Applying to Med/PA School
Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid on Your AMCAS Application
About Aldridge
Aldridge is a recent graduate of Indiana University and finished with a B.S. degree in Human Biology, as well as a Religious Studies minor. Aldridge is currently applying to med schools in his gap year and is planning to start his journey to become a physician in fall of 2022
Are you ready to submit your primary application to med school? By this point you at least somewhat know the ins and outs of what AMCAS is, and you’re looking for tips on what to do and more importantly, dealbreakers to AVOID. Many online resources are either written like a college essay, or just give general information that’s not very helpful. As a recently graduated pre-med from Indiana University, I’ve read through many of the same sources you have and through talking to many of my friends who are admitted or currently enrolled in med school, here is my list of top 10 MISTAKES to avoid on your AMCAS application:
#1 Submitting too Late
In general the timeline of your application should follow a similar pattern. Many medical schools have rolling admissions, which is similar to a first come, first serve system. This means that to maximize your chances you want to submit your AMCAS primary application by early June, and realistically as soon as possible after it opens in late May! You shouldn’t rush and it’s okay if you have to delay a bit to improve the quality of your app, but AMCAS will take several weeks to verify after you submit it, so the earlier the better!
#2 Personal Statement Not Genuine
One of the larger mistakes I have seen other students make is that their personal statement sounds like any other pre-med student could have written it. It’s best to look internally about why you want to become a physician and pick 1-2 big topics you can write about that will show who you are as a person, that may not show up on another part of your AMCAS application. In my personal essay, I wrote about my family background as they immigrated to America and tied that in with my shadowing experiences overseas in my Atlantis program, as these things strongly impacted my desire to go into medicine.
#3 Work/Activities Sounds Like a Resume
I have seen A TON of conflicting information about how you should write your work/activities section and I am here to tell you that writing it like a resumé is NOT advised. Making it sound more like a story with a narrative will be much more compelling and impress those ADCOMS at your dream school. Of course, include basic information about your experience, but if they wanted a resumé, they would have just asked you to upload that.
#4 Work/Activities Don’t Add Anything to the Applicant
Another work/activities mistake I see people do is adding relatively random experiences that add nothing to their standing as an applicant. No offense, but unless you had a major life changing experience, most adcoms will NOT want to hear about how you won a student-athlete distinction in your sophomore year of high school and this information should be RECENT. For example, something like a summer shadowing abroad experience offered by Atlantis would be fantastic. Admissions counselors read hundreds of applications and will likely think you are just adding things for filler.
#5 Entering in Courses
Do your best to NOT make a mistake when filling out your classes. This may seem like an extremely monotonous task, and it totally is, but it needs to be done correctly. AMCAS has fairly clear directions on how to enter in things like AP courses, and I’ve seen several friends get their applications delayed because they accidentally reported a grade as a B+ instead of a B.
#6 Early Decision to Out of State Schools
AMCAS really offers no guidance on if you should do “early decision,” or even what schools you should apply to for that matter. It is TOTALLY in your best interest to buy a subscription to MSAR, as it will give you statistics on a med school’s average GPA, number of out of state applicants accepted and much more. Given that, applying “early decision” to an out of state school is generally not advised because your chances of getting in are usually lower than your in state school. A risk not worth taking!
#7 Needing All Letters ASAP
Students often think that you need to wait until you have all of your letters received before you submit AMCAS but that is not true. You will be in pretty direct contact with your med school through email, and many schools take the late summer period to collect all of your materials before making a decision about your future anyway. That said, get them in ASAP if you can!
#8 Not Securing Letters Early Enough
A way to avoid the problems of #7 is getting your letters set in stone as early as possible. They are not exactly needed until later, but it will drastically reduce your stress if you are able to get to the “med schools” portion of the application and simply select all the letters you want to send, as opposed to waiting!
#9 Request Your Transcript Early
This is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT mistake on this list- not requesting your transcript early enough. It can lead to your entire app getting delayed, and unlike letters of evaluation, AMCAS needs to receive your transcripts before you can submit. Get in contact with the registrar of your school as early as possible and start this process!
#10 Write About Things You Can Interview About
As a last rule of thumb, you should be writing about things you can talk about and explain in your eventual interview with med schools. Really similarly to mistakes #2 and #4, students often run into problems in their interviews when they mention something on their AMCAS that was really not an impactful experience for them. Just another reason to avoid fluff and write about meaningful things!
A lot of sources that aim to help students avoid mistakes on their AMCAS application are really what I call “half useful” and will give advice that applicants either already know, or is just plain wrong. I really hope this advice serves its purpose and that you get into the school of your dreams. Good luck!
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
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