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In addition to his professional expertise, Dr. Drake has just recently gone through "application boot camp" with his two sons who are about to enter college and law school, giving him a newfound perspective on the obstacle course applicants must endure.

Career Center (CC): What are admissions committees looking for?

Dr. Michael Drake (MD): Probably not what you've heard through rumors. The application process is different at each school because the guidelines are broad. Filters placed along the way help select the most qualified applicants since every year many more people apply than those that can be admitted.

Every year, for example, 5000 apply to UCSF for a couple hundred spots. Approximately 1000 of those applicants are not competitive enough to move along in the process (GPA and MCAT scores are too low), so the first filter will screen them out. The remaining 4000 applicants get their applications read and continue on in the process, but only 1200 will be asked to submit secondary applications and letters of recommendation as a result of another filter.

CC: What can students do before applying?

MD: Get good grades, obtain high MCAT scores and connect to the world in a meaningful way. Doing well academically is essential to demonstrate readiness to be trained as a physician.

When deciding what to do for out-of-classroom experiences, make sure they are less of an adventure and more about providing service to a population. In general, performing community service is a great way to feel alive. A good way to determine whether involvement as an undergraduate was meaningful is to ask the following question: Will the group I joined miss me when I am gone?

CC: How does the committee view hardship/special circumstances among applicants?

MD: Applicants should take their time and give reasonable descriptions of particular life circumstances, but be aware that they alone will not impress the committee. Experiences must adequately complement grades and scores, not contradict them.

CC: Any advice on personal statements?

MD: The more the personal statement is about the applicant, the better it describes their dedication to medicine. The statement needs to be genuine. When writing it, ask: After the reviewer goes home will he/she remember this statement? And, will the reviewer want to get to know me?

Don't write a bad statement. Examples of this range from not taking the statement seriously to excessive misspelling and grammatical errors to "off the wall" changes in intentions for medicine as a career (for example, in 2001 the applicant was pursuing Clinical Research vs. in 2002 they are helping immigrant children better take advantage of the US welfare system).

CC: What about letters of recommendation?

MD: Students should get to know their professors. They need to overcome any obstacles and do it. When selecting letter writers, someone that likes them is better than someone higher up on the academic food chain. Pick the strongest advocates no matter where they come from.

CC: How can students prepare for interviews?

MD: Interviewers want to know students as human beings not scientists so students should reveal their personalities in the interview. And be sure to clip off the price tag on that new suit!

CC: What's the "low down" on GPAs and scores?

MD: To be taken seriously by medical schools, candidates should shoot for a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher. MCAT score should be 10s or higher for each of the three sections. Upper trends in grades obtained in recent semesters can overcome a lower GPA. Committees might look past grades and scores if there is extreme hardship and/or other circumstances.

CC: Any final advice?

MD: Health Careers are great careers. The essence of medical practice remains the same in spite of more financial restrictions on the professions and stricter policies from hospitals and government.