Top Five Things to Do Now to Prepare for Medical School

With a nation-wide lockdown, opportunities to plan for medical school might seem limited, when in fact there are still things you can do to get ready! We’ve compiled this social distancing-friendly list to make sure you stay on track with your plan. Med school application season comes fast, so plan ahead with these five things.

Research Your Schools and Programs

Admission criteria varies quite a bit between medical schools in Ontario. Some have pre-requisites, some don’t. Some require the MCAT, some don’t. Each school calculates your admission GPA in a different way. Now is the time to research programs to find your perfect fit and plan for required courses and experiences. In addition to reviewing medical school websites, the Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS) has several great resources to use:

• Application Guide
• Requirements Overview
• GPA Calculator
• FAQs

Prepare for your MCAT

Many Ontario medical schools require the MCAT as part of the application process. Become familiar with the marathon of an exam (the format, content and timing) and start to put together a study plan that coincides with when you plan to write it. Here are a few of our favorite MCAT resources:

• Khan Academy
• AAMC prep resources
• Sample questions
• Creating a study plan

Volunteer Virtually

With so many organizations moving to digital platforms to offer their services, consider opportunities to volunteer virtually. Demonstrating leadership, adaptability and a commitment to community and cause is an excellent message to have on applications. Here is a list of websites that have virtual volunteering opportunities:

• Kids Help Phone
• UN Volunteers
• VolunteerMatch
• Volunteer Canada

Stay Up to Date

With so many changes in such a short period, it’s extremely important to stay up to date on MCAT delivery and medical school admissions. Here are some key links to be checking frequently for Ontario medical schools:

• University of Toronto
• Western University
• University of Ottawa
• NOSM - Northern Ontario School of Medicine
• McMaster University
• Queen’s University 
• OMSAS updates
• MCAT updates

Reflect on your Skills and Experiences

Now is the perfect time to think about the message you want to send to admissions committees. Take time to think not only about what you have done, but what skills, strengths and insights you have developed from your experiences. Start to organize them by essential skills or key abilities that demonstrate your suitability for medicine. This will help guide components of your applications and will be important to have well thought out for the interview process:

• Council of Ontario Medical Schools Essential Skills
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada - CanMEDS Framework