The decision to attend medical school is one that many students make before their first day in college classes. Not surprisingly, with the strict standards and requirements, each course of your college can be evaluated as to whether or not you are a good fit for a particular medical school. When it comes to the freshman and sophomore year, your major is set with the help of a counselor and counselor. It’s time to think about medical school application deadlines. Beginning sometime during your junior year of college and often lasting until graduation, the medical application process is time-consuming and complicated. .
MCAT
No medical school application would be complete without the MCAT, the Medical College Admissions Test. Typically, MCAT preparation begins during your junior year of college, including studying, preparatory classes, and signing up for your time. According to the AAMC Application and Admissions Timeline, most students begin test preparation in the fall semester of their junior year, and the MCAT in the spring semester, or in the summer between their junior and senior year. Tests taken earlier in the day will leave more room to re-take the test if they are unhappy with their score, however, all of your users will still be available for medical schools to view. In addition, note that MCAT scores are not considered schools more than two years behind by most doctors.
Primary application: AMCAS
The Princeton Review notes that most medical schools in the United States use the AMCAS application process for initial screening. Your general information, such as your MCAT scores, will be available for viewing by medical schools using this application. According to the AMCAS website, the first project applications in the AMCAS system were notified on August 1st. Regular application deadlines vary by medical school (typically between October 1st and December 15th of your senior year). You will need to provide official transcripts with MCAT scores and a list of schools to which you would like to send your application. The AAMC suggests that your registration with AMCAS begin no later than the spring of your junior year and be completed in the summer between your junior and senior year.
Secondary Application
When the medical school receives your first application through AMCAS, they will contact you if they are interested in gathering more information. This typically occurs in the fall semester of your senior year, but may vary depending on which application you submitted. The AAMC notes that secondary applications generally consist of inefficiencies.
Interviews
Interviews are the final process of medical school. If the medical school is satisfied with your score, transcript and resume, they will invite you to an interview on campus. Decisions are made after the interview process. Interviews take place in the spring of your senior year (although, if you applied for early admission, it may happen sooner).
Of course, the application process and timing of the medical schools you apply to will vary slightly. But the fundamentals of the process (MCAT, AMCAS, secondary application and interview) remain constant from year to year.
Resources:
AAMC; Application and Admission Timeline; http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/timeline.htm
AMCAS; American Medical College Application Service; http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm
AAMC; MCAT; http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm
Princeton Review; Medical School Applications; http://www.princetonreview.com/medical/medical-school-applications.aspx
