The Application Process
Presented by:
Brian Sowka
1
Some important notes before we
begin…
• The application
process is a very long
and painstaking
process.
• It could be equated to
taking a 3 credit
course during your
semester.
• Be prepared to do a
lot of work.
• This is by no means a
complete presentation
of every thing you will
need to know, rather
an overview.
• Medical Schools =
Allopathic and
Osteopathic Schools.
For?
Data from AAMC.
3
AMCAS – General Information
• The big online application
service (for Allopathic
schools only).
• Opens in May for the start
of the application cycle.
Application can be
submitted by June 1
st.
(Apply ASAP, a lot of
schools have rolling
admissions).
• Cost is $160 for 1
stMedical school, $35 for
each school after.
• If you want to start
medical school right after
college you must apply in
your junior year.
• The application process
lasts a year.
• Does not carry over year
to year.
•
AAMC.ORG
5
Things to do Before Even
Opening AMCAS
• Obtain transcripts to help
enter in your course
grades in AMCAS.
• Discuss letters of
recommendation with
recommenders (Ask at
least 3 months in
advance).
• Begin preparing activities
list and personal
statement (these will take
longer than you think).
• Research medical
schools (MSAR online is
best resource by far for
Allopathic schools).
• Make a table of these
schools and important
information you will
reference frequently.
• I suggest starting these
during the summer of
your junior year.
1 – Identifying Information
• Preferred Name
• Legal Name
• Social Security Number
• Birth Date and Sex
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AMCAS
2 – Schools Attended
• High School
• Colleges (section where
you submit transcript to)
• Previous Matriculations
(for medical schools)
• Institutional Action (You
did something bad in
school)
AMCAS
3 – Biographic Information
• Contact Info
• Citizenship
• Legal Residence
• Self Identification
• Languages
• Childhood
• Disadvantaged Status
• Dependents
• Parents
• Siblings
• Felony Conviction
• Misdemeanor Conviction
• Military Discharge
• This is where AMCAS wants
to know all your dirty little
secrets.
• Its better to be honest than
to lie, just like your parents
AMCAS always has a way
of finding out.
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AMCAS
4 – Course Work
• List of all your classes taken in
college.
• Very dry and boring part that
takes awhile.
• This section includes helpful
video tutorials that can answer
a lot of questions.
• After submission of your
application AMCAS will
calculate your GPAs.
– Cumulative.
– Science (Biology, Chemistry,
Physics, and Math).
• Per class you list:
– Academic Year
– Academic Term
– Year in School
– Course Number
– Course Name
– Classification
– Transcript Grade
– Credit Hours
– Lecture or Lab?
– Special Course Type
4 – Course Work – Special Notes
•
Medical schools want well
rounded individuals, but
grades are still huge.
•
Ask any Pre-Med Adviser on
campus or Medical School
Admissions Director and they
will tell you:
– There are no substitutes for
bad grades.
– The bottom of the
competitive GPA range is
3.5 (for both science and
cumulative).
– Science GPA carries more
weight than the cumulative
GPA.
11AMCAS
5 – Work/Activities
• 15 slots for activities:
– 3 for meaningful activities
(1325 characters).
– 12 for other activities (750
characters).
– Characters includes
spaces.
– It is more impressive to
have 5 long term activities
than 15 short activities.
• Activities are meant to
highlight things you have
done which you show you
can be a doc.
• Have them checked out
by different people:
– Tutoring center in LRC is
very helpful.
– Successful medical
students or applicants.
– After major editing is done
have several people
proofread for grammar and
spelling errors.
AMCAS
5 – Work/Activities – Special Notes
•
Types of activities are important.
•
Medical schools want to see
volunteering, community service,
health care experience.
•
Medical schools do not care very
much about college sports.
•
Note: Shadowing is NOT
considered patient contact (Still
something you should do).
•
Medical schools want to see
commitment to a few activities
rather than several small events.
(i.e. volunteering weekly at the
hospital or a nursing home for a
few hours a week for 3 years).
•
For AMCAS you will need to
list for activities:
– How often you did them
(hours per week).
– What type of activity.
– How many years did you
do them.
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AMCAS
5 – Work/Activities – Special Notes
• Most importantly medical schools want to see
something you are passionate about. This can be any
activity, but it should be something you took the
initiative on, something you created, or expanded upon.
This will show your passion in that area. Simply being
a passive member in an organization will not get you
anywhere.
• It’s also important to have a hobby or activity outside of
school and work. You will be asked about this at an
interview. They want to know if you have a life,
compassion, empathy (that you’re human).
• None of these activities have to be medical. It’s best
not to go into activities with the intention of looking good
6 – Letters of Evaluation
• 10 slots for confidential
letters in AMCAS for
recommenders.
• Interfolio is another useful
tool for letters of rec (not
necessary for AMCAS).
• Letter Request Forms in
AMCAS should be
emailed/mailed separately
to recommenders (this will
give recommenders
direction on how to submit
the confidential letters).
• Each school is different in
what they require for letters
of recommendation.
• In general I would
recommend for AMCAS to
get letters from:
– Adviser.
– 2 Physicians (MD or DO).
– 2 Science Professors.
– 1 or more non-science
professor.
– 1 from employer or boss.
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AMCAS
6 – Letters of Evaluation - Tips
• Professors, physicians, and employersare busy people so ask at least 3 months in advance for a letter. • Set up a little interview with your
recommender so they can ask questions to better help write the letter. • Before meeting with the recommender
have these ready: – Updated resume.
– List of schools you’re applying to. – A paper on what you may want
specifically mentioned in the letter (see next slide)
– (One professor actually complimented me on how prepared I was compared to other students for requesting the letter).
• The more personal a letter the better. Don’t ask for a letter from a professor who only knows you as a good grade in their class (that’s all they can really write truthfully).
• We have a privilege at UWSP to have classes with smaller sizes and many professors who are very willing to see you and talk about what they teach (even if you are not struggling with it).
• This is something you can do starting your freshman year so professors can remember you personally and write a great recommendation for you. • Ultimately the letters are confidential, it is up to the recommender if they will share what they wrote about you.
The Big Picture
Let’s start with what Medical Schools think a good doctor should have
at the end of their training. These are really what they are judging Med
School applicants against – can they accomplish the Six Competencies
for a Successful Physician, as stated by the American Medical Board
of Medical Specialties?
Medical Knowledge competency
Patient Care competency
Interpersonal and Communication Skills competency
Professionalism competency
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement competency
Systems Based Practice competency
They only have your grades, MCAT scores, your Personal
Statement, resume, letters of recommendation and an interview to
see if you have the potential to reach these goals. Make sure they
know from your Personal Statement, resume, letters and interview that
you do!
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AMCAS
7 – Medical Schools
– In this section you select the medical schools you
want to send your AMCAS application to.
– This is also where your pocket book gets much
thinner.
– It is ultimately your choice of how many schools you
apply to. I would recommend more if you have the
financial capability (otherwise you may end up loosing
a lot of time and money applying to only a handful of
8 – The Personal Statement
•
5,300 character text box to write in
why you want to go to medical school.
•
Take this statement seriously (this is
the only way medical school can get a
feel of who you are before the
interview).
•
Again have several different people
review and proof read your statement
(as mentioned in activities/work slide).
•
Set yourself apart from everyone else
and make the statement interesting to
read (Admissions committees will be
reading thousands of these).
•
This will take a lot of time to write, I
would start early on it when you have
a lot of free time.
•
How to write it?
– The Can
– The Want
– The How
– The Why
19AMCAS
8 – The Personal Statement Tips
The Personal Statement on the AMCAS application: TAKE THIS WITH YOU FOR EDITORS! Medical School Admissions Committee members are looking for the following in the essay” • The ultimate goal – THE READER REMEMBERS YOUR ESSAY!• Great writing skills demonstrate a professional attention to detail and thoughtfulness. PAY ATTENTION TO GRAMMAR AND SPELLING!
• Have several people (writing lab, advisor, others) read the essay for correctness and interest. • Personalize the essay and give it life(!!) beginning with a STRONG INTRO. You have only a couple
sentences to pull in the reader. Tell a story. Do not make a laundry list of your activities; that is the job of the resume! Think of an experience you have actually had that shook you up and made it clear you wanted to be a doctor, whether or not you thought of it before.
• Overused lines: “I have always wanted to be a doctor since I was a kid.” “I was in a car accident and was fascinated by all the doctors that patched me up.” “The human body really interests me.” • Your story should show your sincerity, maturity, empathy, compassion and motivation toward
Medicine
• You could enter any number of clinical fields. Why are you choosing Medicine? As a vocation or as a “Job”?
• What are your personal strengths that qualify you for Medicine? (See Six Competencies above.) • How do these traits make you unique and how will these help you be a great doctor?
AMCAS
9 – Standardized Tests (Aka the MCAT)
• Here is where the MCAT results are sent to; which in turn is where they are sent to all schools you are applying to.
• MCAT
– Registration is online at aamc.org/mcat.
– Total time length of test 5 hours and 10 minutes (4 hours and 5 minutes of actual test taking).
• Equivalent UWSP Courses I recommend:
– Biology : 160, 210, 385, 305/306?
– Chemistry: 105, 106, 325, 326 – Physics: 203, 204
– Verbal Reasoning: Phil 121. • Usually taken in spring semester of
junior year.
• Break down of MCAT: – Physical Sciences
• 70 minutes for 52 multiple choice questions.
• Tests general chemistry, physics, analytical reasoning, data interpretation.
– Biological Sciences
• 70 minutes for 52 multiple choice questions.
• Test basic biology, (genetics, physiology, ecology) and organic chemistry, analytical reasoning, data interpretation.
– Verbal Reasoning
• 60 minutes for 40 questions. • Tests critical reading skills. – Trial Section (Optional)
• 45 Minutes for 32 questions. • Experimental questions for future
MCAT. 21
AMCAS
9 – Standardized Tests (Aka the MCAT)
MCAT Tips
• Register very early for the MCAT!• Available to take from early January to September every year.
• Its expensive so study well enough to do well enough the first time. • Competitive scores for most medical
schools are in the double digits for each section.
– Scores are scaled from 1 to 15 for each section.
– Total score is a composite of all section scores added together out of 45.
• I recommend creating a studying schedule for the exam based around your preparation materials/courses.
– Exam takers who have 30+
composite scores have put in 200-300 hours of studying time.
• Depending on your study habits/personality there are several options for test
preparation.
– Range from $100 to a few thousand dollars.
– Online or class room prep courses (Kaplan or Princeton Review). – MCAT Prep books (Exam Crackers,
Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc.). – Practice exams (AAMC, Kaplan,
Princeton Review, etc.).
– I personally recommend AAMC for practice exams.
• If you are a dedicated, disciplined student who can find 2 to 3 hours a day outside of their pre-med lifestyle than you may not need to have an expensive prep course. • Remember this! Although the MCAT is
somewhat content heavy, its more concept heavy!
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AMCAS
2015 MCAT
• Changes for the new MCAT of the future.• 2015 MCAT Information Link
• For those taking the exam to get into medical school in 2016…
• MCAT 2015 exam has four test sections: – Biological and Biochemical Foundations
of Living Systems.
– Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems.
– Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior.
– Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. • Exam time is approximately 95 minutes per
section which totals to 6 hours and 25 minutes (not yet official).
• Official Guide to 2015 MCAT will be available in 2014.
• Designed to prepare students to be good physicians, preparation for medical school, be
• Each section tests:
• Section 1-2: Biological and Chemical – Introductory level biology, organic and
inorganic chemistry, and physics concepts.
– Introductory biochemistry. – Cellular/molecular biology.
– Basic research methods and statistics concepts.
• Section 3: Psychological
– Concepts in psychology, sociology, and biology that provide a solid foundation for learning in medical school about the behavioral and sociocultural determinants of health.
– Introductory psychology and sociology. • Section 4: Analysis and Reasoning
– Comprehension, analysis, and reasoning skills by asking you to critically analyze
Secondary Applications
•
After sending your primary application out through AMCAS most
medical schools will respond by email with the secondary
application.
•
Secondary application will:
– Be different for all schools.
– Arrive in the summer after you’ve applied.
– Comes with an additional fee.
– Deadline is different for every school (I recommend getting
them done ASAP).
– Usually consists of essays regarding why you fit well with their
school, vision, or mission.
•
Again I recommend having others proofread/critique these
essays.
•
If you are applying to many schools there could end up being
dozens of essays to write. Try not to get burnt out and remember
that each essay is important!
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Interviews
• Will vary a lot from school to school, but generally… – Interviews can run from around September to March.
– After your secondary application is reviewed and the medical school feels you are a qualified applicant they will invite you for an interview via email (it may take several months to hear from them).
• What will the interview be like?
– This is the chance for medical school to see who you are in person, before meeting you all they have seen is your information, grades, MCAT scores, etc. on paper.
– There could be a one on one interview, or interviewing with a few to several people on committee (varies from school to school).
– I recommend doing several practice interviews with different people with a different set of questions. This will help you feel prepared and take away some of the stress of real interviews (they can ask you anything and everything).
– You may be asked to answer for bad grades, your weaknesses on your application, or you may have a pleasant conversation.
Application Cycle
April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September
2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 Have application materials ready. AMCAS opens. Earliest time AMCAS can be submitted. AMCAS reviewed, secondarys emailed. Send out secondarys .
Interviews. Interviews. Interviews. Interviews.
January 2015 February
2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 Interviews. Interviews. Interviews/
Acceptance s. Acceptance s. Class chosen. Class chosen. Classes begin. Classes begin. 27
