The final deadline for applications and secondary materials is not the timeline you should follow. The most successful candidates apply as soon as applications open. For example, if you are planning to begin medical school in the fall of , you need to start the application process in the spring of Your secondary applications will often arrive within two to four weeks of submitting your primary application.
Secondaries should be completed as soon as possible without sacrificing quality. Ideally, you will complete them within one to two weeks days. Invitations for interviews arrive between August and September and continue into the spring of the following year. That said, your own interview prep should begin months before you receive an invitation. Where you submit your application depends on if you are applying to allopathic MD schools, osteopathic DO schools, or medical schools in Texas.
The service then distributes your application to the schools of your choosing. You usually receive secondary applications within two weeks of submitting your primary application. Ideally, you will submit your secondaries within days. Learn what to expect from your secondary application , including common questions and how to prepare. Start preparing for your interviews well in advance, as they could come through at any time. Do your research to learn about possible interview questions, prepare answers, and get plenty of practice before the interviews are officially scheduled.
When you are sent an invitation, you will be asked to schedule an interview, so ensure your schedule is kept open and flexible during this time. Med School Insiders offers a course on How to Ace the Medical School Interview that provides thorough and thoughtful training to prepare you for the interview process.
Start your personal statement as soon as possible. Give yourself at least a few months to write your personal statement, but know that the sooner you start it, the better. Your personal statement is your chance to illustrate to admissions committees who you are beyond your grades and achievements and why you want to become a doctor.
You need time to think about your past and reflect on your own experiences. An idea may not come to you right away, and even if one does, after editing, you may find you need to go in a different direction. Get started on this piece of your application as soon as possible to ensure you have time for outside mentors or essay editing services to provide critical feedback. If you plan to attend medical school immediately after you graduate from college, we recommend taking the MCAT during the summer between sophomore and junior year.
Try starting an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of schools, deadlines, and requirements. Above all, keep your chin up! The primary application represents the culmination of all your efforts so far and will be the best way you can sell yourself to the admissions committee.
Take a free practice test. How would you do if you took the MCAT today? When is it too late to take the MCAT? Give your letter writers plenty of time to craft an excellent letter. Each of the osteopathic medical schools has its own processes for receiving letters of recommendation.
Your GPA and MCAT score will make you eligible for consideration, but it is items like the personal statement that will get you the interview. Before you start writing away, think very critically about how you define yourself and what you would want others to know about you. This is a small window into who you are behind the application; make sure you seize it.
Try utilizing a five point format for your personal statement. This will help you outline the facts you optimally want to convey in your essay.
Grew up on a family farm? Have an interesting story about your journey to the States? Had a near-death experience? Write about it! Remember your audience knows more about medicine and about being a physician than you do for the vast majority of applicants, anyway.
Avoid medical abbreviations or super technical language. This is about one page. There is NO spellcheck feature in the application, so proofread as many times as you can. It also helps to get a fresh set of eyes roommate, family member to proofread the essay. Treat your Work and Activities section like a financial portfolio. You want to diversify and give the admissions committee an inclusive look into all the different things you have done before applying to medical school.
For example, in the past I did marine biology research and this was a topic that came up in most of my interviews that was fun to talk about, and in no way directly related to medicine. Just like your personal statement, but in a different way, use this as an opportunity to share interesting things about yourself.
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