"Did you ever get denied and what was the process after?"
I was blessed in that I was not forced to apply another cycle because I got into a school within the cycle I applied in. However, during that cycle, I was denied from many schools and I'm not going to lie, the first denial letter did hurt. Coming into the process, everyone thinks they are the best applicant for the schools that they applied to so when you get the first denial letter, you're in shock. However, after that, every other denial letter that came was just the same. It is extremely easy to lose hope during that process but just remember to stay strong and hopeful. Furthermore, a cycle is a good learning experience to see where you can improve in your personal statement, secondary's, and interview skills. You can email schools and ask them what your application lacked and they'll help you out.
It is always a good idea to have a back up plan though. This plan should include everything you are going to work on if you don't get into any other schools. For me, personally, I was planning on doing more research and getting more clinical experience to strengthen my application. Denial should be used as a motivator instead of a detriment. You have to remember that only around 20% of applicants actually make it to medical school so there's nothing wrong with not making it within the first cycle. Many of my peers were re-applicants or had applied a couple of times before but now they are thriving in medical school so your time will come!
"When is it best to start working on your personal statement?"
The simple answer to this question is NOW. I would honestly start with a skeleton whenever you have free time just so you have an idea of what you want to write about because that is the hardest part. List out a few ideas and what you would do with them so once you actually start writing, it becomes a lost easier. Personal statements require a lot of time and need to really express your personality so the earlier you start, the better. I have written a post about personal statements before and I'll edit it soon and relaunch it so you have a better idea of what admissions are looking for in your personal statement but the earlier the better. Don't wait until the last second to write such an important essay.
"Is it true that publications are the only thing that matters on update letters?"
NO. I am not sure who told you that but that is completely wrong. My update letter was about a health seminar I helped organize in my local mosque and about my continued interest in the school. Your update letter can be about anything you have accomplished and about your continued interest in the school and why you're interested. You do not need a publication for your update letters to matter.
"What were some of the interview questions you were asked?"
This honestly depends on school to school. Some schools are generally more relaxed while other schools are more strict during their interviews. At one school, I was not asked a single question about myself. I was asked about my opinions on new government policies, how I would rank things, and etc. but I was never asked about my achievements or accomplishments which created a very relaxed environment. At another school, I was only asked about my achievements and why I would make a great fit at this school. Questions stemmed from "you said this in your personal statement; could you talk about it more?" to "how will you impact the community and your peers". I have a huge list of practice questions I made so dm me if you would like that list! I'd be happy to share it with you all. The one consistency within all interviews was the MMI questions where you're asked a scenario and you have 2 minutes to respond with a 30 second thinking period. Those are always the most interesting because they can go from "how do you tie a shoe" to "what would you do to this patient" and do require practice to get you set for it. If you guys need help with that, once again dm me and I can help you practice a few!
"About how much free time do you have in med school per day?"
This is an extremely tricky question because it really depends on person to person. The one thing I learned during medical school is that you will never feel fully prepared for a test due to the amount of information presented. Although admitting this, I still study with most of my free time to get as close to feeling prepared as I can. However, I do usually set an hour or two aside to work out/play basketball and then another hour aside to eat dinner and lunch. I also hang out with my friends while studying so it's not like we're studying the whole time. However, the week before an exam, there is almost no time to waste and you have to be extremely efficient. I know people that will have a couple of hours of free time because of their differing study methods so it really just depends on person to person.
"How do you make friends in medical school?"
No matter where you are in life, you will find SOMETHING to bond to people with. For example, I bonded with a few people over my passion of basketball. I bonded with a few others simply because we were placed in the same problem based learning group. There are plenty of opportunities to make friends and connections throughout school. Furthermore, medical school also has clubs where you can find like minded people to be friends with so I would highly recommend joining a few.
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