How to Get Into the FlexMed Program at Icahn School of Medicine
/Learn how hard it is to get in the FlexMed program, strategies to maximize your admissions odds, and read FlexMed application essay examples
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: FlexMed program overview
Part 3: FlexMed applications essays (examples included)
Part 4: FlexMed interviews
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Part 1: Introduction
If you hope to be a doctor, you might know that there are many paths to earning that coveted MD. In addition to traditional medical school programs and combination BS/MD programs, there are also early assurance programs, which offer undergraduates early acceptance to medical school typically well before senior year. Early assurance programs allow accepted students to bypass both the stress of taking the MCAT and the mad rush of juggling multiple applications towards the end of college. One such program is the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s FlexMed program, which offers admission to college sophomores studying in all majors.
Like other early assurance programs such as Albany Medical School or the University of Florida’s Medical Honors program, FlexMed allows accepted students to skip the MCAT and some standard premed requirements in hopes of giving students more time to focus on their undergraduate studies as well as the academic freedom to pursue a broad education outside of standard premed sciences coursework.
In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know to submit a successful FlexMed application, including FlexMed prerequisites, FlexMed admissions statistics, an ideal timeline to applying to FlexMed, essays, and more.
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Part 2: FlexMed program overview
FlexMed is a unique program, philosophically and educationally. Why does it exist at all, when the Icahn School of Medicine could have its pick of high-scorers on the MCAT who are applying after they’ve earned their full degree?
For a clue, look to the Icahn School of Medicine’s vision of “combining the best traditions of medicine with the principles and entrepreneurial thinking of a startup.” Because Icahn places a high value on innovative thinking in order to make breakthroughs in disease research and to change the practice of medicine for the better, they are committed to recruiting students from a wide variety of backgrounds, including academic disciplines not traditionally represented in medicine. As such, FlexMed is one of a number of Icahn’s recruitment programs aimed at diversifying its pool of applicants.
As we talk through strategies for getting into FlexMed, keep in mind that first part of the program’s name: “flex.” This is a program that values intellectual agility and creative thinking, and it’s a great fit for students seeking the academic freedom to pursue studies outside of the typical premed sciences fare, and who later hope to bring original thinking and transformative ideas to the field of medicine.
While the prerequisites to get into FlexMed are few (more on that below), once accepted, students need to fulfill the following requirements in order to graduate from their undergraduate institution and continue on to Icahn School of Medicine:
Graduate from their current college with a bachelor’s degree
Have taken, at minimum:
One year each of: biology, chemistry, and English
One semester each of: physics (or AP Physics with a score of at least 4), ethics, statistics, and healthy policy/public health/global health (one out of these three)
One year of lab work in biology and/or chemistry
Complete a senior thesis or the equivalent in any academic discipline
Gain via real-life experience an in-depth exposure to human illness and healthcare delivery
Participate in a Summer Enrichment Program at FlexMed to gain basic competency in cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics (for those who have not already taken upper-level science courses)
In addition, admitted students need to earn at least a B in all mandatory courses during the final two years of their undergraduate education, as well as achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Once students have graduated from their undergraduate institution, they’ll join the first-year class at Icahn School of Medicine and will follow the same curriculum as any traditional applicant.
While students accepted to FlexMed sign a written agreement that states they are committing to attending Icahn School of Medicine, technically speaking, acceptance to FlexMed is non-binding and, if admitted, you can later choose not to attend Icahn free of penalty. However, keep in mind that as soon as you apply to another medical school or take the MCAT, your FlexMed acceptance will be retracted.
FlexMed admissions statistics
Let’s take a look at some statistics pertaining to both FlexMed and the Icahn School of Medicine:
Typical number of applicants to FlexMed: around 800
Typical number of FlexMed applicants interviewed: 140–160 (around 18–19%)
Number of students admitted to FlexMed in 2018: 51 out of 754 (6.7%)
Icahn School of Medicine 2023 U.S. News & World Report ranking: #18 in research; #58 in biological sciences; #98 in primary care; #67 in public health
Icahn School of Medicine class size: 120 (2023-2024) (typically 75% traditional applicants; 25% FlexMed applicants)
Icahn School of Medicine 2021-2022 academic year median GPA: 3.81 (for both traditional and FlexMed matriculants)
Average GPA for students accepted into the FlexMed program: 3.5 and above, according to the Program Director
(Note: Admissions data for the FlexMed program is currently unavailable. We’ll update the guide with this data as soon as it becomes available.)
What is FlexMed looking for in students?
The prerequisites to gain entry to FlexMed are fairly minimal. If you would like to apply to FlexMed, you’ll need to have completed the following:
Either the SAT or ACT*
One full academic year of college biology or one full academic year of college chemistry, completed by the application deadline, January 15th (note: AP credit does not count towards this requirement)
A cumulative college GPA of at least 3.5
In addition, you should be a current, full-time sophomore in good academic standing and pursuing your first bachelor’s degree at an accredited American or Canadian university. It should be noted, that you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
FlexMed states that, in their holistic review of applicants, they evaluate students according to the following metrics: academics, clinical exposure, community service, research, and other extracurricular activities. In addition, applicants are assessed for personal criteria such as ability to collaborate, commitment to lifelong learning, leadership, and advocacy.
If you’ve taken the SAT or ACT more than once, you are encouraged to send in all scores. They will “superscore” the SAT, according to the Admissions Program Director.
FlexMed tuition and financial aid
Though successful applicants to FlexMed will technically be “in” the program beginning their junior year of college, they don’t pay tuition until they actually begin their medical studies at Icahn School of Medicine. FlexMed students pay the same tuition as traditional applicants to Icahn.
As of the 2023–2024 academic year, Icahn charges $66,446 per year for tuition alone, and estimates the total cost of attendance to be around $88,491 each year. Financial aid, made up of a combination of loans, scholarships, and work study, is awarded to all students with demonstrated need.
FlexMed application components and timeline
In order to apply to FlexMed, you’ll need to submit your application by January 15th. In 2024, the application opens on October 1st. Keep in mind that you will need to have completed your science prerequisite by January 15th as well.
Applicants who make it to the next stage will be invited to interview, with invitations sent out in March. Interviews will take place in March and April.
Finally, offers of admission will be sent out in July.
A complete application for admission to FlexMed includes the following:
FlexMed application
SAT or ACT scores
High school transcript
College transcript through your fall sophomore year
Three letters of recommendation
Personal statement consisting of three short essays
Application fee ($110)
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Part 3: FlexMed application essays
Below are the most current (2022–2023) FlexMed application essay questions, along with advice on how to successfully answer each question, sample responses from our own students, and analyses of why these answers work. Each question allows for a 300-word response, about 2–3 paragraphs.
Let’s take a look at some example responses to the FlexMed essay prompts.
Question 1: Please describe something in your life that has given you a great sense of personal, academic, or professional accomplishment.
This question is fairly straightforward. First, you’ll want to decide on an accomplishment to write about. Remember that, for this question, an accomplishment could look like anything from running a 5k to performing scientific research. Then, in writing your essay, you should make sure to discuss why that accomplishment was meaningful to you, what you’ve learned from it, and how it will impact your future as a great medical student and doctor.
Example:
I grew up with parents who didn’t share a first language, but was raised speaking only English, a circumstance that troubled me for much of my life. My American mom and Mexican dad met during an exchange program in Madrid and moved to my mom’s hometown in upstate New York after getting married, where my sister and I were raised. Though my parents’ initial mutual language was Spanish, after immigrating to the United States, our family’s default tongue became English as the result of my dad’s focus on mastering the language of his new country.
Though my dad’s English is excellent after many years in America, as I got older, I became aware of a communication gap between us that seemed like a result of not sharing a first language. This was painful to me, and I grew frustrated that my parents hadn’t taught us Spanish. I decided to study it all four years of high school, participating in a summer language intensive between junior and senior year, declaring it my university major last semester.
I’m proud to say that I am fluent in Spanish and can speak it with my dad. As a result, we understand each other better. Learning Spanish taught me that with hard work, even something as incomprehensible as a foreign language can become not only understandable but also extremely familiar over time. This is a lesson I’ll carry with me into medical school and beyond as an MD—plus I’ll have some top-notch Spanish skills to boot, which will help me speak to patients and families, and to understand their contexts and concerns.
While this student’s story of achieving a difficult goal is fairly straightforward, they do a good job of making sure that the reader understands just how meaningful the accomplishment is to them. In other words, the emotional stakes of the achievement are obvious. In addition, the achievement they’ve chosen has the benefit of fitting the categories of both personal and academic accomplishments (not that one needs to do this!). Finally, they’re able to extend the lessons they’ve learned from mastering a foreign language into demonstrating a work ethic that they’ll bring with them to medical school.
Question 2: Please describe something in your life that has given you a great sense of personal, academic, or professional disappointment.
Question 3: Describe how FlexMed will change your educational plan and enhance your future career in medicine. Please concentrate on how you will use the flexibility afforded by FlexMed, and not on the FlexMed requirements.
Gain instant access to med school secondary essay examples for every single prompt required by every medical school in the United States and Canada. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing in the future for new subscribers.
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Part 4: FlexMed interviews
If you make it to the final stage of the FlexMed application process, you’ll be invited to interview. In the 2022–2023 application cycle the interview process returned to being an in-person affair, replacing the virtual interview process created during the COVID-19 pandemic out of necessity.
FlexMed interviews consist of two thirty-minute, one-on-one meetings with admissions committee members. You’ll also receive a tour of Icahn’s medical facilities as well as have the chance to meet faculty and current students.
FlexMed conducts semi-structured traditional interviews, meaning your interviewers will ask you questions based on your application materials, experiences, and regarding your interests in FlexMed and medicine in general, among other things. Your application and letters of recommendation will have been fully accessible to both of your interviewers. Since being invited to interview means you’ve already made the cut academically, so to speak, use the interview to focus on coming across as warm, genuine, and professional.
Demonstrating fit with Icahn and the FlexMed program
Icahn specifically notes that interviewers will “evaluate applicant attributes that align with Icahn Mount Sinai’s mission.” In order to have the best chance of acceptance, you’ll need to think about how you can present yourself as fitting into this mission.
Granted, as this is an early admission program, it may be a little tricky to have engaged in the experiences that will demonstrate these qualities while only a sophomore in college. However, you can strive to showcase the path you’re on, your intellectual curiosity, and interests.
Icahn’s vision mentions seeking “a variety of students who can contribute open-mindedness, empathy, social insight, medical, scientific, technological and engineering expertise, to change the very nature of medicine.” What activities do you pursue that point to these aspects of yourself as a candidate? How can you demonstrate your desire to “change the very nature of medicine” in your career as a physician?
We’ve listed a few examples of how you might approach this below.
Community engagement: Demonstrate your commitment to healthcare and serving others. Seek volunteer opportunities within medical settings (hospitals, clinics) or initiatives that serve underprivileged populations. It might be difficult to find these so early on in your premed journey, but remember that you can always volunteer at a local soup kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, or religious organization supporting the community.
Seek out research: Getting involved in research, even in a basic science setting, showcases your intellectual curiosity and desire to push boundaries within medicine. Summer programs focused on research are a great way to build some cred for FlexMed. If you have an idea for a project you’d like to explore, ask the premed or pre-health advising office at your school about how you might apply for funding.
Unique passions that speak to you: Don't shy away from non-medical passions. If you are a skilled writer, volunteer to write for a health advocacy organization, start a blog, or write for your school’s newspaper about health-related topics. Love art? Seek ways to integrate art with patient outreach initiatives. Let these passions show your well-roundedness and creative problem-solving skills.
(Essential reading: How to Ace Your Medical School Interviews)
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Final thoughts
Among the landscape of early assurance medical programs, FlexMed stands out for the unique academic flexibility it affords future doctors. As such, its selective admissions rate makes it a challenge to get into. If FlexMed interests you, you’ll want to make sure you have stand-out grades and standardized test scores, plus compelling essays that convince FlexMed’s admissions committee that its distinctive curriculum is exactly right for you.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.