By Sebastian Leung
Applying for medical school can be one of the most intimidating and overwhelming hurdles in pursuing your dream. There are essays to write, recommenders to find, research to be done – not to mention the fact that you’re applying while still finishing up the school year and taking care of other responsibilities. Given that you already have little to no time for yourself, why should you put effort into meeting with medical school admissions officers? Here are three good reasons:
- The School Will Get to Know You
Meeting with admissions officers allows them to put a face to your name, which will help them remember who you are come time to review the applications. Instead of picking up your application and viewing you as “applicant number 597”, you’ll be remembered as the applicant they spoke with a short time ago and someone they had a good conversation with.
- You Can Strengthen Your Application
Through meeting with a medical school admissions officer, you can learn how to strengthen your application. Why? Well, because they work there! The admissions officer knows what the school is looking for and may be able to help you with your application, giving you tips to make you a better candidate.
- You Learn if the School is the Right Fit for You
Lastly, meeting with medical schools is not only good for making you a better candidate, but it truly can help you decide whether or not the school is where you want to be for the next few years of your life. This is a chance to ask the admissions officer:
- what the school is really like?
- what the student life is like there?
- what does the workload look like?
- And any other questions you may have.
Take the chance to learn about the school!
Meeting with medical school admissions may seem like a time-consuming activity, but it is well worth the time. You’ll be able to get to know the admissions officers, strengthen your application, and learn about the school. Make the time to meet with them, and you’ll find that it benefits you greatly.