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 schoolsAllopathic

• MD Degree

• UAB, USA, etc.

• State of Residency Matters

• 131 US Schools

• AMCAS

• National Avg: 31 MCAT, 3.7 GPA

Choose your medical schoolsOsteopathic

• 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

• Conferences Attended

• Presentation/Posters

• Publication

• Extracurricular/Hobbies/Avocations

• Leadership – not Listed Elsewhere

• Other

• Intercollegiate Athletics

• Artistic Endeavors

• Paid Employment - not Military

• Paid Employment – Military

• Community Service/Volunteer – not Medical/Clinical

• Community Service/Volunteer – Medical/Clinical

• Research/Lab

• Teaching/Tutoring

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

• Someone you already work with/know well

• Someone you’ve worked with in the past.

• Someone who isn’t likely to have new information on you in the next few months

Ask later

• Someone you don’t know well (YET!)

• Someone who will be able to write a stronger letter in a few months

Sabbatical? Summer?

2 Interviews

HPAC interview

• In Lloyd Hall

• Basis for your committee letter

• Must be done before other letters sent to the schools

• March-September

• NOT Blind

School Interview

• At the medical school

• Some blind, some not

• 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