Name: Med School Myth or Reality?🔴🟢 Can You Spot the Difference?
Uploaded: 2025-09-29T18:44:57.000Z
Duration: 10 min 36 s
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Will you fall for these common misconceptions about applying to medical school?

Which of the following statements are true and which could lead to rejection?

Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com After working with over 10,000 students, we've seen it all.

Let's cut through the noise and reveal the realities of getting into medical school.

Let's start with the one we hear quite often.

You need a science major to get into medical school.

While you do need specific prerequisites to apply to medical school, you do not need to major in any kind of science.

That said, the benefit of a science major is that it will cover many of your prerequisites, such as biology and general chemistry.

For this reason, some form of biological science is the most common pre-med major.

However, since nearly 60% of pre-med students pursue biological sciences, it's more difficult to stand out.

If you have another passion besides medicine, this is the time to pursue it.

If film studies or business is another passion of yours, this is an ideal time to explore it.

Just know that choosing a unique major will make it more challenging to complete your prerequisite courses because there will be less, or in some cases, no overlap.

You'll have to do your prerequisites on top of your other course load, which means taking more classes per quarter or taking longer to complete your undergrad.

You can absolutely get into medical school with a non-science major, but don't force it just to stand out, as your lack of passion will be noticed by adcoms.

You need a high MCAT score to get into medical school.

Think you need a perfect MCAT score to become a doctor?

Every year, thousands of pre-meds sacrifice their mental health, relationships, and entire lives chasing an elite MCAT score convinced it's the golden ticket to medical school.

Medical schools reject countless applicants with stellar MCAT scores every application cycle.

Because medicine isn't just about test-taking ability.

While a strong MCAT score certainly opens doors and can help secure scholarships, it's just one piece of a complex puzzle.

Spending an extra 40 hours to raise your score by two points might actually hurt your chances if those hours could have been put to building meaningful clinical experiences or research accomplishments.

The applicant with a 524 but no research and very little clinical experience, or the applicant with a 515 with an extensive research portfolio and publications and notable leadership in a clinical volunteering organization?

Obviously, the more well-rounded applicant.

I scored in the highest possible percentile on the MCAT, equal to a 525, while gaining tons of research experience.

A high MCAT doesn't mean you have to sacrifice other aspects of your application if you hone the right active study techniques.

But in some cases, we've seen students neglect important areas of their application in favor of a high or even slightly higher MCAT score.

Medical school admissions is ultimately a game of strategic time management.

Many students with good or average MCAT scores get accepted, while top scorers faced rejection letters because they neglected other crucial aspects of their application.

There are students who get accepted with scores both above and below the average.

And don't believe the nonsense on SDN and Reddit that an MCAT score that is too high will hold you back and signal to adcoms that you're a weirdo.

Sure, there is some correlation between some subset of top scorers being socially awkward and shooting themselves in the foot on the interview trail, but that just means they should have honed their essays, social skills, and interviews.

Overall, being a well-rounded candidate that also has a top score will only make you that much more desirable and help you earn merit-based scholarships to cover all of your medical school expenses.

Bottom line, strive for the best possible score on the MCAT, but remember, the student who gets into medical school isn't necessarily the one with the highest score, but the one who has a well-rounded application that tells a compelling story.

Just be careful not to use that as an excuse to not try to improve a score that you probably should.

Up next is the following statement a myth or reality.

If you haven't applied by the end of the summer, you should wait another year to apply to medical school.

The application deadlines offered by medical schools are deeply misleading.

The single most crucial strategy for applying to medical school is applying early, ideally as soon as applications open in June.

At Med School Insiders, we don't want any of the students we work with to take risks when it comes to application deadlines.

Although technical deadlines will say you have until the end of the year, if the end of the summer is approaching, it's better to wait until the following year to apply.

Rolling admissions mean that medical schools review applications as they receive them on a continuous or rolling basis.

The first to submit their primary applications receive the first secondary application requests.

The first to submit their secondaries receive the first interview invites, and the first to interview successfully receive the first acceptances.

Applying late in the game or falling behind at any point in the process gives other applicants a strong advantage.

It's like starting a 100 meter race from 10 meters behind everyone else.

It's easier to apply to medical school the second time.

The answer, it's 100% a myth, and far, far too many applicants fall for it.

Many students wrongly think they can easily apply the following year if they don't get in, so they apply late or don't put in the necessary effort to get in the first time around.

This line of thinking is incredibly flawed.

The medical school application process is a grueling journey.

It's not something to casually try again if you don't get in the first time.

After over a year of hard work, stress, and the cost of applications, which can run you thousands of dollars, the last thing you want to do is start all over again when you're already burnt out.

Plus, medical schools expect re-applicants to have substantially improved their application, which takes a great deal more time and effort, and thousands more in application fees.

Ask anyone who has applied to medical school.

Beyond the cost of reapplying, there's also the opportunity cost.

The average US physician earns $355,000 per year.

So when you apply before you're ready and don't get in, that's not just lost time.

It's one year of lost salary, and it's one year of lost momentum.

Aim for acceptance the first time you apply.

Up next is the following a myth or reality.

You should apply to many medical schools.

At Med School Insiders, we recommend applying to no fewer than 25 medical schools.

Even though it may take a bit more time and money, it's worth it to apply to more schools.

Many people, including several misguided and ill-informed admissions consultants and guidance counselors, will say that it's a waste of time and money to apply to a long list of schools.

They will even recommend applying to 18 schools, which is the average number of schools each applicant applies to, according to the AAMC.

But following what's average gives you average results.

At Med School Insiders, we've helped thousands of students get into med school.

We've seen for ourselves that it's far more effective and worthwhile to apply to more schools.

It has a highly asymmetric risk profile, meaning the upside is far greater than the potential downside.

In the grand scheme of things, a little extra effort and extra cost are well worth ensuring you are accepted the first time you apply.

The average cost to apply to one additional medical school is about $150.

Now compare that to reapplying next year.

That's thousands of dollars in application fees, lost income from delaying your career by a year, and the emotional cost of rejection.