Medical School Advising
Application
Time Table
Applying to medical school is a year-long process beginning in June of
the previous year. The ideal situation is to take the MCAT in April and
submit your primary application in June, 15 months before you expect to
begin medical school.
Primary Applications
The majority of U.S. medical schools accept applications only through
the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS),
which is associated with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Applications for any of the 19 osteopathic medical schools go through
the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application
Service (AACOMAS). These
organizations do not render any admission decisions and do not give
advice to applicants on where to apply. Each participating school is
completely autonomous in reaching its admission decisions.
Secondary Applications
Secondary or supplementary applications are utilized by schools that
participate in the AMCAS or AACOMAS application services. Some schools
screen applicants prior to sending secondary applications. Make
sure to return your completed applications quickly, since your place in
line waiting to be reviewed will not be assigned until all information
has been received.
Interviews
The interview is one of the essential criteria medical schools use to
rank their applications, along with MCAT, grade point average, and
letters of recommendation. Check out the interview
feedback site to find out what other students have said about the
school you are interviewing at. For the borderline student, the
interview is your best chance to sell yourself. Make the most of
the opportunity, being honest, punctual, and diplomatic at all times.
You want your interviewer to feel comfortable with the fact that one day
you might may be his or her physician.
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