Spring  of Application Year

To Do List: January - June

This page is designed to help you in the home stretch of the application cycle with the aim to submit your primary application by June 15th.

Before you Begin... take a moment to visit the Aspiring Doctor Diaries. The AAMC created this touching, reflective site full of personal stories told by premeds, medical students and residents about their unique journeys through medicine. This will give you reflective inspiration as you sit down and write your own personal statement and prepare your application.

February/March/April

Secure Recommendation Letters. Contact faculty and secure letters by June 1. Aim for 4-5 letters including at least 2 from science faculty that have taught you in science classes. For more details, please visit the Letters of Recommendations page, AAMC website for specifics on how to submit letters, AMCAS Applicant Guide 2021.

You can start pre-writing the 15 Work and Activities entries and the most meaningful entries. Go to the 2022 AMCAS Application Guide, page 46. The primary entries are 700 characters (not words), and the three most meaningful essays would be an additional 1,325 characters. When writing the most meaningful entries, please reflect on the ‘transformative nature of the experience, the impact it had on you and the personal growth you gained as a result of your participation.”

Review the AAMC Core Competencies for Incoming Medical School Students to make sure you have covered all of your bases. Please refer to this document often as it should inform you of the essential core competencies you should acquire in your premedical years. You need to then figure out where to incorporate them into your medical school application. 

Request copies of your original transcripts and review for accuracy. Make sure all labs show the correct number of credits and your study abroad coursework is correct and complete. It’s important to request original transcripts you can see exactly what AMCAS will see when they sit down and verify your transcript against your AMCAS application.

Start on your personal statement, 5,300 characters. I strongly encourage students to start on the 15 entries first, then tackle the essay next.

Create a spreadsheet so you can track important specifics about each school where you will apply. Include such things as: dual degree programs, special curricular options or tracks, deadlines, if they require CASPER or the SJT, if they want updates and if so, how, list all secondary questions and start drafting secondary essays. This is an ongoing document to collect your throughs, research findings and specifics about each school.

May/June

Spend May trying to understand the mechanics of the AMCAS application. For the 2022 application cycle, AMCAS will open on Monday, May 3rd, but you cannot submit until May 27th. The first batch of verified applications will be forwarded to the medical schools on June 25th. You will receive secondary applications no earlier than June 25th. Most schools start reading files in the first week of July.  AACOMAS will open in early May. Aim to submit as early as possible. Newport suggests that you submit before June 15th. If you have not yet taken the MCAT, you may not have the luxury of waiting to see your MCAT score before you submit. This can be a difficult decision, so I suggest that you call Newport to discuss your options.

Plan to submit your completed AMCAS application by June 5th (June 15th at the latest). This will give you the best opportunity to be quickly verified and sent off to the med schools. Rob Humbracht from Passport Admissions and the SavvyPremed has a very funny video about the importance of applying early so check it out.

AMCAS publishes daily updates on verification times on their website and through Twitter. In June, wait times are just a few days. If you wait until late July to submit, verification can take 4 weeks or more! AAMC will send the initial batch of verified applications to the medical schools starting June 25th. From this date on, verified applications are sent as they are verified. AMCAS MUST have your transcript in order to verify your application so plan ahead. You do not need an MCAT score to be verified.

If you follow the timeline suggested by Newport, you will have plenty of time to get into the system and make sure your data is perfect before you submit. Participate in AMCAS tutorials, download the DIRECTIONS (many people skip this part but it's important), start filling it out. Review the AMCAS tutorials, especially the one on how to enter study abroad coursework.

Chip away at the easy administrative data first, then move to the 15 activities then the essay, in that order. Once you have started your application (not submitted yet) then you can request transcripts and send recommendations to AMCAS. Don't send them BEFORE you have started you application since they have no file to attach these documents to.

The sooner you apply, the sooner your application can be verified and send to the schools.

Solicit people to read your application and provide honest feedback. Of course seek out friends and family members, but it's important to also engage people who are truly objective. How do you come across on paper? Is your application authentic and outstanding? Have you grounded your motivation for medicine? Newport is in a unique position to read and give valuable feedback on your application so call for a consult.

Medical Schools are looking for you to be yourself; with Newport's assistance, we can help you articulate your passion, dedication and preparedness for medical school. We pride ourselves on our ability to help candidates weave together a cohesive and compelling, authentic narrative.

Once you have STARTED your AMCAS application, you can request your transcripts be sent to AMCAS. You need to download the AMCAS Transcript Request Form from your AMCAS application and share this ID number with the registrar. This information is vital to AMCAS so they can accurately match your transcript with your file. Go to pages 16-20 of the 2021 Applicant Guide for details on transcripts.

If you are applying through TMDSAS, review the instructions carefully. Seven out of the 10 schools require secondary essays and they need to be submitted to each school (not TMDSAS) at the same time as your primary. TMDSAS opens on May 1, 2021. For specifics on the TMDSAS timeline and deadline, please go here.

Print, proof and then submit your AMCAS application.

Take the CASPer test.

JUNE/JULY/AUGUST

The bulk of your summer will be spent writing secondary essays. If you did a great job of pre-writing them, then you can turn them around in under 2 weeks. If you did not pre-write any, you will have the difficult task of researching schools at the same time you are writing 75 essays (24 schools x 3 essays each = 75). So plan ahead so you are not buried in secondaries.

Ideally, complete all secondary applications within 2 weeks from the time you receive them. After your application is verified, you will get a flood of secondary applications so plan accordingly and PRE-WRITE YOUR SECONDARY APPLICATION ESSAYS from April - June. There are many websites that keep track of past secondary essay topics per school so simply do a quick google search. (Try visiting the Prospective Doctor database of secondary essay topics  or Three Secondary Essays to Prewrite.) Although you can’t be 100% sure the essay topics will remain the same year after year, for the most part 90% of the questions will remain the same so pre-writing answers will vastly improve how fast you can get the applications out the door in July. This is how you can land an interview by early August…..apply before June 5th, pre-write your secondaries and return them within a week of receiving them.

Complete all secondaries by the time school starts in late August.  For senior, you don't want to juggle new schoolwork and secondary essays. Plus, time is ticking away. You want to secure an interview spot as soon as possible. The sooner your application is complete, the sooner you can get an interview. 

Recommendations are part of the secondary application.  A lot can go wrong at this point so make sure you attend to the details of the recommendations so they don't delay your application.  Go to pages 46-50 of the 2021 Applicant Guide for details on how to submit letters of recommendation.

Researching Schools

  1. Purchase the AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements  (MSAR) for $28 for one year or $36 of two years. Make a preliminary list of medical schools. Aim for 25 schools then narrow down to 18 +/- after a more complete review. Build this information into the excel spreadsheet you began last fall.  There is a free version of the MSAR, but you will quickly realize that as an applicant you need all the functionality of the paid version.

  2. You may also want to visit the Savvy Pre-Med medical school search tool. The link is a little tricky to find, but at the very top of the page, click on “Search School’, register for free and you will get there.

  3. If you are thinking of DO schools, make sure you check out ChooseDO.org.

  4. Make sure you bookmark every med school you are applying to and carefully review their site for things that resonate with you. Add all of your findings to your spreadsheet. Sign up for any webinars they offer to learn more.

  5. Sign up for AMCAS Twitter (@AAMCPreMed) and/or Facebook (www.facebook.com/AAMCPreMed) accounts to get application tips and updates.

  6. Join application webinars through AAMC.

Review the AAMC article How Medical Schools Review Applications.

For information on financial assistance to pay for the MCAT and AMCAS application, please visit the Fee Assistance Program page on the AAMC website.  

The University of Michigan Medical School offers some outstanding advice to current and future applicants. Check out this extensive site on Pre-Application Tips. Although it was written by the University of Michigan, all points apply to every medical school. I hope this helps you create ‘your’ authentic medical school application.


Links to APPLICATION SERVICES

AMCAS for allopathic schools

AACOMAS for osteopathic schools

TMDSAS for Texas state schools (Medical, Dental and Vet) Make sure you read the TMDSAS website for specific details on secondary essay submission. This is different than AMCAS so take note. Seven out of the ten Texas schools require secondary essays and they are to be completed at the same time as the primary BUT you submit them to each individual school. (Baylor is in AMCAS not TMDSAS.)

WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) supports the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) assisting 10 programs in 10 states in the west with exchange and tuition reduction for health professions schools. The medicine track supports Montana and Wyoming while the dental track supports Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming. 

WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program works with the University of Washington School of Medicine and students from Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

OMSAS for Ontario Medical Schools, Canada


ALLOPATHIC MEDICAL SCHOOL (MD)

First start with the AAMC site entitled Preparing for Medical School.  

Applicants are strongly encouraged to purchase ($28 for one year/$36 for 2 years) the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements)an online database of medical school statistics, GPA ranges, requirements and summaries. The MSAR is an essential tool for applicants.

Always download the instructions to the application services. By completing the application correctly the first time will save you time in the verification process. Although each year it changes, here is the link to the 2021 AMCAS Applicant Guide. The document will outline how to enter coursework correctly; how to enter AP and repeated courses correctly; how to enter study abroad; outlining what you can change after submitting. 

Do Engineering classes count for BCPM on AMCAS? What do Public Health classes count as? Check out the AAMC Course Classification Guide

AAMC link to webinars and tutorials on how to successfully apply to medical school. Scroll through these as you prepare to fill out the AMCAS and have questions on specific sections. 

AAMC Quick Tips on completing your AMCAS application. 

Allopathic Medical School Applicant and Matriculant Data

Table A:1 US Medical School Applications and Matriculants by School, State of Legal Residence and Sex (2019-2020)

AAMC FIRST.  This great resource from the AAMC on Financial Information, Resources, Services and Tools (FIRST) to help students and residents understand and plan financially for a career in medicine.

Paying for Medical School

AAMC Fee Assistance Program

The cost of APPLYING to medical school

Medical School policies for accepting old vs. new MCAT score


OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL SCHOOL (DO)

Students are strongly encouraged to read the Osteopathic Medical College Information Book 2090/20. It lists medical school statistics, requirements and summaries as well as board requirements and residency match information. It is an essential tool for applicants. The download is free but you can purchase a hard copy as well. 

Always download the instructions to the application services. Doing it right the first time will save you time in the verification process. Although each year things change, here is the link to the most recent AACOMAS Instructions. The document will outline how to enter coursework correctly, how to enter AP and repeated courses, how to enter study abroad and what you can change after submitting. 

Refer to the Osteopathic Core Competencies for Medical Students. This document outlines expectations and competencies required for medical students in order to be a successful osteopathic physician. 

Most DO schools require a letter of recommendation from a DO and volunteer hours working alongside a DO physician so make sure you have these two components completed by the time you apply.