2012
Medical
School
application
Workshop
•
Timeline
•
MCAT
•
Choosing Schools
•
Letters of Recommendation
•
HPAC application
•
AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS
•
HPAC Interview
•
Confirming your letters have been sent
•
Secondary applications
•
Interviews at the schools
•
Accept/deny/hold
1: Register for the mcat
REGISTER NOW
Preparation for the
MCAT
Kaplan and TPR
• Built-in accountability
• Popular
• All materials included
• Class does NOT replace
Study!
DIY
• BYOD (Bring your own
discipline)
• AAMC tests are the best
• AAMC Guide (cheap &
effective)
• Examcrackers – Amazon or
B&N
• AED course in spring 2011
2: Choose your
medical schools
Allopathic
• MD Degree
• UAB, USA, etc.
• State of Residency Matters
• 131 US Schools
• AMCAS
• National Avg: 31 MCAT, 3.7 GPA
Choose your
medical schools
Osteopathic
• DO Degree
• Schools in AL, MS, TN, GA, FL
• Essentially the same residency options
• Less research oriented
• Slightly more emphasis on primary care
• About half consider January 2012 MCAT
• AACOMAS is the primary application service
• National Average: 26 MCAT, 3.5 GPA
Messin’ with texas
• TMDSAS – Most Texas Schools use this instead of
AMCAS or AACOMAS
• Application very similar to AMCAS/AACOMAS
• Application available May 2012
Offshore medical
schools
• No centralized service; apply directly to the schools
• INVESTIGATE graduation rates, board pass rates
• May (and often will) take longer than 4 years
• Limited residency options
• Extremely limited transfer options
The application:
AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS
• 3 parts:
• Transcript
• Activities
• Personal statement
TRANSCRIPT
Transcript
• Obtain copies of your transcript from each school
attended.
• Enter each course you have taken exactly as it appears
on your transcript(s).
• Send official transcripts from each undergraduate
school attended to AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS
ACTIVITIES
Sample activities
•
Honors/Awards/Recognitions
•
Paid Employment - not Military
•
Conferences Attended
•
Paid Employment – Military
•
Presentation/Posters
•
Community Service/Volunteer –
not Medical/Clinical
•
Publication
•
•
Extracurricular/Hobbies/Avocatio
ns
Community Service/Volunteer –
Medical/Clinical
•
Research/Lab
•
Teaching/Tutoring
•
Leadership – not Listed Elsewhere
•
Other
•
Intercollegiate Athletics
•
Artistic Endeavors
Documenting
Activities
Activities
• 15 slots
• What do you do when you’re not studying?
• Nothing off limits – almost
• Don’t feel like you need to use every available
character! Some may not warrant long descriptions.
• Estimates are fine when listing the number of hours
invested in each activity; don’t get mired down in the
details.
Personal statement
• 5300 Characters AMCAS 4500 AACOMAS
• (approximately 1-1.5 typed pages single spaced)
• Good articles & examples online at www.premed.ua.edu
• Tell your story
• Address (but don’t dwell on) deficits
• This and LOR most carefully read part of the application
Letters of
recommendation
• MAX of 5 Letters: 3 from Faculty, 2 personal
•
•
•
•
Planks in your platform: what can each one say about you?
AT LEAST ONE from a BCPM professor (engineering OK)
Content of the letter more important than the author
DO schools want a letter from a DO
How to ask for a letter:
~ our form
~ For recommenders who don’t know you as well,
providing a resume with a picture is a good idea.
HPAC pre-application
• For UA use only: application at www.premed.ua.edu
• Complete this in addition to your primary application
• We need both the Pre-Application and a copy of your
primary application if you wish to interview with our
committee (recommended by medical schools).
When to ask for a
letter
Ask now
Ask later
• Someone you already work
with/know well
• Someone you don’t know
well (YET!)
• Someone you’ve worked
with in the past.
• Someone who will be able to
write a stronger letter in a
few months
• Someone who isn’t likely to
have new information on
you in the next few months
Sabbatical? Summer?
2 Interviews
HPAC interview
School Interview
• In Lloyd Hall
• At the medical school
• Basis for your committee
letter
• Some blind, some not
• Must be done before other
letters sent to the schools
• March-September
• NOT Blind
• September-March
VIRTUALEVALS
&
AAMC LETTER ID
Primary vs. Secondary
Primary Application
• AMCAS
• AACOMAS
• TMDSAS
• Individual application for
non-service schools
Secondary application
• Request from the individual
school for more information
• Time sensitive
• Most schools will not invite
you for an interview prior to
reviewing the secondary
• Costly
• Be concise!
timeline
Questions?
premed@ua.edu