There has been lots of advice to network with various medical schools. It sounds like a great idea but I really don’t know what to say. 
Do I just call them and say "Hey, I would love to go to your school. Can you look at my information and give me advice?"
TIA,
Dude
Assuming you are not currently in the application process, yes.
Call the admissions office and ask to make an appointment with an admissions counselor/advisor or associate dean of admissions. Also, at larger schools (such as OSU), there are also admissions counselors in the University’s “professional admissions” office who advise people.
Some schools will give you great individualized feedback on what your chances are/what you need to do, etc. Some will give you a standardized line about we really like to see blah and blah, etc. without really answering whether the blah and blah that you have already done is in line with what they like to see in their applicants.
Quote:
There has been lots of advice to network with various medical schools. It sounds like a great idea but I really don’t know what to say. Do I just call them and say “Hey, I would love to go to your school. Can you look at my information and give me advice?”
If you possibly can, go tour the med schools during a break. I toured OSU-COM, and I think it helped me get interviewed there. Of course they are exceptionally cool there.
Also, find out if the schools you are interested in have a program for prospective applicants to attend. I will be going to the one at OSU this spring break. It can be very useful.
HEllo and welcome. You are amongst friends.
To answer your question, the first thing you should do is go to the school’s website. Many of the schools have put their catalogues on-line for you to download. Take a look around the site for prospective students and see what the school is all about.
Look around for an Open House. This is a wonderful opportunity to not only visit the school but you get gobs of information.
When you are at the open house, look for the official looking person standing in the corner, this is the person you want to talk to. They may be the dean of admissions or someone involved in admissions. Make an appointment to talk to them one on one. If the school does not offer an open house, call admissions and see if you can schedule an appointment with the dean and go for it.
If this does not work out, speak to your pre-med advisor and get the information you seek. Good luck.