November Medical Newsletter

As Thanksgiving rolls around, medical school applicants with interview invites have something to be grateful for. The admissions process can feel long and tedious, but waiting for decisions can be the hardest part. At this point in the cycle, some Moon Prep students have already received multiple medical school acceptances, while others may be awaiting their first interview invite. Practicing patience along with gratitude this Thanksgiving will be important for current applicants to get through the cycle. However, if after taking a holiday break to spend time with family, you still have not received your first interview invite, it is time to start preparing for reapplication. 

If you fear you might be a reapplicant, don’t lose all hope! Our Moon Prep counselors Loren and Darlene have experience with aiding two and three-time applicants gain admission to medical school. Schedule a call with Moon Prep today to find out how to get our counselors on your team or sign up for interview preparation.

Rising Researchers – NEW Winter Session

As winter break approaches, make the most of your time by getting involved in research. Rising Researchers offers the perfect opportunity for students to get exposed to scientific literature and complete the course with a publication and poster presentation. Gain valuable research experience in only 4 weeks while working alongside peers in a small class cohort under the guidance of a research mentor.



Schedule: 4 weeks long – meeting twice a week

Dates: Every Tues/Fri (12/19-1/12), 7:00p – 8:30p ET/4:00p – 5:30p PT

Research Topic: Social determinants of health in cardiovascular disease. An intersection between how public health impacts medicine.

Cost: $3200



Register online or schedule a call to learn more.

Meet Dr. Tyler Janitz, a current Family Medicine resident at Mayo Clinic and Moon Prep counselor. Listen to his inspiring journey to medical school, overcoming a low MCAT score, and how he eventually matched into a competitive residency program. 

Casper Preparation

Don’t let the Casper exam catch you off guard. With less than three weeks away from the December 7th test date, now is the time to prepare. BS/MD programs like Hofstra, Drexel, and Texas Tech all require Casper scores as well as many other traditional medical schools. The situational judgment test can only be taken one time per cycle, so you want to make sure you are putting your full effort into preparing for the exam. 

Moon Prep works with students to help prepare them for the Casper exam. View the syllabus here. Sign up for a free consultation to learn more about our Casper package to help you prepare to take the test.

Medical Programs With Scholarships

College and medical school are expensive. While a quality education is well worth the investment, it doesn’t always have to break the bank. Moon Prep recently released an article listing direct medical programs that offer automatic scholarships. These differ from need-based scholarships in that all candidates who apply to the program will be considered regardless of family income level. While finances don’t play a role in eligibility for these merit-based scholarships, sometimes filling out the FAFSA is still required, so be sure to double-check with school-specific requirements.

In addition to automatic scholarships, another potential source of funding can come from national merit scholarships. High school students compete for recognition as national merit scholars when taking the PSAT in junior year. There are three tiers of recognition for high scorers including, commended scholars, semifinalists, and finalists. See which direct medical programs offer substantial national merit scholarships and which you may aim to qualify for in our recent article on Forbes. Freshmen and sophomore students who haven’t taken the PSAT yet, should consider preparing to score in the top percentile to qualify for national merit scholarships. 

Schedule a call with Moon Prep today to work with an SAT tutor and counselor to create a balanced school list with your values in mind. 

Zero Supplemental Essays

While finances are one source of stress when applying to colleges, writing countless essays for each school can also be anxiety-inducing for both students and parents. Many colleges require supplemental essays beyond the personal statement. However, there are colleges that don’t require any supplemental essays! Students with strong test scores and weaker writing skills could benefit from applying to schools without extra essays. Other students may consider adding a few more essay-less schools to their list to round out their applications without any added stress.

Read Moon Prep’s Forbes article to find out which 80 colleges don’t require supplemental essays for the 2023-2024 school year.

Aurora is currently finishing her first year of medical school at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In college, she worked part-time as a tutor, tutoring students in various subjects, including writing and English, SAT, and Chemistry. Aurora worked predominantly with high school students and, in some instances, helped students achieve the grades or SAT scores needed for college admission. After college, Aurora worked as a clinical research coordinator, first for the Mount Sinai Parenting Center and then for the New York Proton Center. Through her work, she met many mentors and role models who helped support her during the medical school application process. Her previous work as a tutor, as well as her own acceptance to medical school, underscores the importance of mentorship in the admissions process, and Aurora is eager to help BS/MD, BS/DO, and traditional university applicants achieve the same success.

As a medical mentor and essay coach with Moon Prep, Aurora collaborates with her students to produce polished, insightful essays that demonstrate the unique strengths of each applicant. She gets to know her students and encourages them to reflect on their experiences outside of the classroom, empowering each student to showcase experiences that are important to them. As such, Aurora helps students display aspects of their personality that will make them successful medical students and doctors, utilizing the college admissions essays to highlight personal strengths not demonstrated elsewhere in a student’s application. Aurora also draws upon her experience as a writing tutor and English major to help students improve their writing skills, providing astute feedback that goes well beyond comments on grammar and sentence structure.

Outside of her busy schedule as a medical student, she participates in research through the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and remains an avid athlete, participating in Muay Thai and CrossFit.

Schedule a call with Moon Prep today to ask about working with Aurora!