The Review Criteria
1. MCAT- All applicants are required to take the MCAT within three years of their application. The minimum acceptable score for each section of the MCAT examination is seven (7). The average score for entering freshman is ten (10) on each section. If the test is taken more than once within three (3) years of application, we will consider the best score for each section. MCAT scores are evaluated in comparison to national standards. The average is a 10, that means there are folks on either side of that. You really need to strive for a 30 on the MCAT. Thats not to say you can't get in with less than that, but you will have to have a higher GPA to offset a lower MCAT score. By the same token, if you have a GPA lower than 3.5 you can offset that (to some degree) with a higher MCAT score. If you get a 40 or above on the MCAT, then the medical schools will be calling you and they will forgive a lot of the other criteria (though not all).
What this all means is that the MCAT is one of the most important tests you will take during your undergraduate degree and you don't want to go into it ill-prepared. Make sure you plan study time into your education program so that you can do well on the MCAT before you take it. If you are a self-motivated learner, then you can probably do well with several self-help books from your local store. If, however, you need a little help keeping motivated then you really should look into an MCAT prep course. I don't recommend one over the others, but they will keep you on task and the key is to take lots of practice tests.
2. Grade Point Average- The minimum GPA is a 3.0. Applicants with a science, non-science, or overall GPA below 3.0 will not be considered. The applicant's GPA is compared to the average GPA of students who have gone on to attend medical school from the institution granting the applicant's highest degree. What this means for KSU students is you need a GPA of 3.5 to be considered average for this criterion and a GPA higher than 3.5 is highly recommended. You need to work very hard to get good grades in all of your classes, even one bad semester can really hurt your chances. That said, most medical schools are especially interested in your grade trends for the last 2 years of your degree. Unfortunately, its not until the review committee looks at your records that information like that can be considered. Taking an occasional withdrawal is better than getting an F (usually, though some schools will calculate Ws as Fs), but you have to consider not doing it too often or the committee will look at you askance.
3. Research- Research is the foundation of medical knowledge and is medical schools consider participation in research activities to be an important part of the preparation for medical school. Physicians depend on medical literature to remain current in their fields. Most physicians participate in research at some point in their careers. Research experience may be in any discipline and performed at any site, however, it must involve the testing of a hypothesis. Applicants should be able to describe their project, the questions being asked and their role in the conduct of the research. Research performed as part of a course requirement will not be considered. A senior thesis project is acceptable. The minimum research experience is four (4) hours per week for two (2) months (or the equivalent - 32 hours). The average experience is four (4) hours per week for three (3) months (or the equivalent - 48 hours).
This is an important criterion to keep in mind. Many a pre-med tries to get into medical school only to find out that they needed to be actively doing research; don't be one of those people. Make sure you plan on doing some sort of research before you finish school. Here at KSU that means doing an internship or a directed study. Internships are research done with folks outside of the KSU faculty while directed studies are done with local faculty. You need to read over the directed study/internship guidelines on the departmental website so you have an idea about the requirements. Its a fairly extensive process (2 semesters in the case of directed studies), so plan accordingly. I highly recommend directed studies and if you have some thoughts about doing one, you need to look at the faculty in the department (use the website) and read about their interests. If their interests sound like something that would interest you, then you need to talk to that faculty member personally and discuss the possibilities. Internships are coordinated through 2 different people; Dr. Estella Chen does internships for molecular/cellular projects and Dr. R.C. Paul does internships for organismal/ecological projects.
4. Physician Shadowing- Applicants should spend enough time with a physician(s) to understand the challenges, demands, and lifestyle of a medical doctor. Shadowing must be done with a licensed medical doctor. Time spent shadowing residents, veterinarians, nurses, EMT's, Ph.D's etc., will not be considered. The minimum shadowing requirement is eight (8) hours following a physician(s) of any specialty through all the activities of an average day. The average applicant spends twenty-four (24) hours with a physician(s).
This is not an onerous task and should be standard fare for all pre-meds. Don't overemphasize this and spend too much time shadowing. Its important that you understand the medical world you are going to enter, but don't think that lots of hours here will make up for short-comings in the above areas. This should be thought of more as a check box than a gradient, check it off when you get 24 h and move on (a few more hours is fine if you really enjoy it and it doesn't detract from the other criteria).
5. Patient Exposture- It is important that the applicant be comfortable working with and around people who are ill. Direct patient exposure can be gained in a variety of ways. Experience can be gained through volunteering or working in hospitals, emergency rooms, homeless clinics or nursing homes. Applicants must be actively involved in patient contact. Patient contact must include patients other than family members and friends. The minimum patient exposure requirement is four (4) hours per week for a period of two (2) months(or the equivalent - 32 hours). The average applicant spends four (4) hours per week in patient exposure for three (3) months(or the equivalent - 48 hours).
Keep in mind that this is not just being in the same room as sick people (hugging the wall with a grotesque look on your face is really a no-no). You need to have these be hands-on, cleaning up spittle, defecations, micturition (look it up), etc. If you are smart you can accomplish these hours at the same time you do your volunteer hours (see below) and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
6. Leadership Ability- Dedication, determination, ability to make decisions and a willingness to contribute
to the welfare of others are indicators of one's ability to succeed in medicine. Individuals
with these characteristics readily accept positions of leadership and are an asset
to their community and profession. Leadership capacity can be demonstrated in a variety
of ways. Positions in employment, church, community and school organizations including
coaching, tutoring and mentoring will satisfy this requirement.
The minimum leadership requirement is one (1) leadership experience lasting three(3)
months during the three (3) years prior to application. The average applicant has
three (3) leadership experiences each lasting three (3) months during the four (4)
years prior to entering medical school.
This is an important criterion that you must be working on from the very beginning. There are many student organizations that can be found on campus to help get these hours; Biology Students Organization (Tri-Beta), American Medical Students Association (AMSA), Leaders in Kennesaw program (LINK), and numerous others. Its not enough to just be a member of these organizations, you must show leadership potential, which means officer positions. You can also show leadership by being captain of sports teams or by being a student political leader, so if you enjoy sports or politics and actively engage in one keep that in mind. There are a lot of ways to show leadership, just make sure you start in early and keep it documented.
7. Volunteerism/Community Service- The medical profession is strongly oriented to service in the community. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to the community by involving themselves in service and volunteer activities. Work performed in service learning courses and community service performed as part of employment does not satisfy this requirement. The minimum community/volunteer service is three (3) hours per week for three (3) months (or the equivalent -36 hours). The average applicant devotes four (4) hours per week for three (3) months (or the equivalent -48 hours) during each of the four years prior to entering medical school to community and/or volunteer service.
Start early and volunteer consistently rather than a one time thing to get your hours. Don't make it look like you did it just to get into medical school, instead regular volunteering sends the message that you have a definite commitment to the community. If you volunteer in the right places, you can get you patient exposure hours at the same time. Don't get so caught up in volunteering that you start to suffer in some of the other areas. There is an office on campus that may be able to help you with volunteer opportunities.
8. Other Extracurricular Activities- The committee is interested in how applicants deal with the demands of their lives outside of the classroom. This is a strong indicator of how well they handle responsibilities and deal with stressful situations. It also predicts how well they will handle the difficult demands of medical school. The minimum requirement is some involvement in outside activities. The average applicant devotes twenty (20) hours per week during each of the four (4) years prior to entering medical school to activities such as work, volunteer service, research, athletics, student government and family obligations. Don't let these dominate you and have other criteria suffer for it.
