Becoming a Successful Applicant
In addition to academic achievement and entrance exam scores, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and health profession programs look for core competencies among applicants.
You must also have a thorough understanding of the health profession to be a successful applicant. Gaining hands-on healthcare experience is crucial to test your assumptions about the medical field.
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Core Competencies for Applicants
These 15 core competencies have been endorsed by the AAMC Group on Student Affairs Committee on Admissions to indicate a student's preparedness for medical school. Developing these characteristics takes time and effort. Students should explore campus and community involvement opportunities to gain valuable leadership and interpersonal experiences. Explore your interests — not all of your activities need to be health-related!
Interpersonal
- Service orientation
- Social skills
- Cultural competence
- Teamwork
- Oral communication
Intrapersonal
- Ethical responsibility to self and others
- Reliability and dependability
- Resilience and adaptability
- Capacity for improvement
Thinking & Reasoning
- Critical thinking
- Quantitative reasoning
- Scientific inquiry
- Written communication
Science
- Living systems
- Human behavior
View AAMC's Anatomy of an Applicant
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