1. The AMCAS Application Process For Applicants

2. Overview

3. About AMCAS What does AMCAS do? Provides an online medical school application Collects one set of official transcripts from all applicants Verifies academic records and calculates an AMCAS GPA Distributes application data to participating medical schools Collects & distributes letters of recommendation Facilitates criminal background checks for accepted applicants

4. Application Timeline 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 10, 2011*Initial transmission of application data to medical schools For the 2012 entering class *subject to change

5. Application Deadlines Vary by medical school, but generally fall between October 1 and December 15 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.

6. Application Fees $160 processing fee which includes one medical school $32 for each additional school (2011)  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

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

8. The AMCAS Application www.aamc.org/amcas

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

10. 9 Sections: Identifying Information Schools Attended Biographic Information Coursework Work/Activities Letters of Evaluation Medical Schools Essays Standardized Tests

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

12. 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

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

14. 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.

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

16. The AMCAS Application Coursework

17. 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 email or phone is required

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. Monitoring Application Status

29. Monitoring application status

30. 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

31. 20 verifiers process between 1,500 and 2,000 applications per week Average application has about 52 courses taken at 2 to 3 schools; 2 levels of verification, performed simultaneously – Line by line comparison, much like proof- reading – Normalization, involves applying judgment, performing calculations and researching school-specific and/or applicant-specific situations AMCAS Verification

32. 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

33. 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

35. 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 emails from AMCAS@aamc.org regarding problems or delaysAMCAS@aamc.org Review verified coursework immediately after AMCAS processing is complete Application Tips

36. 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

37. 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

38. Criminal Background Checks After January 1, accepted/waitlisted applicants to a school that participates in the AAMC CBC service will receive an email 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

39. 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.

40. 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

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

42. 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 (MSAR) Most medical schools waive supplemental application fees for applicants who have been granted fee assistance by the AAMC

43. 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

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

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

46. Support for Applicants and Advisors: 10 dedicated staff Office hours 9 am -7 pm ET M-F Applicant Website: www.aamc.org/amcas www.aamc.org/amcas Telephone: 202 828 0600 Email: amcas@aamc.org Facebook.com/amcasinfo

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

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