Premed Timeline

Application Timeline for 2014 Matriculation

November/December 2012

· Begin to request letters of evaluation from professors, supervisors, and physicians, BC President

• When you ask people to write your letters, impress upon them that these letters must be strong, and they must attest to your abilities to succeed in medical school. The best LORs cite specific examples of things you have done to show that you possess characteristics like responsibility, a good work ethic, honesty, etc. Make sure that they will write great / exceptional LOR
• Get extra LOR since a few will not deliver on time. Keep all contact info current.
• Show variety in EC’s: Science, Non-science, Lab, shadowing, research, clinical, leadership, teaching
• Send genuine handwritten thank you notes to everyone who writes you a LOR (including secretaries). No one gets into med school solely on their own volition; it's your duty to acknowledge those who've sacrificed their time and energy to help you get ahead.

· Provide info pkg: Strong req. letter, resume, amcas form, Transcript,

· Research your LOR professor. Know what they wrote- books/articles and speak to them about it. How many LOR he has written for pre-meds? Have lab instructor write LOR

· Register with www.interfolio.com. (credential file)

· With Interfolio, you print out a document with a bar code that you give to your letter writer (actually, I gave my letter-writers a copy of my AMCAS for their reference, the Interfolio cover letter, and a U.S. Postal Service 2-day mailer that they could hand to any postman - worked like a charm). Your letter is filed at Interfolio and you get an e-mail that they've gotten it (if you agreed to keep your letter confidential, you can't see it). When you're ready to send out letters, you select the letters you want to send and then Interfolio sends them as a package - electronically or paper. If the delivery is paper, the cost ranges just from $3-4 for regular mail to $9-12 for 2-day express - and you can pay more for overnight if you need that. Joining Interfolio cost something like $25 (I can't remember) and that pays to keep your letters on-line for something like three years, I think.

• Free AMCAS letter service: Letter of evaluation, “individual letter, log all info on each letter writer, print “Letter Matching Form”, and give to each writer to upload (however, each writer will need to create an account)
• A committee letter is a composite letter of the evaluations contained within your electronic file at college

January 2013

· Select a date for your April MCAT.

• Begin MCAT preparation (register classes): Use tons of official practice tests on the AAMC site and take under timed settings. Make sure you're scoring higher than where you want to be

February 2013

1. Begin drafting personal statement for AMCAS. Personal Statement should answer why you want to go to med school, and what experiences you've had to back this assertion up. WHY MEDICINE? Tie job experience into medical aspect

· Use SDN to preview essays. Have English/Hum dept review. Have 5 different people read it.

March/April 2013

· Follow up with your evaluators regarding outstanding letters of evaluation. Whose is missing?

· Begin thinking about your school list. Have a reason to apply to each school.

· Purchase MSAR 2013-2014 available in April from www.aamc.org

May 2013

· The AMCAS application is available to review at www.aamc.org in mid-May. Start downloading

and sending in AMCAS transcript request forms to colleges you have attended. Wait until the

Semester grades are in, though.

· Finalize your personal statement for the AMCAS application.

· Finalize your school list. Keep a file folder of each school.

June 2013

· Submit your application to AMCAS/AADSAS/VMCAS/AACOMAS.

· Confirm with EACH school that you attended that the transcripts were mailed out. After one week, confirm with each application service that they were received.

• Apply broadly: divide the schools into three categories: Longshot, Hopeful, and Competitive. Use MSAR. One thing I should have paid more attention to rather than just avg GPA/MCAT when I chose my schools was total # of applicants. While your scores might be competitive at a school it does matter if you're competing with 4k applicants or 10k applicants.
• Make frequent, polite and friendly inquiries into your application and its status at the schools you are really interested in. You can even ask the admissions office staff how frequently they feel is appropriate for you to call. Always say thank you.

July, August, September 2013

· You will receive secondary applications from many of the schools to which you applied. Send

back all secondaries within two weeks to facilitate early interviews.

• Review “mock interviewing” Techniques. And dress code etiquettes. I wore a skirt suit and the most "sensible" looking heels I could find (Get those FOOT PETALS from NORDSTROM and put them in your shoes they will SAVE the DAY. Watch the video tape and note your responses, your body language, and your demeanor. Have a list of questions to ask interviewers. LEARN TO SMILE!

• Give the interviewer a firm handshake, show confidence. When answering a question, look EVERYONE in the eye. Move back a forth between interviewers because you are not just talking to one person. Show them that you belong in that school. Remember, YOU ARE ON THE ENTIRE DAY. You are being evaluated from the time you arrive until you leave. NEVER TALK ABOUT ANOTHER SCHOOL at the interview. Even when you are talking to the students. Send a thank you card and know that you did your best. Show maturity. Show what you will add to a medical school class.
• Volunteer Teaching will alleviate fear in public speaking and present ideas in a clear and concise manner. Toastmasters
• Don't reveal faults or weakness @ interviews; don't make any criticisms of anything. Be positive, outgoing, and eager.
• Show leadership- medical schools want future leaders in the profession. We are responsible for working with/directing a team of nurses, techs, residents, students etc. You need to show you will be a good leader and a good team player at the same time.

· Read the school's entire website and making notes of interesting features or questions I had about the school. Go through the interview feedback from that school on SDN. Re-read app. Engage in mock interviews. Don't just talk about what great things you've done, but tie it into their specific programs/strengths. Like Q said, "Study" the school.

• Prepare everything you can about current health care trends.
• If you are applying DO, KNOW ABOUT OSTEOPATHY. Go to the AOA website and find out everything you can about OMM/OMT and not just that it was developed by AT Still.
• Understand the curriculum, demands, and culture of Med Sch.
• Read an interesting novel about being a doctor

October, November, December 2013 – January, February, March 2014

· (This is the typical time period for most medical school interviews.)

· Once a school makes an offer, you are free to accept it, knowing that you may withdraw up until

May 15 (MD schools) and have your deposit refunded

January 2014

· Send transcripts of fall semester work or post-bacc coursework to all schools in which you remain interested.

· Urge parents to complete 2011 tax return asap – needed to apply for financial aid.

February 2014

· Submit financial aid paperwork to medical schools.

April 2014

· Start making final decision among acceptances.

May 2014

· You may hold no more than one acceptance after May 15th.

· Notify the schools you will not be attending in writing. Graciously decline other offers.

June/July 2014

· Remain active on wait-lists, if applicable.

August 2014:

· Matriculate!