Month: February 2010

Tick, tick, tick…Timing Your Application to Medical School

photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotologic/

Is time finite and structured?  Or, is it flexible, even fluid?  Scientific and philosophical considerations aside, from the point of view of a pre-health advisor, it depends on whether you are applying to medical school this year or not.  The application process begins more than a year before you enter medical school with lots of deadlines to meet.  Once you decide to apply, time is not on your side.  You may hope that if you are accepted you can defer admission, but it is the rare circumstance in which a medical school grants you an extra year before beginning your studies (p.s. come talk to a pre-health advisor about this if you are counting on a deferral).  You may expect the clinical experience and grades you get after you submit your application to make a difference.  This is not a great strategy, unless you truly believe that admissions folks have the time to continually review your application along with the thousands of others they receive.

Before you apply, on the other hand, you can take as much time as you need to build your application or do things that are not directly related to medical school.  Everyone is different.  Some people go to the medical school right after they graduate and that’s fine; however, there is nothing inherently “better” about going straight to medical school.  The best time to apply to medical school is when your application is strong and you are committed to beginning your training to become a physician.

Here are some points to consider:

1.  The application you submit, is the application that is reviewed. It is not a wise strategy to submit your application thinking that you will update the schools with all the great things you are going to do over the next year.  By all means, stay active while you are in the process of applying and talk about your experiences if you are fortunate enough to have an interview, but don’t assume someone will revisit your application when you email those great fall grades or that extra letter of recommendation.  A pre-health advisor can’t tell you whether you will get into medical school or not, but he or she can talk with you about the strengths and weakness of your application as well as the challenges of the admissions process.

2. Applying a second time to medical school can be challenging (not to mention expensive).  If you turn around and apply the next year the schools are less likely to ask, “Who is this?” than “What’s different this time?”

3.  Applying later in the application process puts you at a disadvantage.  Yes, the official application deadline may be in October; however, if you submit your application then your chances of receiving an interview are considerably smaller than if you have applied by mid-summer.

4.  Take the MCAT when you are prepared.  This is not a test you want to “take a shot at.”  Is it realistic to take the MCAT, start a new job, take two science classes, and find a new place to live in the same month?  From what I’ve seen, it is not.  It’s also worth noting that you don’t want to take the MCAT too early.  If you are planning to take a significant amount of time before applying to medical school, check schools’ policies regarding the oldest MCAT that is acceptable.

5. Time spent strengthening your application is not a “black hole” or a personal failure.  Taking some more time may not have been your plan.  It may be, as I’ve heard students say, that you “have no idea what you would do” with that time.  As pre-health advisors we present taking some time as an option, but it’s always your choice.  Thinking through the possibility allows you to make an informed decision about the possible benefits and risks.

6. Is there anything that you, personally, want to do before you begin medical school?  Once you enter medical school, and then the medical profession, the demands on your personal time will be significant.  If there is another career you want to explore, a different call to serve that you wish to answer, or a desire to pursue a personal, non-academic experience, you may want to give yourself time to do that before making your commitment to becoming a doctor.

Keep in mind, of course, that you can make time to meet with a pre-health advisor by appointment or during walk-in hours. We never take time off!  (Unless we are buried in snow, like today.)

Winter Weather Notice

Special Message regarding inclement weather on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010:

If the University closes tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb 10) for the snow storm, Career Services will be closed. If the University remains open, Career Services will be open, although some staff may not be able to make it in. Some counseling appointments may be held over the phone. You will be notified if that is the case. Some programs may also be canceled. Check our web site before venturing out.

On Campus Recruiting will remain open, whether or not the University closes, thanks to our intrepid recruiting staff. Several scheduled employers are already in Philadelphia and will be conducting interviews as planned. Others are unable to fly in, so will be doing telephone interviews. Still others are re-scheduling for next week or a later date. If your interview is going to be held over the phone, or has been postponed, you will be receiving an email with the details. If you are not notified you should come to the recruiting suite at your scheduled time.

We in Career Services and our recruiters are doing the best we can in the face of bad weather. We appreciate your patience. Thank you, and stay safe if you venture out in the storm.

Patricia Rose
Director, Career Services

CareerCast: Finding a Consulting Internship

by Jaclyn Chen (W ’12) & Angie Luo (C ’11)

Introducing our first of many industry-specific videos!

As work-study students in Career Services, we were given the project to interview Penn students about their internships in certain industries: consulting, finance, public sector, and communications (we’ll be expanding to more industries in the future).  We asked different questions about how they found their internship, what their responsibilities were, what they learned, what skills they used, etc.  We tried to ask the kinds of questions we have ourselves about the internship process and we hope you find their answers as enlightening as we did.

The response we got was great, and we’ve started to compile the videos by industry and then by question. Here’s the first one:  “Consulting: Finding an Internship”

Enjoy – and let us know if there’s a specific industry you’d like to see explored in the future!


Want to watch on your mobile device? Click here!

Answering the Dreaded “Why isn’t your GPA Higher?” Interview Question

By Claire Klieger

Don't be tormented by your transcript.

This is the kind of question that most of us dread because let’s face it—we probably all have at least one class or semester that just didn’t go so well. In some cases that may be a mere blip in your academic performance and for others, it can be an all out bomb. Regardless, here are some tips to help you better prepare for such a question:

1)      Don’t divulge negative information unless specifically asked. Sometimes, a GPA or grade in course that really concerns you is not a big deal for the employer. If it is an issue, you are can be sure that the recruiter will ask about it so there is no need to volunteer negative information. You may think that by broaching the subject you will have a chance to explain the circumstances, but doing so without being prompted actually just shines a bigger spotlight on the potential issue. Take that C you received in a particular course. Especially if it’s in an unrelated discipline, chances that the recruiter may not even care but bringing it up on your own just draws attention to it.

2)      Avoid the blame or comparative game. When you try to displace the fault you not only come across as someone who complains (and may even be seen as whiney), but you also never know when you may inadvertently insult someone. For example, I regularly hear students in science or math heavy majors say to me, “well, if I had an easier major, like English, my grades would be higher.” What if your interviewer (like me) majored in English? I certainly wouldn’t have described the multiple twenty-plus page papers I wrote a semester or the probably thousands of pages of reading I did as an easy course load. Pointing fingers just doesn’t create a good impression.

3)      Take responsibility for your actions. Instead of blaming a bad grade in a class on your major, the curve or the difficult professor, ask yourself what was really going on.  Employers want to hire folks who can own up to their mistakes.  In particular, if you can focus on what you’ve learned from that experience so you won’t make a similar mistake again, you can alleviate employers’ fears about any potential “skeletons” in your closet.

4)      The best answer to a difficult question is always the truth, though you should consider your approach. What is real reason you had a rough semester? Perhaps you underestimated the time commitment of rushing a sorority or pledging a fraternity?  Maybe you got in over your head by taking three upper level classes in the same subject next semester? Simply state what happened without a lot of details or over explanations and then focus on how you learned from the experience, particularly if it allows you to focus on more recent positive events.

Example: “I struggled with adjusting to college life and didn’t manage my time as well I should have freshman year. However, since then, I’ve learned to more effectively juggle my responsibilities and prioritize and as you can see from my transcript, I’ve continued to improve each semester since then.

5)      Own your own story. Remember that interviewers are people too, who have made their own mistakes in life and are usually willing to overlook your own provided you have the right approach. It’s important to be comfortable in your own skin. If you are upfront and honest when asked a question without coming across as defensive you will project a self assurance that will put recruiters at ease.

Here is my favorite true anecdote from a few years ago: A student was hitting it off with a recruiter at an on-campus info session for a very prestigious consulting firm. However, her hopes began to dash when the recruiter asked her, “What’s your GPA?”  She could see that her response of a 2.76 made the recruiter’s face fall and so she said, “I can see that you’re disappointed,” and the recruiter agreed. The student lifted up her chin and said with a smile, “Let me tell you something. I’m the first person in my family to go to college and I am so proud of the fact that I worked hard enough to end up at Penn. I’m continuing to work hard here and I’m thrilled with my GPA.” Guess what? She ended up getting an interview.

Drumroll, please!

Penn Career Services is delighted to announce our new blog name and contest winner!

The Penn Career Services blog will be called: Penn & Beyond: Thoughtful Career Advice for Penn Students and Alumni.

(courtesy of ADoseofShipBoy via Flickr)

Congratulations to Lin Yuan, who will receive the $25 iTunes gift card for submitting the inspiration: PENNsive: Thoughtful Career Advice for Penn Students and Alumni and also to counselor Helen Cheung for suggesting “…& Beyond.”

Thanks to everyone who participated and keep coming back for thoughtful advice for your life beyond Penn!