Agenda:
• MCAT
• Application Process
• HPAC application
• Interviews
Preparation
for the MCAT
Kaplan
vs
DIY
Preparation
for the MCAT
Kaplan
•
Built-in accountability
•
Popular
•
All materials are included
•
Class DOES NOT replace
studying!
Preparation
for the MCAT
DIY
•
BYOD (Bring Your Own
Discipline)
•
AAMC tests are the best
•
AAMC guide (cheap and
effective
•
Examcrackers—Amazon
or B&N
• AED course in Spring 2012
Choose your
medical schools
Allopathic
•
MD degree
•
UAB, USA, etc.
•
State of Residency
matters
•
137 US schools
• AMCAS
• National avg:
• MCAT—31
• 3.7 GPA
Choose your
medical schools
Osteopathic
•
DO degree
•
Schools in AL, MS, TN,
GA and FL (26 total)
•
Essentially the same
residency options
•
Less research oriented
•
More emphasis on primary
care
Choose your
medical schools
Osteopathic
(continued)
•
A few schools will
consider January MCAT
•
AACOMAS is the
primary
application service
•
National avg:
• MCAT—26
• 3.5 GPA
Messin’ with
Texas
•
TMDSAS—Most Texas
schools use this instead of
AMCAS or AACOMAS
•
Application very similar
to AMCAS/AACOMAS
•
Application is available
May 2012
Offshore Medical
schools
•
No centralized service;
apply directly to the
schools
•
Investigate graduation
rates and board pass rates
•
May (and often will) take
longer than four years
•
Limited residency options
•
Extremely limited
transfer options
The application:
AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS
• Three parts:
•
Transcripts
•
Activities
•
Personal Statement
Transcript
•
Obtain copies of your
transcript from each
school you 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/TM
SDAS
Sample activities
•
Honors/awards/recognition
•
Artistic endeavors
•
Conferences attended
•
Paid employment—non
military
•
Presentations/posters
•
Paid employment—military
•
Community
service/volunteer—not
medical/clinical
•
Community
service/volunteer—
medical/clinical
•
Research lab
•
Teaching/tutoring
•
Publication
•
Extracurricular/hobbies/avocat
ions
•
Leadership—not listed
elsewhere
•
Other
•
Intercollegiate athletics
Documenting
activities
•
15 slots, choose 3 as “most
valuable experience”
•
What do you do with your time
that you are proud of?
•
Nothing is off-limits—almost
nothing
•
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 bogged down with
details
Personal
statement
•
5300 characters
(AMCAS/AACOMAS:4500)
•
Good articles and examples
online at premed.ua.edu
•
Tell your story
•
Address, but don’t dwell on,
deficits
Letters of
recommendation
•
We recommend 5 letters, at
least two from science faculty
•
Planks in your platform: what
can each one say about you?
•
Content of the letter is more
important than the author
•
DO schools want a letter from a
DO.
•
Letters should not be school
specific
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 to
you in the next few months
VirtualEvals and AAMC Letter ID
• How to generate your AAMC letter ID
(see attached guide)
• VirtualEvals- online submission of LOR
for schools that don’t participate in
AAMCAS (DO schools, Texas schools,
LSU)
Primary vs. Secondary
• Primary
application
• Secondary
application
•
Request from the
individual school for more
information
TMDSAS
•
Time-sensitive
Individual application for
non-service schools
•
Most schools will not invite
you for an interview prior
to reviewing the secondary
•
Costly
•
Be concise
•
AAMCAS
•
AACOMAS
•
•
HPAC
Pre-application
• For UA use only:
application at
hpa.ua.edu
•
Complete HPAC preapplication IN ADDITION to
primary application
•
We require both the preapplication and a copy of your
primary application
(AAMCAS/AACOMAS) if you
wish to interview with our
committee (recommended by
medical schools).
Two interviews
• HPAC interview
•
In Clark Hall
•
Basis for your committee
letter
•
Must be completed before
other letters are sent to
schools
•
March through September
•
Not blind
• School interview
•
At the medical school
•
Some are blind, some are
not
•
September through March
Questions?
premed@ua.edu
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