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Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 4/25/24
Do you want to pursue your medical career in an establishment committed to reshaping medical practice? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about how to get into Emory Medical School.
With 42% of the physicians recognized in the 2022 “Top Doctors” issue of Atlanta magazine being physicians within Emory’s healthcare network, this school is known for producing excellent doctors.
This Atlanta university dedicates itself to making a real difference and creating health professionals who provide the most advanced, compassionate patient care. If this sounds like the kind of medical school you’d want to attend, read on to learn everything you need to know about Emory medical school.
There are various programs you can choose from at Emory medical school.
Emory offers these specialized degrees to allow students to find and pursue their niche before their residencies.
So, how hard is it to get into Emory Medical School? Read on to find the answer!
Based on the school’s low acceptance rate, gaining admission is difficult. For the most recent admissions cycle, Emory only had around 150 first-year spots to offer for 12,880 applicants. This means that their acceptance rate sits at around 1.2%.
Given these low admission statistics, you’re probably wondering how to get into Emory medical school and gain a competitive advantage. High GPA and MCAT scores are excellent ways to boost your profile!
Here’s a quick overview of Emory’s admissions stats:
Source: Emory Medical School
Incoming students at the Emory School of Medicine achieved an average GPA of 3.81. This is a very high GPA to maintain, so you’ll want to develop good study habits and put a lot of effort into your undergraduate degree.
Matriculants at Emory School of Medicine had an average MCAT score of 515.1. Again, this is a high score to achieve, so you’ll want to ensure you study hard and ace the MCAT to increase your chances of getting into Emory medical school.
You’re probably wondering how to get into Emory medical school. Emory has a list of requirements prospective students must complete before enrollment.
Emory medical school requires applicants to complete at least 90 semester hours of a balanced undergraduate education from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution. Baccalaureate degrees are highly preferred. During undergrad, students must take the following courses:
You’ll want to do your best to maintain a high GPA to demonstrate a solid academic record. Emory prioritizes science courses over others, so ensure you perform your best in these courses.
Many students worry about which pre-med major to choose because they believe medical schools have a preference for science majors. This isn’t true! Any major will work so long as you have fulfilled the prerequisites.
Almost every major offers unique skills and perspectives that can benefit you in medical school:
Emory medical school states a strong application includes exposure to patients and physicians in a clinical setting. You should also have other extracurriculars and leadership experiences on your application. So, do your best to get involved in your university and community.
While you definitely want some clinical experience, you also want to show you’re well-rounded and diverse. Try joining different activities to show your skills in many areas.
If you’re having a hard time finding a position in healthcare, you should consider volunteering! Many aspiring med school students volunteer at non-profit, community-centered organizations they’re passionate about.
Showing that you are dedicated to giving back to your community is admirable and proves you have compassion – a necessary trait in doctors.
You must take the MCAT to apply to Emory. To be considered for admission, you must take the MCAT by October of the year before matriculation at the latest.
Emory Medical School is pretty strict with its MCAT requirements: students who’ve taken the MCAT more than three times aren’t eligible for admission. Students must also score at least 502 on the MCAT and 124 in each section to receive a secondary application.
So, you’ll want to make sure you study hard and prepare for the MCAT! If you’re having difficulty figuring out where to begin, Inspira’s team of experienced MCAT tutors can help you build a personalized plan focused on your success.
All students must submit an application through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Your AMCAS application includes your personal information, personal statement, Work and Activities section, and more.
Emory medical school requires students to submit letters of recommendation. These letters attest to the applicant’s character and candidacy. Emory accepts the following forms of letters:
If you choose the last option, ensure each of the writers actually knows you. Also, make sure you choose people who will make you sound like a superstar! Your letters of recommendation should paint you as a stellar candidate.
If your GPA and MCAT scores meet Emory’s expectations, you’ll be sent a supplemental application. This supplemental application includes secondary essays.
The secondary application is an extremely important Emory Med School requirement. We’ll break down each of Emory’s secondary essays and provide tips on how to answer these questions. Since all prompts have a short 200-word limit, here are some general tips you can follow.
These tips will help you to stay within the word count and ensure each word has meaning.
This tip may seem counterproductive, but when you’re writing your first draft, you might miss out on some great ideas and get too caught up in the word limit.
It’s best to focus on one or two main experiences or ideas in each question. As you review your ideas, see which central point you seem to lean towards. Find the idea that has the perfect amount of evidence to support your point.
Once you’ve written out your answer and picked your central idea(s), go through the entire draft a few times and see if there are any ideas that don’t meaningfully contribute to your central idea(s). Ask yourself if some sentences hurt your argument. Ask yourself whether or not they offer good evidence or deviate from your message.
Once you’ve gone through the above steps, ensure you edit each of your answers multiple times. If you find any mistakes as you edit, it means you should go through your writing once more.
Give yourself time between your editing sessions so you can actually catch your mistakes. If you edit your writing back-to-back, you’re more likely to miss some mistakes. Now that you have a better idea of how to write these short essays, let’s look at each of Emory’s secondary essay questions.
“List your entire curriculum plan for the current academic year. If you are not currently in school, please briefly describe your plans for the coming year.”
This answer should be pretty straightforward. You’ll want to highlight the courses you’ve taken, especially Emory’s prerequisites. If you’ve decided to take a gap year, explain what your goals are for the year.
Whether you’ve chosen to spend your year gaining experience in a clinical setting or you want to continue volunteering, you should explain why you’ve chosen to do so. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce your passions and dedication to helping others!
“Briefly describe your health-related experiences. Be sure to include important experiences that are in your AMCAS application, as well as any recent experiences.”
While this prompt tells you to include experiences you’ve already listed on your AMCAS application, don’t repeat what you’ve written there. Instead, take this opportunity to elaborate on the significance of these experiences.
Try using the university’s values as a foundation for your writing, then prove how your values align with them through your experiences. You may also discuss how these experiences and values will help you become an excellent physician.
“Briefly describe your interest in Emory and the Emory degree program you have selected.”
Most supplemental applications have this question. Med schools want to know why you chose them out of all other options and that you support their goals and visions.
To answer this question, you’ll want to prove how great Emory medical school is but also how great you are for Emory. Highlight unique features the school offers while also bringing in your experiences and interests to prove how you’ll contribute to the school.
“Emory School of Medicine is committed to recruiting and educating medical students who will help deliver quality health care and will promote the health of our patients. In our community, this includes learning about and addressing the health care needs of our most under-served populations. Please describe any of your activities that have been in service to under-served communities.”
With this question, Emory is asking to see a demonstration of your compassion and care for others--a necessary trait for a health care worker! You can include a story or two about your experiences with patients and how these interactions helped you discover the true roles of physicians.
Also note that although you’re applying to medical school, your answer doesn’t have to strictly be about working in health care. You can also talk about any experiences you may have had working with those who are struggling with poverty or immigration or any other under-served communities you may have interacted with.
While you should make this answer personal, you should also remember the ideals and values Emory supports and try incorporating them into your answer.
“If you have any updates or new information to report since you have submitted your AMCAS primary application, please briefly describe below.”
You should only answer this question if you have significant information to share. For instance, if you started a new job relevant to healthcare, were published, or received an award that would boost your application, you’ll want to include it in this answer.
If you make it past the application process and receive an interview invitation, the first step is to celebrate! Only 5.2% of applicants made it to the interview stage.
Emory School of Medicine’s interviews are conducted virtually and consist of one group interview and a one-on-one interview. To prepare, it’s best to familiarize yourself with common medical school interview questions.
Ensure you also know Emory’s values and are familiar with its mission statement to prove how your values align and how you’d make an excellent addition to the school. For your reference, this is Emory’s mission statement:
“The Emory University School of Medicine is a leading institution with the highest standards in education, biomedical research, and patient care.
We are committed to recruiting and developing a diverse group of students and innovative leaders in biomedical science, public health, medical education, and clinical care.
We foster a culture that integrates leading edge basic, translational, and clinical research to further the ability to deliver quality health care, to predict illness and treat the sick, and to promote health of our patients and community.”
Aside from the values stated in the mission statement, Emory medical school also prides itself on its dedication to reimagining the future of medicine, which you may want to keep in mind as you prepare for your interview.
Attending medical school is extremely rewarding and can lead to fulfilling and high-paying jobs. But graduates often leave medical school with more than just their degree – they typically carry debt as well.
Emory’s MD program is no exception, with tuition costing $27,850 per semester or $55,700 annually. The average indebtedness for Emory medical students who recently graduated was around $149,000. Here’s a breakdown of Emory School of Medicine’s tuition and fees:
Source: Emory University School of Medicine
These figures can be intimidating, and we don’t blame you! Medical school is a big financial commitment. However, here’s another figure that might make you feel better. While $149,000 seems like a lot of debt, it’s significantly less than the national average medical school debt of $234,597.
Regardless, $149,000 is a considerable amount of money! Luckily, Emory medical school offers various scholarships to help cut tuition costs.
Approximately 70 scholarships are awarded by the Office of Financial Aid annually, including 20 scholarships based on merit.
Four first-year Emory medical students and two MD/PhD students are selected for this scholarship annually. Each fellowship covers full tuition and a stipend for four years of study. Emory assesses applicants based on their demonstration of:
Students don’t have to submit an application for this scholarship; they consider all applicants who enroll.
The Dr. G. Keith Pilling Scholarship awards a full-tuition scholarship every four years to one student. The receiving candidate must be a U.S. citizen.
Emory Medical School also offers The Kathelen and Dan Amos Medical Student Loan Forgiveness Program: Improving Access to Primary Care
This program is for Emory medical students and recent graduates who pick a career in pediatrics, medicine, family medicine, or geriatrics. Additionally, this award is only available to students committed to practicing in Georgia. Recipients of this award receive $40,000-$160,000 a year.
While Emory medical school offers some amazing scholarships, there are other options to consider. Since Emory gives out scholarships to a limited number of students, you should consider applying for external scholarships. This option can ensure coverage for a portion of your tuition, if not the full amount.
With all the application requirements and steps involved in getting into Emory’s medical program, it’s important to stay organized to ensure you don’t miss any application deadlines.
Ensure you stay on top of these deadlines as you apply to Emory medical school!
Here are some top tips to help you get accepted at Emory!
At Emory, you can choose to submit either a letter from a pre-medical committee on your college campus or three letters from individuals, two of which must be from professors or others familiar with your experience in science.
Any way you slice it, you’ll need stellar references from your professors, which is why it’s so important to have a strong relationship with them. Try and build a relationship as early as possible; that way, they can speak to your passion for learning about medicine and science and the improvements that you’ve made along the way.
Emory medical school is forthcoming about the traits the admissions committee wants to see from candidates in applications and interviews. The admissions committee is looking for the following traits:
Consider whether your application narrative demonstrates these traits and keep them in mind as you interview.
Emory School of Medicine explicitly states this as part of its selection criteria. Emory is committed to “developing a diverse group of students and innovative leaders in biomedical science, public health, medical education, and clinical care.”
Show your love of patient care, biomedical research, and caring for the community – don’t forget to highlight your leadership skills to show you’re capable of carrying out Emory’s mission!
If you still have questions, we may have the answers! Here are some of the most common questions asked about Emory Medical School.
Prospective students should aim to have around a 3.81 GPA to be considered competitive.
You should aim for a composite MCAT score of 515.1 to get into Emory medical school.
The Emory School of Medicine’s acceptance rate is 1.2%. But luckily, your acceptance isn’t determined by a statistic! If you prove you’re an exceptional student and person and will continue being exceptional as a doctor, you have a fair chance of getting in.
While Emory isn’t considered a med school giant like Harvard and Stanford, it’s still a prestigious school. It ranks as a Tier 1 medical school for research.
Aside from its prestige, dedication to bettering healthcare, and diverse curriculum, Emory offers its students advanced clinical experience. They have three affiliate hospital systems for student training: a respected veterans hospital, one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the U.S., and a Level 1 trauma hospital.
They also have a Cancer Center with various clinical trials and resources that you won’t find anywhere else in the state. Through this hands-on training, students can gain exposure to various types of medicine and figure out their preferred area of care!
If you’ve already entered your last year or graduated and haven’t completed the prerequisites listed above, you may still be eligible for admission. You’ll have the opportunity to explain why you don’t have the courses in the supplemental application. Emory rarely gives exceptions for students without prerequisites, but it is possible.
No, this medical school does not require the CASPer as part of the application process.
Yes, Emory is considered a good medical school! U.S. News World and Report ranks Emory as a Tier 1 Medical School for Research and Tier 3 Medical School for Primary Care.
Emory medical school is an excellent choice for students interested in pursuing medicine. With enough dedication and care, you can get accepted to any of its prestigious medical programs.
After reading this guide, you’ll have a good understanding of how to get into Emory medical school. You can now take that first step towards getting your dream career as a doctor!
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