Separating Yourself for Professional School: 5 Key Steps Beyond The Grades

What’’s your truth? What makes you different from every other person applying to professional school? Do your undergrad grades make a difference? Do your MCAT’s or DAT’s count?
Of course they do. Your GPA and aptitude test scores provide a baseline for every school you apply to. On the front end, it’s that simple. If you have the minimum GPA and test scores, your application lands in the possible pile; if you don’t, it winds up in the impossible pile…for now.
That said, when you have the GPA and you have the MCAT or DAT scores everyone seeks, how do you separate yourself from the masses?

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Personal Statement Myths

You have read every thread on SDN about personal statements, but you still aren’t sure what you should or should not do. A ton of conflicting information is “out there” and whether you are applying to medical school, pharmacy school or anything in between, you need to be aware of some common myths about what you “must” do.
I hear about most of these myths from medical school applicants: “But my advisor said I should NEVER write about that!” “But, my fourth cousin once removed who is in medical school at a top 10 school said I shouldn’t do that.” Like everything else in the medical admissions process, personal statements have few absolutes or formulas so always take such definitive advice with a grain of salt. So, what are some of the myths I hear most often?

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