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Medical School

Application Process

The application process, like being pre-med at Truman, is a journey. Care should be taken to plan your goals and identify the critical checkpoints and timelines.

It is absolutely essential that you identify and get to know your pre-med advisor, and that you keep up to date on deadlines and other information vital to completing the medical school application. Advisors often have insider information about specific medical schools and usually maintain helpful connections with area schools.

Both MD and DO programs have application services, and they typically open in May of each year for matriculation the following year, with submission beginning at the end of May or early June. Many medical schools offer acceptance on a first-come, first-serve basis. Therefore, the sooner you complete and submit the application, the better your chances of being accepted. High-quality applicants are often wait-listed because they did not complete the application process early enough in the application cycle. Helpful instructional and guide books are available, and you should definitely read through these before you begin the process:

When to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

The earliest applicants often begin the application process after taking the MCAT during the spring semester of their junior year. Ideally, one should aim to have the online application(s) complete and ready to submit before June 1 of the year prior to desired matriculation into medical school. The most final drop-dead deadlines for most medical schools range from October 1 to December 15. However, given the rolling nature of most admissions programs, the sooner you submit the application, the sooner your application can be processed and decided.

Also, one must have completed all stated course requirements before matriculating into medical school. In general, most students would have completed all prerequisites before applying.

How to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

Most schools require applicants to fill out an online application through either the AAMC website for allopathic schools or the AACOM website for osteopathic schools. For allopathic (MD) schools, the AMCAS application is used, while for osteopathic schools use the AACOMAS application.

Both AMCAS and AACOMAS serve to disseminate your information to schools that you specify. Schools interested in learning more about you will send out a secondary application after you complete the AMCAS and/or AACOMAS. Thus, the sooner you complete the AMCAS and/or AACOMAS, the sooner you will be invited to complete the secondary applications and be accepted.

Cost of Applications

Application services charge on a per-school basis. There is a base charge for the first school plus an additional charge for each additional school. Depending on the amount of schools a student applies to.

A discussion of fees can be found below for AMCAS. The fees for AACOMAS are similar, though slightly lower. In addition, there will be travel costs. Truman students have spent anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 during the application process.

Number of Schools to Consider

With access to the Medical School Admission Requirements (²Ñ³§´¡¸éâ„¢) (link still good) at the AAMC website, students may research admission criteria and mission statements among many different medical schools. The range of academic credentials for entering students posted by each medical school should help direct you to apply to the most appropriate schools, given your academic history and professional interests. Most Truman students apply to 6-12 schools.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is a great opportunity to distinguish yourself from the rest of the applicant pool. It is your chance to describe some of the events in your life that have shaped you and have given you the qualities that you possess. Although there are many ways to do this, many students relate their information through stories that illustrate their qualities and experiences. In other words, provide anecdotal evidence to paint a picture that allows the reader to draw conclusions about the type of person you are. Certainly tie in your motivations for becoming a physician and provide the evidence for why you think you are qualified. Most importantly, the personal statement should explain very clearly, succinctly, and uniquely, how you came to the conclusion that medical practice is the most logical and appropriate career path for you.

Interview

After receiving your secondary application, interested schools will notify you and usually allow you to choose from several interview dates. If possible, you should try to reserve the earliest spot when the school has not yet admitted many students (your chances of acceptance are better at this point). The purpose of the interview is for the admission panel to evaluate your character, personality, communication skills, and other attributes that may contribute to your success as a physician.