The Savvy Premed Podcast

On this episode: How do you improve your CASPer test score? Part 1: Does preparation help? Part 2: My conversation about how to prepare with someone who got into multiple medical schools that require the CASPer, Asmita. We talk about how to prepare, how to know if you are any good at the CASPer, and strategies for improving your score.

This episode covers: How medical schools use the CASPer test and what you need to know to succeed. Part 1: The what, when, how, and why of the CASPer. Part 2: A conversation with Dr. Jennifer Welch, the Associate Dean of Admissions of SUNY Upstate about how her school uses the CASPer results to select their applicants.

Our latest episode covers: • What those Sarah McLachlan SPCA ads can teach us about what makes community service compelling for admissions officers. • Discover how the brains of admissions officers are broken when it comes to community service, and how to use that to your advantage when you get involved. • The 5 Principles of Finding the Right Community Service for You • A Conversation with Janet Snoyer about her favorite ways her students have already gotten involved from home

Should You Go To College in the Fall? Listen to find out!

Avoiding cliches is personal statement writing 101. For med schools, the common cliches are: “I want to help people,” “my mom, dad, cousin is a physician,” or “I find the human body fascinating.” What's new about these coronavirus essays is that we don't know, exactly, what the cliches will be. So how do you write about coronavirus without sounding whiny or cliche? Listen to this podcast to find out.

Despite everything going on in the world, are we going to act like the admissions process should just go on as normal? This doesn't just affect applicants, who are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress. It also affects admissions officers, pre-health advisors, professors, and even doctors who often work on admissions committees. We have come up with 13 proposed changes for Medical School Admissions Offices and the AAMC to make the 2020-2021 application cycle better. Of course, not all of these will come to pass. But working together, let's make this cycle easier for applicants, admissions committees, and all of us who have to take care of ourselves and our families during this difficult time.