If you feel overwhelmed by the deluge of medical school admissions information that’s out there, you’re in good company. The internet comes in handy when applying to medical school—but it also makes it easy to lose precious hours tracking down the new MCAT scoring scale or finding out about the acceptance rate of your target program.
To help you cut through the noise and stay up to date on all the latest MCAT and medical school news, we’re taking a closer look this week at the value of social media. Check out our suggestions below for finding online resources that will keep you in the know.
Medical school admissions in 140 characters
Signing up for a Twitter account is a great way to get up to speed on late breaking medical school news. Twitter not only gives you the most up-to-the-minute information, it connects you directly with amazing application resources and medical school admissions experts.
For example, the AAMC account should be your go-to for official announcements pertaining to medical school. In fact, Twitter was one of the first channels the AAMC used to publicize the big changes to the MCAT that happened this year. It’s also a great place to find tips and insights to help you through the application cycle, including links to such resources as a pre-med calendar with important dates.
Facebook is your friend
Increasingly, your online footprint can play a role, for better or worse, in how the admissions committee perceives your candidacy. While there are certain things you should avoid making public on social media and certain ways in which you may want to clean up your profile when applying, your Facebook account may also provide access to learning more about medical schools.
By liking or following individual medical school Facebook pages, you can often learn about admissions events. Facebook can also help familiarize you with the school and give you a feel for the academic culture, which will in turn help you think about what you might want to include in your secondary application essays.
In addition, Facebook lets you connect with another under-utilized pre-med social media resource—your fellow applicants. Your pre-med peers can help guide you through (or commiserate with you about) the application process, since you’re all in the same boat. Keep in touch with other applicants to share such information as when schools make admissions decisions or where to stay when traveling for an interview. Take pre-med advice with a grain of salt though, since everyone’s application process and timeline is different.
Keep your finger on the pulse
Of course, we’re a little biased here—but the MCAT is an essential component in your medical school application, and the Med School Pulse blog is devoted to helping you plan your study schedule and getting you through the ups and downs of MCAT prep. We’re also here to help you see what real life is like in medical school.
With our monthly interactive Med School Pulse events, you can send your questions directly to admissions officials and MCAT experts via Twitter. Read blog posts here on the site, watch medical school related videos on our YouTube channel, or check us out on the Kaplan MCAT Facebook page where we post our MCAT questions of the week, inspirational quotes, and MCAT study tips.
The internet is vast, but there are great medical school admissions resources out there for prospective students—if you know where to look. What’s your favorite social media source for medical school and MCAT info? Share with your fellow applicants in the comments below.
Looking for the best resources to strengthen your medical school application? Visit Kaptest.com/MCAT to view our prep options and upcoming class schedules.
