Feedback Question #3

Similar to prerequisite courses, the set of expected experiences is not standard. But based on my experiences, I can give you a breakdown that will make you the most competitive:

Medical School:

• Several hundred hours (200+) of clinical volunteering
• 100+ hours of physician shadowing
• Several hundred hours (200+) of nonclinical volunteering
• Some exposure (usually six months or so) to research
• Some leadership positions (usually two or more)

Physician Assistant (PA) School:

• 1,000+ hours of patient care experience
• 50-100 hours of PA shadowing
• Several hundred hours (200+) of nonclinical volunteering
• At least one meaningful leadership position

It’s important to note that the CASPA has a strict definition of “patient care experience” that differs from their category of healthcare experience.

Physical Therapy (PT) School:

• Several hundred hours (200+) of PT volunteering and/or work as a PT aide
• 50-100 hours of PT shadowing
• Several hundred hours (200+) of nonclinical volunteering
• At least one meaningful leadership position

Dental School:

• Several hundred hours (200+) of dental volunteering and/or work as a dental assistant
• 50-100 hours of dental shadowing
• Several hundred hours (200+) of non-dental volunteering
• At least one meaningful leadership position

Speech Language Pathology (SLP) School:

• Several hundred hours (200+) of SLP volunteering and/or work as an SLPA
• 50-100 hours of SLP shadowing (if permitted)
• Several hundred hours (200+) of non-SLP volunteering
• At least one meaningful leadership position

Business School:

• Two or more years of professional work experience
• Several hundred hours (200+) of volunteering
• At least one meaningful leadership position

Law School:

Resumes of law school applicants will vary quite a bit, but I recommend getting involved in activities and organizations that interest you the most. Law schools like to build their classes with passionate, diverse, and well-rounded students. Activity examples include:

• Political Campaign Assistance
• Fellowships
• Americorp
• Teach for America
• Consultant
• Government Intern

All of your activities do not need to relate directly to law or law school. Many students pursue internships and/or jobs to develop leadership skills, entrepreneurial abilities, communication, and collaboration skills. You could also choose to become involved with your campus pre-law society or mock trial team. If your school doesn’t have either of these, think about starting one.

Feedback Question #5

Too many times, I have read advice online that tells students to “only apply to 5-6 schools and dedicate all your time, attention, and focus to those programs to increase your chances.”

In almost all cases, this is terrible advice, even for super competitive candidates.

Sure, if you’re a statistical juggernaut who meets ALL the experiential requirements AND who comes from an underrepresented background in your field, then MAYBE you can get away with being a little bit picky in building your list.

For law and business school, I would consider 10-15 as a minimum number of programs.

For SLP, PT, and dental school, I would consider 15-20 as a minimum number of programs.

For medical and PA school, I would consider 20-25 as a minimum number of programs.

But if you’re working far in advance and aren’t hindered by personal financial restrictions with application fees, I would recommend applying to 5+ more programs than these minimums.

Then you must balance your list by breaking it down into “safeties,” “matches,” and “reaches,” erring on the side of more safeties and fewer reaches.

As an example, let’s say you’re applying to 20 programs; 8 safeties, 7 matches, and 5 reaches would seem like an appropriate breakdown.

A safety would be a program where your GPA and test scores exceed the average stats for the school. A match would be a program where your GPA and test scores fall into the typical range for that school. And a reach would be one where you fall under (but not too far under).

Beyond stats, it’s important to consider whether a school shows any strong preference towards candidates who have in-state ties. In some cases, a school’s incoming class might only consist of 5-10% out-of-state candidates, which could turn a match into a strong reach.

Feedback Question #6

This question is so important that I’m giving you a bonus point if you answered “Yes.”

So much work goes into completing the checklist of courses and experiences I covered in quiz questions #2 and #3. 

You work so hard to get enough volunteering hours, shadowing, work experience, and leadership, that at the end of the four years, you've done nothing outside of the ordinary and look just like everyone else applying to med school.

The bad news, though, is that doing the checklist doesn't get you in; it just gets you qualified. There are thousands of qualified candidates. What will get you in is what sets you apart. And what sets you apart is your answer to the question, "why should a school accept me?"

Perhaps you're the first in your family to go to college. Maybe you've battled cancer and now want to research it for the rest of your career. Maybe you've been a Division 1 athlete during undergrad. Or you've gotten a master's degree in global health or anthropology.

Medical/graduate programs are full of people who can do the work. What they want more of are people who bring a unique perspective to the incoming class. If you know your answer to that question, then you may be ready to apply.

Feedback Question #7

The total cost of applying to your program will vary based on your number of schools, their fees, and the number of times you might have to travel for in-person interviews, but the odds are that applying will cost in the multiple thousands of dollars.

Let’s just take medical school as an example:

Submitting the primary application to 25 schools through the AMCAS will cost ~$1,000. Then, if we use the rough estimate of $75 per secondary application, that’s another $1,875. Then let’s say you get 5 in-person interviews out of state–that could easily be another $1,000-$1,500.

There are fee waiver programs for most applications, but it’s not always easy to qualify for that aid. And yes, virtual interviews have been the norm for the past several years, but in-person ones are making a comeback now that the COVID era has passed.

And then, of course, there’s the tuition cost of completing your degree. Pause for a second and do a quick internet search for the tuition costs of your top two programs… go ahead, I’ll wait.

Just imagining that I’m a California resident who wants to go to, let’s say, USC or UC Davis for PA school, I found the following: USC - ~$65,000 per year for three years, UC Davis - $151,515 (total program fee).

Some students are fortunate enough to have family who will help them pay, and others can mitigate cost through scholarships and/or merit-based or need-based aid. And then of course there is the option of taking out loans. Most people manage a combination of all these options, but it’s certainly a complicated process that you must consider before applying.

We at Passport Admissions offer Financial Aid Advising, so don’t hesitate to book a free consultation meeting.

Feedback Question #8

The term “gap year” refers to the year between applying and actually matriculating into your program. It’s a big mistake not to make a productive plan for this time period.

Why? It’s a great opportunity to:

• Make money
• Improve on weaknesses
• Build on strengths
• Finish any in-progress requirements that you’ll need to report to your schools
• Enjoy your last “year off” before you begin the grind of graduate/medical school

Here’s one of the best gap years I’ve seen:

a) Improved on a Weakness: Over the summer, the candidate did zero gravity research with NASA (he didn’t have a lot of research experience)

b) Built on a Strength: When he was in the United States, he worked on the nonprofit he founded several years ago, hosting events and fundraising

c) Enjoyed Last Year Off: For two months right around Christmas, he flew to the tip of Argentina and biked back to the United States.

This gap year hits many of my principles, and every piece of it sounds interesting and fun. It’s flexible enough to allow the student to fly around the country for interviews while having plenty of ammunition with which to update schools throughout the year.

Feedback Question #9

To quote a cliche, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results." If you don't get in, your backup plan should not simply be, "I'll apply again."

Instead, here would be some productive options (note - you’ll probably need to do at least two or three of these things):

• Pivot in your path (i.e. applying to DO medical schools if you didn’t get into MD ones)
• Develop new study plan and retake a standardized test
• Retake prerequisite courses that you have lower grades in, or better yet, consider pursuing a post-bacc or one-year master’s program
• Significantly improve your field-specific work experience by increasing your hours
• Find new meaningful volunteering avenues that support underserved people
• Find new meaningful leadership experiences
• Do something extraordinary that schools won’t typically see in other applications

Feedback Question #10

Although admissions might seem arbitrary, it’s not. 

Talk to a good advisor, and they can handicap your chances of admission before you waste a lot of time and money on a poorly composed application. Some colleges have career advisors who can give you an honest assessment of your chances. 

Or if not, we at Passport Admissions would be happy to help. We offer free, hour-long "What Are My Chances" meetings to help students figure out whether they're ready. We also assess their needs - what help they might need during the application process to make it through.

Click here to schedule a free “What Are My Chances” meeting 

Final Thoughts:

I’ve been listening to “Vienna” by Billy Joel while creating this quiz and writing my advice, and a few of the other lyrics have stood out to me:

“You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need.”

I know you’re probably eager and maybe even impatient to begin your medical/graduate school career, but if you’re too focused on the end goal, you might forget the importance of embracing the process, paying your dues, and taking things one step at a time. It’s good to think about the future, but only if you have a long-term plan with incremental goals along the way.

We offer free planner downloads for many different degree types. 

“You got so much to do and only so many hours in a day.”

Oof. Let me tell you, this idea only becomes more and more obvious as you get older. Time is precious, and it’s human nature to feel like you’re never using that precious commodity to its maximum efficiency. But you don’t have to feel helpless in your time management.

Focus on meeting the necessary requirements, prioritizing depth over breadth so that you don’t shallowly spread yourself too thin. After that, pour yourself into some passion project or endeavor that you feel will separate you from the pack.

Consider seeking help through time-management strategies and resources. 

“It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two.”

I know I just said that “time is precious,” but don’t let the pressures of time weigh you down to the point of burnout or mental health struggles. Relax a bit. Do things you love just for the sake of enjoyment. Spend time with friends and family. As Billy Joel says, take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while. Your dreams will still be there at the end of the weekend.

Are You Ready to Apply? - Grading Rubric

You have been awarded 1 point for every “Yes” response, 0 for every “Not sure” response, and -1 for every “No” response. You may have earned 1 bonus point for a “Yes” answer on critical questions like #2, #3, #4, and #6. 

7+ points: Definitely ready to apply

5-7 points: Maybe ready to apply

0-4 points: Definitely not ready to apply

--> Your score will show on the next screen.

Of course, this is a rough estimate that would require a more nuanced conversation, so feel free to pick our brains through a free consultation meeting.  

- Ryan