Biobehavioral Health Premed Advisory
The Department of Biobehavioral Health and the College of Health and Human Development represent an ideal educational environment for a person whose career goal is medicine, or any of the other health professions. You have the advantage of being able to enroll and excel in all of the courses required by all medical schools in the U.S. and Canada, and at the same time be able to integrate the basic biological and chemical and physical sciences with the basic behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental sciences that constitute the very complex profession of medicine and health care. Biobehavioral Health offers you the opportunity to begin to learn and integrate the biobehavioral risk factors and elements that constitute health, disease, treatment, and prevention. As medical schools move toward curricula and learning experiences that involve more emphasis on early exposure to patient care and primary care, prevention, problem-based learning, behavioral and neurological sciences, health, human development, and humanities you will have a sound biobehavioral base on which to integrate these innovations with the basic sciences and more specialized learning in the clinical sciences that you will encounter in medical school, postgraduate training, and your lifetime learning throughout your professional career.
Begin to plan your rationale for studying biobehavioral health and medicine
As you work toward your undergraduate degree in Biobehavioral Health you should be constantly attempting to relate what you are learning, and the experiences you are having, to the study of medicine and your future career. You should recognize that most admissions committees do not know what biobehavioral health is, how it might fit into the study of medicine, and why the knowledge and understanding of biobehavioral health is an ideal preparation for you to enter medical school and begin to learn the basic medical and clinical sciences, i.e. you must be able to answer why and how it has prepared you to enter medical school and to study medicine? Why will it make you a better medical student and a better doctor? Begin now to collect notes, reasons, and persuasions that translate and interpret what you are learning in biobehavioral health to any member of the admissions committee. That's why you should be reviewing, and testing-out those ideas and concepts as you study and apply the complex components of biobehavioral health.
Sequence of courses and experiences as a premedical student
1. Register with the Premedicine Office (Dr Robert Mitchell, 213 Whitmore Laboratory) and with the Biobehavioral Health Undergraduate Office (Dr. Frank Ahern, 302 Human Development East) to acquaint yourself with the sequence of courses and laboratories required by most medical schools, and the opportunities here at Penn State. It is to your advantage to participate in all of the activities of both the University Premed Program and the College or Department Premed Program.
2. Plan your courses carefully. When you take a required course, discipline your study habits so that you can maintain at least a 3.5 GPA, especially in the science courses. The Admissions Committee will judge your ability to successfully complete your medical studies primarily on the basis of how well you have excelled in your science courses; not because they are so much more relevant to the practice of medicine, but because the medical faculty feel that if a student has academic trouble in medical school, it is most apt to be in the medical school science courses. If they accept you into medical school, they want to be certain that you will be able to graduate. If you drop-out for any reason, they are apt to consider that they made a mistake, and that you abandoned a place in medical school that someone else wanted, but who will never be a physician because you were given that opportunity.
With regard to non-science courses and electives, most medical schools profess that they encourage majors in fields other than science. Probably the best way to test a school's philosophy versus actions would be to determine the number of medical students they accept who are other than science majors. The same goes for other factors, such as gender, minorities, backgrounds, alumni, out-of-state, practice and research aspirations, etc. With regard to electives, most medical schools will want you to take a broad selection (even one or two at 2nd or 3rd levels) of courses that will help you to mature and develop an active sense of caring, empathy, and commitment to individual and social concern for the human condition. If you feel they don't value that, then you will probably not be happy there.
3. Competition among premedicine students and other majors is keen; sometimes extreme. It should not be that way, but it is. You should be learning in a cooperative and interdisciplinary context, because that's much of what will be required of you in the future, whether it is practice or research. However, medical schools inadvertently promote this competition because they want the very best students with the highest scores. Other more qualitative criteria and standards are very difficult to assess and validate.
4. It is very important for you to seek-out and develop an academic relationship with a mentor, who will know you as a student, a person, and as a potential physician who they are helping to train. You will need at least two very important letters of recommendation/assessment from someone with whom you have had a continuity of contact to provide an in-depth, honest, and persuasive account of your qualifications as a committed, intelligent, and responsible human being.
What personal and professional qualities and characteristics do they seek and look for in a recommendation? Words that seem to appear most often in letters of recommendation (but not in any specific order) are: What relationship and how long known, aptitude for study and practice, specific knowledge of intellectual capacity and responsibility, character, personality, how compare with other students who have applied, sense of humor, diversity, cooperation, collaboration, collegial skills, scholarship, quality of work, aspirations, passion for learning, inquisitive, creative, original, sensitive, integrative, emotional balance, judgment, work experience, learning and work habits, personal and professional growth experiences, leadership, moral standards, empathy, social commitment, interpersonal skills, energy and preservation, trust of student as their potential physician, etc. There are others, but the most valued will be specific behavioral examples to illustrate their knowledge and observations of you; not just words of praise. Think of some of the above in terms of how much the recommender may actually know about you.
5. Hands-on research and/or practical experience can be very valuable for your education and for your application, and should begin at least by your junior year. Undergraduates who have some experience of working on research projects will begin to develop knowledge and skills in current health care research, and will be seen as medical students who are inquisitive and will have some understanding of medical science, and will also have an understanding of the research and careers of academic medical faculty. If you can accomplish a published or delivered paper it will add greatly to your attractiveness as an applicant.
6. A hands-on clinical experience or working in a health related project, at least by your senior year, is also important. It will help convince an Admissions Committee that you know something about what is involved in medicine and patient care, that you've demonstrated your interest and skills in helping people, that you can work with people, and that your commitment to be a physician is more than a dream or fantasy. For example, working in the summer as a counsellor for retarded children, handicapped persons, or persons in a clinic or community with special health problems is recognized as a valuable experience, the development of skills, and demonstration of commitment.
The MCAT Exam
The MCAT exam is required by all medical schools. It is given in April and August but it is probably best to take it in April, about 18 months before your planned entry into medical school, and so that the scores will reach AMCAS or AACOMAS in plenty of time, and also so that you will have the opportunity to retake the exam if you need to improve your scores. Be sure you have taken the required basic science courses before taking the exam. Even though Admissions Committees do not always agree on the validity of the MCAT to be of any value to predict beyond the 2nd year of medical school, your scores will be used in the initial screening of who gets interviewed.
Selecting a Medical School
1. You can get a good medical education at almost any of the accredited medical schools in the US or Canada. However, the medical school you attend will have a tremendous influence on your performance, attitude, excitement, inspiration, special interests, and future career. Study the AAMC publication: Medical School: Admission Requirements (in 302 HHDEV E, the Undergraduate Office ) which contains a lot of valuable information, such as, the admission requirements of each medical school, number applicants, number accepted, percent women/men/out-of-state, the curricula, how students are evaluated, educational and clinical philosophy, special learning and clinical opportunities, combined MD/PhD programs, etc. Your goal is to get as much specific information as you can relating to the schools you are interested in.
2. Then try to match your own personality, learning style, goals, ambitions, etc. with the medical school you prefer. Talk with alumni and your advisor, or visit the school if you can, and talk with medical students and residents. Ask about their own experiences, why they like it or don't like it. Get a feel of what it would be like to go to that school and then select the school that excites you. Admissions interviewers can easily detect the extent to which you are genuinely excited about medicine and enrolling at their school.
3. Advisors may recommend that you apply to at least two schools from the top of your list, and a couple of schools where you might stand a better chance competitively. But don't apply to any school that you feel might be a misfit for you personally or professionally.
Your application
1. Since most medical schools try to interview a candidate before granting acceptance, it is extremely important that your application reflect your highest academic and personal qualifications. If there are any factors which might provide the Admission Committee a reason to pass over your application,(e.g., GPA, transcripts, MCAT scores, personal statement, difficulty with science courses, etc.), then you should find a way to draw attention to some other special accomplishments or qualities you have to offer, so that at least you will have a better chance of being interviewed and an opportunity to explain those "weaknesses" and to verify your highest qualities. Your advisor and/or mentor can help you with this.
2. Remember, Admissions Committees have to make a judgment on several thousand applications, select a few hundred to interview, and then reduce those to the class size of a hundred or so. It is a very difficult job and they take it very seriously. They want the best students, but they are constantly aware that for every one they accept, there are two or three highly qualified individuals who will not be able to be a physician, and that if they accept someone at risk of dropping out, then they are aware that they rejected someone who will never be a physician because they accepted you.
Preparing for the admissions interview
1. The interview is not an inquisition. You may have heard some stories about the trials, tribulations, and embarrassments, of someone's interview, but I can assure you that they are grossly exaggerated. You will be interviewed by two or three members of the Admissions Committee (and maybe others), who are very busy clinicians or basic science faculty, but who are friendly and supportive and who want to try to get to know you as a person, as a potential medical student, as a future colleague or even potentially as their own future physician. Try to be as relaxed as you can: attentive, friendly, honest, thoughtful, positive, and project the kind of person and image you would like to share with a future colleague. View It as an opportunity to converse with an accomplished person (who is usually skilled with interviewing patients) and who wants to get to know you, and who wants to know something about your life, your goals, your commitments and your preparation and excitement about studying and practicing medicine.
2. In preparing for the interview, assess your own qualifications, goals, and accomplishments. Then get all the information you can from the school catalogue, faculty, students, and graduates. Know the goals, philosophy, accomplishments, the curriculum, and expectations of the school and faculty. What are the major innovations in curriculum, patient care, and research?
3. It is very important to match your own learning style and goals with those of the faculty and students. If you haven't visited the school before, arrive early and try to learn who will be interviewing you. Talk with some of the medical students to assess their experiences, excitement, why they enrolled there and why they would recommend it. They may even share some information about the people who will be interviewing you (it might allow you to avoid making some off-the-cuff statement about which the interviewer strongly disagrees). Then with this information, review your own goals and learning skills to assess to what extent this school would be a good match for you and a good match for them also.
4. Having learned all this, you will be better prepared to respond to and discuss some of the questions you are apt to be asked. (You may even decide that this particular school is not for you). Above all, don't try to "wing" it. Your own research and preparation will not only make you feel more competent as an applicant, but it will actually improve your own prospect for being accepted.
The Interview
Now that you have thoroughly prepared yourself and feel certain that this is a school and environment in which you have the best opportunity to learn and develop the professional knowledge and skills to achieve your own career goals, you must prepare yourself for the interview. It is especially helpful and stress-reducing to have someone give you a trial interview, so that you can get some experience in responding to many different kinds of questions Since the questions you may be asked will occupy much of your worry, I have listed some of the typical questions which you may be asked, and have added an editorial comment or explanation to try to help you understand the most likely rationale behind each.
1. Why do you want to be a physician? When did you decide?
What factors played a major role in your decision? What areas in medicine interest you the most and why?
(These may seem like the same question, but they are an attempt to explore your motivation for medicine in more depth.)
2. Why did you apply to this school? What would you find exciting about studying here? How will you decide if you are accepted by several medical schools?
(This is where your knowledge of the school, philosophy, etc., will be of benefit to you as they will be interested in how much you know about them. If they are your first choice, tell them. They may even be somewhat flattered. But, be well informed, and be able to ask intelligent questions about the programs and curriculum. If you are interested in them, they are more apt to be interested in you).
3. What will you do next year if you don't get into medical school?
(You should have a plan that will continue your preparation for the study of medicine; that will help you acquire the knowledge/skills in something that will be relevant to medicine, or if you never get in, will form the basis for a related career. They want to know that you are determined for medicine, and also that you will not be one to drop out. Also, that you will not just sit and wait it out).
4. Why did you choose to go to PSU? What was the most exciting course(s) you took and why was it exciting? What was the most exciting non-science course you took and why was it exciting? Who was your best teacher and why?
(They may want to talk football, which is good, but don't let them forget about the strong academic education and other experiences you have had and how that helped you. In general, it's best not to dwell on deficiencies or make critical comments, as they might suspect that if you are so critical of your own institution, you may be even more critical of their school in the future. This holds true for critical comments about other schools, people, etc)
5. What is the most exciting experience you have had in college; or ever?
(What they really want to know is what turns-you-on intellectually and emotionally. They may also want to be assured that you have genuine feelings and can express them. Also, are you ever excited about culture, music, art, etc?.)
6. What have you done in the summers? Why did you choose them and what did you learn through those experiences? How will it help you be a better doctor?
(They want to explore whether you have been productively active, and hopefully that it may have made a contribution to your growth or contributed to your community or society.)
7. Who in this world knows you the best and how would they describe you?
(It's important that they explore how others see you and might ask how you would describe yourself. It seems like a simple question, but you can goof it up if it is unexpected).
8. Imagine yourself 10 years from now. It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon; where will you be and what would you hope to be doing? (This may surprise applicants, but it is an attempt to tap into your fantasies and may help confirm your ambitions and goals, etc.)
9. What medical specialty interests you most, and why, and what do you see yourself doing there that you can't do in another specialty or in general medicine?
(It's not important whether you have selected a specialty, but they want to know about what you are thinking and why; testing how realistic you are. If the school has a high emphasis on research or family medicine or some other area, it's not necessarily important that you reflect their interest. In fact don't, unless you are sincere, because you will certainly be asked to tell more about why, what, and how will you accomplish that at their school.)
10. What was the greatest obstacle you have ever had to overcome? What would you say is your greatest achievement in life so far? What are your three greatest strengths and three greatest weaknesses?
(These questions are not to embarrass you, but they may take you by surprise and make you stumble or think too quickly. For four years you may have been working so hard you haven't had any time to review such things, but they do want to be sure that you know how you view your life and your experiences. Medicine is both rewarding and difficult and they may want to know that you can succeed in what you try).
11. What do you consider to be the major issues today in medical education? What do you think some of the solutions might be? How might you contribute to these solutions? What would improve your opportunity to learn medicine?
(Again, are you aware of what you're getting into and what works best for you? At least one Journal which can be of help is
Academic Medicine. Also, J.A.M.A., The Chronicle, and the media occasionally cover innovations and problems in medical education.)
12. What do you see as the major issues in medicine today?
(This is a big area, but the interviewer will be very interested in what you know and what you think. The above journals can help, but also discuss these issues with other premed students and read everything you can in the press. Be aware of what was recently on TV, how these issues are affecting the medical schools, the practice of medicine, and patient care. The more you know of what the problems are and can discuss them rationally, the more impressed they will be that you are interested in medicine. These issues will definitely be affecting your life and career in the future.)
13. What are some of the major issues in society today and what do you think can be done to remedy them? What can medicine do to help solve these problems?
(Good sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, evening news reports, weekly news magazines, etc. If you are asked a question that is very controversial and you don't know how direct or "honest" you should be, there is nothing wrong with saying you don't know yet, which may be the case, but then try to offer points or solutions on both sides of the issue, so they will at least know that you do know something about it and are still open to more data or other possible solutions. They will not be trying to give you a "litmus" test, but will want to know that you are a thinking, concerned, unbiased, and compassionate person. Discuss it as openly and as honestly as you can. That goes for everything in the conversation, and don't hesitate to ask him/her what they think or know about it.)
14. You say that you want to help people, but what are some of the things you have actually done in the last few years to help people, and what did you learn from it?
(The interviewer wants to cross-check your concerns and ideals to assess how you have lived-up to them in the past, and maybe something of your plans for the future.)
15. When have you had to work as a team member? What seemed to make you more successful and what seemed to interfere with your cooperative skills?
(In the past, individual freedom was an attractive factor in medicine, but today cooperation and collaboration are necessary in patient care. This is especially true in research where individual disciplines overlap and must work together in order to find a solution to basic science and clinical science questions. They will be interested in examples of how you have worked with others).
16. What was the last fiction or non-fiction book you have read?
(Premed students are often so involved in their premed studies that they ignore such reading, but the interviewer may be interested in your ability to do both. You might even be asked to identify some of the content or ideas that impressed you most).
17. What do you find is most stressful for you and how do you handle it? What do you do for relaxation? Can you recognize stress in others and what have you found that you can do to help them?
(Stress is a very important factor in the study and practice of medicine, and in the patients you will see. You must be able to do more than be to identify it, so the interviewer may be interested in both your sensitivity and your skills).
18. If you could meet and talk with some person in the present time or past, who would it be, why are you interested, and what would you like to ask them about?
(Again, they want to know more about you as a person, what interests you have; about who and what you admire, fear, or dislike. This can also lead to further discussion about you as a person).
19. Having read your personal statement, I would like to know what specific parts of it you consider as most important?
(This would be a great opportunity to summarize and emphasize your best strengths, experiences and special abilities that will make you a good medical student and a good physician. You can also add something that you may have forgot when you wrote it initially).
20. Is there anything you want to tell me about yourself or your application that we haven't discussed, or to add something that may be of special importance, or that you want to ask at this time?
(Again, this is a great opportunity for you to explain or inject something you didn't explain too well, or that has changed, or want to ask, or to reemphasize or summarize something you have already said, so use it to leave the best impression you can).
Each person interviewing you will undoubtedly tailor their questions according to their own interests and concerns, but the questions listed above should give you some idea about the kinds of questions you may be asked and some things to think about when you are attempting to respond to them.
Enter the interview with a relaxed, confident, and honest stance; as though you were talking with a future mentor or colleague. Of course you should restrict your joking, but remember that a good and constructive sense of humor has been acclaimed by many medical school faculty (and students) as probably the most useful personal characteristic for survival and success in the study and practice of medicine.
GOOD LUCK!!
Evan G. Pattishall, Jr., Ph.D., M.D., Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Science, Health and Human Development. March, 1998. E-mail: egp2@psu.edu or pattiseg@eckerd.edu .
Helpful Refs:
AAMC, Medical School Admission Requirements: United States and Canada,1998-1999, Washington DC: AAMC, 1997.
M. Magee, The Pfizer Medical School Manual,'97,order:212-573-3911