- Today we're going to talk about how to get into the
Perelman School of Medicine. Sometimes referred to
as UPenn Medical School, the Perelman School of Medicine is America's oldest medical
school and teaching hospital. It's also one of the most
renowned medical programs in the nation. According to US News and World Report, it's ranked number three in Research and number 14 in Primary Care. So if you dream of earning your white coat from the prestigious and historic Perelman School of Medicine, get ready to compete against
the best of the best. The mission of UPenn Medical
School is to advance knowledge and improve how through
research, patient care and the education of trainees
in an inclusive culture that embraces diversity,
fosters innovation, stimulates critical thinking,
supports lifelong learning and sustains a legacy of excellence. For over 250 years, the Perelman School of Medicine
has fulfilled this mission and produce groundbreaking
leaders in medicine. If you're a high pre-med who dreams of attending UPenn Medical School, we're here to help make
your dream a reality. (upbeat sound) I'm Dr. Eve Bishop, Medical School Admissions Expert from Shemmassian Academic Consulting. In this video, we'll explore the Perelman
School of Medicine curriculum before looking at the costs, acceptance rate and
admissions requirements. We'll give you expert strategies to write the UPenn Medical School secondaries and break down the UPenn
interview to maximize your odds of getting accepted to the
Perelman School of Medicine. Let's get started. The Perelman School of Medicine's
four year MD curriculum focuses on small group instruction and self directed learning. The three main themes woven
through the curriculum are number one, the Science of Medicine. Number two, the Technology
and Practice of Medicine and number three,
Professionalism and Humanism. In year one UPenn Medical
School students focus on the core principles of
science and clinical medicine while attending their
choice of elective seminars in Global Health, Community Service, Medical Spanish and Bioethics. At the same time, students
gain early clinical experience at local hospitals and community clinics. The official clerkships begin midway through year two of the curriculum, which is about six months earlier than other standard med school programs. In four to nine weeks segments, students rotate through
required clerkships in internal medicine, family medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics surgery, psychiatry, neurology and emergency medicine. After these required
clerkships are completed about halfway through year three, students take the USMLE Step One Exam. Then they complete advanced
electives and a sub internship in general medicine, general pediatrics, emergency medicine or family medicine to further strengthen
their clinical expertise. In the fourth and final
year of the program, students partner with faculty to conduct a 12 week research project. The last few months are spent interviewing for residency placements and preparing to transition into
successful medical careers. Beyond its four year MD program, the Perelman School of Medicine offers a distinguished and fully
funded MD-PhD Program. MD-PhD students receive
full tuition scholarships plus a 32,000 annual stipend. If you dream of advancing
the understanding of science and medicine by
working as a physician scientist, this program would be ideal for you. UPenn Medical School offers several other dual degree programs for students who want to further specialize
and make unique contributions to the broad field of medicine. These include an MD of
Master of Bioethics, an MD/MBA in Healthcare Management and MD/ML in Health Law and an MD/MPH. We encourage you to evaluate
your own specific career goals to decide if one of these
programs is right for you. The 2019 to 2020 tuition at Perelman School of
Medicine was $60,000. The total cost of attendance,
including room, board, supplies and transportation
is about $90,000 per year. While this may seem steep, it's important to note
that UPenn Medical School offers need-based scholarships and loans to 86% of its students. Perelman School of Medicine also awards 30 full tuition
scholarships each year. All applicants are
automatically considered for these awards and
recipients are Chosen based on their outstanding academic achievement, unique intellectual interests and proven leadership abilities. You must be wondering
what are your chances of getting accepted to the
Perelman School of Medicine. In 2019, over 6,500 students
applied for admission of those applicants, 707 or
11% or invited to interview. While the number of admitted
students isn't made public, we can assume around 200 to 250 students or 3% to 4% were accepted. Ultimately 150 students or 2% of total applicants matriculated. If these numbers make you nervous about getting into UPenn Medical
School, you're not alone. The Perelman School of Medicine is a reach for even the most high achieving pre-meds. Let's look at the stats
of accepted students to get a better idea of
your admissions odds. In 2019, the median GPA of
accepted students was 3.92 in the 25th to 75th percentile
GPA range was 3.72 to 4.0, the median MCAT score was
521 or the 98th percentile. And the MCAT range was from 517 to 525 or the 94th to a hundred percentile. These stats show that in order to be a competitive applicant, you'll need impressive academics. If you're planning to take the MCAT soon, check out our comprehensive
MCAT Study Guide. We share the best strategies to help you maximize your score. Link in the description box below. What else does Upenn
Medical School look for in its applicants besides
strong academic stats? Let's look at the additional
admissions requirements next. The Perelman School of Medicine doesn't set specific course
requirements for its applicants but it expects them to
demonstrate competencies in several key subjects. These include English Communication, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and behavioral disciplines
such as History, Philosophy, Political Science,
Sociology or Psychology. This wide range of disciplines
shows UPenn's desire to enroll holistic med students
with unique perspectives. Considering UPenn Medical
School's strong reputation for research, it should
come as no surprise that 97% of its accepted students
have research experience. By engaging in research, you demonstrate to the
Admissions Committee that you align with Perelman's
mission to advance knowledge and improve health through discovery. The vast majority of
matriculants also have experience in medical volunteering,
shadowing and community service. When pursuing extracurricular activities, consider how you might
use them to illustrate who you are and what
you're passionate about. Don't select your experience randomly just to check off boxes on
your med school applications. Try to focus each activity
towards your interests so that even on their own,
they tell a story about you. After meeting all the
admissions requirements and having competitive stats, you'll submit your AMCAS Application to the Perelman School of Medicine but your work won't be over, next you'll be out to
answer a comprehensive set of questions designed to ensure
a holistic review process. These range from simple
yes or no questions to list of achievements
to free response essays. Remember that secondary
prompts occasionally change. So regardless of the prompt, remember to give answers
that demonstrate how you fit with UPenn Medical School's unique mission and its values of diversity,
innovation, critical thinking, lifelong learning and excellence. Your ultimate goal is to prove
you're the ideal candidate for the Perelman School of Medicine. You'll give a simple yes or
no response to this question. You may also choose to
list the online courses you took as well as the grades you earned. If your answer is no,
leave this answer blank but if you have been nominated for or received any relevant awards, you'll want to provide a list of them. Share the name of the award, the organization that awarded it and the year you received it. If you plan to take a gap
year or already in one when you apply to UPenn Medical School, you'll want to use this opportunity to demonstrate how your time off will make you an even better
medical school candidate. How will you pursue and
develop your passions? What new skills will you master? What goal do you have for your gap year? Remember, many students take gap years before enrolling in medical school but not everyone will
maximize their time off. You can stand out by making sure you do. This question asks you to give a direct into the point retelling of
your international experiences. You should list your study abroad trips, cultural exchanges or
medical mission trips here. When describing your activities, focus on how you develop
your cultural awareness and increase your ability to
work with diverse populations. You can approach this question in a couple of different ways, you might take the opportunity
to share a unique connection you have to UPenn Medical School or reveal a special situation you'd like to take into account. On the other hand, many
students will interpret this as a standard diversity essay. If you take this route, you can focus on the unique perspectives and values you can bring to the
Perelman School of Medicine. What qualities skills or
experience do you have that will benefit the UPenn Community and contribute to its mission? This question is a version of
the typical adversity essay but geared solely toward
economic hardships. Instead of focusing on how bad your challenge or experience was, use this essay to
demonstrate how you manage the stress of the situation or
how you rose to the occasion and did what you needed
to support your family. Show the actions you
took to resolve the issue and identify what you learned
through the experience. How has that hardship
impacted who you are today? For more advice on how to
write an adversity essay including a full length
example, be sure to check out our Medical School Secondary Essay Guide. Link in the description below. Here's another straight-forward question where you can answer honestly and directly if it applies to you otherwise you can skip the section. Ultimately this question is asking you why UPenn medical school? You want to identify, what
about Perelman's mission, programs, faculty or
resources most excite you. But don't stop at expressing
a relevant interest, instead, show how your
experiences lead you to form this interest which
can be uniquely pursued and encouraged at UPenn. For example, if you would love to work with a specific faculty member on their groundbreaking cancer
treatment research studies, start by sharing the personal experience that first got you interested
in treating cancer. Including this type of narrative will help your essay stand out. When you finish this video, be sure to check out
our supplemental guide, How to Get into Perelman
School of Medicine for a full length example
of this essay response. Link in the description below. Your answers to this final question are not considered in
your admissions review but will be used to accommodate you if you receive an invitation to interview. Since these questions are optional you can feel free to
skip them if you prefer otherwise, you should answer them in a straightforward fashion. If you write standout essays, have impressive extracurriculars and earn competitive academic stats you might earn your spot among the 11% of applicants who are invited to interview with the Perelman School of Medicine. This means you've almost made it but still have an important test to pass. The interview will test
your communication skills, personality fit and authenticity with your med school application. UPenn Medical School conducts its interviews in a traditional format. Expect to attend a full interview day that includes an orientation,
meeting students, a financial aid discussion and an introduction to the curriculum. You'll have two separate
interviews with faculty members. Be prepared to discuss
your research experiences and interests in depth. You should also remember to ask the faculty about their own research. People love to talk about their passions. If you can have an
enthusiastic conversation with your interviewer about
their research interests, you'll be sure to make
a strong impression. For all our best tips on how to ACE your
medical school interview, check out our Medical
School Interview Guide. We'll prepare you to put
your best foot forward and be memorable on interview day. Link in the description below. There you have it,
everything you need to know about how to get into the
Perelman School of Medicine. By following the advice in this video, you can maximize your admissions odds and make your UPenn Medical
School dreams come true. If you found this video helpful, give it a thumbs up and subscribe so you don't miss out on new videos. And if you'd like to learn more about the med school admissions process, click the link in the description to get our free comprehensive guide How to Get into Medical School. The guide contains a lesson on tackling medical school
secondary application essays where we go even more in depth on secondary essay strategies. All right. Thanks again for watching. See you next time.
