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Medical School Application Process

**2010 Medical School Applicant Deadlines**

2011 Medical School Applicant Deadlines

• AMCAS
• Credential Service
• Dean's Letter/Certificate
• Financial Aid
• Interview
• MCAT
• MD-PhD application process
• Personal Statement/Essay
• Reapplication to Medical Schools
• Recommendation Letters
• Secondary Applications

AMCAS

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a non-profit, centralized application processing service for applicants to the first-year entering classes at participating U.S. medical schools. Applicants to allopathic medical schools that do not participate in AMCAS, as well as all advanced standing and transfer applicants, should contact schools directly for application instructions. Be sure to visit the AMCAS website for more details on this service.

There are only two sets of application deadline dates. The Early Decision Program (EDP) and the Regular Admissions Program deadlines vary from school to school. An AMCAS deadline is the date by which the application and fee must be received by AMCAS. You must certify and submit your web-application and pay the AMCAS fee by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) of the deadline date. It is NOT the date that the application must be received by your designated medical school(s).

It is important to note that admission decisions to medical schools are made on a rolling basis. This means that decisions are made as applications are received and reviewed. It is critical that you submit your AMCAS application as early as possible. Individuals using the MIT Prehealth Advisor letter system must complete their AMCAS by June 30th. The application will be available in the beginning of May for applicants to start filling in their information. Completed AMCAS applications will be accepted starting the month of June. Once your AMCAS application is received it may take approximately a month to receive secondary applications from medical schools.

For more specific details on completing the AMCAS application please visit the AMCAS application website.

Additional AMCAS resources:

• MIT AMCAS Frequently Asked Questions page
• AMCAS Quick Facts
• Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) AMCAS information

Credential Service

The Health Professions Credential Service is designed to provide a reliable, efficient means of disseminating letters of recommendation, for the use of entering Medical or Health Related Professional programs. For more detail please visit our credential service page.

Dean's Letter/Certification

A Dean's letter or certificate provides information on whether there have been any academic or disciplinary action taken against the applicant during their academic career. This document may also confirm an applicant's GPA and/or undergraduate class rank.

Please note applicants will be notified through the secondary application if a school requires a Dean's letter or certification. To obtain a letter from the Dean of Undergraduate Education at MIT, please review the Dean's Certification Process, complete the Dean's Certification Request form, and visit the Registrar's Academic Records office located in room 5-119.

Financial Aid

Premedical students should begin to investigate financial aid sources as early as possible to avoid incurring more debt than necessary. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), about 81 percent of medical students borrow money to cover expenses. In most instances financial aid available to students comes from sources outside of medical school. Accepted applicants should be aware of the following programs, which provide the majority of aid to medical students:

Scholarship Programs

• Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) (http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/start.htm)
• Scholarship search engine: FastWeb Scholarship Search (http://fastweb.monster.com/)
• Scholarship search engine: CollegeNET MACH 25 (http://www.collegenet.com/mach25)

Federal Loan Programs

• Federal Perkins Loan
• Federal Stafford Loan
• Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL)
• Loans for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)
• Primary Care Loan (PCL, formerly HPSL)

For more information on loan programs, visit the AAMC Financing Your Medical Education website. (http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/start.htm)

Private Loan Programs

• MEDLOANS Alternative Loan Program (ALP) (http://www.aamc.org/students/medloans/start.htm)
• CitiAssist (Citibank) (http://www.citiassist.com/)
• MD.EXCEL (Nellie Mae) (http://www.nelliemae.com/loancenter/medexcel_details.html)
• Med Access (Access Group) (http://www.accessgroup.org)
• Educaid (http://www.educaid.com/)
• The Education Resources Institute (TERI) (http://www.teri.org/main.html)

Institutional Loan Programs

• Specific information on financial aid programs and estimated expenses incurred by students for each U.S. and Canadian medical school can be found in the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR). This resource is available in the MIT Careers Office library or for purchase through the AAMC's website. (http://services.aamc.org/AAMC_Store/itemDetail.cfm?store=PUBLICATIONS&item=ARA4&category=) For more information and resources on financial aid, visit the AAMC's website. (http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/start.htm) Service Repayment Programs
• National Health Service Corps (http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/)
• Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (https://nshs.med.navy.mil/hpsp/Pages/HPSPHome.htm)

Citizenship and Eligibility for Financial Aid

Limited financial aid is available to non-U.S. citizens applying to medical schools. In some cases, international students may apply with a creditworthy individual who is a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident with a U.S. based address, for bank loans. International students may also be eligible for institutional scholarships and merit awards at a few select schools. See the following websites for more information:

• AAMC Options for International Students (http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/md2/phase1/pdf/phase1.vi.pdf)
• Student Eligibility (http://www.ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachments/sech2-citizenship.pdf)
• CitiAssist loan (http://studentloan.citibank.com/slcsite/fr_hciti.htm)

Websites

• Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors (http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/md2/start.htm)
• Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid (http://www.finaid.org/)
• Department of Education's Student Guide (http://studentaid.ed.gov)
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/)

MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized examination comprised of multiple-choice questions and a writing assessment. The test is divided into the following four sections:

1. Verbal Reasoning
2. Physical Sciences
3. Biological Sciences
4. Writing Sample

Scores are reported for each segment of the exam. Scores for the Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences are reported numerically, ranging from a low of 1 to a high score of 15. The Writing Sample is scored alphabetically on a scale ranging from a low of J to a high score of T.

MIT applicant MCAT scores

If you did not perform as you had hoped or expected and are considering retaking the MCAT, please make an appointment with a staff member and review our Retake the MCAT? tip sheet.

Note that MCAT scores more than three years old will not be accepted for your medical school application. You will be required to take the exam again.

Interview

Interviews are required for a majority of medical schools. Interviews are held by one member of an admissions committee or a group of individuals. In most cases, interviews are held on the medical school's campus. Applicants should be prepared to discuss all aspects of their application, including their specific interest in the institution. In preparation for a formal medical school interview, it is highly recommended that applicants use the following resources:

• Mock interviews - Call the Global Education and Career Development Center (GECDC) at 617-253-4733 to schedule a mock interview with a a member of the Preprofessional Advising Staff.
• Interview workshop
• Sample interview questions sheet
• Thirty-One Questions I Wish I Had Asked provided by the AAMC

As follow-up to a school interview, applicants should send thank you notes to the interviewers, if possible, or to the Admissions Office. If an interview did not go as well as hoped, all applicants are encouraged to speak with a member of the Preprofessional Advising Staff to discuss the interview experience and practice for future inteviews.

For more information about interviews at particular schools visit our First Year Medical Student Surveys available on CareerBridge and the Student Doctor Network.

MD-PhD Application Process

The application process is the same for MD-PhD candidates with a few exceptions.

1. Separate applications may need to be submitted for both the MD and PhD programs at particular medical schools.
2. Letters of recommendation will be expected from each of your research experiences. In some instances, the MD and PhD program at a given school may have different recommendation requests.
3. Interviews are more in-depth and can be two days in length.

MD-PhD Interviews

MD-PhD applicants will be asked similar questions as MD candidates, however the interview process will be more in-depth and in most cases two days long. It is extremely important for MD-PhD applicants to have thought through and be able to answer the following:

1. Why do you want to enter an MD-PhD program?
2. What career do you hope to pursue with your MD-PhD?
3. Tell me about your research experiences.

The research question is crucial. You will be asked to discuss your research experiences in detail. Make sure you are well prepared to discuss your research experiences, accomplishments and future research interests. Admissions officers and committees will challenge you to determine if you are certain that an MD-PhD program is the right fit for you and your career interests.

Please review the information gathered from past MIT MD-PhD applicants in regard to the MD-PhD Interview process.

Personal Statement/Essay

There is a 5300 character maximum for personal essays on the AMCAS application. This means your essay needs to be well thought out, concise, compelling and interesting to the reader. Remember, admissions officers read hundreds of personal essays, it will be important for you to keep in mind the following suggestions:

1. Make the essay personal. Try not to simply repeat the information that can be read on the AMCAS application. Provide the reader with an inside view on your thoughts, interests, and motivation to go into the medical profession.
2. Make your motivation and drive clear to the reader. The admissions officer wants to get a sense from the essay that you are extremely interested in medicine and motivated to enter medical school. Medical school is very challenging and admissions wants to know that you know this and that your motivation and interest out weighs the challenges and will help you overcome the hurdles you encounter.
3. Create a well-written document. Your essay is an sample of your writing abilities. It is important that you convey your thoughts clearly, grammatically correct, and effectively in your essay.
4. Attend a Medical School Essay writing workshop or view the online version of this workshop. Hopefully the sample essays provided in the workshop will illustrate for you the many ways to approach writing the essay and assist you in finding a style for writing your own essay.
5. Have your essay critiqued by a member of the Preprofessional Advising staff and by your prehealth advisor. The following are ways you can have your essay critiqued by a member of the Preprofessional Advising staff.
   • Option #1: Email Critiques- Email Tamara Menghi, Erin Scott, or Shonool Malik with a Word document copy of your essay. (Please no PDFs.) Critiqued essays are typically returned via email within 3-4 days of the request for an email critique.
   • Option #2: Appointments- Call 617-253-4733 to make an in-person or phone appointment. Front desk staff will assist you with making an appointment. Please send your essay 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment to your assigned counselor via email as a word document.
6. Utilize the Writing Center at MIT for additional assistance with structure and grammer.

Accepted.com: Web resource with tips on the application process, writing the AMCAS essay and secondary application essay. Accepted.com also provides several sample essays.

To get started with your personal statement/essay use the Essay Writing Focus Sheet.

Please note: The Preprofessional Advising staff provides two (2) essay critiques to each health profession school applicant. For individuals applying to a joint degree program that requires additional essays (ex. MD-PhD), the Preprofessional Advising staff will provide one (1) more additional critique in addition to the two provided for health profession school applicants.

Important Date Reminder: All personal statements/essays must be completed by June 30th for individuals with an assigned prehealth advisor.

Reapplication to Medical School

Applying to medical school is a time consuming, stressful, and costly process- it is best to wait to apply when you think your application packet is the strongest it can be. With that said, however, it is not uncommon for individuals to reapply to medical school. A couple of reasons why an individual might decide to reapply can be due to the timing of their application or their academic credentials weren't as strong as they could have been. The admissions process to medical school is extremely competitive. In order to be successful in reapplying to medical school, your application needs to have changed in some significant manner. You will need to demonstrate effort to improve your application by taking advanced science classes, retaking the MCAT, or gaining more experiences in medical settings. Applications that are resubmitted without any significant change do not fare well in the application process the second time around. It is highly recommended that reapplicants consider taking more than a year in between application processes. This amount of time will allow for the application to grow in its strength and provide the applicant with a better chance at being accepted to medical school.

Be sure to review our web resources on other health related profession, while in the process of deciding on reapplying to medical school or considering alternative career options.

Recommendation Letters

All applicants need a total of at least three letters of recommendation, including your letter from your prehealth advisor, which will be submitted along with and act as a cover letter for your other recommendation letters. We recommend sending five letters, or at the very most, six or seven letters.

The strongest recommendation letters will come from individuals who know you best; keep this in mind when selecting your recommenders. We suggest that your letters be from the following areas: science classes, humanities class, research experiences, community service, or leadership experiences. Many schools prefer/require that two of your letters come from science faculty members and one letter from a humanities letter.

Please note that because we send all your letters of recommendation, it is critical to select your writers with care and good judgment. We cannot simply remove letters that are not strong. Therefore, please be certain that the people you ask to write letters for you will be writing the letter you expect. Meet with them and discuss your reasons for wanting to be a doctor.

For more detail on the Prehealth Advisor letter please visit http://web.mit.edu/career/www/preprof/advisors.html.

Please review the Credential Service webpage for directions for how to submit letters of recommendation to your credential service file.

How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation

As a courtesy, it is recommended that you give each recommender one to two months to write your letter of recommendation:

1. Set-up an in-person appointment with the potential letter writer to share with them your career interests, and provide information on your performance in his or her class, lab, or other activity. In this meeting it is important to indicate why you would like them to write you a letter. Be specific on what you would like them to comment on and ask whether he or she would be able to write you a strong letter of recommendation.
   
2. Provide supporting materials to help the individual write your letter of recommendation: statement of purpose/draft of personal statement, resume, class materials (e.g., graded papers or other work), and exam scores,. Please note: It is very helpful to a recommender to have as much information in writing as possible to refer to when writing your letter. Providing these details will also ensure that your letters have accurate information regarding your activities, such as dates and places you worked. Finally, the more information people have about you, the more comprehensive their letters can be. If you take responsibility in giving your recommenders solid information, you help yourself in getting compelling informative letters of recommendation.
   
3. Give each individual the Recommender Information Sheet and Waiver form which provides specifics on how to write the letter and where to send the completed letter for your file. Please note that only hardcopy letters on official letterhead will be accepted by the MIT Career Development Center. Faxes will not be accepted.
   
4. Provide your recommenders with specific due dates for the letter of recommendation, and ask if that date seems reasonable to them. Please allow each recommender one to two months to write and submit your letter of recommendation to the MIT Career Development Center, as it is likely that the individual writing your letter is also writing several other letters for students.

Waiving your Rights

When designating your recommenders, you will have to decide whether to waive your rights to access the letter of recommendation. If you do not waive your rights, you may read the letters in your file. If you do waive your rights, you do not have access to read your letters, nor can the prehealth advising staff share with you the content of the letters in your file. Schools typically prefer waived letters of recommendation, as they are viewed as more honest and useful in getting a better understanding of your personal qualities and characteristics. However, you should make a decision that you feel most comfortable with. Please review the Recommender Information Sheet and Waiver form, and feel free to speak to a member of the Preprofessional Advising staff if you have any questions.

Applicants are advised to be consistent and apply the same decision to all letters in his or her application packet. An exception to this general advice is that some professors require that you waive your rights to read their letters. If so, it is necessary to follow their request.

Timing of Letters of Recommendation

All letters of recommendation should be in to the MIT Career Development Center Credential Service by June 30th of your application cycle. If applicable, once all of your letters are received, they will be sent to your prehealth advisor to read and possibly use as a basis for writing his or her own recommendation letter. Your prehealth advisor's letter, along with your other letters of recommendations, will be submitted to the schools you designate within a week of your submitting your secondary applications.

Please note the importance of the following:

1. Letters of recommendation should be received in a timely fashion. All letters should be into the MIT Career Development Center (CDC) by June 30th of the year prior to intended matriculation. It is your responsibility to check periodically on the status of your recommendation letters by corresponding with your recommenders and the CDC. To check the status of your letters of recommendation, please call 617-253-4733 or email a member of the preprofessional advising staff.
2. Prehealth Advisor letters should be completed around the time that you plan to submit your secondary applications. Your prehealth advisor will not write your letter until he or she has received your recommendation letters and additional material listed in the file checklist. With this in mind, utilize the Medical School Applicant Deadlines sheet and the File Checklist to ensure that you meet important deadlines and file requirements. In addition, keep in touch with recommenders to ensure the delivery of their letters to the CDC and meet with your advisor to determine his or her summer schedule and availability to write you a letter of recommendation.
3. The CDC will not send your recommendation packet to medical schools until we have received your School Designation Form and payment of the credential service fee.

Please review the Credential Service policy for more details and steps to follow.

Secondary Applications

Secondary applications are received approximately two to six weeks after your AMCAS application is verified and forwarded to the medical schools. These applications will request similar, if not the same information, provided in the AMCAS application and will also additional essays that are typically shorter in length than the personal statement. It is important that you do not submit the same essay you submitted with the AMCAS application.

Last updated on Wednesday, September 09, 09 at 05:00:23 PM EDT.