How to prepare, apply to and accepted into the medical school of your dreams: Interview with Medical Student, Steve Antwi-Boasiako

By: Georgina Antwi-Boasiako 

February 7, 2023 

Before we get into today’s interview, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments. Without further ado, let’s get into the interview!

Georgina: That's a very difficult thing to go through, which leads to my next question, which is what inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? I believe that most of the time, people who go through really difficult things like that shape who they become or the path they choose to take in their lives.

Steve: Thank you very much. It was a difficult time for everyone involved, but I believe my motivation to pursue a career in medicine grew organically. It builds on my general concern for health, just as my father has always been concerned with health, ensuring that our health always comes first at all times. I'd always been interested in things like my physical health, so I already had that curiosity and drive to learn in general. That was just a foundation, and the more I learned about the disparities that existed in general through higher education, the more informed my career choices became. I originally planned to study political science or become a lawyer or politician to help eliminate some of these disparities, but the disparities in health were too great. I know in Columbus, in North Linden, there's a program by the state or county, called celebrate one, which celebrates low-income mothers for keeping their children alive to age one. So reading about such things causes you to take a step back and ask what we are doing or what we can do to change the preventatives, comorbidities, and mortalities that our communities face.

Georgina: I'll never forget this KIPP quote: If you see a problem, solve it. You should not be waiting for someone else to take action. If you recognize that there is a problem, and if there is something you can do about it, do it. Waiting will not solve the problem. It's a major issue in this country, and, to be honest, the entire world, but getting back on track, why Dartmouth? What made you decide on Dartmouth? Why did you choose Dartmouth after being accepted to so many other medical schools?

Steve: There are always a lot of factors that go into making a decision. The first thing I would say is that Dartmouth is a prestigious university; If you look at their match list, it was very impressive, which informed me that the school was doing something to show residency programs that their students were prepared for their residency program. Another thing was their curriculum; Dartmouth switched from grades to pass-fail, and I wanted to attend a university that was pass-fail because I wanted to be able to learn in a very free environment, as I know it takes me a long time to get used to standardized tests or tests in general.

Dartmouth students were also extremely helpful to me. When I first got my interview, I reached out to two students, who showed me the ins and outs of living in the upper valley. I felt like I knew more about the school than any other because I was able to communicate with students who shared their experiences and classes they'd taken thus far. I learned about the school; the type of environment I would be in; the types of people I would be learning with; and how the administrations responded to students on a different level.

I was also interviewed early, accepted early, and because the process is lengthy, the school sent me emails throughout the year to remind me that they were there. I received emails from their diversity and inclusion office, emails from my interviewers who congratulated me, and so on. The school demonstrated to me that they desired that I attend their school.

Georgina: That is, in my opinion, one of the most important factors to consider when deciding on a school. It is critical for universities to demonstrate to the students they have accepted that they care about them and want to know who they are. It's also about the city and the surrounding area, because you won't be in your classroom 24 hours a day, seven days a week; you'll go out on weekends, so you should know exactly how it's like to live in that area. Does it reflect your personality? Does it have what you want to do, or can you still do what you want to do? These are some of the questions that you should ask yourself when choosing the university you want to attend. 

Steve: The final factor was money; as you know, school is expensive. Dartmouth demonstrated that they wanted me to be here by providing me with a financial package. As I previously stated, saying "I want you here" is one thing; putting your money where your mouth is and saying "we want you here and money isn't an issue" is quite another. It's the same thing that happened to me at Vanderbilt. That says a lot about a university when they are willing to accept you regardless of your financial situation.

Georgina: I completely agree. I mean, I applied to graduate school and will see how it goes. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to pay for this degree. It is a significant factor, particularly for the African American community and minorities in general when it comes to attending college. If a university representative is listening in, if you want a student to come to your school, think about how you can help them financially because that is a big factor in students' decision making. However, we haven't really covered today's topic, which is how to prepare for, apply to, and accepted to the medical school of your dreams. So, tell me how you went about applying to medical school. In your experience, what are the required steps that you believe must be taken for a person wanting to take this route? As an example, consider a high school student considering this path.

Steve: To begin, I will state that I am not a pre-medical advisor and believe that people should contact their college advisors or the pre-medical advisory office. They will know a lot more about the medical school application process and the requirements for applying. My advice and experience will be tailored to me specifically. 

I entered college intending to apply to medical school. The first step is to get your prerequisites, and it's not a deal breaker if you don't get them in college or if you get them late because there are programs that will allow you to take pre-med classes to prepare for the MCAT and apply to medical school.  The first step is to get into college because in order to apply to medical school, you need a degree from a 4-year credited university. Furthermore, pre-med requirements vary by school and include general chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and anatomy. I couldn't apply to some schools because I didn't take certain classes. So, if you have a list of schools in mind, look up their requirements and make sure you are taking those courses because failing to do so will disqualify you from applying.

Beyond that, I consider GPA to be a marathon and MCAT to be a sprint. The average GPA for medical schools is around 3.9/3.8, so your GPA does matter to some extent, but keeping it as high as possible will ensure that you are a competitive applicant. Your MCAT score is important to some extent, but a high MCAT score shows schools that you are able to study for a standardized test; that you are able to make and execute a plan in order to achieve a certain score. This is important because in medicine, you will have to take a lot of tests throughout your career and renew your board every ten years, so you must be able to know how to pass them.

There's also extracurricular activities such as research, shadowing, doing between in college to show you are a well rounded person. Get involved in something that actually matters to you , find interesting, and engage in that. Shadow because it shows you know what it takes to be a doctor but also find something you are passionate about such as volunteering, mentoring, doing research, etc.

Georgina: One thing you mentioned or touched on is having an open mindset. Not just being stuck on what you think you want to do but leaving your plate open to involve yourself in other parts of medicine. What should my readers and listeners know about the interview process? What should their frame of mind be going into those interviews?

Steve: A little background on the application process: you apply, you have a primary application, you include letters of recommendation, and you do everything through the AMC website. Beyond that, there's also secondary applications that universities sent you to ask questions such as why us? why do you want to come to their school? and you must respond specifically to the school. Universities decide whether or not to interview you based on secondary applications. You must be aware of everything you have done during the interview because they can discuss anything stated in your application. There have been interviews in which I talked about playing soccer or carrying my father's umbrella at funerals. So knowing what you've done and being able to talk about it on a deeper level and what it means to you is critical when going into those interviews.

Be a human being; be able to communicate with others because being a doctor isn't just about knowing random facts but also about your bedside manners with patients. Can you speak with a patient? Can you elicit information from them that they would not normally share? Are you able to make people feel at ease enough to share sensitive information about their health so that you can assist them? These are the qualities that interviewers seek in medical students.

Georgina: Being yourself is what I took away from what you just said. Bringing your entire self to the interview and being aware of who you are and what you've done. Everything you've done, both inside and outside of the classroom, paints a picture of who you are and the type of doctor you'll be. To wrap up this interview, Is there anything else you'd like high school or university students considering applying to medical school to know? Is there anything else they should be thinking about or be aware of that we haven't mentioned?

Steve: The only thing I didn't use in college was the pre-medical advisory office. I was one of those people who slipped through the cracks and should've taken advantage of it. My best advice is to contact your pre-medical office and establish a relationship with them because they have all of the opportunities, such as research, career advice, and so on, that you would need to be successful while pursuing medicine. Another piece of advice is that free resources exist, and if they aren't free, reduced resources exist! They exist, and knowing how to find and use them will save you money, time, and headaches. Finally, remember to use the people around you, such as former teachers (middle or high school), family, partner (if you have one), and friends, when revising and providing feedback on your essays. Take charge of your journey and seek assistance because, at the end of the day, the worst thing someone can say is No. Do not be afraid to seek HELP!!

I hope you enjoyed this interview on the application process for medical school and now have a better understanding of it. Because this is an open forum, please use the form on the  Contact Me page if you have any questions that were not addressed in the interview. I’ll do my best to get all of your questions and comments to Steve so they can be answered/heard. If I receive a significant number of questions, I may consider conducting another interview to answer those questions. Thank you very much and I’ll see you in the next post!