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Last year 143 students from Wayne State applied to the WSU School of Medicine — 54 of them were accepted. The entering class of 2008 has 290 students.
Dr. Silas Norman Jr., assistant dean of admissions for the School of Medicine, talked about what it takes to receive that acceptance packet.
“One of the biggest mistakes applicants make is pretending to be what they think we are looking for in a candidate,” Norman said. “Just be yourself in every aspect of the application process.”
According to Norman, the School of Medicine usually accepts 10 percent of out-of-state applicants, which usually outweigh the number of in-state students, but growing competition may increase that number in the coming years.
No preference can be given to applicants based on their undergraduate schools. They must expect the same level from everyone, and allow credentials to do the talking.
The question then becomes, what are the credentials? This year’s entering class had an average MCAT of 10.05, and an average GPA of 3.65, according to the School of Medicine’s Web site. There are several aspects to the application process that provide vital information to the admissions committee.
The MCAT and GPA are used to showcase how much knowledge and preparedness a student has in order to face the daunting and challenging four years of medical school. But they are not the only factors.
“Recommendation letters are extremely important, and work best in the applicant’s favor when they provide information that we cannot read in the AMCAS application,” Norman said.
Students should get them from professors who they know and can write a good letter. For instance, many applicants will go up to a past professor whose class they got an A in and ask for a letter. All that professor might state is, yes, this student did well in my class.
What Norman is saying is that they can obviously read that the student got an A, but what information does the professor have that can attribute knowledgeable, qualified information to aid the committee in making a decision?
“We are looking for letters that add to an application, not parrot it,” Norman said.
Therefore, students should not pick a professor whose class they were simply one of a couple hundred, and probably could not recognize them if they waved to them in the hall.
The personal statement is also important, and Norman states that it is through this section of the application that students need to be themselves.
That is their opportunity to say what reasons they have for wanting to become a doctor, or to discuss extenuating circumstances for why their application may not be as stellar as it could.
Students should take the essay seriously and express in a professional, yet genuine manner, what it is they want the admissions committee to hear from them, not what their friends or some online forum tells you they want to hear.
Wayne State does not participate in the traditional definition of rolling admissions. It tries to make sure there is enough room to accept dignified applicants from September through April, and continue to interview in April.
According to Norman, decision making for each year’s class will not finish until Aug. 1 of that year.
Students should apply when the application has been well-thought out and meticulously proofed. The importance of a student being themselves while remaining professional may just distinguish them as a matriculate.
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