Waiting on medical school interview notifications can be nerve-racking, especially when they don’t show up in the expected timeframe—or at all. The truth is, plenty of applicants find themselves in this position every admissions cycle, asking why they weren’t selected. Not hearing back quickly doesn’t signal the end of your plans, though. It suggests there [...]
If you’re heading toward medical school, you’ve probably asked at least once: What MCAT score will actually open the right doors? The honest answer is that it depends on your list of schools. However, a 510 or higher often puts you in a good place for many programs, while anything above 518 is frequently considered [...]
If you plan to enter medical school, you’ve probably wondered how many clinical hours are expected. In general, most programs recommend somewhere between 100 and 150 hours of hands-on patient interaction. Not every institution states a strict minimum, but investing real time in clinical settings shows that you’re serious about medicine and have taken steps [...]
Practical Advice from SOS Admissions One of the most common questions from students applying to medical school is: “Exactly how many shadowing hours are required?” Unlike concrete admissions factors such as GPA or MCAT scores, shadowing hours can feel a bit ambiguous—but they’re equally important for your application. In this post, we’ll share clear, helpful [...]
I remember when I first considered anesthesiology. The idea of supporting patients through surgery, making sure they stayed comfortable, and preventing complications really spoke to me. Compared to some other specialties (like dermatology or neurosurgery), the entry requirements seemed a bit more relaxed, but I still realized it wasn’t going to be a walk in [...]
Gaining admission to medical school is no small task. At SOS Admissions, we have worked with many students who began this process feeling anxious and later ended up celebrating acceptances, thanks to supportive and knowledgeable advisors. Below are three stories that show how the right approach can make a significant difference. (Interested in personalized help [...]
Choosing the right residency program is a big decision—possibly one of the biggest in your medical career—and making sure you’re in the place that supports your goals starts with knowing the best things to ask. Asking insightful questions helps you confirm your choice. Below, we’ll walk through the best questions you can bring to interviews [...]
Crafting the Perfect Medical School Letter of Intent: A Guide Alright, so you’ve jumped through all the hoops, aced your exams, and now you’re eyeing that top-choice med school. But how do you make sure they know you’re not just another face in the crowd? That’s where the medical school letter of intent comes in—a [...]
If you’d like to step around the MCAT, you’re not alone. Plenty of hopeful med students find that test’s length and intensity pretty intimidating. Fortunately, certain U.S. programs—or even some Canadian schools—can sometimes let you bypass the MCAT. Let’s look at how this works and whether it might be right for you. Feel free to [...]
Waiting to find out if you’ve landed a medical school interview can feel like the longest stretch of the admissions process. Typically, many U.S. schools start sending invitations around mid-August and continue well into March. Canadian programs tend to be more uniform, often mailing out invites in January or February. Still, those timelines can vary [...]
