How to apply to medical school workshop Part II

Transcription

1 For Bryn Mawr College undergraduates and alumnae who are planning to apply in the summer of 2015 for matriculation in 2016 March 4, 2015 How to apply to medical school workshop Part II Application timeline Overview of some sections of the AMCAS application Choosing where to apply to medical school Medical school interviews Assessing your candidacy Premedical committee letter - Medicine section, Forms page, and the Resources web site *Note: this presentation is based on the AMCAS 2015 format and some recent information about AMCAS It will be essential to refer to the AMCAS 2016 instructions when filling out your 2016 AMCAS application.

2 Medical School Admissions Deans Panel Discussion Thursday April 9, :00 pm sharp! Doors open at 6:30 pm Haverford, Stokes Auditorium MEDICAL SCHOOLS: Cooper- Rowan Medical School Drexel University College of Medicine Jefferson University, Sidney Kimmel Medical College Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Temple University School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine Co-sponsored by: Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, Villanova University, St.Joseph s University

3 Components of the medical school application Your goal is to have all of the components submitted to medical schools as early in the summer as possible. Centralized web based application MCAT scores Secondary applications from individual medical schools and secondary application fees The premedical committee letter with appended letters of recommendation from faculty and supervisors Medical schools will not review your application until they have received all of the above materials.

4 The Medical School Application Process steps you should have completed or started by now. Autobiography was written and submitted to me (required). You have met with me about it or have scheduled your meeting to take place by March 6. You have taken the MCATs or have started to study for them. You have scheduled an MCAT test date OR you have some specific dates in mind for later in the summer so that you can register for the test as soon as the registration process opens in April for the tests from July through September dates.

5 Medical school application services Centralized application service Collects one set of transcripts from EVERY college where you have taken courses There are some transcript exemptions for consortial (i.e. courses taken at Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn during the academic year) Generates standardized grading information (semester hour equivalents and GPA calculations) If you studied abroad you will need to carefully review the application instructions to determine whether or not a transcript is required from the study abroad program. Transcripts are required from programs sponsored by US universities that produce a US equivalency transcript. It is important that you consult with me about your study abroad program before the applications open in May. With the exception of Texas state schools, all US allopathic medical schools use AMCAS. Texas state schools use TMDSAS Osteopathic schools use AACOMAS International schools have their own application processes and forms.

6 Primary AMCAS Application (May 5) Complete online application Send college transcripts from all colleges attended to AMCAS Pay application fee Overview of the application process Take the MCATs in the spring (May June if possible) Can submit AMCAS starting June 2 AMCAS processes the primary application. Starting on July 1, AMCAS will send processed AMCAS applications to the medical schools selected by the applicant. Processing times increase as the summer progresses. At this point, the medical school takes over the application. Secondary Application Medical School (Summer) Upon invitation from the medical school: Submit secondary applications and fees Send updated transcripts if necessary Medical schools will not review applications until they are complete! Interviews Sept-March Upon invitation from the medical school, schedule an interview date. Texas residents must submit TMDSAS applications. The premedical committee letter with appended rec. letters, are submitted to medical schools by our office starting in early July. MCAT scores are automatically loaded into AMCAS applications as scores are released; however, you will need to release your scores to AACOMAS and TMDSAS.

7 Overview of the application process continued Medical Schools DECISIONS Some schools accept applicants on a rolling basis starting on October 15 whereas other schools only send out acceptances in March. Organize financial records, submit taxes, FASFA as soon as possible in January- February. Late Spring Financial aid packages released to accepted applicants. By March 30, medical schools will have issued a number of offers of acceptance at least equal to the expected number of students in its first-year entering class. By April 30 applicants can only be holding one acceptance. Medical schools will accept applicants from wait lists from May until school starts, although most offers are made by the end of June. August 2016 matriculate in medical school

8 To do list for the spring semester If you have not already done so, read through the 2016 Bryn Mawr Medical School Application Handbook that was made available in October You need to request letters of recommendation, which are due in the Office of Health Professions Advising by June 1. You must give each recommender a Recommendation Request form (on the forms page of the healthpro web site). You should read the drafts of AMCAS essays by former undergraduates and postbacs that are in a binder in the Resources Room. These essays are not posted online or sent out by . If you took college courses at schools outside of the Trico or at UPenn during the summer, you should order an official transcript for yourself now. You need to check its accuracy and you will need it to fill out applications. You should also check your official Bryn Mawr transcript for accuracy. If you are a senior, you should do a mock medical school interview with the CPD before you leave campus.

9 To do in May and June 2015 Start filling out the AMCAS application when it becomes available May 5. The Medical School Application workshop in early May will help you to get started. Set up a separate professional account for the medical school application process. Use a professional user name, enter basic contact information in the signature file, and turn off junk mail and spam filters. Hotmail and AOL accounts are not recommended. Turn in the Recommenders List (found on the forms page of the Healthpro web site) to Canwyll House by June 1. Finish your research about individual medical schools and start narrowing down the list of schools where you might apply. For each of these schools check their prerequisites to make sure that you have fulfilled or have a plan to fulfill all of the requirements. Note that some medical schools may have additional course requirements such as biochemistry and statistics or courses in social sciences. Courses required in addition to the core premedical requirements can be completed during the application year. It is essential that you review the admissions office web pages of each school where you are applying to review the 2016 admissions requirements.

10 When to submit the AMCAS application? Applicants should request transcripts for the application in May, and they are encouraged to consider submitting the application during the first week in June to one school. This will facilitate faster processing of the application; note that AMCAS processing slows down later in the summer. You can go back into the online application and apply to additional medical schools as needed. AMCAS will start sending processed applications to medical schools starting July 1. Secondary applications will start to be released after that date. You do not need to have taken the MCAT in order to submit the application. Factors to consider in deciding when to submit the application Date taking the MCATS If you are taking a summer session I class and want to include the grade

11 # of business days to complete verification AMCAS VerificationTimes 2015 Application Year The # of days on the Y-axis refers to business days; the actual elapsed time for verification can be somewhat longer. Note that submitting on July 4 may mean that it might take 3-4 weeks for medical schools to receive your AMCAS application. You are strongly encouraged to submit AMCAS to at least one medical school during early June and then to add other medical schools during the processing stage. Beginning July 1, AMCAS will send verified applications to medical schools.

12 The AMCAS Application Sections Identifying Information Schools Attended Biographic Information Course Work Work/Activities Letters of Evaluation Medical Schools Essay(s) Standardized Tests

13 Sections of AMCAS 2016 to think about now Biographical Information a. Determine your official legal state of residency b. Childhood information section in which you will need to enter information about your family income and provide some information about how you paid for your college education. Work/Activities Section a. Limited to 15 experiences - which will you choose and how will you classify them. b. Most meaningful experiences you need to choose from experiences listed in this section. Coursework and Transcripts You will need to enter all of your college courses as listed on the OFFICIAL college transcripts. AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS differ in how they want the Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn courses listed on their respective applications. Read the individual application instructions for details. You may need a transcript from your study abroad experience. If you studied abroad make sure to discuss this topic in your autobiography meeting. AACOMAS requires study abroad transcripts from programs not sponsored by US colleges. The foreign transcripts need to be evaluated for US equivalency by a credentialing service.

14 Childhood Section Applicants will need to enter information about language proficiency and personal financial information.

15 Work/Activities Maximum of 15 entries Applicants can enter 3 additional date ranges for repeated activities Description for each activity is limited to 700 characters (includes punctuation and spaces) Maximum of 3 Most Meaningful There is an additional 1325 characters to describe why an experience is most meaningful.

16 Categories for work and activities From the AMCAS 2015 instructions - Work and activities will appear on your application in chronological order and cannot be rearranged. However, please be aware that medical schools sort your entries and view them in a variety of different orders to suit their specific review processes. *Note that you cannot enter future start dates for an experience. Note that shadowing is a separate category from medical/clinical work or service activities.

17 Medical School Admissions Requirements: Getting Started 2014 (Epub version) Comments about the work/activities section Specifically, admissions committees look at the length of time you ve invested, the depth of the experience, and lessons learned in relation to any particular activity so that a day-long blood drive or one-time-only shadowing experience is less enlightening than semester or year-long commitments. By the same token, active participation in an activity is viewed as more instructive than a passive one (such as observation). Most important, though, admissions committees want to know what students learned from their experiences, and you should therefore be prepared to address these kinds of questions about your community, clinical, or research experiences in your application materials... page 38 Epub.

18 Personal Statement AMCAS is 5300 characters including spaces and punctuation Your opportunity to convey a personal and mature perspective to admissions committees on your experiences, motivation, achievements, and passion for medicine. Reflect upon what you have learned from your experiences; the narrative should reveal your values and personal attributes through the telling of your story and your individual journey. The essay is not a restatement of your resume or information contained in the experiences and activities section of the applications. You might want to complete the work/activities section first. Read over the section on personal statements in the Bryn Mawr College 2016 Medical School Application Handbook. drafts of past essays in the Resources Room I am happy to read drafts of your AMCAS essays. You can them to me as Word attachments with the file name format: Lastname AMCAS essay.doc.

19 Comments on personal statements from a medical school admissions dean The personal statement is very important in determining whether an applicant will be offered an interview. Most applicants have activities listed that show experience and insight into the medical profession. The essay needs to give depth and context to these experiences. To select applicants for the limited number of interview slots, admissions committees rely on the letters of recommendation and the personal statement in addition to work/activities. The applicant s own words must generate interest for the committee to want to meet him or her. There must be consistency between the goals and values in the personal statement and the remainder of the application. The first paragraph is extremely important. It is also important to put time and effort into the secondary application essays.

20 Choosing where to apply to medical school State residency requirements School curriculum/educational approaches Curriculum format (PBL or traditional; schedule type; grading system) Special programs at the school Patient interaction experiences, international rotations, research projects, etc. Range/median GPA and MCAT scores for accepted applicants at each medical school. Assess carefully where your numerical profile falls within individual medical school s reported ranges of accepted GPA and MCAT scores. Consult the 2016 MSAR when it becomes available as well as medical school admissions web sites. Financial considerations On average, applicants apply to medical schools (from AAMC national data).

21 Medical School Interviews Review the statistics in the MSAR for how many applicants each medical school interviews. For example, for the 2013 entering class George Washington University interviewed 8% of its applicants (1100 interviewed out of 13,683 applicants) whereas the University of Massachusetts, which is primarily restricted to state residents, interviewed 51% of its applicants (596 interviewed out of 1167 applicants). Possible Interview Formats Single interview with a faculty member, administrator or medical student; interview may be open or closed file Panel interview with questions about the applicant s background and experiences Multiple Mini-Interview format (MMI) Difficult to prepare for in advance. Scenarios may include ethical dilemmas to discuss, collaborative problem-solving or discussions with other applicants. Some programs using MMI may not provide any opportunity for applicants to talk about themselves or their experiences. StudentDoctor site for the interview feedback forum (Be careful about online commentary!)

22 Evaluating your candidacy as a medical school applicant - Putting yourself in the place of the medical school admissions committee Academic record GPAs calculated Science GPA (BCPM) = bio, chem, physics, & math grades Non-science GPA (AO) = grades from all other courses Overall GPA = grades from all courses MCAT scores What competencies are needed by physicians and how does your application demonstrate that you are developing them? ometsr.html Do your credentials show a passion for a career as a scientist? Do your credentials indicate that you have the potential to handle an intensive full load of medical school classes? Do your experiences show that you are committed to a service profession and that you desire to work with sick patients and with disadvantaged and underserved populations? How have you explored the medical profession and what demonstrates that you understand the nature of the challenges and the commitment to a medical career?

23 Numerical Profiles of the Bryn Mawr Applicant Pool Combined Allopathic and Osteopathic School Admissions Data* *Not entirely representative because not all BMC applicants release their information to us. These figures are to be used as a guide. Average GPAs BMC Accepted Applicants BMC Rejected Applicants 2014 National allopathic accepted applicant data Overall GPA BCPM (science and math) AO (all other) GPA Average MCATs VR PS BS In 2014 there were 49,480 applicants to allopathic medical school for the 20,343 places available for matriculation in the fall of

24 Numerical Profiles of the Bryn Mawr Applicant Pool Time of application to medical school in relation to graduation Years off after graduation Applicant pool ( combined) 0 20% 1 27% 2 21% > 3 32% If a year or more has passed since you graduated from college, you re not alone. Almost half of matriculating medical students percent-indicated in a recent AAMC survey that there was a gap between college and medical school of at least twelve months. (Source MSAR 2013) According to the AAMC, the average age of first year medical students is 24. For the application cycles, 80% of Bryn Mawr applicants waited until after graduation to apply to medical school.

25 Recommendation Letters and the Premedical Committee Packet Requesting letters of recommendation Give each recommender a recommendation request form from the Healthpro web site. Waiving your right to see the letter(s)? All of your recommendation letters and your recommenders list are due at the Office of Health Professions Advising by June 1, Factors affecting when your premedical committee letter will be written: Date that all recommendation letters are received. Note the deadline for receiving letters. Whether or not you have submitted your AMCAS application Date that you will receive your MCAT scores It is your responsibility to make sure that your recommenders can complete the letters by the deadline and to track your letters of recommendation. In May information about how to track your recommendation letters will be sent over the medical school applicant list serv. If you are applying to osteopathic medical schools you should have a letter from an osteopathic physician. In the secondary applications you should always tell them that you are sending a committee letter.

26 Information for International Students In 2013 only 115 international students matriculated into allopathic US medical schools, thereby representing 0.5% of the entering medical students. (115 international matriculants / 20,055 total matriculants in the US) It is very difficult for international students without permanent residency to gain admission to U.S. medical schools. Medical school financing is generally supported through U.S. government loans that are not available to international students; therefore many medical schools will not accept applications from international students. There are exceedingly few scholarships for medical school education for either US citizens or international students. Furthermore, the medical schools that consider applications from international students will often require accepted international students to provide "evidence of ability to pay" in the form of an escrow bank account with the funds to pay for four years of tuition, fees, books, and living expenses. The cost for four years of medical school ranges widely from $150,000 to more than $250,000.

27 AMCAS Tools Instruction Manual and Guides Application and Acceptance Protocols Video Tutorials youtube.com/amcasinfo

28 AAMC Pre-Med Join the social conversation ask questions and get info

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30 Multiple Accept Data Medical schools cannot view the number or names of other schools that an applicant has applied to Medical schools have access to: Multiple Accept Data (February) Allows medical schools to see other schools to which an applicant they have accepted is also currently holding an acceptance decision The National Acceptance Report (April) Lists all applicants with a current Acceptance or Matriculated action See the Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants

31 Fee Assistance Program - Eligibility You are eligible if you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national Lawful permanent resident of the U.S. Refugee/asylum or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status Award approval is tied directly to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' poverty level guidelines. 300% or less than the 2014 national poverty level for each family size