student interest is an early indicator of future competitiveness for medical school acceptance. “9/11 was the last time we came together as a country like this. Everyone rallied together and showed their appreciation for veterans, and the military took it to a new level. Watching COVID-19, the selflessness of the healthcare workers and essential workers on the front line, this whole chapter, has reaffirmed my interest in medicine and my interest in giving back in some fashion as a physician.” Maxwell Everett, Bucknell University, ROTC, currently in the process of securing medical school acceptance. Prospective medical students are not watching from the sidelines during stay at home restrictions. MedSchoolCoach advisors are encouraging students to take advantage of opportunities during COVID-19 to be a part of the solution through volunteering and giving back their time in creative ways to those in need. This will also help increase their extracurricular experiences, which are critical to boost their odds of medical school acceptance. “The opportunity to support a team coordinating PPE for medical professionals in the DC area allows me to be a small apart of the fight against COVID-19. The experience has proven the medical school path is absolutely the right future for me. Helping the medical community is furthering my desire to one day practice medicine,” said Patrick Ryan, Georgetown University, graduate student currently applying to medical schools and volunteer at Medical Supply Drive. “A positive is that society is appreciating the real need for enough physicians and the long team appreciating of public health. More students are applying, if not this cycle, then in the coming cycle. There will be a very renewed appreciation for public health and that we need to invest in it. Next year, med school acceptance will be significantly harder with more people applying which, as an applicant, creates an even larger challenge. You are hopeful med schools will open up the number of spots.” Ryan Chahal, Boston University Graduate Student and candidate for medical school admission. Even at the high school level, students working with MedSchoolCoach prior to the pandemic for entry to prestigious direct medical programs (BS/MD and BA/MD) at the collegiate level, know the path ahead will be challenging. “We are facing a shortage of doctors. Medical schools are already competitive, and I believe as a result of this pandemic, it is about to get even more difficult to be accepted,” said Preaksha Garg, a graduating high school student accepted as a BS/MD student at University of Illinois at Chicago GPPA Medical Scholars Program. “When I see the videos of doctors working with patients, it makes me grateful these doctors are there. I want to be a doctor even more, as we really rely on the doctors to keep people healthy. While very anxious and nerve wracking, this is making me want to become a doctor more. I want to be able to serve people and help people ultimately.”

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