1. For Applicants The AMCAS Application Process A Presentation to
University of Iowa Pre-Meds
Wednesday, April 27, 2011

2. About AMCAS What does AMCAS do?
Provides an online medical school application and distributes your application to the medical schools you designate
Verifies academic records and calculates an AMCAS GPA
Collects & distributes letters of recommendation to the medical schools you designate
Facilitates criminal background checks for accepted applicants

3. Application Timeline For the 2012 entering class May 5, 2011*
AMCAS application opens & AMCAS begins accepting transcripts and letters of recommendation
June 1, 2011*
Applications can be submitted and AMCAS begins verifying coursework
June 17, 2011*
Initial transmission of application data to medical schools
*subject to change

4. Application Timing
Apply Early. Most students will apply in the summer—June, July, August. It can take AMCAS four to six weeks to process your application.
If you are submitting AMCAS in October you are applying fairly late. The AMCAS deadline for the UI Carver College of Medicine is Nov. 1.
Deadlines vary by medical school, but generally fall between October 1 and December 15

5. Application Timing (Cont.d)
Application deadlines are posted on the AMCAS website and within the online application
Get your official transcripts sent early.

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

7. The AMCAS Application 9 Sections: Identifying Information
Schools Attended
Biographic Information
Coursework
Work/Activities
Letters of Evaluation
Medical Schools
Essays
Standardized Tests

8. Application Timing and Fees
$ processing fee which includes one medical school $33.00 fee for each additional school Payable online by Visa/Mastercard or Telecheck

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

10. 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.

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

12. The AMCAS Application
Coursework

13. Entering Work/Activities
You will have space to enter 15 activities (work, volunteering, honors, awards.
Be sure to put health care and other volunteer activities under the appropriate categories (don’t lump them under “extracurricular”).
You will have space to briefly describe the activity (maximum 700 characters)
New this year: An opportunity to designate three activities as the “most meaningful” and write additional information about them (1325 characters). Also a contact requirement.

14. 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

15. 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

16. Letters of Eval./Recommendation
Ask your Letter Writers before your leave for the summer.
You can add up to 10 letters in your AMCAS file. Request what you will need (find out from the schools).
Do not hold submission of AMCAS to wait for letters; you can put in letter information later.
UI’s process is individual letters; we do not have a committee or composite process.
Refer to “Applying to Med. School” handout.

17. Letters of Eval./Recommendation
Most letters are sent in August and September.
Schools have deadlines for submission of letters/secondaries. For best results, do not bump up against the deadlines.

18. 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

19. * Letter Request Form Letter Request Form
Applicant’s identifying information
Used by AMCAS to attach the letter to the application
Letter ID and Letter Type
The author’s address
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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. AMCAS Application Post Submission Changes
Very few changes are permitted once the application has been submitted. They are:
Name and Contact Information
ID numbers
Indication of MCAT test date
Letters of Evaluation can be added and assigned to medical schools, but NOT deleted
Medical schools can be added and programs can be changed if the deadlines have not passed
Advisor Release
After making a change, the applicant must re-submit in order to save changes

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

25. Monitoring application status

26. AMCAS Verification 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.)

27. AMCAS Verification

28. Application Tips 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 delays
Review verified coursework immediately after AMCAS processing is complete

29. 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 CBC. 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
Infractions and juvenile records will be displayed to the applicant but medical schools vary on the content they can and will view.  

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

31. 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