Are you an applicant who is still waiting for your first interview offer in mid-January? If so, there are a handful of actions you can take at this time to help yourself get accepted to medical school. First, if you have not sent an update letter recently (or at all since you applied) you definitely want to do so. You should write a brief — not more than 1 page — letter summarizing what you have been doing for the past 6 months and forward it to all pending schools. Ideally you will share several “new” experiences such as: (i) A new clinical position that gives you exposure you may have been lacking, (ii) Additional service work in a soup kitchen, shelter, local church, or as a Big Brother that has allowed personal growth (iii) Building of leadership skills as a lab teaching assistant, tutor, mentor of high school students, and/or underclassman, (iv) Significant advancement in a current research position, such as a recent publication or the chance to present your work at a conference or seminar, or (v) Advancement of academic credentials such as receiving your EMT licensure, additional “hard science” coursework, or other certifications.
Sending an additional letter of recommendation is also a good idea if your recommender can add something “new” to your application. Sending another letter from a science professor when you already have three similar letters in your application is not “new” and does not add value, but if you have a new experience that is unique or at least different from what you have done previously, then by all means have someone write about.
So, ask yourself – What is different about my application NOW that makes me a better applicant? If you have a good answer to that question, then yes go ahead and share this information with each school where your application is still pending. Yes, it is late in the application season, but many schools are still holding interviews through February, and some schools even interview through March. Don’t give up. Be proactive. You never know if your update or recommendation letter will be enough to get you that desired first interview offer.
By guest blogger Theresa Davies-Heerema, Ph.D., who has advised many medical and dental school applicants during her career in post-graduate education.
Read the full article: No Medical School Interviews Yet- What Should I Do?