Sahil Mehta

Sahil Mehta M.D. is an attending physician in the Department of Radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Founder of MedSchoolCoach. Dr Mehta is one of the world’s experts on medical school admissions having founded MedSchoolCoach in 2007. MedSchoolCoach provides admissions consulting to premedical students in the form of interview preparation, essay editing and general advising. In the past 10 years, he has had a hand in over a thousand acceptances to medical school.

Residency & Beyond

Sahil Mehta
5,979

Components of a Residency Application

Many medical students are excited to finally apply to residency programs in the specialty they’ve chosen. The residency application process can feel tense, but since you’ve already made it through the medical school application process, it might just feel familiar!…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
9,553

How to Become a Doctor (And Whether or Not You Should)

Thinking you want to practice medicine? It’s a pretty noble career path — I should know; I’m a practicing medical doctor in Boston. This process can feel a little overwhelming at times, but there’s also nothing quite as exciting as…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
10,321

The Least Expensive Medical Schools (2024)

It is no secret that medical schools are extremely expensive. In 2024, medical school tuition, on average, cost $235,827 over four years. Due to the high costs of medical school, many students look for grants, scholarships, or anything else to…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
7,242

How To Store Letters of Recommendation for Medical School

Most schools provide a letter storage service via their career center or similar resources. There are also online letter-holding services like Interfolio’s Dossier that you may use to store letters for multiple application systems. Because letters of recommendation are generally…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
1,996

Do All MD Schools Use the AMCAS Letter Service?

Most MD schools use the AMCAS application service, which means they also use the AMCAS letter service for letters of recommendation. AMCAS also accepts letters submitted through Interfolio. These medical programs in the United States do not use AMCAS for…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
1,930

Can a Teaching Assistant Write My Letter?

Generally, medical schools do not accept letters of recommendation written by teaching assistants (TAs). You want professors to write your letters, just to be safe. However, your TA can write you a letter if your professor signs or co-signs it.…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
5,523

How and When Can I Submit Letters to AMCAS?

You can begin submitting letters of recommendation to AMCAS as soon as the application opens in May. For each letter, you’ll create an entry in your AMCAS application to classify the letter type (committee letter, letter packet, or individual letter)…
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Medical School - Preclinical

Sahil Mehta
8,104

USMLE Step 1 Pass/Fail Scoring: Impact on Medical Students

All USMLE Step 1 scores are reported as either a “pass” or “fail” result for tests administered after January 26, 2022. Students must achieve a score of 196 on the three-digit system to pass the exam. However, the USMLE no…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
10,935

Medical School Application Mistakes To Avoid

About 60% of applicants don’t get accepted to a single medical school. That sounds intimidating — and it probably should. Based on how difficult it is to get into medical school, the last thing you want to do is ruin…
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Applying to Medical School

Sahil Mehta
10,100

What Are Medical Schools Looking For?

Many pre-meds often ask questions like: What do medical schools look for? What do I need to do to get into medical school? What extracurriculars are best for medical school? How important is _______ (GPA, MCAT, research, volunteer)? Do I…
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