Listing of MCAT Test dates for 2011 are below.
January 28, 2011
January 29, 2011
March 26, 2011
April 9, 2011
April 16, 2011
April 29, 2011
May 7, 2011
May 20, 2011
May 21, 2011
May 26, 2011
June 16, 2011
July 6, 2011
July 16, 2011
July 28, 2011
July 29, 2011
August 5, 2011
August 6, 2011
August 12, 2011
August 18, 2011
August 19, 2011
August 23, 2011
September 1, 2011
September 2, 2011
September 8, 2011
September 10, 2011
Listing of MCAT Test dates for 2010 are below.
January 29, 2010
January 30, 2010
March 27, 2010
April 10, 2010
April 17, 2010
April 23, 2010
May 1, 2010
May 21, 2010
May 22, 2010
May 27, 2010
June 17, 2010
July 8, 2010
July 16, 2010
July 29, 2010
July 30, 2010
August 4, 2010
August 5, 2010
August 12, 2010
August 13, 2010
August 19, 2010
August 20, 2010
August 24, 2010
September 2, 2010
September 3, 2010
September 9, 2010
September 11, 2010
Just how much is medical school tuition anyway?
If you are considering applying to medical school, then one of the many things that you are likely wondering about (in addition to grades, MCAT scores, MCAT test dates, applications, references, and many other things) is how much tuition will cost. One fear of many prospective students is the amount of debt they will have when they finally graduate from medical school and start residency. One question many people have is “just how much is medical school tuition”?
There is no point hiding the fact that medical school tuition is expensive. The actual cost of tuition can have a huge variance depending on many factors. The major factor to consider is whether you are going to a private or public medical school. Tuition is considerably higher at private schools. For example, Harvard medical school tuition alone is reported to cost upwards of $47,000 and this may not even cover things like living expenses and the fees associated with the student loans, etc. Public schools in the USA can have tuition fees reported to range from as low as $9,000 to $32,000 depending on the specific state school and what costs are being factored in to the analysis.
One other factor to consider for medical school tuition costs in the USA is whether you are a resident or a non-resident. Non-residents almost always have significantly higher tuition fees. The most common reason for this is that the government subsidizes much of the cost of going to medical school so the resident students might only have to pay 30% or so of what tuition would actually cost.
How Much Does Medical School Tuition Cost In Other Countries?
In Canada, medical school is generally less expensive than many schools in the USA. Canadian medical students can usually expect to pay approximately $16,000 to $19,000 depending on the school. Several schools have much lower tuition fees including Dalhousie in Halifax and the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg which have tuition fees reported to be in the range of $7,000 to $8,000.
Many European countries accept Canadian and American students into their medical schools. Tuition at these schools (for international graduates) is usually more expensive than for their own national students. For example, the four Irish medical schools have tuition fees reported in the range of 25,000 Euros. Keep in mind, too, that this can be for 5 or 6 years of schooling rather than 3 or 4 since the system in Europe is somewhat different from that in North America.
So how can you help cover the costs of medical school tuition? Fortunately many institutions are quite eager to give out big loans to medical students. One reason they do this because they want the future business from these students who will likely proceed to incorporate their medical practices, have large incomes, and probably buy expensive houses and medical buildings as well.
Every medical school will have at least a few programs and scholarships for their students. These can be a life saver and sometimes will even cover the full cost of tuition for a year or two depending on the school. Applying for these is an important task early on in every academic school year to help defray some of the tuition costs.
As always, be sure to check up on the tuition and fees at the schools you want to attend by looking around their websites or calling their admissions office. These numbers can change often and you will want the most current information before making a decision.
Getting Into Medical School
Every year, many undergraduate college or university students set their hopes and dreams on a goal of getting into medical school. They spend time maximizing their grades in school, doing volunteer placements, and preparing applications with the hopes of becoming a medical doctor some day. Unfortunately, seats are limited in the medical schools and every year great candidates are let down with a rejection letter.
If you have your hopes on getting into medical school then you should get an early start on learning just what it takes to get your application accepted. The admissions committee at any given university will choose what prerequisites they want to focus on in any given year, but overall there are a few standards that can be counted on as being important. Learn what these are and you can improve your chance of success.
For starters the first step is to do your best in your undergraduate degree since one of the most basic screening steps the medical schools have is to only interview people with specific averages or GPA’s. The cut off of many schools will be in the range of a high B average or better though as with everything some schools accept lower grades and others may have an even higher minimum to even consider you.
Secondly, you should start gathering volunteer experience. While volunteering or working in some aspect of the medical field is ideal many people consider any volunteering to be a huge plus. Rather than spread yourself too thin it may be best to choose two or three places you can volunteer at and really become engaged in these organizations. If you can show leadership in the volunteer position then even better. Some examples would be helping out at a medical fundraiser or working in the hospital long enough to start training other volunteers.
Not every medical school will necessarily require the MCAT course as part of the prerequisites, but most do, so it should be part of the plan. The MCAT test covers a variety of domains including physical sciences, biological sciences, writing, and verbal reasoning. Many people find that one of the popular MCAT prep courses help them become sufficiently prepared to do well the exam. Along with the other criteria, having a good MCAT score is a measure that can be postively impacted with study and hard work.
Being a well rounded person with many interests outside of medicine will help you increase your chances of getting into medical school and make a good impression on the interviewer during the interview process. Getting along with others, and developing strong time management skills are other important traits to focus on as well for overall success.
Overall, one should always do their research first before applying to a medical college. You could waste your time and money on the application process if you don’t have all the requirements for getting into medical school in the first place, but by being prepared you can have a more impressive application that stands out from the crowd.
Medical schools in the Caribbean – are they a good choice?
Many people have life-long dreams of becoming a medical doctor. With the sometimes high difficulty of getting into medical school, it is an unfortunate fact that many people have a tough time being accepted into North American medical schools. Some people even apply for several years in a row and still remain in limbo. They may have all that it takes to become a great doctor, but a slip-up during the interview process or a single bad reference letter can diminish their chances of being accepted.
Many people in this situation are faced with two choices. The first is difficult to face – changing their goals and finding a different career that they will also be happy doing. While some people do go this route and remain just as happy in life as if they had become a doctor, others begin to consider a second or third option one of which is applying to medical schools in the Caribbean.
There are several reasons why people choose to go to medical school in the Caribbean. The first is that, for some people, it is easier to ‘get in’. The schools in the Caribbean countries tend to have large class sizes and they may have somewhat lower expectations with regard to GPAs, MCAT scores and prerequisite courses though this isn’t always the case. People may also find the interview process in the Caribbean to be easier to handle.
Before deciding if the medical colleges in the Caribbean are a good choice, we need to look at how these schools work. Many of these universities would actually be considered more of a pre-clinical Caribbean degree. This is because the students who go to medical school there tend to only their pre-clinical courses (usually the first two years of the medical degree) in their home country in the Caribbean. Most of these schools have partner campuses or hospitals in the United States of America. At these hospitals, the Caribbean medical students can fulfill their clerkship requirements.
In the end, most people consider going to medical school in the Caribbean with the goal of returning to work in their home country (often the USA or Canada). In reality, then, the medical degrees are actually partly achieved in the USA, which may or may not make returning home to work as a doctor easier than if they had done schooling in Europe or Asia.
The students in Caribbean medical schools work very hard, so there should not be any concern about the level of education received at these universities. Many people do end up being accepted into residency positions in the USA or Canada, and in the last few years, Canada has been opening up increasing numbers of residency positions for international medical graduates.
One last factor to consider is the cost of these medical schools. Tuition can be expensive – but this is true in the USA and Canada anyways. If one can afford the tuition in the Caribbean medical schools and is open to a variety of residency options, then the medical schools in the Caribbean may be the perfect option for many people. As always, do your own research and evaluate all of the options for both pros and cons.
Canadian Medical Schools – Increasing Numbers Of Medical Trainees
Canadians interested in getting into medical school will be excited to learn that the government is putting a great amount of emphasis on the importance of training more doctors. There are several reasons why this is important to the future of health care in Canada. Because of this, Canadian medical schools are rapidly opening up more seats to trainees. Ultimately this means that every year it should become slightly easier to get into medical school in Canada.
As the population ages, there is an increasing number and percentage of elderly Canadians. Lacking foresight in the late 20th Century, the Canadian government decided to start cutting funding towards the training of new doctors which quickly resulted in a doctor shortage. This problem was compounded by the so called “brain drain” which saw many doctors lured to the United States of America.
The government finally realized that this could no longer be sustainable and is turning things around by training more medical doctors to help treat the aging baby boomer population. To increase spots, many of the Canadian medical schools are opening satellite campuses to help distribute the young doctors-in-training.
There are officially 17 Canadian medical schools, six of which are in Ontario. Like much of the rest of Canada, most Ontario medical schools are meeting the need for extra students by opening up distributed sites. For example, McMaster medical school now trains many young doctors in Kitchener; the Northern Ontario Medical School trains people in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Many other schools are doing similar things to help meet the demands for more Canadian doctors.
A second emphasis is on the need for rural family doctors. Many of the newly training young doctors have not yet finished either medical school or residency (somewhat similar to an internship in the USA or abroad). It is surprising to many what percentage of Canadian citizens still do not have a family doctor. The government is creating incentives to help promote family medicine and to recruit more medical students to fill the needs of patients in smaller communities.
So, what does this mean for your changes of getting into medical school in Canada? More potential seats means a slightly higher chance of being accepted. For example, some schools have increased the number of medical school spots by as much as 25% in just the past 4 years alone.
To help your chances of getting into a Canadian medical school, it is best if you are willing to apply to any school in the country. The more applications you send out, the more interviews you may get, and the better your chances of being accepted.
Requirements For Medical School
Let’s face it, getting into medical school is not an easy task. There are thousands upon thousands of hopeful applicants every year for a limited number of seats in any given medical school. The application process is significantly different from most applications to undergraduate degrees. Not every school even has a medical school, and the ones that do charge high fees to attend every year. Because of all these facts, it is vital to ensure you have the requirements for medical school well before starting the application process.
While there is a general set of requirements for medical school that many universities will base their decisions upon, not every school has the exact same set. Each medical school admissions committee will ultimately decide what a successful candidates will look like prior to even entering into being considered for an interview. Some schools have very different ideas on what is important. If you fulfill the following requirements you are likely able to apply to a variety of schools in your state, province, or country.
Minimum grades: each school will definitely have a minimum GPA or grade point average below which they will not even consider looking at a hopeful applicant. While the minimum grades needed to get into medical school will vary between universities, many will have a cut off for GPAs around 3.6 or 3.7 (on a 4 point scale) while a few will be much less. Making things even more confusing is the fact that each school may calculate the GPA slightly differently. Some universities only average the last two years while others look at every single grade received in your undergraduate degree.
MCAT Test Scores: A MCAT test will need to be taken and provided to the schools. Like grades above, the range of scores and relative importance to an application will vary by school with most schools having a range that they will accept.
Specific prerequisite courses: in the past, most universities had a specific list of prerequisite courses that they considered as vital requirements for medical school admission. The point of the prerequisites is to ensure that people have the basic knowledge that their medical degree will expand upon. That being said, some universities have decided to go with an easier approach that has one requirement – a four year undergraduate degree in any field.
Volunteer work: while this may not be an official requirement before getting into medical school, it is definitely one that all universities will be looking at. They want well rounded individuals who are involved in the community and who love giving back. Volunteer work can really be in any field – it does not have to be work done in hospitals specifically. To be honest, a variety of different volunteer experiences will go a long way towards making you stand out from the crowd.
Reference letters: when it comes to reference letters, most application committees are looking to weed out people that would be difficult to work with as teachers, colleagues, and friends. No one wants to have difficult students that always cause problems for their teachers. In general, people who know you across various aspects of life and who seem to like you will be ideal people to ask for reference letters.
The most important thing to consider when wondering what the requirements for medical school are is to do your own research. You can waste a lot of money applying to schools that you do not meet the requirements for. Every medical school will have a website clearly outlining their minimum requirements for application purposes, so do your research early on and avoid problems in the application process.
