Anatomy of a Medical School Application

Medical schools share a general application process, but individual schools can vary significantly in how they evaluate candidates. Here’s what you need to know about your primary and secondary med school applications to stay on track.

Applying to Medical School

Most U.S. medical schools participate in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), a centralized, third-party organization that administers and processes medical school applications. The majority of medical schools admit students on a rolling basis, which means that spaces in the program are offered to qualified students until all the spots are filled.

Primary Application

• First, you'll submit a single application, usually through one of three centralized online application services :
  • AMCAS (for MD admissions)
  • TMDSAS (for Texas Medical Schools)
  • AACOMAS (for DO admissions)
  • your transcripts (undergraduate transcripts plus any for grad or post-bacc work)
  • MCAT scores
  • information about your most meaningful experiences (academic, research, clinical, and extracurricular activities
  • a short personal statement
  • letters of recommendation (though some schools ask for LORs as part of the secondary application only)

  

  Secondary Applications

  • After reviewing your AMCAS file, the admissions committees at your med schools will either reject you or send you a secondary application . Some schools send all of their applicants a secondary. Others go through an initial cut that is usually based entirely on GPA and MCAT scores.
  • Unless you've decided not to apply to that school, you should complete and return each secondary application as you receive it. Most med schools will reject any application that arrives after the deadline.
  • Secondaries typically include a variety of essays on assigned topics. You could be asked to discuss your favorite novel, describe a leadership role you've taken, or detail your greatest academic achievement. You will also be asked to submit letters of recommendation if you did not do so through AMCAS.
  • If the cost of sending back secondaries is prohibitive, you can call the school and request a fee waiver. If you were eligible for a waiver from AMCAS, for example, you will probably be eligible for a waiver from individual schools.

  Interviews

  • Once the committee reviews your secondary med school application, they will do one of three things: reject you, invite you to the campus for an interview, or hold your application until after the first round of interviews. Final decisions are usually made after the interview.
  • The standard U.S. interview season is between September and February (occasionally March).
  • Med school interview policies and formats vary. At some schools you'll interview one-on-one, and at others you'll interview by panel.
  • The interview is another opportunity to stand out to med schools ! Practice with our list of classicmedical school interview questions .
  • A school might decide that they want to see what the rest of the applicant pool looks like before they admit you. If a med school puts you on a "hold list," you can can send in supplementary material (a short one-page description of recent academic or extracurricular achievements) to bolster your application.

  Alternate List

  Once all the med school class places have been filled, additional qualified candidates are placed on the alternate list and are granted a space only as accepted students decline their acceptance. While it’s rare, some students do drop out of the program in the initial days which can open up additional places.

  Med School Application Services

  Most U.S. medical schools participate in AMCAS. But there are other application services you may need to be aware of depending on the types of med schools you are applying to and their locations.

  • May 2: AMCAS opens and begins accepting transcripts
  • June 1: AMCAS begins accepting application submissions
  • June 30: AMCAS sends first batch of processed applications to med schools
  • August 1: Submission deadline for Early Decision Programs
  • May 1: TMDSAS opens
  • August 1: Submission deadline for Early Decision
  • September 29: Submission deadline for application to medical, dental and vet programs

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