Getting In: How Not To Apply to Medical School (Medical Student Survival Series) [Paperback]

Paul Jung (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761917578 | ISBN-13: 978-0761917571 | Publication Date: October 22, 1999

Getting In: How Not To Apply to Medical School is a tough, practical guide for people storming the ramparts of medical school admission boards. Paul Jung takes the pre-med or second-career aspirant from pre-application experiences through the application process with a very practical approach. The book is filled with the pitfalls and misconceptions applicants frequently make, rendering the subtitle particularly apt and (for those terrified of the unknowns) eminently appealing. The volume also includes self-diagnostic sections and common pitfalls to avoid when applying to medical school. Contrary to popular belief, applying to medical school doesn’t have to be stressful and time-consuming. Getting In shows students caught in the web of medical school admissions boards how to apply to medical school the right way-setting themselves apart from the rest of the crowd. Jung takes pre-med and second-career aspirants through the entire ordeal and lets them know how important it is to apply as early as possible. From preparation and finding ways to obtain an application noticed by the admissions committee to information on the MCAT and getting through common interview traps, the book gives inside tips and helps applicants through what can be a stressful and uncertain time. The author allows readers a glimpse into common errors that others have made in their quests for acceptance, such as taking all required science courses in one semester or leaving large chunks of a medical application blank. Taking a down-to-earth, realistic approach, Jung acknowledges the pitfalls and misconceptions frequently made by applicants and even provides alternative solutions for discouraged students. The result is a well-written book that describes hardships and blunders but also gives good, practical information on how to succeed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc (October 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761917578
• ISBN-13: 978-0761917571
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Graduate School Guides > Medical

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money...., October 9, 2005

By 

Microbiologist, RN, and perpetual student. "~BB" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Getting In: How Not To Apply to Medical School (Medical Student Survival Series) (Paperback)

It is a bit expensive for what it costs. It does give some insider information from a former 'admissions advisor'. Let me save you some money, ready?... don't do the same thing everyone else does. Seperate yourself from the same things that every other 'pre-med' student does to get in... be unique... volunteer at a soup kitchen rather than a hospital, consider majoring/minoring in something other than science, do something out of the norm etc etc etc... That's it in a nut shell... you'll get a lot more of the same thing in different ways for $30 more, but hey, I'll admit that not every 'pre-med' student knows that they should try to be unique. So, it offers some good advice, but you just got it all (above) for the low low cost of nothing. So, if you're pre-med, be unique... and get a better book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Insulting much??, June 30, 2006

By 

D. White (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting In: How Not To Apply to Medical School (Medical Student Survival Series) (Paperback)

I will admit that this book does have the occasional bit of, as far as I can tell, good information. But mostly it just gave hyper-paranoid advice in insulting language. Take chapter 15, for instance, titled "Deadline Dummies". The "dummies" to which it refers is anyone who gets their application in past June 1st. He even states that there's 'no reason' to get it in past that date. No reason? Really? So he knows my life, does he? And don't even get into April vs. August MCAT. He leaves the reader, or at least he left me, with the overall feeling that those August MCAT losers are just plain screwed. Thanks.
And then there's the downright unhelpful advice, like 'don't volunteer at a hospital if that doesn't interest you, instead spend time doing things you truly enjoy.'. Well 1) if you don't like spending time in hospitals, I have some bad news about your future in medicine, and 2) what are you supposed to tell med schools when they ask about your medical experience? These days it's nearly impossible to get into any medical without a little clinical experience beforehand. This is just bad, bad advice.
Don't buy this book. Especially not for this much money. Honestly, almost any other book is better. I recommend Kaplan's "Get into Medical School; A Strategic Approach" instead. Good luck!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jung Cashes on Neurotic Premeds, January 15, 2006

By 

Perpetual Student (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting In: How Not To Apply to Medical School (Medical Student Survival Series) (Paperback)

Author Jung must have been well aware of how many nervous, neurotic premeds will throw money at anything if they think it will give them ANY sort of edge. Cha-Ching!!

Okay, so I'm already in medical school, but I had to flip through this yesterday when I saw it on a friends' shelf. Jung advises you to be original. (think "Legally Blonde" and Elle's video application to Harvard... I guess).

The best thing you can REALLY do, is make friends with the classmates AHEAD of you in undergrad, and keep communicating with them as they move through the application cycle (this works for application to ANY graduate-level course, not just medical).

Internet sources like this abound... tailor-made for students to give advice to their peers and for the people coming up behind us to read as well. Google for Student Doctor Network and you'll find FAR MORE advice, in a searchable format, readily available, for free free free.

The author is right, incidentally. Being original is a good idea. It's just neither an ORIGINAL idea (ironic!) nor one worth $30.

Now... stop reading about getting in, and go get in!!! :-)