Medical schools share a general application process, just private schools tin can vary significantly in how they evaluate candidates. Here's what you demand to know virtually your primary and secondary med school applications to stay on track.

Applying to Medical School

Well-nigh U.South. medical schools participate in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), a centralized, third-party organization that administers and processes medical schoolhouse applications. The majority of medical schools admit students on a rolling basis, which ways that spaces in the plan are offered to qualified students until all the spots are filled.

Medical School Application

Primary Awarding

  • First, you'll submit a single application, usually through one of three centralized online application services:
    • AMCAS (for Physician admissions)
    • TMDSAS (for Texas Medical Schools)
    • AACOMAS (for DO admissions)
  • Your primary awarding provides medical schools with plenty information to make an initial screening of applicants. A completed primary application includes:
    • your transcripts (undergraduate transcripts plus any for grad or mail service-bacc work)
    • MCAT scores
    • information about your nigh meaningful experiences (academic, research, clinical, and extracurricular activities
    • a short personal statement
    • letters of recommendation (though some schools enquire for LORs as part of the secondary application just)
  • Each medical schoolhouse sets its own final deadline for applicants submitting information through the application service. Regardless of these deadlines, our med school admission experts recommend y'all submit your application as early as possible. Applications that are submitted early in the bicycle are reviewed first and therefore take a meliorate gamble of acceptance at almost all schools.

  • Procrastinators take note: these application services are serious about their deadlines. If an application is late, you lot'll get information technology back without a refund.

  • If whatever of your chosen schools have interest, they will invite yous to submit a secondary application.

Secondary Applications

  • After reviewing your AMCAS file, the admissions committees at your med schools will either pass up you or send you lot a secondary application. Some schools transport all of their applicants a secondary. Others become through an initial cut that is normally based entirely on GPA and MCAT scores.

  • Unless you've decided not to apply to that schoolhouse, you should complete and return each secondary application equally you receive it. About med schools will reject any application that arrives after the deadline.

  • Secondaries typically include a variety of essays on assigned topics. Yous could be asked to talk over your favorite novel, describe a leadership role you've taken, or detail your greatest academic achievement. You will also be asked to submit messages of recommendation if you did not do and then through AMCAS.

  • If the cost of sending dorsum secondaries is prohibitive, you can call the school and request a fee waiver. If yous were eligible for a waiver from AMCAS, for example, you will probably be eligible for a waiver from individual schools.

Interviews

  • In one case the committee reviews your secondary med school application, they volition do ane of three things: reject you, invite yous to the campus for an interview, or concord your application until after the showtime round of interviews. Final decisions are commonly made afterward the interview.

  • The standard U.S. interview flavour is between September and Feb (occasionally March).
  • Med school interview policies and formats vary. At some schools you'll interview i-on-one, and at others y'all'll interview by console.

  • The interview is another opportunity to stand out to med schools! Practice with our list of classic medical school interview questions.

  • A schoolhouse might make up one's mind that they want to come across what the rest of the applicant puddle looks like before they admit you. If a med school puts y'all on a "hold list," you tin can send in supplementary material (a short 1-page clarification of recent academic or extracurricular achievements) to bolster your application.

Alternate List

In one case all the med school form places have been filled, boosted qualified candidates are placed on the alternating list and are granted a space only as accepted students decline their acceptance. While it'southward rare, some students do drop out of the programme in the initial days which can open upward additional places.

Med School Application Services

About U.S. medical schools participate in AMCAS. But there are other application services you may need to be enlightened of depending on the types of med schools y'all are applying to and their locations.

AMCAS TMDSAS AACOMAS
What Is Information technology? American Medical Higher Application Service Texas Medical & Dental Schools Awarding Service American Clan of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service
Who Uses It? Applicants to most allopathic medical schools Applicants to medical, dental, and veterinary schools in Texas Applicants to well-nigh osteopathic medical schools
Important Deadlines
  • May two: AMCAS opens and begins accepting transcripts
  • June ane: AMCAS begins accepting application submissions
  • June 30: AMCAS sends commencement batch of processed applications to med schools
  • August 1: Submission borderline for Early Decision Programs
  • May 1: TMDSAS opens
  • August i: Submission deadline for Early Decision
  • September 29: Submission borderline for application to medical, dental and vet programs
The awarding cycle opens in May and closes the following April.

Deadlines vary by higher so exist certain to confirm deadlines for the schools to which you are applying.

Fees $160 for the first school, $38 for each additional school. $150 apartment fee for all applicants regardless of the number of schools applying to $195 for the beginning schoolhouse, $40 for each additional school.

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