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Evaluating your Candidacy:�Attributes, Experiences, Competencies, Narrative

For 2026 Applicants

Fall 2024

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What should you evaluate about your candidacy?

Your metrics & academic preparation

How you’ll convey your personal narrative & ‘fit’

How you’ve developed core competencies to show ‘fit’

Your experiences & attributes

Your overall readiness for this journey

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What do professional schools consider?

Your ability & potential to graduate

Development of core competencies

Your ‘fit’ for the specific institution & the profession

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Experiences – Attributes – Metrics Model

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Attributes

Fields of interest
Intellectual curiosity
Maturity
Languages spoken
Perspectives
Leadership
Values & beliefs
Individual interests

Geography
Ethnicity
Gender identity
Faith
Family status
National origin
Relationship status
Citizenship
Sex
Age
Physical ability
Race
Sexual orientation

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Highest Importance (3.0+)	US citizenship / permanent residency (for public schools) From your school’s state or local region (for public schools) Lived or worked with groups that have experienced disadvantage Interpersonal skills (social skills, oral communication) Intrapersonal skills (resilience and adaptability, capacity for improvement)
Medium Importance (2.5-3.0)	First-generation college From households with low SES Race/ethnicity (if consideration permitted by state law) From a rural area From a medically underserved area From a Tribal area
Lowest Importance (<2.5)	U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (for private schools) First-generation immigrant status DACA recipient From your school’s state or local region (for private schools) Multilingual From an urban area Gender From an under-resourced university English language learner Transferred from community college to a 4-year undergrad institution Legacy status Age

Mean importance ratings of attributes (demographic and others) used by admissions committees to make decisions about which applicants receive interview invitations and acceptance offers.

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Attributes

What do you, as an applicant, bring to the school’s community?

What will you bring to the profession?

Your attributes are considered at the time of:

Pre-interview screening
The interview
In final selection

Where do schools look for information on the applicant’s attributes?

Primary application 🡺 Demographics, Work/Activities, Statement on ‘other impactful experiences’, and Personal statement

Secondary application essays
Situational Judgement Tests (CASPer, PREview)
HPA committee letter
Individual recommendation letters
Interview

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How do you evaluate your attributes?

Lots of reflection!

Think about:

What are your core values? How do these values connect with how you see yourself in medicine?
Does being ____ inform your motivation for medicine? In what ways?
How will being ____ help you connect with some patients? How will it distance you from others? What can you do about that?

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A note about maturity & professionalism

Communication with admissions offices – during the entire application cycle
Attention to detail in written materials
Good judgement and ethical decision making

Additional resources:

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Experiences

Education background
Research experience
Affiliations
Community service
Health care experience
Leadership roles
‘Distance traveled’
Life experiences

Historical events
Political events
World events
Cultural events

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Highest Importance (3.0+)	Community service/volunteer: medical/clinical Community service/volunteer: not medical/clinical Physician shadowing/clinical observation Leadership Paid employment: medical/clinical
Medium Importance (2.5-3.0)	Research/lab Military service Other extracurricular activities Paid employment: not medical/clinical
Lowest Importance (<2.5)	Teaching/tutoring/teaching assistant Intercollegiate athletics Conferences attended, presentations, posters, publications Honors, awards, recognitions

Mean importance ratings of experiences used by admissions committees to make decisions about which applicants receive interview invitations and acceptance offers.

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Experiences

Healthcare & Clinical

Patient interactions
Physician shadowing/observation
Empathy, interpersonal skills, ‘bedside manner’

Teamwork & Leadership

Responsibility & reliability
Interpersonal skills
Collaboration

Research

Problem solving
Critical thinking & analysis

Civic engagement

Service orientation
Cultural competence

When you look at the totality of your experiences, focus on:

Healthcare and clinical experiences: your experience interacting with patients and physicians, what that has been like? What have you learned about empathy, cultural awareness?
Research: schools want to know that you can think through a problem and tackle it, that you are adaptable and resilient.
Civic engagement – medicine is a service profession, and schools want to see that you truly care about your community, and have a genuine desire serve that community. What experiences have you had working or volunteering with those who are different than you, or come from a disadvantaged background?
Teamwork and leadership: how do your experiences demonstrate your ability to function on a team? What types of leadership experience have you had? Are you able to take charge of a team, and lead your teammates toward a common goal?

Think about the experiences that you have had so far that allowed you to explore your chosen profession and gain a deeper understanding of what being a physician entails. Focus on the experiences over the last 3-4 years, but if you have been involved in something long-term, acknowledge that longevity.

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Experiences

What confirmed your interest in medicine?

How have you developed competencies valued in a future health care provider?

Considered at the time of:

Pre-interview screening
The interview
In final selection

Where do schools look for information on the applicant’s attributes?

Primary application 🡺 Work/Activities, Personal statement

Secondary application essays
CASPer / SJT
HPA committee letter
Individual recommendation letters
Interview

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Consider Depth and Scope of Your Experiences…

Depth 🡺 longitudinal exploration of your future profession

Reflect on your experiences to date and build on them
Use next experience(s) to ‘fill in’ gaps of knowledge about the profession

Scope 🡺 Variety of experiences

Many different ways of learning about healthcare

Importance of interactions within the healthcare field – with patients and their families, physicians, nurses, and other professionals

Need ideas from past successful applicants? Check out Tiger Docs: Alum Profiles

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Evaluating Your Experiences & Competencies

AAMC competencies workbook and worksheets available at: https://students-residents.aamc.org/anatomy-applicant/premed-competencies-resources

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Evaluating Your Experiences & Competencies

HPA Competency Self-Assessment Template in Canvas

Use this spreadsheet to collect all of your activities, letters, and other components of your candidacy. Think about where and how you’ll highlight your competencies.

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Evaluating Your Experiences

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EAMs & Admissions

“In a holistic review process, schools look at a potential medical student’s Experiences, Attributes, and Metrics (EAMs) to widen the lens through which we assess applicants in support of school mission and to further leverage the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion. For the upcoming admissions cycle, and cycles to come, we must consider the downstream effects of the pandemic, racism, and inequality on students’ abilities to meet criteria for admission that are beyond their control.”

AAMC holistic considerations in light of the intersections of Covid-19, racism, and inequality

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Your experiences and accomplishments matter but how you tell your story is important!

Intertwine your experiences, �values, choices, competencies, and growth into a compelling narrative that culminates in your vision of your future as a physician.

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Sharing Your Narrative: Growth

Development:

How have your choices and commitments challenged and prepared you for this profession?

Perspectives:

How has your understanding of medicine changed?

How have you engaged with and learned from others’ perspectives?

How have your experiences affirmed your preparation for a medical career?

Failures:

How have you shown resilience and grown in the face of setbacks?

Abilities:

What skills will help you contribute to medicine?

Values:

What motivates you? What is your impact on your community?

Qualities:

How did your qualities shape or influence your choices?

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Sharing Your Narrative: Future Vision

Patient populations

Work setting

Geography/Region

Values

Specialty

Focus

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School Fit

Metrics Fit

“Reach” vs. “Target” schools
National data
Princeton data

Mission Fit

Will you thrive here?
Do you share the school’s values?
How will you contribute to the school’s class and community?
Do you want to get into any medical school or do you want to come to that medical school?

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Know your story, your values, and your vision! �It will help you identify schools and help them recognize your fit for their programs. �

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Assessing Your Readiness

You are embarking on a long process… Do things well, not fast.

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A Holistic Strategy For You

Grounded Decision Making
Sufficient Life Experience and ‘Distance Traveled’
Well-Considered Timeline
Personal Confidence in Goals and Application

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Grounded Decision Making

Frequent barriers to acceptance

Low metrics for school selections
Poor fit in school selections
Late primary and/or secondary applications
Difficulty articulating motivation and overall narrative
Counting on what’s to come rather than what’s already done
Lack of clinical experience

Other barriers to acceptance

Lack of confidence
Insufficient interview preparation (insufficient life experience?)
Perceived lack of maturity and professionalism: disciplinary actions, poor written and oral communication, not following instructions

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How can you build confidence in application goals?

Ask HPA:

My goal is X. How likely am I to meet it?
If I were to take more time, what should I focus on?
What schools are realistic given my metrics and activities?
Where did other students who did X find success as applicants?

Ask med school-bound peers:

What made you confident that things would work out?
What did you do leading up to the application and during the application year to try to maximize your success?

Ask yourself:

Do I feel confident, organized, and ready to put my best foot forward?
Is it worth the potential trade-off between more time and different outcomes?

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Next Steps:

Complete the HPA Self-Assessment in Canvas by the Jan 15th deadline

Schedule an intake meeting with Kate or Gabriela to discuss your self-assessment (optional - strongly encouraged if you haven’t met with one of us in the last year)

Use the resources in this presentation to evaluate your experiences and development of the core competencies

Continuously self-reflect about your preparedness to apply now

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To summarize:

Use time wisely between now and application (whenever that is)
Complete HPA preapplication and application materials carefully with your experiences and attributes in mind
Control what you can control
Be ready to accept ambiguity
Set realistic expectations
Know yourself
Apply when you’re confident that you can meet your goals
Apply early in the cycle

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Questions?

Thanks for Your Time!

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, and includes icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik