There are so many moving parts in the medical school application process that it’s hard to keep track of them all. You’re busy, stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted, which means students can lose track of something else that’s very important—etiquette.
How you behave and treat other people during the medical school application process matters. It reveals your character and, in serious cases, can affect whether or not you gain an acceptance.
In this post, we cover 8 important etiquette rules to abide by while applying to medical school.
1 | Don’t Ask Students Personal Questions
Don’t ask applicants any questions about their application results, scores, hours, etc. How someone did on the MCAT or how many interviews they received is none of your business. Asking other students personal questions about their success or lack thereof is inappropriate.
Regardless of whether or not you’re trying to intimidate the other person or actually mean no harm, it’s poor student etiquette. Applying to medical school is stressful enough as it is. Don’t add to that stress. That other student doesn’t need to know you did better or worse than them on any part of the application process.
Some people will ask brash, invasive questions anyway. Be courteous, deflect, change the subject, or say you don’t feel it’s appropriate to speak about if they persist.
Don’t be that person yourself—Don’t add to the imposter syndrome many students already suffer from.
Topics to avoid include:
- MCAT scores
- GPA
- Number of secondaries
- Number of interviews
- Number of acceptances
(The same etiquette applies to the residency application process.)
Instead, ask questions you would ask anyone you are trying to get to know. For example, where they’re from, what they know about the city, what their hobbies are, or what the last book they enjoyed was.
Focus on the person, not the applicant.
2 | Don’t Treat Other Premeds as Your Competition
Choose not to see other students applying to medical school as your direct competition. While they are also headed toward the same goal as you, your only true competition is yourself. It’s your performance that will ultimately determine whether or not you get accepted to medical school, not someone else’s.
You have nothing to gain by putting other premeds down or trying to game the system. Don’t talk about your scores to try and make other candidates lose their confidence. Don’t try to shake people up before their interview. Don’t spread negativity in online message boards.
Your fellow applicants are not your enemies. If you earn acceptance to medical school, the students will become your colleagues. You’ll need to support each other and work together to make it through the intense years that lay ahead.
3 | Don’t Criticize, Complain, or Gossip
No matter how right you believe you are, never complain about other students, faculty, professors, or programs.
Even if you’re correct, gossiping is a bad look, especially during interviews. You won’t impress a school by complaining about another one. They’ll only wonder what you’re saying about their program behind their back.
The same goes for any communication you have during the application process and beyond. Medical schools are always watching. They see how you speak outside of interviews, and they can see what you say on social media.
Save any negative thoughts or grievances for your journal.
Think journaling isn’t for you? Think again. Journaling can be a major asset to premeds, medical students, residents, and beyond. Learn How Students Can Harness the Powerful Benefits of Journaling.
4 | Don’t Collect Acceptances for Bragging Rights
It may feel nice to say you have 10 acceptances waiting for you to make your final decision, but this mindset is selfish and shortsighted. By collecting these acceptances and waiting until the last minute, you’re keeping other students eagerly awaiting their first acceptance in limbo.
It’s important to have empathy for your colleagues throughout this time—after all, it shouldn’t be hard for you to imagine how they’re feeling. What if you were the one waiting for your first acceptance as April rolls around? What if you were the one who was on a waitlist throughout the summer trying to decide whether or not to reapply?
How would you feel if you were in that position and you knew another student was holding on to several acceptances despite the fact they already knew what their final decision would be?
We’re not saying you have to fall on your sword for everyone else. If you receive an early acceptance or multiple offers, that’s a huge accomplishment, and you should be very proud of yourself.
It’s okay to hold on to a few acceptances while you take a second look and work through the decision making process. You can also use multiple offers to leverage scholarship funds as schools fight to gain your attendance.
However, don’t do this for every school, especially if you’ve already narrowed down your choices to a few top programs. If you already know what your decision is, don’t wait until the deadline. Narrow down your choices as soon as possible and then let go of the others to give waiting students the opportunity and peace of mind.
Medical schools won’t back out of their offers. They won’t overbook like a disorganized airline and say you’re out of luck. Once you’re in, it’s a win. Next, deeply consider your options.
Once you’re completely sure you’re turning down a program, send them a kind message letting them know you do not believe they are the right fit for you.
For example, “I deeply considered your offer and very much appreciate it. After further research and discussion with my loved ones, I have decided your offer isn’t the best fit for me. Again, I am grateful for your consideration, but I feel it’s best if I let someone else who is equally qualified have the opportunity to attend your program.”
5 | Don’t Accept Interview Offers at Schools You Know You Won’t Attend
Similarly to collecting acceptance offers, there’s no reason to collect interviews. Once you gain a couple of acceptances and feel comfortable with your offers, you don’t need to continue with interviews at schools you know you aren’t considering. The only reason to do this is to rack up a long list of acceptances.
Having a few good offers means you’re already able to leverage your multiple acceptances to gain more funding from other schools. Interviewing at schools you already know you won’t attend is disrespectful to the program as well as to other students who are waiting to receive interviews.
Be courteous; let others take those spots. Those interviews are a lifeline for some students. You could push and get double-digit acceptances, but who does that really benefit? The bragging rights you’re trying to acquire are taking away something that means the world to other students.
These people will be your colleagues. Be empathetic to their experience, even if you don’t know them personally.
6 | Don’t Cancel an Interview Last Minute
Plans change, and the medical school application process moves quickly. Do everything you can to give programs plenty of notice if you need to cancel an interview.
If you’ve received enough acceptances and know you no longer need the interview, be sure to update those schools. Just because you have what you need doesn’t mean you can forget about all the other schools you applied to.
Whenever canceling anything, be sure to do it gracefully and humbly.
7 | Follow School Instructions
Take the time to research the specific instructions of each program you apply to so that you can follow them to the letter.
Each has different procedures. Disregarding these instructions shows that you aren’t paying attention or don’t care to. It’s not a good look on your part, and it creates difficulties for people you want on your side. There’s a reason behind the instructions of each school.
Some schools simply don’t have the resources to handle thank you letters from every applicant. The people on the other side of the medical school application process have lives too. Don’t create more work for them.
Ignoring these protocols makes you look bad. You are in no way gaining an advantage by sending a thank you letter when the program explicitly states you’re not supposed to.
8 | Treat Everyone With Kindness and Respect
Be courteous and polite to each person you communicate with during the application process. Not only is it the right thing to do, but also because everyone is watching you. You are on full display and, whether you like it or not, are definitely being judged and evaluated. This goes well beyond interview day.
Treat everyone respectfully and equally, no matter their role. Be kind to the staff, the campus cleaning crew, current students, other applicants, and even baristas at the coffee shops located close by the campus. You never know who could be in line behind you or on a first name basis with the administrative staff.
Plus, being gracious and respectful to everyone creates a positive ripple effect. Medical school applications are a stressful time for all students, not just you, and everyone copes with it differently. Empathize with your classmates and the students you meet during this time. Words of encouragement, small acts of kindness, or a simple smile can go a long way to improving someone’s day.
Take Your Application to the Next Level
Our Comprehensive Medical School Admissions Packages are designed to maximize your potential. We offer one-on-one advising, essay editing, application editing, mock interviews, and more based on key tactics only the top-performing physicians know about.
The team of doctors at Med School Insiders has years of experience serving on admissions committees, so you’ll benefit from essential insights from people who have been intimately involved with the selection process.
