4-year Timeline for Medical School
- Meet with your Pre-Med Advisor and learn Pre-Med requirements
- Talk with your Pre-Med Advisor about AP units transferring to medical school
- Think about your major and minor and develop a Pre-Med course of study
- Plan a tentative schedule for the next 3½ years
- Develop study skills and maintain an excellent GPA
- Begin extracurricular activities and participate in Pre-Med Club
- Get AAMC’s MCAT Student Manual for subject outlines
- Review medical school admission requirements
- Work/volunteer in a medical area
- Subscribe to medical student journals and read interesting books about medicine
- Challenge yourself to get a summer internship/volunteer job working with patients
- Work/volunteer in a medical area
- Meet with your Pre-Med advisor to discuss your program
- Fine-tune your college schedule
- Maintain excellent GPA
- Check medical school’s entry requirements
- Consider participating in research
- Consider what you will do this summer
- Apply to MMEP (minorities only)
- Study and apply for MCAT (summer before junior year, only if Physics with a Lab is completed)
- Plan for any special junior-year programs (ie. junior year abroad)
- Study and apply for MCAT (if not yet taken)
- Take MCAT by mid-May; scores are reported about 30 days after test is taken
- Meet with your Pre-Med advisor and maintain the best GPA you can
- December: Check websites and begin personal statement
- Gather information about med schools you are interested applying to (plan to apply to at least 25 schools)
- Get AMCAS/AACOMAS/other applications
- February: Request at least 5 letters of recommendation from faculty (2 science, 1 non-science, 3 work/volunteer)
- Complete Must/Want Analysis forms for schools in which you are interested
- Work/volunteer in a medical area and consider what you will do this summer
- Meet with Pre-Med committee and submit letters of recommendation no later than May
- May: AMCAS opens for data entry but submission is mid-June
- May 20: Print AMCAS application and submit to Career Services Pre-Med Advisor for review
- June: AMCAS starts accepting applications
- June: Pre-Med committee writes your cover letter and attaches all letters
- If not happy with scores, register for upcoming MCAT
- Visit nearby schools in which you are interested
- Apply for Early Acceptance Program (optional)
- October 15: All schools vary on final deadline but earliest would be middle of October to apply to AMCAS (which governs medical school application process)
- Work/volunteer in a medical area and maintain the best GPA you can
- Take MCAT to improve scores if needed
- Confirm that schools have received your application materials and letters
- Complete secondary medical school applications and inform Career Services on where to send your letters
- Interview at medical schools and complete financial aid forms
- If wait-listed, send a letter confirming interest
- Consider what you will do this summer (keep your options open)
- Accept offer (by May 15)
- Accept additional offers if higher on your Must/Want Analysis list; withdraw previous acceptances
- Write thank you letters to medical school interviewers, references, and all advisors who helped you
- If you do not get accepted, consider Post-Bac, Summer Enrichment, and Masters Programs to strengthen your application