The Harvard campus is stunning.

Everyone wants to get into a top medical school. It’s a dream many parents have for their kids and many pre-meds get anxious just thinking about. I know what they mean, it’s stressful, but it’s also worth it in many respects. Sometimes, you need to try you luck and give it your all — if you don’t get in, you at least need to be content knowing you did all you could.

What You Need to Do and Your Chances

It’s hard to gauge your chances of getting in. First, you need to calculate your GPA. Then, you look at the statistics. Sure, you have them handy on the internet, but those are not as good of an indicator of acceptance as you’d like. Nothing is a given and you’re still unsure, especially if you’re applying to some of the top medical schools in the country. Luckily, I do have something to help you — my medical school self-assessment tool. It tells you your chances, what “hidden requirements” you’re missing, how much particular medical school weigh certain aspects of the application. It even includes a 20-part video course. Simply sign up for more information.

Aside from my self-assessment tool, just how do you get into a top-tier school? It seems unthinkable. Well, here are some articles we have on INQUARTA to help you.

• “Are You Aiming to Get Accepted to a Top Medical School” targets all those high-achievers out there (which should be all of you, mind you). For these schools, you need to look at other criteria to get their attention because the basic stuff just won’t cut it. You should consider research, you need to show added interest, and you need plenty of extracurriculars! You really need to go that extra mile and show it to them.
• “How Important Are Medical School Rankings” — this question I get asked quite a bit by my students. The more prestigious the school the better chance you have of getting a better-paid residency program. It puts you on the path to being a top doctor. However, there are other considerations to make when applying that I discuss in this article.
• “What Are My Chances of Getting Accepted to Medical School? Where Should I Apply?” has less to do with topmedical schools and more to do with estimating your chances. You don’t want to focus all your energy on a top medicals school and end up settling for a lower-end medical program because you did not focus on something within your range.
• “Your One-Two Punch for Picking Medical Schools” is written for those that just don’t know where to start looking for medical schools of their choice. I discuss a few resources that are handy to use.

Now that we’ve covered the medical schools, as a bonus I also want to talk about pre-med programs and how important they are to getting into top medical schools. I have written a few articles on the topic so I want to share them with you because the information might prove useful if you’re considering applying to a top-tier medical school in the future.

• “Attending a Top Premedical Program: How Important Is It?” talks about advantages of going to prestigious pre-med program. There are some, but the most important part is that you do your best regardless of where you are because interest and results matter more than the actual institution.
• “The Best Colleges for Medical School Admissions” — here, I discuss a topic that I’ve conversed with my students quite a bit. In short, no, it does not really matter which college you attend because you performance is more important than the actual college, but read the article for yourself and see why.
• “Top U.S. Pre-Med Programs By Size: 24,000 Pre-Meds Can’t Be Wrong?” is an article where I talk about the numbers and the number of applicants from each program. What do these numbers mean? Check the article to find out more.
• “Top Ranked Colleges for Pre-Meds” — a lot of students think that getting into a top medical school necessarily means you were in a top pre-med program. This is not true. Like I said, performance matters more than the school. Don’t forget that.

Finally, If You Have Any Questions, Please Contact Me

I realize these articles can’t possibly cover any questions you might be wondering while you’re reading this all. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email! I want to work with you so that you succeed — I’m all ears, so don’t hesitate to contact me.