2. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. AGENDA A.About AMCAS B.Understanding the Medical School Admissions Process C.The 2006 AMCAS Application Completing the primary application Submitting the application Monitoring your application’s progress Knowing your responsibilities D.The AAMC’s Fee Assistance Program (FAP) E.Contact Information F.AMCAS Application Life Cycle G.Applicant Facts

3. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. A. ABOUT AMCAS A service of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Non-profit, centralized application service –Collects applicant information –Collects one set of transcripts –Verifies academic records –Provides standardized grading information to participating schools All but 8 U.S. medical schools use AMCAS as the primary application

4. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS Applying is a two-step process 1. Primary Application: AMCAS 2. Secondary Applications: Medical Schools AMCAS does not screen applications or make admissions decisions Admissions requirements and decision processes vary from school to school

5. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS Medical School Primary Application Complete online application Send college transcripts Pay application fee AMCAS processes the primary application. Once this processing is complete, AMCAS sends 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 Submit additional writing samples Send updated transcripts if necessary Pay additional application fee if required Schedule interview date upon invitation from the medical school

6. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Medical School Resources –Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) –Minority Student Opportunities –Links to participating schools: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS

7. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS Application Resources –AMCAS frequently asked questions (FAQs) –Online application instructions

8. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. General Information/Getting Ready –Know the admissions requirements at each school –Obtain copies of your transcripts –Make sure you have access to a computer that meets AMCAS system and browser requirements –Make payment arrangements C. AMCAS 2005

9. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. AMCAS Registration Use “real” biographical information during registration: C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

10. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Application Navigation Become familiar with the navigation sections of the application: C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

11. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

12. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

13. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Common Pitfalls –Missed application deadlines –Typos and other errors in essay, experiences, etc. –Failure to receive and respond to AMCAS notifications C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

14. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Common Pitfalls –Course work errors Incorrect academic status Incorrect course classifications Missing course work C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

15. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Common Pitfalls –Delayed processing/Missed transcript deadlines Incomplete or inaccurate Missing Unofficial C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

16. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Common Pitfalls –Software requirements v. application requirements –AMCAS requirements v. medical school requirements C. AMCAS 2005: COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION

17. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. C. AMCAS 2005: SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION Early is good; error-free is better – emphasize completeness and accuracy over early submission Use print option to check your data as final step before submission Have your payment information ready Ensure successful submission by checking the Main Menu

18. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. C. AMCAS 2005: MONITORING YOUR APPLICATION’S PROGRESS Check your AMCAS status Monitor your progress by frequently checking e-mail and your Main Menu:

19. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Applicant Responsibilities In addition to meeting deadlines and accurately completing the AMCAS application, you must: –Know the admissions requirements at each school –Promptly notify AMCAS of change in contact info –Review verified course work immediately after AMCAS processing is complete C. AMCAS 2005: KNOWING YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

20. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Applicant Responsibilities In addition to meeting deadlines and accurately completing the AMCAS application, you must: –Respond promptly to interview invitations from the medical schools –File for financial aid as soon as possible –Withdraw from the schools you will not attend C. AMCAS 2005: KNOWING YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

21. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Reduces MCAT fee and provides 11 free medical school designations for AMCAS Funded by AAMC Assists individuals with extreme financial limitations Applicants apply online and receive immediate decision D. AAMC FEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

22. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. D. FEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: FAP CALENDAR Approval for:Documentation Receipt Date* AMCAS 20053 weeks prior to your first school application deadline MCAT April 16, 2005 February 18, 2005 MCAT August 20, 2005 June 24, 2005 *December 14, 2005: The final deadline for FAP application and documentation submissions. All FAP supporting documentation must be received by 5 pm (EST) December 14, 2004 in order to be considered for processing by the AAMC. See http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/start.htm for more information.http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/start.htm

23. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. When contacting AAMC: –Know your AAMC ID –Be prepared to provide your SSN/SIN and DOB –Be prepared to provide specific information about your issue E. CONTACT INFORMATION QUESTIONS ABOUT CONTACT an Applicant Relations Specialist AMCAS – any questions about the primary application (202) 828- 0600 amcas@aamc.org MCAT - registration and test administration (319) 337-1357 9 am – 5 pm mcat_reg@act.org MCAT – policies and score reports(202) 828-0690 mcat@aamc.org FAP(202) 828-0600 phone fap@aamc.org Unless otherwise noted, hours of operation are 9 am – 5 pm from December through March, and 9 am – 7 pm from April through November.

24. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. F. 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 approximately 4 – 6 weeks* Submitted to AMCAS – Waiting for Transcripts

25. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. G. APPLICANT FACTS Average MCAT Scores

26. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. Median Grade Point Averages BCPM = Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math All Other = all courses not classified as BCPM Cumulative = all courses G. Applicant Facts

27. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. G. Applicant Facts 2004 Applicants & Matriculants by Primary Undergraduate Major

28. © 2003 Association of American Medical Colleges. All rights reserved. G. Applicant Facts For more applicant data, go to: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/start.htm