Can an Average Student get into Medical School?

If there’s one thing premed students worry over above all else it’s whether they’re smart enough to get into medical school. For the students with 3.9 GPAs, 38+ scores on the MCAT, and solid letters of recommendations it may seem like a no brainer–maybe they won’t get into their first choice of school, but they’re getting in.

But what about the rest of us?

By definition, most of us are average. Most of us are going to fall on the middle to lower end of the GPA spectrum. Our MCAT scores are going to be “just okay” and our letters of recommendation aren’t filled with tales of extensive research and undergraduate publications.

So, can the average student get into medical school?

First, let’s address what we mean by average. If’ we’re simply talking about the “average” student, a student who shows up to class, skips some days, studies moderately, does okay on the assignments and the tests, but spends most of their time focused on other interests, simply dabbles in their passions with no real commitment, and doesn’t take the time to really explore the field of medicine through work and volunter: then no, the average student cannot get into medical school.

The average student is not going to be willing to go the extra mile. They don’t have perseverance, they can’t stay focused long enough to be successful in their studying, nor do they have the foresight to see the long-term benefits in their extra-curricular activities.

The average student is what every medical interviewer hates: a lackluster candidate with nothing stand out or to show for. They’re bland. Their application is just a carbon-copy of the multitude of others in the stack. Maybe they do excel in some area, maybe they have stellar grades or a great MCAT score, but the rest is simply lacking. When asked about their interest in medicine they have little to say that doesn’t reek of naivety and pre-conceived notions. They’re activities outside of the classroom are non-existant, or the cookie-cutter pre-med variety: they volunteered at their hospital (but really did nothing medical related), they shadowed a physician (for one day), they helped at a soup kitchen (and goofed off with their friends).

The Dean of East Carolina’s Brody School of Medicine once told me,

“To the person who has a 4.0 but spent four years staying in their dorm studying. Of course you have perfect grades. You better have perfect grades.”

Simply put, the average student is an applicant that’s lacking in a lot of ways. But you can avoid being average.

As David Chan, UCLA medical school graduate and Stanford Oncologist says,

“If you’re working hard, you’re not simply an “average” student. Most doctors aren’t geniuses and medicine isn’t conceptually all that difficult for the most part.”

I know what most of you are thinking: Easy for Dr. Chan to say. He’s already been through medical school. Science must come easy to him. Or he’s a genius and can’t see the reality the rest of us face.

If that’s you. Stop. Right now.

The first thing you have to get out of your head is a self-imposed limitation of your intellectual ability. Forget everything you’ve learned, heard, or believed about IQ. Throw out the phrase “genius” or “intelligent” from your internal dictionary. Neither of these things exist.

The successful student is the one who’s willing to put in the appropriate amount of work to match what they’re trying to accomplish.

You’re probably sitting there wondering, “Am I smart enough to get into medical school?”

“Am I smart enough to pass organic chemistry/physics/intro biology?”

Whatever your doubt may be throw it away. Get rid of the phrase “smart enough” and focus on what’s more important. There’s too much talk of intelligence in the world of academics. Everyone believes intelligence to be a quantifiable measure and one that amounts for success in life. Forget about it.

The only thing you need to worry about is this:

“Am I willing to work hard enough to succeed at _____”

For most of the people reading this, that blank will be filled with getting into medical school, or becoming a good doctor. But for all the challenges you face along the way, for getting a research or volunteer position, for getting good grades and scoring high on the MCAT, remember that phrase

Am I going to work hard enough.

Forget intelligence. There’s no such thing as intelligence. Lebron Jame’s is a genius on the basketball court. Do you think he’d slam dunk his way through a physcis exam? Of course not. But that doesn’t mean he’s any less intelligent.

Don’t worry about being smart, or intelligent, or having a high IQ. These phrases are all academic, a way we’ve tried to quantify why some people experience success while others don’t. I don’t know if I’m smart. I’ve never taken an IQ test and I never plan to. But I can tell you this. Everything I’ve done with my life and found success in has been the result of putting in the time and effort necessary to get to that point.

I’ve always taken an issue with the phrase “work smarter, not harder.” To me, that just doesn’t cut it. It implies there is always a way to cut corners, that there’s a fast lane to success the rest of us average people are just oblivious to.

One of my favorite quotes is by Renaissance sculptor and painter Michelangelo. While being praised about the amazing work he did on the Sistine Chapel, he said

“If you knew how much work went into it, you would not call it genius.”

I want you to stop for a minute and think about everything you’ve done in life. Think about everything you’re good at. Everything you’ve had success with. Maybe it ‘s a sport, or playing an instrument. Maybe you got into an Ivy League school, or you’ve published a book. Maybe you’re just really good at Call of Duty. Think about all of those things.

Now tell me. How did you get to that point?

It’s easy to forget once we start having some success in life or attain a level of mastery how much work went into the object of our desire. You may be incredible at playing the piano, but there was a time when the keys felt foreign to your fingertips and only someone with as many appendages as an octopus could play anything by Beethoven. I want you to remember those early days. Remember all the work and sweat and effort you put in to finally be good at your vocation.

Everything else you want to succeed at will be the same way. I don’t say that to dampen your spirit or discourage you. Instead you should be excited. You should be brimming with the possibility of what you can accomplish.

Anything you want to achieve is entirely within your reach. You just have to be willing to work hard enough for it.

Wishful thinking won’t get you anywhere. You’ve got to work smart and hard. That’s the real secret. That’s how an average person can achieve anything. An average student can get into medical school if they work hard enough. A 150lb twig of a person can bench press 300lbs if they put in the time.

And have a growth mindset.

I’ve written about the importance of developing grit as a way of succeeding in life. Having a growth mindset is fundamental to being able to sustain an endeavor once we start feeling resistance.

We all hit a wall at some point. It’s easy to give up, to think that we just aren’t smart enough to succeed, or athletic enough or born with the right genes. It’s easy to make excuses and complain that the deck was stacked against us. But these are excuses. Excuses our how we comfort ourselves in the face of challenge and failure.

As Carol Dweck’s research out of Stanford has shown, there are two types of mindsets that people possess: fixed and growth

In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.

Having a growth mindset means that you know you can always improve. If you’re failing at something, if you struggle with a challenge–it’s okay. You know with time and effort you’ll continue to get better. You’ll eventually succeed. Every person who succeeds or becomes a master at their craft knew that they would continue to get better. Tiger Woods didn’t know he would end up being the best golfer in the world, but you can be damn sure he was going to keep practicing until he got there.

A growth mindset is the attitude you have to apply towards everything.

Bombed your first chemistry test? It’s okay. Tell yourself that you’re going to find what you’re doing wrong and fix it. Tell yourself that you’re going to study twice as hard for the next exam. Then do it.

Want to be the world’s best motorcycle stunt rider? Get on your bike and practice riding everyday. Think about whatever it is you want to succeed at. Think about a challenge you’re facing. And throw hours at it. Invest your time in getting better. Keep grinding away until you start to see success.

That’s the obvious truth that we all know but we like to ignore: successful people got that way because they were willing to keep going when the rest of us stopped. Your classmate that seems like a genius at chemistry is probably spending more time studying than you’re willing to do. The author that published a best-selling book probably spent years writing drafts and novels that never went on to be published before they finally had a success.

Embrace a growth mindset. Embrace a never-quitting work ethic. Being average means you do the bare minimum and nothing more. But you don’t want to be average. Go the extra mile in everything. Put in the time and effort now. Even if you’re getting nowhere, even if you feel like banging you’re head against a wall. You’re succeeding just by sticking to your commitment and working towards your goal. Woody Allen once said that 80% of life is just showing up. Go the extra 20% everyday, and you’ll have your success.

The average student can get into medical school. They can do better on their tests, they can raise their GPA, they can score higher on the MCAT, write a better personal statement, they can volunteer more hours and spend more time working in healthcare. They can work harder than everyone else.

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