Senior Year.

Your final steps and future directions.

Before Applying to Med School
If I decided to take the MCAT junior year and am satisfied with my score, what are the next steps?

You are now ready to apply to medical schools!

The first decision you need to make is if you will apply to Allopathic schools only or Osteopathic, or both. It is important to note that if you decide to both and get in to only osteopathic schools, you must attend them. To check out the differences between the two, check out our freshman year tab. As mentioned in the MCAT section, if you received the fee waiver, you are eligible to apply to 16 schools free of cost through the allopathic program called AMCAS.  You can also apply for a fee waiver on the osteopathic program called AACOMAS, which will cover up to ten schools.

How do I make my school list?
The school list is an important factor in the amount of interviews and ultimately the amount of acceptances you get. It is important to make a school list that has reach schools, a good amount of safety schools, and some high reach schools. While medical schools are holistic in their approach, it is important to consider where your GPA and MCAT scores fall in comparison to the average range for the school. The MSAR, mentioned in the FAP portion of the MCAT section is a great way to compile a list of schools. Even without FAP, we strongly encourage the purchase of MSAR, it allows you to see different schools statistics from 95% or their class down to 10% of their class.
What is the Pre-health Committee Letter?
Most medical schools prefer that you have a Pre-health committee letter sent as part of your application directly from your undergraduate institution. It is important to know how your school divides the timeline for this letter and the requirements needed to have a letter by the time you plan on applying. This letter is a compilation of a physician letter of recommendation, two science faculty members, and a pre-health advisor who you will most likely meet so they can write a strong recommendation on your behalf.
Jumping to the Application Process
What are some tips to write my Personal Statement?
Your personal statement should speak to who you are as a person, your desire to pursue medicine, and what you have done to prepare yourself. It should not be a reiteration of your resume- that is already available to your application readers. You should have several drafts of your statement before you are comfortable with it being the one you send. You also should have several people read your draft as they can give you diverse feedback on what you can improve. If you would like a second look at yours feel free to email us! 
What are primaries? What are secondaries? How are they different?

A primary application is a singular application you sent to each school you wish to apply to. This includes your personal statement, your list of activities/awards/shadowing experiences, and your grades. On both programs, you will have to add in your grades for all four years and make sure they match on the transcript you will submit. This is done because both programs calculate a new science and cumulative GPA for all applicants. Generally, the AMCAS service opens in May and begins accepting applications on June 1st of every year while the AACOMAS opens in May as well and starts processing applications in mid-June. It is important to know that both work on a rolling basis- meaning that the faster you submit all your primaries, the better chance you have of gaining interviews and admission.

Secondaries are invitations for applicants to complete additional school specific essay questions. While most schools send secondaries to all applicants, some do screen and give out secondaries to applicants they feel are best qualified. Secondaries are a chance to speak more about yourself and about why you want to attend a school specifically.

Interviews

Receiving an interview to either type of school is a major accomplishment and sets you up for potential admission to a school. Interviews range from August to February or March for most schools. If you would like to get in contact with someone about interview tips for specific schools, we will try our best to find someone you can speak to.

***The average age of a first year medical student is 24 years old. It is important to understand and plan your gap year if you decide to take one. Additionally, it is not uncommon for many students to take several years off before they decide to apply! No matter the age, receiving admission into medical school is a major accomplishment!

FAFSA and Loans
Coming soon!
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For any other questions, please write us at [email protected]