Pre-medical Application Information

How and when do I apply to medical school?

The application process for medical school begins more than a year before the proposed matriculation (expected entrance in to medical school) date. AMCAS (see below) will begin accepting applications in June, and interviews normally take place between October and March for acceptance the following fall.

You would begin by completing the AMCAS application and submitting it along with official college and university transcripts. AMCAS begins accepting applications in June, and the specific deadline for each medical school varies (deadlines are published in the AMCAS information booklet). AMCAS standardizes the information from the application and forwards it to the medical schools that you indicate. (If you are applying to any non-AMCAS schools, contact those schools directly for information and application materials). The individual medical schools then review your application.

If you meet their minimum criteria for acceptance, they will send you a secondary application in which they request letters of evaluation, updated personal statements, updated transcripts, and an additional application fee. Once your file is complete, your application is forwarded to an admission committee for review.

How do I get letters of evaluation?

Letters of evaluation are an important part of your application to medical school. Since the admission committee members at the medical schools do not know you personally, they rely heavily on the comments from people who do know you and are in a position to comment on your potential to complete the medical school curriculum and become a competent and caring member of the medical profession.

Most medical schools require a minimum of three letters of evaluation, or a composite letter of evaluation prepared by a committee from your undergraduate institution if such a committee exists. Committee letters of evaluation are generally preferred, but if a student opts to obtain individual letters of evaluation, it is advisable to include at least two academic evaluations (at least one from the sciences) and at least one non-academic evaluation (employer, volunteer coordinator, a physician under which you have worked). Portland State University does have a Health Sciences Advising Committee.

PSU Request for Letter of Evaluation

What is the Health Sciences Advising Committee?

The Health Sciences Advising Committee (HSAC) consists of faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences that will, for qualified students, review the student’s file and write a composite letter of evaluation to support the student’s application to medical school.

Early in your college career, you should begin distributing instructor evaluation sheets to professors for evaluation of your academic performance and personal characteristics. You will also eventually need to request non-academic evaluations from employers, volunteer coordinators, physicians, etc., using non-academic evaluation sheets. These sheets are kept on file in the Health Sciences Advising Office and become part of your permanent advising file. The year before you wish to start medical school, you will need to request a review by the HSAC. Your file should contain evaluations from four to six instructors, non-academic letters of evaluation, transcripts, personal statement, and MCAT scores (if available). Based on the information on file, HSAC members will rank each student using the following categories:

Recommended: Worthy of admission to medical school; comparable to other students who have been admitted.

Highly Recommended: Comparable to the top 50% of students admitted to medical school.

Outstanding: Comparable to the top 15% of students admitted to medical school.

The individual votes by the committee members will be included on the cover sheet of the letter of evaluation. The body of the letter includes a statement from your adviser, comments from the instructor evaluation sheets, and copies of any outside letters of evaluation.

The HSAC may also vote not to recommend, in which case a committee letter will not be prepared. Should this occur you may request a chair letter instead of a committee letter.

If you do not meet the University requirements for a Committee letter, you may request a Chair letter, which does not include a Committee ranking, but does include comments from instructor evaluations, copies of non-academic letters of evaluationn, and comments from your academic adviser (at your request).

Packet for Students Applying to Medical School (PDF)

What is AMCAS?

AMCAS is a non-profit, centralized service developed by medical school admission officers to facilitate the process of applying to participating U.S. medical schools. AMCAS does not render any admission decisions or advise applicants where to submit applications. Each participating school is completely autonomous in its admission decisions. AMCAS only provides the processing service. Most medical schools participate in AMCAS.

The AMCAS application usually becomes available in May and the earliest that applicants can submit the application is June 1st. The AMCAS application, electronic version (AMCAS-E) is available at

http://www.aamc.org
email: amcas@aamc.org

What are the important dates and deadlines?

For fall matriculation at U.S. medical schools, here are some important timeframes:

MCAT: It is ideal to take the MCAT by May of the year in which you are applying to medical school, but some students take it in June, July, or even August in order to study more.

AMCAS: Available online at www.amcas.org in May. The earliest you can submit is June 1st.

Health Sciences Advising Committee: Information and request packets are available in January in 491E Neuberger Hall. The deadline to submit a request for a Committee letter of evaluation is generally the end of April, and for a Chair letter, generally the end of June. Instructor evaluations should be submitted by those deadlines, as well.

What GPA and MCAT scores do I need to be competitive?

There is no set of magic numbers that guarantee acceptance to medical school. Successful applicants have a background which supports an ability to complete the medical school curriculum. Medical school admission committees use college GPA and MCAT scores as an indicator of student potential for success.

Competitive applicants typically have a GPA of 3.5 or better and double digit MCAT scores (10 or higher) on each of the individual sections.

Does it matter where I do my undergraduate degree?

No. Medical schools consider applicants from any accredited college or university that satisfy the medical school prerequisites.

How do I choose which schools to apply to ?

Information regarding specific U.S. and Canadian medical schools can be found in Medical School Admission Requirements (AAMC Publication)

Residency: Public medical schools give significant preference to residents of that state. Residents also pay lower tuition rates.

Cost: The cost of medical school can vary a great deal.

Location: Are you willing to and able to relocate?

Curriculum: The focus and approach of the curriculum should be investigated to ensure it matches your philosophical views. Curricular approaches vary among institutions.

Religious Affiliation: Some schools give preference to applicants of particular religions.