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Shine on Medical School Applications Without a Premed Major

By U.S. News & World Report

There is literature to support that matriculating medical school students have similar GPAs and MCATs, whether they are a science or a nonscience major. In both scenarios, the students have completed the mandatory prerequisites and do extremely well. That said, I have noticed a difference between the two groups of students in terms of the spark they bring to the class.

As an applicant, consider how to play to your strengths. Don’t view your non-premed major as a problem. Rather, analyze and understand how your strengths can benefit your medical studies and your future patients. You can make your application jump out from the rest by highlighting which areas you have studied.

I easily remember the first philosophy major we admitted to our school. He wrote beautiful, reflective essays on his application, and you felt like you had seen his soul when you read them. His letters of recommendation conveyed that the authors really knew this student. He was a leader in his medical school class and easily inspired others, not only his peers, but also students who entered later.

He also founded the medical school’s arts and humanities journal, and sparked the enthusiasm throughout the school to write about humanities and the essence of patients, not just about scientific research. Now most of our students do both — what a legacy to leave.

[Learn the four attributes to demonstrate on your primary medical school essay.]

Another of our students majored in Spanish and had excellent conversational skills. Before entering medical school, she volunteered extensively helping Spanish-speaking populations, even though she did not come from a Latino background. She translated clinical histories and shadowed physicians in a Hispanic medical center in a large U.S. city.

In her application essays, she wrote about mission trips abroad that convinced us of her dedication to others. When she arrived at medical school, she augmented the medical Spanish classes with practice sessions in her apartment. Under her leadership, students participated in mission trips and started health care screenings for Hispanics.

We have accepted every kind of engineering student you can imagine. These students are generally great at team play and working in groups. Examples of cooperation, negotiation, consensus and innovation jump out of their secondary essays. These traits are the future of medicine, and these folks already understand the process. They understand how to measure improvement and generally are eager to accept suggestions from others.

[Know how to highlight compassion in your medical school application.]

Students with engineering backgrounds often write about pulling together and what they learned from others. Their contributions blend splendidly with those from their colleagues and effectuate better outcomes for the entire group.

Statistics and math majors are a few steps away from science, but these students usually are quite good at critical reasoning and they will do well in that portion of the MCAT. They also have terrific skills in research. They often describe in their application essays how they helped move a project along as an undergraduate. They can help their matriculating classmates better understand statistical analysis in the scientific articles they are reading, and some will no doubt end up tutoring or helping others on their research methodology.

[Be sure to highlight diversity when applying to medical school.]

Typically, music majors are both great in math and superb in feeling emotions. They are practiced team players and possess great discipline. They demonstrate by their activities and in their essays how much music has enriched their lives. At my medical school, we have had every type musician in our school including vocalists. And dance majors have taught their peers about their cultures, and our musicians often participate in our students’ annual musical.

The admissions committee will already have your GPA, science grades and MCAT, but you can show how your nonscience major can take your class to the next level. Make it the icing on the cake.

More from U.S. News

Use Team Activities to Build Medical School Skills

What Late Medical School Applicants Need to Know

4 Attributes to Demonstrate on Your Primary Medical School Essay

Shine on Medical School Applications Without a Premed Major originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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