Reviewed by:
Third-Year Medical Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Reviewed: 10/10/23
Do you want to join a medical school that is driven by science, energized by education, and relentlessly focused on patient care? Read on to find out more about how to get into the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine.
You’ve probably heard of bovine heart transplants, but have you heard of baboon bone marrow transplants?
In an effort to provide a solution for the organ shortage and find a cure for advanced AIDS, Suzanne Ildstad (a doctor from Mayo Clinic) controversially transplanted baboon bone marrow into a 38-year-old man with no options left.
While the transplant was eventually rejected by his body, the HIV virus was barely detected even years later, allowing the patient to live a much longer, healthier life!
Daring, revolutionary, and life-changing medicine like this is what you can expect to find at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. If you’d like to join the list of outstanding Mayo Medicine graduates, read on to find out more about how to get into this prestigious med school!
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine has over 450 programs across various health-related fields. For those of you interested in becoming physicians, these are the two programs that will allow you to do so:
As a medical school that prides itself on producing excellent physicians, Mayo aims to admit only the best candidates. To get a better understanding of what it takes to get accepted into this school, here are some important admissions statistics.
The Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine’s acceptance rate is low at only 4.2%.
In order to be considered a competitive candidate, students should aim to get an MCAT score of around 521. However, students need a 508 at minimum to be sent secondary applications.
Since these are high target scores, it’s essential you create a comprehensive study plan and have a thorough understanding of each section on the MCAT.
The average GPA of accepted Mayo students is 3.94, meaning interested students must have a nearly perfect GPA to be considered ideal candidates!
Since Mayo has no preference for which undergraduate degree you pursue, to ensure you are able to maintain such a high GPA, you should choose a major you are genuinely interested in! Mayo also doesn’t have any specific course requirements, so you should also take courses you know you can do well in to boost your GPA.
As if maintaining a nearly perfect GPA and scoring a nearly perfect MCAT score wasn’t stressful enough as is, applicants must also complete several secondary essays as part of their application.
To reduce the stress of this part of your application, here are the essays you’ll be expected to answer, along with tips to help you succeed.
1. “Why are you specifically interested in pursuing your medical education at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine? Please tell us in a few sentences why you are interested in the top track choice you indicated. (500 word limit)”
This essay is a typical “why us” question that the school asks to assess your dedication to their school and mission. While you should focus on highlighting Mayo’s specific values that interest you, you should also focus on how your own values align with Mayo’s.
So, you aren’t only explaining why you’re choosing Mayo, but also why they should choose you! Ensure you don’t provide vague or generic answers for this essay. Talk about what makes Mayo unique and why it stands out as the top choice for you.
2. “Each of us relates to others through characteristics that make up our individual diversity. Tell us how your diversity is reflected not only in your personal and professional activities, but also in your relationship with others, particularly in diverse learning environments.”
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine is all about diversity. From working with diverse patients to working in diverse communities, Mayo understands diversity’s power to maximize patient care.
This question asks you to write a diversity essay, which allows you to explain the circumstances or experiences that make you a unique candidate with different perspectives on medicine and patient care. The majority of students focus on their gender, race, sexuality, religious affiliations, or socio-economic status for this type of essay.
However, you don’t have to limit yourself to just talking about how you’re an underrepresented minority! Think about all the experiences you’ve had throughout your life and how they’ve shaped your views on medicine. Pick one or two experiences that stand out the most and write about them!
Mayo also wants to know that interested candidates have similar views on diversity and believe in its importance. Consider the diversity, or lack of diversity, that you have experienced as a student and relate it back to your anticipated med school journey.
If you’ve experienced an undiverse learning environment, use this as a comparison to explain how diversity is a true asset to education, specifically medical school.
As you begin preparing your application, there are several key dates you should keep in mind:
Ensure you make a note of these dates to make your application process as hassle-free as possible!
Attending the Mayo Alix School of Medicine is an investment. Tuition alone costs $65,920 a year! Luckily, Mayo offers all of its students scholarships based on academic performance and financial need that can offset these high costs! In fact, the average scholarship for the 2020 class was $38,000.
Interested students can also apply to various external scholarships that can cover the full cost of tuition!
On interview day, there will be virtual welcome sessions and then two 30-minute virtual interviews with members of the admissions committee or faculty. Students will also be given a virtual tour of the campus, meet with current medical students, and have the opportunity to ask any questions they have about the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.
To ensure you’re prepared for this interview, you should become well-versed in Mayo Clinic School of Medicine’s missions, objectives, and accomplishments. You should also go over common interview questions, as you’re very likely to be asked some variation of at least a few of them!
Remember to remain as calm and confident as you can! The interviewers are simply trying to get to know you more and gain a better understanding of why you want to attend Mayo Clinic.
Express your passion, be genuine, and ensure you also ask great questions to not only show your interest but to get a better understanding of what it takes to excel as a Mayo medical student!
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine consistently ranks as one of the top medical schools in various specialties! It has consistently been ranked in the top 10% of medical schools for six consecutive years.
The school continues to be recognized for its strong performance in research, with more than 80% of Mayo's medical students graduating with a research manuscript published in a peer-reviewed journal, which is more than twice the national average.
Considering these high rankings, no matter what your medical interests are, Mayo can provide you with an outstanding education to propel your medical career!
Deciding which medical school to attend is a big decision! So, in case you still have any remaining questions about getting into Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, here are the answers to frequently asked questions about Mayo!
Yes! Not only does it rank as one of the top 20 medical schools in various areas, but it is also known for its medical research breakthroughs and life-changing scientific discoveries.
With a low acceptance rate of 4.2% and high GPA and MCAT requirements, getting into Mayo Clinic Medical School is challenging! Students must have stellar applications and ace their interviews to be considered competitive candidates!
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine has campuses in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota.
No, with tuition costing $65,920 a year, attending Mayo Clinic is certainly not free! However, Mayo offers extensive scholarships and grants that can significantly help reduce these costs, and the amount of debt students graduate with! In fact, Mayo has the seventh-lowest medical student debt in the country.
Your target MCAT score should be 521; however, you need a minimum of at least 508 to be sent a secondary application.
Mayo Clinic hospital is part of the Mayo Clinic health network that’s comprised of clinics, hospitals, and other health facilities. This hospital ranks as the best hospital in the nation!
Mayo Medical School does not require applicants to have any specific undergraduate course prerequisites! However, applicants should have a strong understanding and background in life sciences and social sciences.
By attending Mayo Clinic Alix Medical School, you’ll be able to join a team of revolutionists that have been changing the face of medicine for years! Much like Suzanne Ildstad, with the resources, support, and education you’ll receive at Mayo, you, too, can make groundbreaking medical discoveries!
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