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Kaplan
• Built-in accountability
• Popular
• All materials are included
• Class DOES NOT replacestudying!
Preparationfor the MCAT
DIY
• BYOD (Bring Your Own Discipline)
• AAMC tests are the best
• AAMC guide (cheap andeffective
• Examcrackers—Amazonor B&N
• AED course in Spring 2012
Preparationfor the MCAT
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
Choose your medical schools
• TMDSAS—Most Texasschools use this
instead ofAMCAS or
AACOMAS
• Application very similar to AMCAS/AACOMAS
• Application is available May 2012
Messin’ withTexas
• 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
Offshore Medicalschools
• 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/TMSDAS
Transcript
• Honors/awards/recognition
• Conferences attended
• Presentations/posters
• Publication
• Extracurricular/hobbies/avocations
• Leadership—not listed elsewhere
• Other
• Intercollegiate athletics
Sample activities
• Artistic endeavors
• Paid employment—non military
• Paid employment—military
• Community service/volunteer—not medical/clinical
• Community service/volunteer—medical/clinical
• Research lab
• Teaching/tutoring
• 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
Documenting activities
• 5300 characters (AMCAS/AACOMAS:4500)
• Good articles and examples online at premed.ua.edu
• Tell your story
• Address, but don’t dwell on, deficits
Personalstatement
• 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
Letters ofrecommendation
• 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 to you in the next few months
When to ask for a letter
• Ask later
• Someone you don’t know well (yet)
• Someone who will be able to write a stronger letter in a 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 application
• AAMCAS
• AACOMAS
• TMDSAS
• Individual application for non-service schools
Primary vs. Secondary
• 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
• For UA use only: application at hpa.ua.edu
• Complete HPAC pre-application IN ADDITION to primary application
• We require both the pre-application and a copy of your primary application (AAMCAS/AACOMAS) if you wish to interview with our committee (recommended by medical schools).
HPACPre-application
• 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
Two interviews
• School interview
• At the medical school
• Some are blind, some are not
• September through March