AMCAS Opens in May: Are You Ready?

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Liza

AMCAS-AAMC

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) opens in early May for applicants to start working on their application. To get ready, watch this helpful video, released by the folks at AMCAS. As you begin the application process, be sure to do these key tasks at the outset:

1. Order your transcript(s). When the AMCAS application opens in May, enter your biographical and school data, and generate a Transcript Request Form for each university or college attended. Give or send it to each school’s registrar’s office and request to have your transcript sent directly to AMCAS. Transcript problems cause the biggest delays in the processing of the application; take care of this early to be sure no problems arise.

2. Take care of letters. By now you hopefully know which letters you’ll gather for your application. Enter the letter information into the application and print a Letter Request Form for each person writing a letter on your behalf. The letter writers will need to enter two numbers on your letter:  the AAMC ID and Letter ID. This helps AMCAS track your letter when it’s uploaded. If your letter writers are uploading their letters to AMCAS themselves (and not sending them to your premedical advising office) they will need these ID numbers to upload your letter. If you’re using Interfolio you will have the letter writers submit the letters there, then you will designate that they be sent to AMCAS.

3. Finalize your personal statement and activity descriptions. These are the heart and soul of the AMCAS application. Have them ready to go by May so that you can simply enter them into the application when it opens. If you need guidance on the personal statement of activity descriptions please refer to my other blog posts on these topics or feel free to contact me for help.

4. Review the Applicant Guide so that you understand the different components of the AMCAS application.

If you have questions about the AMCAS application send me an email at liza@thompsonadvising.com.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR)

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Liza

Every year in the spring, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) publishes the Medical School Admission Requirements (known as the MSAR—pronounced em-sar). This online tool is the most reliable source of information pertaining to US and Canadian medical schools.  The information is provided directly from the medical schools to the AAMC. As such, it’s the go-to source for comprehensive and accurate information about each medical school. The 2018-2019 edition was released today. It includes information pertaining to:

  • Curricular structure
  • Interview format for each school
  • Class size
  • Each school’s mission
  • Median GPAs and MCAT scores (new this year, this information can be broken down by in-state and out-of-state applicants)
  • Premedical requirements
  • Whether schools accept AP credit, community college courses, or online classes
  • Cost
  • Combined degree programs
  • Demographics of students
  • Acceptance information:  size of the applicant pool, numbers in-state and out-of-state applicants, number of international applicants
  • Whether schools accept international applicants

The MSAR is the best reference tool for all medical school applicants. Be sure to use the source for the year in which you apply to medical school so you get up-to-date and accurate information.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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Mindfulness in Medical School

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Liza

mindfulness

The term mindfulness has been bandied about recently and more attention has been paid to the benefits of meditation in almost all segments of society. Medical schools are beginning to take note, with more of them incorporating mindfulness in either their curriculum or as an extracurricular offering to students. This has particular relevance to the prevalence of burnout in the medical profession; schools are trying to help students warn off burnout by equipping them with the tools to manage stress. The Alpert Medical School at Brown is introducing a mindfulness-based curriculum, which aims “to cultivate skills in self-care and resilience.”  Meditation sessions will be led by faculty and medical students.

The Association of American Medical Colleges posted an article on “Bringing the Lessons of Mindfulness to Medical School” and described a session they held for 200 academic physicians. Medical students have also written about mindfulness as a means to reduce stress and studies have been done on mindfulness in medical school. The University of Massachusetts Medical School is the first medical school to announce a division dedicated to mindfulness. UMass also posted a video explaining its approach to mindfulness. Stanford also has a mindfulness program as do the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the University of Rochester.

Clearly, medical schools are seeing the positive benefits of mindfulness and no doubt more schools will be incorporating it into their curricula in the future.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consultant

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Medical School Application and Acceptance Protocols

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Liza

To help ensure that both medical school applicants and medical schools are well served the Association of American Medical Colleges publishes a set of protocols which all medical school applicants should follow. In 2015 the term “traffic rules” was renamed “Application and Acceptance Protocols.”  The rules stipulate:

1. Applicants should understand the requirements of each school to which they apply and adhere to all application/admission procedures.

2. Be truthful and accurate in every component of your application.

3. Be timely in the admission of your materials.

4. Keep schools updated on your contact information; if it changes, notify schools.

5. If you’re unavailable during a certain time period, let the schools know who they should contact on your behalf.

6. Respond quickly to interview invitations and always cancel ahead of time if you cannot go to an interview or decide not to accept an interview invitation.

7. If filing for financial aid, do so in a timely fashion.

8. If you decide to withdraw from consideration at any school or decline an offer of admission you must do so before April 30. By this date you must have decided where to go to medical school, at that point only holding ONE school’s offer. Continue reading →

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Medical Schools Awarding the Most Financial Aid

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Liza

Medical school is expensive and many medical students need financial aid to afford it. US News and World Report has come up with two lists of medical schools which give the most aid; one identifies public schools and the other lists private schools. Of course, public schools are typically very hard to get into if one isn’t a resident of that particular state; keep that in mind when looking over the list of public schools.

Top 10 public medical schools awarding the most financial aid:

  1. University of Central Florida
  2. Ohio State
  3. University of California—Davis
  4. Oregon Health and Science University
  5. University of California—Los Angeles
  6. University of South Dakota
  7. Medical College of Georgia
  8. University of Kansas
  9. Oklahoma State
  10. University of Iowa

Top 10 private schools awarding the most financial aid:

  1. Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  2. Lincoln Memorial University—DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
  3. Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (a for-profit institution)
  4. University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
  5. Howard University
  6. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
  7. University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
  8. Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
  9. Hofstra
  10. Pacific Northwest College of Osteopathic Medicine

For information about financial aid or how to apply for it, each school’s financial aid office will provide a wealth of resources and instructions.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consultant

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Diversity in Medical School

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Liza

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recently published an Analysis in Brief which covers trends in medical school applicants from 1980-2016. The AAMC analyzes data to identify trends in admission and help medical schools understand changes in demographics over time. There has been a strong push to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in the medical profession to align with the percentage of their numbers in the general population. Despite this push, gains have barely been made amongst minority groups. Asian applicants have made the most significant gains. The data show that Asian applicants to medical school have increased by about 16% in that time period; Asian matriculants (those who actually enroll in medical school) increased by about 17%. American Indians and Alaskan Natives have decreased in numbers; applicants decreased by .2% and matriculants by .1%. The actual numbers are paltry; only 54 American Indians or Alaskan Natives enrolled in medical school in 2016.  Blacks/African Americans increased but not by much; applicants increased by 1.2% and matriculants by 1.1%. Continue reading →

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Financial Aid for Medical School

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Liza

financial-aid

Medical school is expensive; paying for it can be both burdensome and complicated. But financial aid, usually in the form of loans, does exist and medical school financial aid offices facilitate the application process. In addition, these offices are good sources of information for medical school applicants. The Association of American Medical Colleges also has a wealth of information about financial aid to help applicants navigate the process. The AAMC provides a step-by-step list in regard to applying for financial aid; the first step is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Some examples of comprehensive and good sources of information provided by medical schools’ financial aid offices are the following:  Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine, Alpert Medical School at Brown, Stanford, and the University of Michigan. In addition, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine has a helpful guide in regard to financial aid for medical students.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consultant

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Technical Standards

Posted on November 1, 2017 by admin

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of a medical student with a hearing disability at Creighton. The court stated that the student was not given ample accommodations so that he could perform at an equal level as his med school colleagues.  Many medical schools will consider this court decision, and it will perhaps have an impact on their issuing of accommodations for those with disabilities.  

Continue reading →

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Paying for Medical School

Posted on October 16, 2017 by admin

The median medical school debt is $189,165 according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. While this figure might seem daunting, it’s manageable over time according to many experts. The Association of American Medical Colleges recently published an article titled “Taking the Sting Out of Medical School Debt” and there is fairly extensive information on its website in regard to medical school costs.
Grants and scholarships rarely cover the full cost of attending medical school; most med students take out loans to cover the difference. There are only a few schools which offer “full-ride” scholarships, usually based on merit. Sallie Mae also has helpful tips about paying for medical school.

Medscape recently reported that more medical students are graduating debt free but this is likely due to wealthier students going to medical school, not because scholarship money has increased.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical School Admissions Consulting

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The Benefits of a Gap Year Before Medical School

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Liza

Photo courtesy of gapyear.com

Photo courtesy of gapyear.com

An increasing number of students are opting to take a “gap year” (or two) before enrolling in medical school. There are tremendous benefits to taking a year after graduating from college to engage with the world and learn more about the medical profession. Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) show that the average age for entering medical students is now 24 for both men and women.
It’s common—and preferable—for applicants to have some real-world experience before starting medical school.
The benefits are obvious:  those who take gap years have jobs that show they can meet professional responsibilities and they often gain very valuable experiences either in research or with patients (or both, if conducting clinical research).

A recent article in the Harvard Crimson describes the trend in its students to take time prior to applying to medical school to explore the medical profession and gain work experience. In the article, Dr. Robert Mayer, associate dean of admissions at Harvard Medical School, states that only 35% of Harvard medical students come directly from college; thus a majority of applicants take time after graduating to engage with the world and do professional work.

The website for the Office of Pre-Professional Programs & Advising at Johns Hopkins is an excellent resource for those planning a gap or “bridge” year. The University of Michigan also has a list of opportunities for those wishing to take a gap year. In addition, the AAMC’s website has helpful information about “Making the Most of Your Gap Year.” Continue reading →

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