This past year has definitely been a crazy one, and of course that all had to do with the fact that I was applying to medical school. Now that I've pretty much completed the process, I wanted to share my "review" of the medical school application process.
I did make a video about this, and that will go into the general overview of the process. This post will mainly be dedicated to explaining some of the things that I mentioned in the video and giving you more of a sense of the timeline (I'm a visual person, so this is for my other visual people).
Timeline
(All beginning in the year prior to medical school entry)
May: The primary application is available online
June: Primary application (along with supplementary materials) should be sent out by the end of the month.
July: Secondary applications are sent out to applicants by the end of the month. Applicants can also begin sending in their secondaries as soon as they are completed.
August: If the secondary application was sent in early, applicant might be invited for an interview.
September: Interview season begins.
December: Deadlines for most secondary applications.
March: End of Interview Season.
April: By April 30th, you can only have a spot saved for one school. If you have multiple acceptances, you will have to cancel the ones for the schools you will not be attending.
Things Mentioned
Primary Application: This will be the first "round" of the application process. If you are applying to allopathic (MD) schools, you will be filling out the AMCAS. If you are applying to osteopathic (DO) schools, you will be filling out the AACOMAS. The primary application is a general application that is sent to all of your selected medical schools, so it is mainly focused on your background information, personal statement, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation.
Secondary Application: The secondary application is sent out individually by each medical school. Every school has different requirements for their secondary but for most schools, the secondary is mainly a set of supplementary essays set by the school. At this point, schools want to get to know you a bit more beyond your grades.
Interviews: In order to be considered for acceptance, each applicant must complete an interview. Despite being intimidating, interviews are a great thing because you'll literally have a foot in the door. If a school is inviting you to interview, this means that they are already interested, but that they would like to get to know you in person to see if you would fit in the environment of their school. For interviews, I would say that of course, you have to bring your A-game but at the same time have fun. You should be seeing if the school is a good fit for you. After all, you'll be the one studying there for the next four years.
Acceptance: If all goes well, you will be getting a big white packet in the mail offering you a place in the entering class and instructions for the next steps. At this point, you respond to their offer and you save yourself a place at the school.
I hope that this post gives you a better breakdown of the application process. I know it is rather general, but I think it gives you a general overview of what to expect. I hope that you had a great week and I'll talk to you soon!
~Genesis<3
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