The AMCAS Application Process For Applicants

Overview

About AMCAS What do AMCAS and AACOMAS do? Provide an online medical school application Collect one set of official transcripts from all applicants Verifies academic records and calculates an AMCAS/AACOMAS GPA Distributes application data to participating medical schools Collects & distributes letters of recommendation (AMCAS only) Facilitates criminal background checks for accepted applicants (AMCAS)

B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS Applying is a two-step process 1. Primary Application: AMCAS & AACOMAS 2. Secondary Applications: Medical Schools AMCAS & AACOMAS do not screen applications or make admissions decisions Admissions requirements and decision processes vary from school to school

B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS Medical School Primary Application Complete online application Send college transcripts AMCAS only – send letters of recommendation Pay application fee AMCAS & AACOMAS processes the primary application. Once this processing is complete, AMCAS & AACOMAS send the primary application to the medical schools selected by the applicant. At this point, the medical school takes over the application. Secondary Application Interview Upon invitation from the medical school: Submit letters of recommendation for AACOMAS & non- AMCAS letter participants Submit additional writing samples Send updated transcripts if necessary Pay additional application fee if required Schedule interview date upon invitation from the medical school

Application Timeline May 5, 2011*AMCAS/AACOMAS applications open & begin accepting transcripts and letters of recommendation June 1, 2011*Applications can be submitted and AMCAS/AACOMAS begin verifying coursework June 10, 2011*Initial transmission of application data to medical schools For the 2012 entering class *subject to change

Application Deadlines Vary by medical school, but generally fall between October 1 and December 15 (AACOMAS – April 1 st ) Deadlines are posted on AMCAS website and within the online application Official transcripts are due within 2 weeks of the application deadlines AMCAS does not grant deadline extensions. Applicants seeking an extension should contact the medical schools directly.

Application Fees-AMCAS $160 processing fee which includes one medical school (AACOMAS $175) $33 for each additional school (2012) (AACOMAS $32)  Refunds are available to applicants are not in verification or processed status. Applicants will receive refund for all deadlines that haven’t passed with the exception of the AMCAS processing fee Payable online via Visa/MasterCard or Telecheck

Overview About AMCAS The AMCAS Application Monitoring your Application Status The Verification Process Criminal Background Checks Fee Assistance Program Resources & Information Q&A

The AMCAS Application

AMCAS Registration Use accurate biographical information during registration: The AMCAS Application

9 Sections: Identifying Information Schools Attended Biographic Information Coursework Work/Activities Letters of Evaluation Medical Schools Essays Standardized Tests

Identifying Information:  Legal/preferred names  ID numbers  Date of birth  Sex The AMCAS Application

Schools Attended  High school  Colleges – You must list every post-secondary institution where you were enrolled for at least one course, even if credits were transferred, no credits were earned, or you withdrew  Previous Matriculation to US Med School  Institutional Actions

Note about Transcripts You can begin sending transcripts to AMCAS or AACOMAS on or about May 5, after the 2012 application goes live and you initiated your online application. You should wait until spring grades are available before submitting your transcript. A good time to request your transcripts showing spring grades is mid-May. After creating your application profile, be sure to complete the colleges attended section. Print out the transcript request form for every post-secondary institution and submit it to each school. Transcripts can be requested from the registrar’s office.  AMCAS – submit after 2 nd week of May  AACOMAS – submit after 2 nd week of May Request copies of all transcripts for yourself to help in the completion of your application. Request transcripts from all non-UF to be sent to AMCAS or AACOMAS at same time as above. Send updated copies of transcripts at the end of the summer and fall semester DIRECTLY to the schools to which you have applied. Do NOT send to AMCAS or AACOMAS.

The AMCAS Application Biographic Information  Contact info  Citizenship  Legal residence  Race & Ethnicity  Languages  Family info – dependents/parents/siblings  Felony/misdemeanor/military discharge

The AMCAS Application Changes to the Disadvantaged Section The questions that have been buried beneath the disadvantaged question will be brought to the top level and presented to all applicants. We will continue to allow applicants to self-identify as disadvantaged and write a brief essay.

The AMCAS Applications Changes to Parental Information Applicants will be required to provide information about their parents or guardians Expanded occupational & educational categories

The AMCAS Application Coursework

Include the foreign institution and the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution in your list of colleges attended. Request a transcript exception for the foreign institution. Indicate the U.S. or Canadian institution on whose transcript credits will appear. List study abroad course work under the foreign college at which it was attempted but as it appears on the sponsoring U.S. Institutions transcript. Study Abroad – How to report

The AMCAS Application Work & Activities Enter any work or extracurricular activities, awards, honors or publications you would like to bring to the attention of medical schools A maximum of 15 experiences may be entered New Contact or phone is required

The AMCAS Application Work & Activities Applicants will be asked to indentify up to three experiences they consider to be the most meaningful When considering which experiences are the most meaningful applicants will be prompted to consider the transformative nature of the experience, the impact made while engaging in the activity and the personal growth experienced as a result of participation

Post-Secondary Experiences Activities/Work Section Health Care Experiences Community Service Employment Research Poster presentations Conference Attendance Extracurriculars Clubs or organizations Affiliations Athletics Military Experience or Employment Leadership Honors & Awards Achievements Hobbies & Interests Artistic Endeavors Skills

Post-Secondary Experiences Limit it to no more than 15 – AMCAS Pick up to 3 most meaningful Quality over Quantity Shows strong commitment Choose ones where you made significant contributions Always list significant clinical experiences

The AMCAS Application Letters of Recommendation Letters do not have to be entered before submission of the application. Application processing is independent of letter receipt Be aware that medical schools have letters deadlines Medical schools may require letters to be on letterhead and have a signature

Letter Request Form Applicant’s identifying information The author’s address Used by AMCAS to attach the letter to the application Methods the author can use to send their letter to AMCAS Many medical schools require that recommendations are on official letterhead and bear the signature of the author * Letter Request Form Letter ID and Letter Type

The AMCAS Application Medical Schools Designate the schools & programs to which you wish to apply Define how letters should be distributed to your designated medical schools Only schools whose deadlines have not passed will appear in the drop-down list You can come back to this section and add additional schools at any time

The AMCAS Application Essay/personal statement You may wish to include information such as: Special hardships, challenges or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits. Commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application.

Adding the Personal Statement You may copy and paste your personal statement from a text editor. Be sure all the formatting ends up being correct when you do this. We suggest that you save, log out, then log on, and proofread the personal statement. NO changes may be made after sumbission

The AMCAS Application Standardized Tests MCAT scores earned in 2003 and later will be automatically released to AMCAS and will appear in this section of your application You may also enter scores from other tests such as GMAT, LSAT or GRE

The AMCAS Application Submission Certification: Revised Statement is now bulleted and requires acceptance to each statement rather than one paragraph. Easier for applicant to read certification statement and highlights importance of statement New Applicants must certify that all written passages have been written by them.

Very few changes are permitted once the application has been submitted. They are:  Name and Contact Information  Required and Alternate IDs  Indication of MCAT test date  Letters of Evaluation can be added and assigned to medical schools, but NOT deleted Applicants may indicate that a letter will not be sent  Medical schools can be added and programs can be changed if the deadlines have not passed  Advisor Release After making a post-submission change, the applicant must re-submit in order to save changes AMCAS Application Post Submission Changes

Overview About AMCAS The AMCAS Application Monitoring your Application Status The Verification Process AMCAS Letters of Evaluation Criminal Background Checks Fee Assistance Program Resources & Information Q&A

AMCAS Application Life Cycle Not Submitted to AMCAS Submitted to AMCAS – Waiting for Transcripts Submitted to AMCAS – Ready for Review Submitted to AMCAS – Under Review AMCAS Processing Complete Returned to Applicant May take up to 6 weeks* Submitted to AMCAS – Waiting for Transcripts

Monitoring Application Status

Monitoring application status

Overview About AMCAS The AMCAS Application Monitoring Application Status The Verification Process AMCAS Letters of Evaluation Criminal Background Checks Fee Assistance Program Resources & Information Q&A

What is verified for each course?  Academic Status  Academic Year & Term  Grades  Hours  Course Classification (BCPM vs. All Other)  Course Type (Honors, Repeat, AP, etc.) AMCAS Verification

The end result: Verified AMCAS GPA broken down by science & non-science courses and by academic status Note that medical schools do not just see your GPA. They receive all of the detailed information that you entered in the coursework section of your application. AMCAS Verification

Early is good. Error-free is better. Before submitting your application, print it out and review it very carefully for missing courses or grades as well as for typos and errors. Monitor the status of transcripts & remember that transcripts must be official Look for s from regarding problems or Review verified coursework immediately after AMCAS processing is complete Application Tips

Overview About AMCAS The AMCAS Application Monitoring your Application Status The Verification Process AMCAS Letters of Evaluation Criminal Background Checks Fee Assistance Program Resources & Information Q&A

Criminal Background Checks The AAMC recommends that all US medical schools procure a national background check on all accepted applicants AMCAS facilitates this process for schools that choose to participate. There is no additional fee to the applicant for background checks conducted through AMCAS Details about the types of searches conducted and the list of participating schools can be found on our website

Criminal Background Checks After January 1, accepted/waitlisted applicants to a school that participates in the AAMC CBC service will receive an from Certiphi Screening asking to provide consent to conduct a Criminal Background Check  If accepted to an Early Decision Program applicants background checks are done immediately Results will be made available for review prior to their release to medical schools to which have accepted the applicants. Applicants have 10 days to review the report and contest the accuracy of the results

Criminal Background Checks The report procured during this process will not be released to any party other than the medical schools requesting this report. On the report, history including infractions and juvenile records will be displayed to the applicant but medical schools vary on the content they can and will view.

Overview About AMCAS The AMCAS Application Monitoring your Application Status The Verification Process AMCAS Letters of Evaluation Criminal Background Checks Fee Assistance Program Resources & Information Q&A

Fee Assistance Program (FAP) Assists applicants who, without financial assistance would be unable to take the MCAT or apply to medical schools through AMCAS

Fee Assistance Program Benefits  AMCAS fee waiver for up to 14 medical school designations (>$500 savings)  MCAT Fee Reduction from $235 to $85  One free copy of – The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam – The Medical School Admissions Requirements (electronic MSAR) Most medical schools waive supplemental application fees for applicants who have been granted fee assistance by the AAMC

Fee Assistance Program Eligibility Criteria Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or have refugee/asylum status Total family income 300% or less of the federal poverty guideline Example: Poverty level for a family of 4: $22,050 FAP threshold: $66,150

Fee Assistance Program Important policies FAP does not distinguish between dependent & independent applicant status FAP is not retroactive

Overview About AMCAS The AMCAS Application Monitoring your Application Status The Verification Process Criminal Background Checks Fee Assistance Program Resources & Information

Support for Applicants and Advisors: 10 dedicated staff Office hours 9 am -7 pm ET M-F Applicant Website: Telephone: Facebook.com/amcasinfo

To find out more about specific Medical Schools & programs Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) guide  Available online through Contact Medical Schools  Websites  Admissions offices/brochures Resources & Information

AACOMAS Differences Letters sent directly to schools (Interfolio or OHLPA) MCAT scores must be sent to AACOMAS (not automatic) BCP not BCPM BCP includes “other sciences” (nutrition, engineering, etc.) Personal Statement 4500 characters

Application Timeline  Begin working on the primary application on or after May 5th  Send transcripts to the application service centers at the end of the semester (UF)  Send transcripts from non-UF schools to the application service centers in early May.  Finalize personal statement  Submit the primary application as early as possible without sacrificing quality (June) no later than late July.  Invitations to complete secondary applications are usually sent out in July and continue until next January – Send letters out with secondary applications (AACOMAS) – Letters can be sent to AMCAS participating schools with the primary application.  Invitations to interview begin as early as late August and continue until next April  Acceptance and denial announcements are given after October 15 th and continue until the first day classes begin in the next fall term.

Early Decision Programs MD Programs - You may only apply to one school (until you are denied). Most will have August 1 deadline for completion of the application. Must take the MCAT no later than June. If accepted, you are obligated to accept the offer to attend that school. Decisions by October 1st Be sure you are VERY competitive for that school. Only apply if you are absolutely sure you want to attend that school!

Secondary Application Process Not sent by some schools. Some send to all applicants, some pre-screen. Do not repeat your personal statement in the secondary essays. Come up with a new topic. Be aware of deadlines! Send secondary applications back within 3-4 weeks, if possible. Follow directions closely. Check in with the school after two weeks if you have not heard from them to ensure that they received your secondary application and that your file is complete. KEEP A FILE or RECORD of your application materials.

Secondary Application Process Just about every school will send invitations to complete secondary applications electronically. Notifications are usually via . We recommend that you create a new account specifically for medical school applications.   Be sure your address is “professional”  & were actually e- mails used. These did not paint a good picture of one’s maturity and ability to make good judgments. Be sure to allow edu domains to be identified as non- spam.

Other Considerations Applicants considering public schools in Texas will also need to complete the TMDSAS application in addition to AMCAS and or AACOMAS. Can begin May 2, 2011 Deadline is September 30, 2011

Traffic Rules for Accepting Offers Allopathic Medicine  Observe deadlines for submitting a decision for each school, generally within 2-3 weeks.  Can hold multiple acceptances until May 15 th.  Deposits are refunded if withdraw acceptances by May 15 th ($0-$100) Osteopathic Medicine  Must submit decisions based on published deadlines.  Deposits range from $200 to $3000.

What to do in the meantime? Consider a backup plan. In January, apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA) Continue to get good grades. Continue with health care experience. Update schools of new activities, awards and achievements if they are significant. Be available for interviews throughout the fall & spring. Attend the interview workshop in the fall.

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