Health Professions Advising Office
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General Application Timeline for Medical/Dental School

December

MCAT registration information is available at www.aamc.org. DAT registration information is available at www.ada.org. Register for spring exam. Develop your preparation plan for taking the exam. For most students, it is best to take the MCAT/DAT during the months of April-May. Taking the exam in June-September may be late for schools with rolling admissions and can possibly have an adverse affect on your application. Early Decision (EDP) applicants must take the MCAT no later than July.

January-February

This is probably the last semester of academic work medical schools will see before deciding whether or not to interview you, so make it a good one.

  • Start preparing for the MCAT/DAT
  • Attend Honors College workshop on “Applying to Medical/Dental School”
  • Pick up a Health Professions Applicant Information Packet

April

Attend Online Application and Personal Statement Workshop hosted by the Honors College. AMCAS applications may be available online, to manipulate only, in May. No submissions can be made until closer to June 1. Read and learn from the website, even prior to the availability of the application at this website. www.aamc.org. This is a standardized application form that is required for approximately 95 percent of the allopathic medical schools in this country. Students should check to be sure that their schools participate in AMCAS.

The AACOMAS application for osteopathic medical schools will be available online at www.aacom.org sometime this month.

The AADAS application for dental schools will be available online May 15 at www.adea.org.

Students should begin contacting possible references to write letters of recommendation/ evaluation. We suggest that you include recommendations from three faculty members (two science professors, one non-science professor) and additional letters from persons with whom you've worked (as a volunteer, employee, research assistant, etc.). Four to six total letters of recommendation are suggested.

May

If you are applying Early Decision you must solicit letters from your recommenders before the Spring Semester ends. Recommendations for Early Decision candidates need to be on file in the Honors College by July in order to have your composite evaluation completed and sent by most EDP deadlines in mid to late August. Also, be sure to have your personal papers on file with us (applicant info. form, updated transcript, resume and copy of your personal statement).

Students not applying Early Decision may also want to begin soliciting letters of recommendation. Most medical/dental schools work on a rolling admissions basis. Therefore, it is to your advantage to have your letters received by the Honors College and file completed by late August. The Honors College will not extend a committee interview until your file is complete. You could be disadvantaged if you do not have your letters of recommendation on file until late fall.

June

June 1st (approximately) is the earliest date you can file your AMCAS/AACOMAS/AADAS application. (This date is subject to change. Please check the respective websites for exact dates.) If you are applying Early Decision, you file your application sometime within the next month. If you are applying regular decision, most school deadlines for submitting the online application are not until October 15 or November 1. However, we strongly recommend that you submit your online application as soon as you have received your MCAT/DAT scores. The sooner your application is complete, the sooner your file will be reviewed by the medical/dental schools and (hopefully) an interview offer extended. This will speed the process up a bit for you in the fall and will be one less thing to worry about once classes have started.

When submitting the AMCAS/AACOMAS/AADAS application, you will be required to choose the medical/dental schools to which you want to apply. There are several resources available to help you make this decision. For pre-med students, the Honors College has copies of the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) that is published annually by the American Association of Medical Colleges. This is a comprehensive, non-biased tool for helping you determine how competitive your candidacy might be for a given school. We encourage you to talk with upperclassmen who have gone through the process, faculty, advisors, and the health professions advisors when determining your school choices.

August - November

Follow up on any letters of recommendation that have not been received. Once your file is complete at the Honors College, you will be invited for an interview with the health professions advisors, after which your committee composite letter will be written.

Invitations to submit secondary (also called supplemental) applications will begin to arrive during this time period. Many of these will be submitted on-line. Return completed secondary applications ASAP. Timely completion of these applications is important.

September 2008 - January

Medical school interviews start and will continue until spring with the majority from November through February. EDP candidates will interview in early September. Secondary applications continue to arrive. Remember to complete these in a timely manner.

March 15

Most students will be notified of status with medical schools to which they have applied, namely accepted, rejected, or wait listed.

May 15

Deadline for students holding more than one acceptance. Most movement off the wait list happens at this time.