Tips for Getting Scholarships to Medical School

By: Benjamin Rushing of Apprentice MD

Many students worry about getting scholarships to undergraduate school, but people rarely mention competing for scholarships to medical school. Many students are unaware that scholarships to medical school even exist. Scholarships have the potential to impact your life in a massive way by preventing you from falling into never-ending debt. Most high school students are coached on applications and know-how to maximize their scholarship potential. However, how do you maximize your chances of receiving a scholarship from a medical school? As someone who received a scholarship to attend medical school, I’m going to share some advice that will increase your chances of getting money to go to medical school. Without further ado, here are seven tips.

1. Ace the MCAT

Crushing the MCAT is crucial to getting scholarships to medical school. I realize that there is a lot of debate out there concerning the merits of basing scholarships on standardized tests, but many schools strongly consider MCAT scores while awarding scholarships. Even if a school prioritizes other application components over the MCAT, an extraordinarily high MCAT score is sure to draw attention to yourself and may earn you more extra review time from the scholarship committee.

2. Maintain a high GPA

It’s tough for schools to recommend an “ideal GPA.” Students attend different universities, major in various subjects, and have different backgrounds. Even students from the same school may take the same classes under different professors and grading schemes. Consequently, schools often extend a high amount of flexibility when reviewing your GPA. However, a high GPA is sure to make your application stand out. Additionally, a phenomenal GPA can signal discipline, hard work, and a love for the subject area of your major.

3. Major in Something Unique

Medical schools strive to maintain academic diversity. A strong medical school class will be made up of students from a variety of educational backgrounds and strengths. Therefore, students with nontraditional majors have a slight advantage. For instance, there aren’t as many nuclear engineering students applying to medical school as there are biochemistry students. Therefore, incentivizing a nuclear engineering student will result in more academic diversity than awarding a scholarship to a biochemistry major.

4. Pick a Cause and Stick to It

Community service is also a significant component of medical school scholarships. However, it’s not about how many hours you can rack up. Medical schools love to see that your work improved or bettered a cause. Perhaps you improved the efficiency of an organization, or maybe you started an organization. Leaving your mark on a charity necessitates a high degree of dedication, which is what medical schools want to see. Choose a cause and stick to it so that you can showcase your values, dedication, and determination.

5. Do Meaningful Research

Research is paramount for today’s medical school applicants. Research demonstrates mastery of scientific principles, critical thinking, and discipline. Your research does not have to be directly related to medicine, but it does need to be meaningful. Additionally, publications are an awesome way to boost your application. Poster presentations and conferences are also excellent ways to demonstrate public speaking and communication skills.

6. Get Clinical Experience

Clinical experience is crucial to being a competitive applicant to medical school. In many ways, clinical experience shows that you “got your feet wet” and still desire a career in medicine. Working in a clinic, pharmacy, or hospital are great ways to gain exposure to the healthcare field. Additionally, you can shadow or do an internship at a medical facility.

7. Develop Unique Hobbies

Gaining a scholarship to medical school is like a job interview in many ways. First of all, you wanted to be remembered, and a quirky hobby is a great way to do this. Mountain bikers, skydivers, and jazz performers leave an impression on the person reviewing their application. Also, unique hobbies may allow you to connect with someone on the scholarship committee. Perhaps someone on the committee has the same hobbies and interests that you do.

8. Apply Early

It is paramount that you apply to medical school early. The medical school application process is long and tedious. Applying early gets your application in the door so that it can be processed, reviewed, and acted upon. Many schools use rolling admissions to accept applicants. Therefore, the earlier your application can make it through the admissions process, the sooner it can get to scholarship review and the better your chances are of grabbing one of the few scholarships.

Although these tips are meant to increase the likelihood of you receiving a scholarship, they serve a dual purpose. They increase the likelihood of gaining admission to medical school and receiving a scholarship. I hope you found this information useful. Keep up all the hard work and never forget that medicine is a noble cause.

Benjamin Rushing started Apprentice MD as a professional site where students can learn efficiently and speak openly about financial matters. He writes about topics that affect countless others like himself, and it is his hope that this site will benefit you financially on your path to becoming a physician. Check out the various Apprentice MD social media outlets here: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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Tips for Getting Scholarships to Medical School