I am literally SO PUMPED to write this blog! you guys have no idea how excited I am to answer all of these questions, but before I do I want to share with you a few tidbits about applying. first off, this post is based on applying to the UMKC Six Year Medical School which is a rare program that combines four years of undergraduate classes and four years of medical school into six years total. this allows you to get both an undergraduate degree and an MD in 6 years instead of 8. because of the way the program is set up, high school students apply and get accepted straight into medical school without taking the MCAT or having an undergraduate degree. since high school students are accepted into medical school directly out of high school, UMKC has an intense interview and acceptance process. second, I would suggest saving your essay answers and personal statements on a document. when you're in medical school, it is so special to be able to go back and read why you were so passionate about medicine, and let's be honest, you'll definitely need the encouragement later haha!
APPLYING-
☆ What was your weighted and unweighted GPA? ☆
my weighted GPA was 4.52 while my unweighted GPA was 4.0. I took both AP calculus and AP physics, these were the only AP classes my high school offered.
☆ Did you study a lot for the ACT? ☆
I studied as much as I could for the ACT. just like everything else I've ever done, I wanted to do the best I could possibly do. on average I studied 5 hours per week and on top of that did an ACT studying program where we studied at least 4 hours per week.
☆ What was your essay about? ☆
when applying to the UMKC School of Medicine, we were required to write four essays, each addressing different topics. when answering each question I thought about what made me different than other applicants because I wanted them to remember who I was. I wanted to exemplify a characteristic that no other applicant would have. some common medical school essay topics are along the lines of resiliency, social media, diversity, and most importantly why you want to pursue a career in medicine. when writing my essays, I did not list my accomplishments, instead I focused on the characteristic that lead to the accomplishments only using the accomplishments as proof that I possessed that characteristic. I then elaborated on how this characteristic would be helpful in my future studies, patient connections, and life as a physician.
☆ What extracurriculars/healthcare related activities did you do in high school and how many should you apply with? ☆
throughout high school I did a lot of different activities, most of them being sports. I did tennis for two years, and cheer and pole vaulting/high jump for three years. I focused my application more on pole vaulting/high jump and cheer because I did them a longer period of time, which exemplifies endurance, something necessary for medical school. I was a member of National Honors Society (NHS) and was a leader of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). I did elaborate on my role in FCA because I was in a leadership position which exemplifies leadership. The most important thing when picking topics to add in your application, is making sure that they have substantial value. don't just add all of the events/sports/clubs you've done for the past four years, be selective and elaborate. why are you adding this to your application? will this give you a leg up in medical school, if so why? for example, I was a part of the program we called GOCAPS which is the Greater Ozarks Centers for Advanced Professional Studies my junior and senior year of high school. this program allowed me to spend half of the school day in the hospital where I learned professionalism, shadowed a wide variety of hospital workers, and completed two Capstone Projects. I focused on this a lot during my application for three main reasons: 1) I learned the importance of professionalism; how to address professionals in the workplace, the correct way to respond to an email, and the importance of a first impression. 2) I was required to shadow all different jobs in the hospital from security and receptionists to techs, nurses, and physicians. the exposure to all parts of the hospital allowed me to be confident in my decision to become a physician over any other position in the hospital. 3) Capstone Projects. this is a project that took all year to prepare for where we presented in front of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. in this project we identified a problem within the healthcare system and created a business plan which included a problem statement, background, goals, implementation, research, cost summary, and benefits to help solve the problem. again, what you choose to add in your application should be purposeful, remember: quality over quantity.
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AFTER APPLYING-
☆ What was the interview like? ☆
the interview at the UMKC School of Medicine was unlike a standard interview. it was not set up to be a single one-on-one conversation, instead it consisted of 12 mini interviews with 12 different people. the room was set up with 24 tables, one table in between each of the interviewers with a folder containing the question which we were supposed to answer when we rotated tables. you had five minutes at each table; five minutes to prepare to answer the question and five minutes to actually answer the question. each person at each table reacted differently in conversation. for example, I remember one interviewer wouldn't look up from her computer screen and acted uninterested in the conversation, while another was enthusiastic to meet me. while reviewing the questions, I categorized my answer into main points and practiced explaining them before the buzzer went off. there were times when I got cut off by the buzzer during my conversations, but I always made it a point to say that it was nice to meet them and repeat their name back to them so they would know I was paying attention when they spoke to me. I was also sure to introduce myself with a handshake, and did my best to make a personal connection with each of the interviewers. I remember the interviewer who was pretending to be uninterested look up from her computer screen and get excited at one point. the most important thing during an interview is to be yourself, and I know that's cliche to say, but it is true! the interviewers are making sure you're right for the school, but you should also make sure that the school is right for you! Here are a few tips summarized for interviewing for medical school:
research the school. figure out what kind of patient contact you will be getting with that specific medical school. some schools will put you in the hospital your first year while other schools will have you in the hospital only for rotations during your third year. UMKC is one of the only medical schools in the nation that put students straight out of high school into the hospital their first semester. I would encourage any student who is interviewing to do some research on the schools values and history. this could be helpful during the interview if you wanted to discuss your values that are similar to theirs.
dress business professional. medical school is a professional program, therefore you should wear professional clothing (suits). there are a lot more options to expand on your appearance as a girl; skirt or pants, makeup or no make-up, hair up or down, jewelry or no jewelry. I am a very detail oriented person, so I took all of these into consideration. I personally chose to wear a pant suit because I wanted people focusing on what I was saying instead of what I was wearing. In my personal opinion, I also feel that pant suits are more professional than skirts. I decided to wear my hair straight and down (how I normally wear my hair) and do simple makeup. I wore stud ear rings and a simple necklace. with this being said, make sure you are in something that makes you feel confident and comfortable. if you feel more comfortable in a skirt than in pants, that's what you should do (as long as it's an appropriate length). I've never been one to wear dresses or skirts so it didn't feel comfortable to me haha!
introduce yourself with a handshake. this is something that was very helpful when making connections in the hospital. professionals will introduce themselves with handshakes and by doing this, you are allowing them to perceive you as a professional.
practice talking about yourself. before I went to the interview at UMKC, I had a few practice interviews, one with the head of the Mercy hospital in Springfield. this allowed me to get feedback on my body language as well as my ability to answer questions. If you are not able to set up an interview with a professional, I would find a professional you know to help you practice. you can quickly search medical school interview questions and have one of your family members conduct the interview. practicing for the interview in this way is less about trying to figure out what the interviewer wants to hear, and more about finding the best way to present yourself.
☆ How is the work load? ☆
the work load in the UMKC Six Year Medical School is definitely not anything like I was used to in high school. even some friends in my class who transferred from a different college said the work load wasn't like their other undergraduate classes. being in the program I've taken around 23 credit hours for the spring and fall semester and 10 credit hours this summer. we have some classes (prerequisites) where we are mixed with other students who are not in the program as well as classes specifically tailored for our program. the work load is definitely overwhelming at first, but time management is going to be your best friend! it took me a few months to get into the rhythm of scheduling my assignments as well as time to study and time to relax. this is SO IMPORTANT especially if you're someone like me who feels guilty when they're not studying! haha! there are definitely times when you're not going to want to study, or you feel like you're missing out on something fun because you have to study. what you have to remember is you're working hard now so you can have fun later!
☆ Is there decent financial aid? ☆
a lot of my classmates are taking out student loans to pay for medical school and living, but I do however have a few who have scholarships. the financial aid/scholarships you receive is very dependent on what you apply for and when. here is a link that will take you to the schools website where you can find out exactly how expensive it is as well as the different scholarships you can apply for! Financial aid here!
☆ What is the campus like? ☆
when I was a gymnast I did a lot of summer camps at different colleges (University of Arkansas, Oklahoma University) which allowed me to experience a college campus at a younger age! UMKC is definitely a much smaller campus than University of Arkansas and Oklahoma University. It's only a quick 5-10 minute walk from my dorms to my classes (which sometimes feels like forever when it's snowing outside haha). just like any other college campus, we have a cafeteria, gym, and library. I personally didn't spend a lot of time on campus because I found I was much more productive studying in coffee shops. the one thing I LOVE about UMKC is how close campus is to the plaza! for those of you who have never been, the country club plaza in Kansas City is a fifteen block retail center with Spanish inspired architecture. there are local and famous restaurants and shops at every corner! there are a few shops on the plaza that I love to study in, one is called Kalids Coffee. the plaza is a fifteen minute walk from the UMKC dorms, my sorority sisters and I walked down one day for the art festival! living so close to the plaza is so much fun because there are a lot of events like the art festival, and the Christmas lights in wintertime are so beautiful!
☆ How did you know you wanted to be a doctor? ☆
as I mentioned above, I was in a program called GOCAPS in high school that allowed me to shadow every position in the hospital. and when I say every position, I mean EVERY position haha! I shadowed a pharmacist, a radiology technician, an ER technician, a registered nurse, a cardiologist, a radiologist, an oral surgeon, a dermatologist, security, and a lot of other positions haha! shadowing allowed me to see the daily responsibilities each of these professionals had. I really enjoyed the detail oriented portion of the physicians work. they had to be precise in diagnosing or during procedures, and that's what really interested me. I also liked the wide range of work physicians can do. you could be a family practice physician and see different people everyday, or you could be a radiologist and have little to no patient contact. all of this is dependent on where you work, but the different options are still available, that is of course until you finish residency and are board certified in one thing. long story short, shadowing different positions in the hospital confirmed that I wanted to be a physician.
☆ what are you specializing in? ☆
I absolutely LOVE this question! it's so exciting thinking about my future as a physician! in high school I did an internship in the Catheterization Laboratory (Cath lab) at Mercy in Springfield MO, which is what really solidified my interest in physician medicine. ever since then, I have been OBSESSED with the heart; the anatomy, the electrical system, and how they both work together perfectly to be able to pump blood throughout your entire body! I mean, just think about it, the blood that flows through the very tip of your toe only gets there because of a fist sized organ located all the way up in your chest 🤩! another reason I loved the Cath lab was because of how non-invasive it is! let me explain what I mean by that; in the Cath lab a catheter (small tube) is placed in the radial artery (a blood vessel located in the forearm) using a wire first to guide it. the catheter is moved all the way to the heart where the procedure can then take place. In the past if a patient need a heart valve replacement, they would have to undergo open heart surgery which is very invasive and high risk and requires a lot of recovery time spent in the hospital. now, there are Cath Labs which do valve replacements through the radial artery as I explained above. this non-invasive procedure significantly decreases the recovery time and allows patients to get back to their lives much quicker! sooooo long story short, I am currently thinking of either specializing in cardiology or radiology!
for those of you interested in learning more about non-invasive surgeries, I recently stumbled upon a youtube channel where two interventional radiologists take the viewers through procedures and their everyday work lives! the doctors are HILARIOUS and it's so cool to see all of the different technologies that can be used for each procedure! Link here!