Students applying to BS/MD programs need to write essays for the undergraduate college as well as the medical school. Today I want to talk about what you need to consider to write the best college essay.

I am not talking about general things to consider when you write a college essay. Instead, I am discussing the specifics you need to consider as a BS/MD applicant. When writing the college essay, remember what is important for admissions to BS/MD programs.  The programs are looking for students with a long standing passion for medicine as well as students who have leadership abilities, maturity and compassion.

Your college essay does not need to talk directly about the number of years you have wanted to become a physician but it should address at least one of the topics that are important to the BS/MD programs.  If you founded a business club and a club to find volunteers for the local nursing home, write about the nursing home club.  Or write about some volunteer activity that shows the compassion you have for others.  Do you have experience with medical care in another country? That might make an interesting essay.

The bottom line for the college essay is to keep the focus on something important to the BS/MD program. Next post I will be talking about the medical school essay for the BS/MD program.

Here are all of the articles in the series on BS/MD programs.

BS/MD Programs

BA/MD or BS/MD

Admissions to BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Admission Requirements

Applying to BS/MD Programs

Interviews for BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Programs and Financial Aid

BS/DO Programs

BS/MD Programs for International Students

BS/MD Programs for College Students

Summer Activities for BS/MD Applicants

6 Steps to Make Yourself the Best BS/MD Candidate

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Tufts University has been in the news recently because of the supplement to their application that allows a student to “Share a one-minute video that says something about you.”

For Tufts optional essay, they allowed students to write on 7 different topics.  But they also had a creative option that allowed students to create something out of a piece of paper or submit a one-minute video on YouTube. About 1,000 people choose to submit video.

Many people in the admissions world are lamenting the end of the world as we know it because of Tufts video option. Personally, I think it is great.  Tufts did not require students to make a video. You can’t afford the equipment to make a video? No problem, do one of the other optional essays or actions. But student who wished to show their creativity that way could do so.

The director of Tufts undergraduate admissions, Lee Coffin, unfortunately made the comment after watching one of the videos that he was ready to admit the student without seeing the rest of the student’s application.  OK, maybe he was overstating a bit. But should Tufts be willing to consider admitting a student with slightly lower grades or test scores who is incredibly creative? I think they should.

Creativity should not replace hard work and good grades in deciding who to admit to highly selective colleges like Tufts.  But to use creativity as part of the consideration of who to accept is a good thing.  The University of Chicago has done it for years with many of their essays.  No one has suggested that Chicago is any the worse for doing so.

Not everyone is at their best in writing a creative essay. Some have strengths in more visual media, like video. Video is here to stay. Why shouldn’t it be allowed as one possible consideration in the college admissions decision making process?

Good for Tufts for letting those students shine.

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Now is the time that many high school juniors start to get serious about the college admissions process. To find the right college, a student needs to realistically evaluate the grades they have received to see which colleges might be academically appropriate.  And then the problems begin.

What problems? The problem of evaluating your grades and the GPA you think you have.  You would think that evaluating your GPA would be simple.  But how high schools calculate grades differs dramatically from one school to another.

This difference in how many points a student receives is called grade weighting. Many high schools weight grades as an incentive to have the top students take difficult classes rather than sluff off and take the easy “A” classes.  But high schools weight grades differently depending on the particular school.

Let’s say your high school gives a 1 point grade increase for honors courses and a 2 point increase for AP classes.  If you are a strong student, and takes lots of honors and AP courses, it is very easy to end up with a GPA greater than 4.0.  Some schools give 3 or 4 additional grade points, or even more, for an AP grade.   At your high school a 4.3 GPA might be the highest in the class while at another school that calculates points differently, you would need a 5.7  GPA to be at the top of your class.  Is the student with the 5.7 GPA smarter than the student with the 4.3. No, of course not.  But you start to see the problem.

And if your high school doesn’t weight grades at all you might have a 3.9 and be at the top of your class.

To deal with these inequities, many colleges use unweighted grades rather than weighted grades in admissions so that they can compare the GPA of students from diffeerent high schools.  Unweighted grades are the traditional grading of 4.0 for an “A”, 3.0 for a “B”,  on so on. Using unweighted grades, a student can not have greater than  4.0.

As a student, you need to know if the college your are interested in reports average GPA’s of admitted students, are they referring to weighted or unweighted grades. Some colleges like to report weighted grade averages of admitted freshman to make themselves look more competitive than they really are.

The average GPA of admitted freshman at the University of California Berkeley is often reported as a 4.34. If your high school does not weight grades you might think Berkeley is impossible for you to get admitted to with your mere 4.0.  On the other hand, if you have a 5.7 GPA you might think Berkeley is a safety if the average student only has a GPA of 4.34.  Both of these imaginary students would be mistaken if they didn’t understand weighted grades.  (For those of you who are interested in Berkeley, their unweighted average is 3.91.)

Even those colleges that use weighted grades in admissions will understand if your high school does not weight grades as heavily as other schools or if your school does not weight grades at all.  You will not be at a disadvantage in those circumstances.

Finding the right college requires a student to understand all of the many factors that go into the college admissions process. Now you know how to figure your “real” or unweighted GPA.

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This time of year one of the regular questions I answer is “how many colleges should I apply to?” There is no one right answer to that question as it depends on the individual student’s needs.  But here are some things to consider as you decide what is the right number for you to apply to.

Your first consideration is to find colleges that meet your needs. If you have found a particular college has what you are looking for and you are confident that you will be accepted, one application might be all you need.

Most students are able to find a number of colleges in which they have an interest.  The concern, however, is how many might you be accepted to.  For the typical student they would be wise to consider applying to 6 to 8 colleges.  Within this list you would want to have at least 2 schools that you are sure you will be admitted to, 2 to 3 colleges where you have a good chance of acceptance and 2 reach schools. Reach schools are those where your chances of acceptance are not great either because your grades and test scores are on the low side for that college, or because the college accepts so few students that no one is guaranteed admission.

A further consideration that effects the number of colleges you should apply to is whether you will want to compare financial aid awards in the spring to see where you will get the best deal. This requires an understanding of how college financial aid works. Many websites will recommend that you have a financial safety school and will recommend applying to your local state college. I have found that many people follow this advice and end up paying much more for their college education than they might have if they had understood how financial aid differs from college to college. The cheapest college in cost is not necessarily the cheapest college for you.

There are also particular circumstances when applying to more than 8 colleges might be right for a particular student. I work with many students that are applying to BS/MD programs which are extremely competitive.  Many of these students apply to 12 or more colleges because of the competitive nature of the programs. However, this is only appropriate if you are able to take the time to make sure each of the applications is as strong as it can be. If you don’t have the time or energy to devote your best effort to each and every application, you should submit fewer applications.

Don’t worry about how many colleges your friends are applying to. Like the whole admissions process, you are an individual and you shouldn’t worry about what the rest of the sheep are doing. Do what is best for you.

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Everyone who applied early decision or early action is anxiously waiting to hear whether they have been accepted. I wish you all good luck. Unfortunately, some of you will not be accepted and some will be put into limbo with the deferment letter. Let’s look at what you can do to improve your chance of acceptance after getting deferred.

Let’s make sure we all understand what deferment means. A student whose application is deferred is not accepted in the early round but will be reconsidered during the regular decision round.  If you have been deferred there are several steps you can take to improve your chances of acceptance in the regular decision round.

Contact the admissions office of the college that deferred you. Ask to talk with the admissions rep for your area and let them know that their college is still your first choice even if you have been deferred. Also politely ask what kept you from being admitted early decision/action. Ask them what you can do to improve your chances of acceptance in the regular decision round. They may not be able to give you any specific information on why you were deferred but if they do, it is something you can work on.

Over the next few months, continue to work on maintaining or improving your grades and submit updated grades after the next grading period.  Also make sure that you  update the admissions officer of any new accomplishments or honors you have since the application was submitted.

If you have been deferred you must make sure you immediately begin work on the applications for other colleges. At this point you need to make sure you have options in April and you don’t want to rely on getting in regular decision to the college that deferred you.

If you were not accepted early to a college then this college should be considered a reach and you need to make sure you have applications submitted to colleges that are more of a match or safety for you. If the deferring college does accept you regular decision then you can compare all of your college choices in April when you have all of your decisions available. If not, then focus on all of the other great choices you do have.

Not being accepted can be difficult. Just remember that there are many great colleges out there and you need to find the right one for you.

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Early Action. What’s not to like?

At many college you increase your chance of acceptance if you apply early action. Although the amount of admission advantage is not as great as with early decision, there are many colleges where there is a substantial increase.

And, with early action, you have no commitment to the college. Not sure if this is your first choice college? Fine, wait until April. Want to compare financial aid awards? No problem.

To get this advantage, all you have to do is submit your application a little earlier than it would normally be due. As I said, what’s not to like.

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With college applications coming due in the next few months, many students are trying to decide when to apply. Although some selective colleges have eliminated early decision in the past few years, many colleges still have early decision as an option.

So, how do you decide if early decision is right for you? Early decision is most appropriate for those students who have a clear first choice and for whom financial aid is not a concern. If you are trying to decide between two or more colleges, early decision is NOT a good option for you.

Early decision can provide a substantial benefit to students who apply early. Studies have shown that on average, early decision adds about 100 SAT points to your SAT average. Colleges will often say that the students who apply early decision are stronger students than the typical applicant but in reality this is generally not really the case.

To see what benefit students can gain from applying early decision look at this list of colleges where applying early decision helps.

If financial aid is a concern for you then you have more work to do before you consider applying early decision. You must understand how financial aid works and have a very good idea of what type of aid you are likely to receive if you are accepted.

Some colleges will have a calculator on line that will give you an early estimate of your financial aid award. Even if the college has such a calculator, I strongly suggest you consider contacting the financial aid office at the college you are considering applying to early decision.  Ask if they can give you an estimate of your financial aid award if you are accepted.

Early decision is most certainly not for everyone, but for some students, this is a great option to use when applying to college.

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In an earlier blog posting I talked about applications to BS/MD programs. If you are accepted by the undergraduate college, your application is sent for consideration to the medical school. If you look like a strong candidate, most medical schools will then schedule you for an on campus interview.  Typically, these interviews with be with professors from the medical school and often students currently in the program.

Unlike most college interviews, these medical school interviews are critical for acceptance into these programs since everybody considered has top grades and top test scores.  The interview gives the medical school some insight into who you are beyond your grades and test scores. Depending on your interviewer they may also test your ability to handle pressure.

You must be prepared for these interviews if you are going to be competitive for admissions into a BS/MD program.  I will generally do mock interviews with students I am working with to get them ready for these interviews.

So what types of questions will you likely be asked in a BS/MD interview? There are many possible questions but the most important ones will generally be questions regarding your desire to become a doctor and why you are considering a BS/MD program.  It is also common to be asked what your plans are if you are not accepted into the BS/MD program.

These scheduled interviews will often involve interviews with several different people or groups of people and the process can take the better part of a day.  There may also be group interviews where you are asked questions along with other applicants. The cost of getting to these interviews can be substantial if you are applying to a number of the BS/MD programs.

These interviews are for a professional program so you will want to wear appropriate clothing for the interview. Jeans and t-shirts may be appropriate for many college interviews but for interviews at a medical school you will want to dress up more.  Suits for men and suits or dresses for women would be considered professional.

Finally, getting asked to interview at one of these programs indicates that you are a strong candidate. However, remember that they ask many more people to interview than there are spaces available so getting an interview is not the same as getting accepted into a program.

Here are all of the articles in the series on BS/MD programs.

BS/MD Programs

BA/MD or BS/MD

Admissions to BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Admission Requirements

Applying to BS/MD Programs

Interviews for BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Programs and Financial Aid

BS/DO Programs

BS/MD Programs for International Students

BS/MD Programs for College Students

Summer Activities for BS/MD Applicants

6 Steps to Make Yourself the Best BS/MD Candidate

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If you are interested in applying to a BS/MD program be very aware of the application due dates and requirements. Dates for application to these programs are often earlier that might otherwise be expected. In most cases you need to first apply to the undergraduate college and then, if accepted, they pass your application on to the medical school for their consideration. However, this is not true for all programs.

Here are two examples of how differently each college handles the application for their BS/MD programs.

The HPME program at Northwestern University requires a student to complete and return the HPME application request card by December 1.  This card requests basic information about the student as well as grades and test scores. If the committee determines you are eligible to apply for HPME they will then send you an application.  The application for HPME as well as the application for the general undergraduate program must both be submitted by January 1.

The medical scholars program of Caltech and UC San Diego requires that students must apply to Caltech by the early action deadline of November 2 and indicate on the application that they are interested in the medical scholars program.  The students can not apply early action to any other single choice early action program.   The student will be notified by mid December if they are accepted to Caltech.  If they are accepted to Caltech their admission letter will include information about an additional essay and recommendation regarding their potential for a career in medicine. This additional information is due by January 12.

Because the requirements for each of the BS/MD programs is different, the student applying to such programs must be very careful to know the required dates for submissions of materials. Following directions is generally important in applying to college but for those students applying to BS/MD programs, it is critical.

Here are all of the articles in the series on BS/MD programs.

BS/MD Programs

BA/MD or BS/MD

Admissions to BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Admission Requirements

Applying to BS/MD Programs

Interviews for BS/MD Programs

BS/MD Programs and Financial Aid

BS/DO Programs

BS/MD Programs for International Students

BS/MD Programs for College Students

Summer Activities for BS/MD Applicants

6 Steps to Make Yourself the Best BS/MD Candidate

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Getting accepted to the best college for your needs involves many factors. But one of the critical factors for many students is the application essay.  At the most competitive colleges, most of the students applying have top grades and top test scores. The college essay is one way for admissions officers to distinguish between applicants.

The Choice Blog of the New York Times has a posting about writing the college admissions essay by the dean of admissions at Connecticut College.  This posting has some good general advice that students should consider before starting the process of writing the college admission essay.

One of the best pieces of advice in the post is the recommendation to get started on the process of writing the essay during the summer before senior year.  I strongly encourage the students with whom I work to get as much of the essay writing out of the way during the summer.  This includes the process of deciding the essay topic, the drafting of the essay and the editing of the essay.

I have previously provided other suggestions for writing the college essay. If you are looking for some actual examples, here are examples of college essays written by college presidents.  And if you are still lost, you might consider a book on writing the college application essay.

If you are having trouble getting started with your college essay, this posting should help you understand the process a little better.  And a strong essay may make the difference in whether you gain admission to your top choice college.

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