Article: Don't be a cookie-cutter

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>[Medical</a> Milestones By Kay Singer-Under the Gargoyle-Duke Magazine-January/February 2007](<a href=“Duke Mag”>Duke Mag)</p>

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<p>I think med schools already do a decent job of weeding out cookie cutter premeds. This is not to say that research and clinical experience are not important but rather it’s usually some other EC that gets you in. In other words, you need research, shadowing, hospital volunteering but I firmly believe it’s ultimately the 2-3 unique extracurricular that each person has (or should have) that get them accepted. This can be a team sport or musical instrument or a business you founded or a special talent or a unique job (such as being a chef, investment banker, scub diving instructor, etc.). It’s only in very rare situations that someone is able to stand out in research or clinical experience.</p>

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<p>I think that the article is actually disingenuous, the vast majority of accepted students at the middle 100 medical schools are, more or less, cookie cutter candidates. You do have to ‘check the boxes’, the number of students who were also ‘first horn in the philharmonic orchestra’ is vanishingly small.</p>

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<p>They may well look cookie cutter on paper but that’s why interview is so important.</p>

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<p>Thanks immensely for this article BDM. I’m going to have my parents read it before I try and tell them I want to take a year off. The article is also reassuring for me as a (future) applicant.</p>

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<p>I like cookies.</p>