Samantha, Central Michigan University College of Medicine

Name: Samantha Hess

Accepted to: Central Michigan University College of Medicine

Undergrad University: University of Minnesota

Major: Neuroscience and Psychology

Work at ACR: Direct Care Professional at Winfield 2015-2019

Total HCE hours: 6000 including an ACR Homes Internship!

Shadowing hours: 40

Other volunteer hours: 350

Research hours: 125

How many programs did you apply to? I applied to ten programs

How many programs did you interview with? I interviewed with three programs

Anything you found surprising about interviews? The interviews are a lot more laid back in the MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) format. Overall, I wasn’t expecting the interview environments to be so welcoming. It was a pleasant surprise.

Were there any helpful resources you used to get through the application and interview process?

I used MSAR to compare myself to the average applicants to medical schools and the Kaplan prep books! For interview prep I strongly recommend looking up YouTube videos from current medical students who talk about their experiences.

Any other advice for other pre-MD students?

Do things you enjoy! Yes, the prerequisites are important, and you should definitely study hard and get those done well. However, medical schools also love to hear about the things that you do that you are passionate about and make you stand out. Not everything you do needs to be related to medicine!