5 Reasons Premeds FAIL To Get Into Medical School

It’s more difficult to get into medical school now than it has ever been. It seems that every year, more and more premeds apply to medical school and yet the number of first-year positions stays relatively the same. If your dream is to become a doctor, you will have to avoid the pitfalls that so many premeds fall into – and the first step is understanding what those pitfalls are.

According to the AAMC, over 62,000 premeds applied during the 2021-2022 application cycle and only 23,000 matriculated. That’s an acceptance rate of only 37% and a decrease of about 5% compared to last year. If you’re a premed just starting your future doctor journey, these can be worrisome statistics.

There is a silver lining though. Getting into medical school isn’t like winning the lottery. There are steps you can take and mistakes you can avoid that will help ensure acceptance, even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Here are 5 reasons why premeds fail to get into medical school and what you can do to avoid them.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:53 Suboptimal Hard Components
02:36 Checkbox Mentality
04:08 Not Choosing the Right Schools
06:13 Poor Medical School Interview Preparation
08:12 Following Bad Advice

LINKS FROM VIDEO:

#medicalschool #premed #medschoolapplication
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Disclaimer: Content of this video is my opinion and does not constitute medical advice. The content and associated links provide general information for general educational purposes only. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Kevin Jubbal, M.D. and Med School Insiders LLC will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death. May include affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through them (at no extra cost to you).

[thefenerbahcesk]

Before I was accepted last year, I was very bitter about how difficult it was to get into medical school. Now as a medical student, I can say medical school is many times more difficult than I thought it would be, and it is possible to fail medical school. Yes, the classes are pass/fail, but unless you have the proper stamina and study skills, you will not pass. Even right now, I have a guilty feeling in my stomach for watching this YouTube video and not studying. I'm not saying this to discourage premeds, but to let them know that the constant studying, major tests, and the fear of failure won't go away once you get in.

[tyleralger]

As a first year med student who was scared to death about not getting in, you guys got this.

[khalilahd.]

I’m currently applying so perfect timing. Good luck to everyone going through the same process. We can do this 🙏🏽💜

[mytho]

Great advice. few things I would add:

1. All essays matter. Please write well though-out essays that accurately convey why you want to become a doctor or how a certain event may make you a stronger doctor. PLEASE don’t write in a cheesy, unrealistic writing style either. It makes you sound fake and disingenuous. Write honestly from the heart instead and the essays will come out much nicer.

2. If you qualify as disadvantaged, use it to your advantage. You can write about disadvantages you’ve had in your disadvantaged statement and so forth, but don’t fake it. It needs to be genuine, and there’s info on the AAMC about what situations qualify as disadvantaged.

3. Only get letters from people who know you well and do not get them from family. You want the letter writer to be able to comment on what makes you a unique and interesting person, as well as your stellar performance. You have to understand that the vast majority of people applying all have letters commenting on performance, so to stand out, it helps greatly to have your letter writer genuinely speak to your personal qualities as an applicant.

4. Prepare financially. No one talks about how expensive this process is, even with the fee assistance program. It cost me over two thousand dollars to get from the MCAT to holding my first accepted seat. Prepare accordingly.

[JC-fmrh]

I wanted to share my story. I was rejected 3 years in a row for med school. No good feedback from adcoms. 33 on MCAT. 3.6 GPA with Masters in Pharm. Eventually got accepted to DO school. Currently finishing intern year in Anesthesiology at large academic center in SE. Dream big and persevere yall.

[Guayota]

My jaw dropped when you mentioned applying to over 40 medical schools! I was considering 5-10. This video is so helpful, so thank you so much!

[tylerj]

Starting as a freshman at 27 y/o, I have a long journey ahead but am so thankful for these videos!

[mh]

I hate how large the final hurdle is. To apply to med school can be $1000. MCAT study tool $500. Taking the actual MCAT $250. The Med School Insider preparedness plan starts at $3000 and goes up to $11000. You face so many challenges to begin with I hate how ones you can’t control can cause you to fail.

[Thurgoodstubbs.]

That, "following bad advice" is real! I have no idea why so many undergrad schools have PhD advisors who have never taken the MCAT, never applied to medical school, and really has no idea.
I served on a medical school admissions committee, and was horrified by some of the advice these premed advisors give. i.e. "med school's don't want to know about your EC's that's not related to medicine". Quite literally sabotaging applicants. Please make sure you find a good advisor, someone who's been through and knows the process well.

[rouzbehteimouri]

If youre not getting in spend your time studying microbiology, biochemistry and physiology. You will shine through and stand out when you get in. Don't give up, and spend your time studying these 3 subjects. Source: current med student.

[donaldhall]

Retired Doc here. I was an Asst. Professor at a Med School for a few years. While I was there I was put on the Admissions interview group. One thing that I saw on more then one occasion was the legacy candidate. An applicant who had family members that had matriculated at our school or another Med. School. Ergo mom and Dad are both Doctors therefore I will be a Doctor. Some of these applicants were solid candidates with good GPA's and MCAT's. Those were no problem, they usually already knew what the lifestyle would be, the amount of time required to be a good Physician etc. It was the other ones that were the problem. Daddy gave X amount of dollars to the school therefore you have to accept me, The I'm only doing this to please Mom and Dad. I don't even want to be a Doctor (I actually had one applicant tell me point blank he wanted to be a teacher) and those that simply did not look like they had the ability to make it through Med School. The point is most interviewers could care less what your parents and /or siblings do for a living so don't count on getting special treatment just because you're a legacy.

[MedSchoolInsiders]

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[christopherperez]

I finally got into medical school after trying for the past 3 years to fix my undergraduate GPA, doing an SMP and studying for and cancelling the MCAT 3 times. I am currently applying for the HPSP. Remember that all you need is one school but people also need to be realistic with themselves and apply broadly as like Kevin said, it is now harder now than ever to get in.

[karenvaldivia]

$10, 000 for Med school prep assistance is an insane amount of money.

[niahslife]

I’m currently taking my prerequisites for pre medicine and this is prefect for me. Thank you for sharing this ❤️ I’ll be saving this video for reference.

[SeanWRK]

We appreciate the videos! Thankyou med school insiders!

[priyaspreciousmoment]

This was the most helpful video I've watched in my life. Dr. Jubbal, I cannot thank you enough for uploading these videos. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart ❤

[DrDepperLP]

I am one of those that got into med school with a low undergrad GPA but I spent 2 years gap year before applying to PostBaccs and got into medical school after the PostBacc. Definitely not the best route taken. I was so focused on having the most colorful resume that I spread myself too thin and did poor in my actual classes. There is definitely a balance.

[daquanbenson]

Much love. I'm really enjoying the information these videos it's very helpful as well as insightful. I'd be happy to use you guys as like a source in the future

[thedayofk]

Just finished back-to-back interviews for dental school this week. I hope I can get in on the first try!