Application Process

Application to medical school may be done in two ways: the regular application or the Early Decision Program (EDP). The EDP application can only be submitted to one medical school and the applicant will have a decision on acceptance by October 1. EDP should only be considered if the applicant's grades and MCAT scores (above 30 or 33 depending on the school) are exceptional. EDP applications should be submitted between June 1 and August 1 for most medical schools. Students must be available for interviews in August. If a student is not accepted by the EDP they may then apply for regular admission at multiple schools but may be at a disadvantage due to "rolling admissions" by the medical schools. The Health Careers Center at the University of Minnesota has a useful online planning workshop, "Planning for Medical School," which is $50 for non-University of Minnesota students.

Most students initiate their applications in the summer after their junior year. Applications are available in early May and should be submitted as early as feasible due to rolling admission policies; applications can be submitted as early as June 15. An applicant will be at a real disadvantage if the application is not submitted until the final due date. A majority of medical schools will not look positively on a late applicant. As one medical school Dean put it, “When you apply in July, you are applying for 100% of the slots while an applicant in the fall may be applying for 50% of the remaining positions.”

Most medical schools currently use the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), a web-based application service with one form which is used for all the schools an applicant selects. Nine medical schools do not use the AMCAS application. Students should refer to the MSAR for a list of non-AMCAS schools. Contact the AMCAS at the following address:

AMCAS
Section for Student Services
Association of American Medical Colleges
2501 M Street NW, Lobby 26
Washington, DC 20037-1300
(202) 828-0600

Application to medical school can be quite expensive as each school requires an application fee and travel expenses to the interview. The fee for the application for 11 schools will be $460 with a fee of $30 for each additional medical school beyond 11 applications. A Fee Assistance Program (FAP) is available for students with demonstrated need. Official transcripts are needed from all educational institutions attended (after high school) and transcripts should be sent by the institutions directly to AMCAS.

It is the student's responsibility to check periodically with AMCAS through their website or via the phone to make sure their application has been processed and is complete. If the application is not verified, the student needs to check on it and complete any missing component. The application, once complete and verified by AMCAS, is sent electronically to the medical schools selected by the applicant. Shortly after reviewing the application the medical school will notify the applicant of any supplemental application materials, letters of recommendation or updated transcripts they require.

Students need to complete the supplemental application materials as soon as possible (usually within 30 days) and send it to the school with the application fee (approximately $45-$100 per school). Most medical schools will request a letter of recommendation from the college's Health Professions Committee. Many medical schools request additional letters of recommendation from faculty; these should be sent directly to the medical school. The University of Minnesota – Duluth wants one of the letters from an employer or a health care professional from a clinic or hospital.

Students should contact Karen Renneke in Chemistry early in the spring of their junior year or in unusual cases in early September of their senior year to request an interview with St. Olaf's Health Professions Committee. Early Decision (EDP) applicants, seniors or students going off-campus in the fall must request an interview in the spring. Applicants will fill out a student information form, submit a grade audit and distribute 3-5 recommendation forms to St. Olaf Professors that know them well. All forms can be obtained from Karen Renneke in SC312 or online. Selected members of the HPC will schedule a short (20-minute) interview with the applicant and the committee will compose a letter of evaluation. Many institutions restrict student access to the committee based on their GPA or MCAT scores and as a result, those institutions have a high rate of acceptance. At St. Olaf, any student at St. Olaf can interview with the committee and apply to medical school; our philosophy is to let the medical school make the decision regarding the applicant, not the HPC.

Students should never assume their file is complete. Most medical schools will indicate when the file is complete. However, it may be necessary to contact the Admissions Office to check on the file. Many students have not been accepted because a letter was missing or a form was not received.

The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities has changed re-application policy as of 2000. After two rejections, a student cannot reapply for a period of two years. The student may then apply once more, outlining carefully how their application and profile differ from previous applications.

An overview of the application process is given below:

  • Complete the AMCAS on-line application with the appropriate fee and official transcripts from all colleges applicant has attended.
  • Application will be verified by AMCAS and will be sent electronically to the medical schools once MCAT scores and grade transcripts have been received.
  • The medical schools selected by the applicant will apply a formula using the GPA and MCAT scores. If the application meets their criteria, a secondary application will be sent to the applicant.
  • The secondary application needs to be completed in approximately 2 weeks with the application fee and the required recommendations and the Health Professions Committee letter (contact Karen Renneke) sent to the medical school.
  • Once the secondary application has been evaluated, an interview may be requested.
  • After the interview, the application is presented to the Admissions Committee (20-24 members) by 1-2 members of the committee.
  • The applicant may be rejected, accepted or put on an “acceptable hold” or alternate list.

Advice on filling out the application, from Michelle Sparacino, AMCAS:

Review transcript before submitting to AMCAS (look for errors or omissions)

  • Use transcript request form from AMCAS (print out multiple copies)
  • Do not enter courses onto the AMCAS application from memory!
  • Once completed, check AMCAS application for errors prior to submission. Once the send button has been selected, you cannot edit or change your application.
  • Check your application status online or call using the voice response system. Application processing goes through the following steps:
  • Not transmitted (before submission)
  • Hold or Active (once transcripts have been received)
  • Verification: Once Active, it can be put back on Hold if a discrepancy is seen. Will be put on Active status once the problem is resolved. Can be returned if major errors have been made. For example, all courses were not entered from the transcript.
  • Processed: Application has been processed and transmitted to the selected medical schools. Time from Active status (Step 2) to Processed is 3-6 weeks.
  • Check email frequently. Disable filters so AMCAS transmission will go through. AMCAS only communicates Processed status by email.

AMCAS Dos and Don'ts, adapted from Preparing for Medical School by Brice Corder

•  Do accentuate the positive.

•  Do be confident in your statements: facts are facts.

•  Do speak of motivation and interest in medicine.

•  Do say what there is about medicine that makes you suitable for it. For example, do you like the mix of science and people?

•  Do use specific examples as evidence of what you have said.

•  Do fill up the page (but don't overfill or add extra pages) even if you must double space and bring in the margins.

•  Do use a portion of this space to explain anomalies and other parts of the application if it is important to do so (consult with members of the HPC).

•  Do make it grammatically correct and literate; check your spelling.

•  Don't call attention to negatives; don't make excuses. (There is a difference between making excuses and explaining anomalies).

•  Don't, whatever you do, leave this space blank.

•  Don't come across as arrogant or overbearing.

•  Don't belabor a single point or repeat yourself.

•  Don't try to be witty. Although you may be the class wit, this is not the place for it.

•  Don't try to use language (phrases, vocabulary) that you're unaccustomed to.

•  Don't get too personal about such matters as religion, politics, your education or lack of it.

•  This is not the place for an emotional catharsis.

•  Don't say you want medicine because you want to help people and leave it hanging there.

•  Many occupations let you help people. Why not go for a master's degree in social work?

•  Don't say something just for the sake of saying something. This can be easily detected and will certainly not be in your best interests.

 

A new free e-mail service through MSAR will send free periodic e-mails to students reminding them of the many dates and deadlines listed in the MSAR. To subscribe, students should send an email to majordomo@aamc.org typing the words "subscribe MSAR_clipboard" and their e-mail address in the body (not the subject) of the message.

 

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