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Applying to Medical School
Contents
- Major
- Prerequisite Courses
- Accepted/Applied Chart of Medical School Applicants
- The MCAT or the Medical College Admissions Test
- Experience
- Selection of Schools
- The Primary Application (essay, experience, transcripts)
- Supplementary (Secondary) Applications
- Letters of Recommendation
- Interviews
- Financing Medical School
- Postbaccalaureate Programs
- Appendices
- Timeline
- PreMed Self-Assessment
- Useful Books
- Health Professions Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Additional Websites
The path to acceptance to medical school involves a number of steps, not necessarily done in this order:
- Completion of required courses
- Extracurricular activities, including clinical experience, community service and other (research, clubs, sports, work, etc.)
- Letters of recommendation
- MCAT/DAT
- Selection of schools to which you wish to apply
- Submitting application(s) (AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS, AADSAS< AACPM)
- Sending in supplemental (secondary) applications
- Interviews at schools (at their invitation)
Careful attention must be paid to each step; each must be done well or you will run the risk of not getting into the program of your choice. In addition, you should do everything deliberately, and well in advance of any deadlines. This will give you time to correct any errors. It is unrealistic to expect this process to go perfectly. If it does, great. But be prepared for problems. The best way to deal with potential problems is to give yourself the time to do so. Do not wait until the last minute.
To help you with your planning, you can use this Timeline as a guide. Keep in mind that every student will have a unique path, and your plans may differ from those of your friends and relatives. Note that 75 percent or more members of the entering class at CU School of Medicine in the last two years took one or more years "off" before starting medical school. Consult with your Premed advisor to see how to develop a timeline that fits your situation and goals.
As you proceed along your path toward application to medical school, it will be useful to periodically evaluate your preparation. This PreHealth Self-Assessment is designed to help you with this task.
I. Major
Choose a major that you enjoy. It is not necessary to be a science major as long as you complete the prerequisites. Medical schools are interested in broad, well-rounded applicants. Be sure to consult with your prehealth advisor about what science courses you might consider taking beyond the prerequisites if you are not a science major.
Note: Table showing acceptance to medical school by undergraduate major for the 2000-2001 entering class. Additional information on acceptance by major can be found in 'Medical School Admissions Requirements' (MSAR) available from www.aamc.org or in the PreHealth Advising Office.
II. Prerequisite Courses
A. Courses
Most medical schools require at least the following:
- a year of general biology lecture and labs (EBIO 1210-1230 and 1220-1240 or MCDB 1150-1151 and MCDB 2150-2151) or the equivalent. Consider supplementing the EBIO sequence with a genetics course (EBIO 2070 or MCDB 2150) or the MCDB sequence with a physiology course (IPHY 3430 or 3450) to round out your preparation for the MCAT. If you are not a biology major, consult the premed advisor for additional course suggestions.
- a year of general chemistry lecture and labs (Chem 1111 and 1131)
- a year of organic chemistry lecture and labs (Chem 3311-3321 and 3331-3341)
- year of college mathematics that includes algebra and trigonometry (at least through Math 1150); note that some medical schools specifically require calculus 1 (MATH 1300 or 1310) and more schools are recommending statistics (e.g. IPHY 2800, MATH 2510, etc.); only 2 medical schools require calculus 2.
- a year of college physics lecture and labs (Phys 2010 and 2020- algebra based, or Phys 1110, 1120, 1140- calculus-based, requires calculus 2)
- 6 semester hours of literature/composition courses (note that CU med school requires 9 credits
- one semester of biochemistry (CHEM 4611 or CHEM 4711) is strongly recommended by many medical schools and required by some. Many students find it helpful in preparing for the MCAT.
- you must obtain a grade of C- or higher in all prerequisite courses. P/F is not acceptable.
Note that some medical schools have slightly different requirements and you should consult the latest edition of Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) to see what additional requirements other schools you wish to attend have. MSAR is available from the aamc website: http://www.aamc.org/.
Here is a link to a list of medical schools that require more than one year of biology and/or require biochemistry. Note that many other schools strongly recommend additional biology and biochemistry.
Other courses that are strongly recommended include the following (in order of significance):
- Biochemistry (Chem 4611 or 4711)
- Molecular Biology (MCDB 3500)
- Cell Biology (MCDB 3120)
- Ethics
- Statistics
B. Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate courses
AP/IB courses are accepted for the prerequisites by many, but not all, medical schools if they have been accepted by the undergraduate institution. You will need to check on policies at the specific schools to which you plan to apply. If you do choose to use AP credit for prerequisite courses it is a good idea to take higher level courses in the same field to show the medical school admissions committees a college course grade in that field of science. For example, if you use AP credit for General Biology, you might consider taking courses such as Genetics (EBIO 2070 or MCDB 2150), Molecular Biology (MCDB 3500), Physiology (EBIO 3430 or 3700), or Cell Biology (MCDB 3120). Check the following link for a list of schools that a) do not accept AP/IB credit and b) accept AP/IB only if supplemented with additional coursework.
C. Study Abroad courses
In general it is unwise to take prerequisite courses at non-US institutions. The grades typically appear as P/F on your US transcript and AMCAS will not verify foreign transcripts. Use study abroad courses to fulfill core and major requirements and to explore new areas.
D. Degree
Medical schools expect that by the time you enroll in medical school that you will have completed a B.A. or B.S. degree. A few (including CU) only require completion of 120 semester hours. Even if a degree is not required by all schools, if you spend four years in college you might as well earn one! If you already have a degree, you will need only to complete the required courses listed above. In most circumstances, you do not need to earn a second degree.
E. GPA
The median overall GPA of matriculants at CU Medical School has been about 3.78 for the past few years. It is possible to be accepted with a lower GPA, but it becomes very unlikely if your overall GPA is below 3.2. There are a growing number of medical schools (not CU) that are no longer accepting applications from individuals with overall cumulative undergraduate GPA's of less than 3.0. However, this does not mean that if you have a GPA in the low 3.0's that you have no chance of being accepted. The CU School of Medicine, as well as many others, use a formula to calculate your GPA that takes into account a bad year, a slow start, etc. They calculate the GPA using sub-scores of your GPA. The first is your overall GPA for all course work taken by the time you apply to medical school (including postgraduate coursework). The second is your science (BCPM) GPA. This GPA is calculated by looking at your grades in every biology, chemistry, physics, and math course you have ever taken. The third is your "best year" GPA. This is the GPA of an academic year (Fall semester followed by a Spring semester - no other combination is considered) in which you took 20 or more semester hours of course work (can be from your post-baccalaureate or graduate work). Thus if you did poorly in the past, by doing well in 20 or more hours a following year, your GPA will look better.
III. Accepted/Applied Chart of Medical School Applicants
A. History
Rates of admission to medical school vary over time. For example, in 1989, 26,915 people applied nationally for 17,000 medical school places. In 1996, medical school applications reached an historic high of 46,968, yet available medical school places remained at 17,000. Numbers of applicants fell again to 33,625 through 2002 and are currently rising along with a modest increase in the number of available places. In 2006 there were 39,336 applications for 17,915 places. Nationwide 46% were accepted. At the University of Colorado, 56% of the students who used the Committee Letter Process (see below) were accepted.
B. Prior to Applying
Prior to application, University of Colorado at Boulder students attend a Committee Letter Workshop, register for the Committee Letter Process; obtain letters of recommendation; are interviewed; and have a composite letter of evaluation written on their behalf. If you are comparing UCB’s acceptance rates to other colleges, keep in mind that we do not prevent any student from applying and include in the CU data all those who applied and released data. Medical schools look closely at the type of quantitative information represented in the chart. Other factors also play an important part in their decisions. University of Colorado students who are well prepared, both academically and experientially, should continue to be highly successful applicants.
C. Chart
We have created a chart using two quantitative factors, Grade Point Average (GPA) and Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores, to track UCB's medical school applicants. A careful study of the chart shows that grade point average and MCAT scores are important, but not sufficient, predictors of acceptance. Academic ability, including critical thinking, problem-solving and facility with science are very important. However, in addition, medical schools are interested your “Life Experience.” They prefer students with sufficient clinical experience and knowledge of the profession to make a thoughtful decision about medicine as a career. They are also interested in well-rounded students with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and experience with diverse populations. Admissions committees are particularly interested in the quality of the activities in which you have participated, the depth of the experiences, and what you learned from them. This ‘life experience’ factor can be addressed through work, service, extracurricular, research, and teaching experiences. There are many ways that you can enrich these experiences while at UCB.
Applied / Accepted Chart 2006 (pdf)
IV. The MCAT or the Medical College Admissions Test
A. Timing and registration
The MCAT is now administered more than 20 times per year. It is offered in a CBT (computer-based test) format. The science portions of the MCAT are based on a year of General Biology, a year of General Chemistry, a year of Organic Chemistry and a year of College Physics (algebra-based). You should complete these courses at least a semester before you take the MCAT (e.g., the Fall semester if you take the April MCAT). The MCAT consists of 4 parts: Physical Sciences (includes General Chemistry and Physics), Verbal Reasoning, Writing Sample and Biological Sciences (includes Organic Chemistry and Biology). To see the topics covered, look for the "Preparing for the MCAT" section on the www.aamc.org/MCAT website.
Most schools now require that your MCAT scores be no more than 3 years old, the specific length of time can be found in the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR).
Be aware also that more and more schools are starting to take into consideration the number of times you take the MCAT to get competitive scores. The day of taking it once "for practice" are gone. If you do take the MCAT more than once, you should know that some medical schools use your most recent scores, some your best scores and some will average your scores. I strongly suggest you do not take this exam until you are ready. Assume your first time is your only time.
The best strategy is to take the MCAT the year before you apply. If that is not possible, then take it in the spring or early summer of the year in which you apply. Because of the huge number of applicants, medical schools are finding it difficult to interview all qualified applicants. You do yourself a disservice by aiming for the August or September exam in your application year.
Four common strategies that cause problems, even for students with good science GPAs: 1) taking the MCAT before you have completed the prerequisite courses, 2) taking them when you are overcommitted and don't have enough time to study 3) not taking practice tests 4) ignoring the importance of the Verbal Reasoning section.
Download Studying on Your Own for the MCAT here.
Online MCAT registration is available on the AAMC website: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm Registration typically opens 2-3 months prior to test dates. Registering late may severly limit your choice of dates and/or test sites. Be sure to read the 'MCAT Essentials' on the aamc.org website.
NOTE: MCAT has provisions for Fee Reduction. See www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/. The application becomes available in January each year. Note that eligibility applies to both MCAT and AMCAS fee reduction. AACOM also has a fee reduction for the AACOMAS application (see the www.aacom.org website).
B. Materials and Courses
The official information on the MCAT is on the http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm website. Numerous other online resources are available, including those from Examkrackers, Dr. Flowers, CLEaRS. Research them and choose the one(s) that suit your study style. Online practice tests are available at http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/practicetests.htm at $35 per test.
In addition, Kaplan (www.kaplan.com), Princeton (www.princetonreview.com), and the Colorado MCAT Course (HSC course pdf), all offer classroom review/prep courses for the MCAT and/or DAT. The Kaplan and Princeton courses will cost approximately $1,600 and the course at the Health Sciences Center will cost approximately $900. These courses are not required, and are something you should think hard about before taking. One is not necessarily better than the other. Two things are certain about these courses: 1) They will not work if you do not follow the program exactly. Be prepared to spend a great deal of time studying outside of class with these programs. Keep in mind that students who do well on the MCAT often spend 200-300 hours preparing, whether or not they take a review course. 2) The courses will not teach you things you have not already been exposed to at some time in your education. You may cover the equivalent of one semester in a week or two.
V. Experience
A. Clinical
Admissions committees will use your experience in health care setting to determine whether you understand the challenges and complexities of medical practice. They are looking for direct contact with patients. Being a physician requires a strong commitment to patients that brings with it enormous self sacrifice of personal energy and time with family and friends. Without direct patient care experience in a health care setting, many applicants fail to understand and appreciate these challenges and are more likely not to finish medical training or to become dissatisfied with their career. In addition, clinical experience provides you with an understanding of the challenges of dealing with patients who are often experiencing the most stressful time in their lives. It provides a chance to develop your communication and interpersonal skills and to determine whether you have the capacity to deal with patients in an empathetic manner under these difficult conditions. See ‘Volunteer Opportunities’ to see the wide range of options available.
You should also spend time shadowing physicians, asking them about what they like and dislike about their profession- work hours, pressures, satisfaction, etc. Take advantage of opportunities to ask questions of all the health care professionals you encounter or work with.
Use your clinical experiences as a chance to gain information about the current state of health care reform. Many interviews will include questions about national and/or international health care issues. You are strongly encouraged to follow these issues by reading local and national newspapers and websites. Some useful websites include the New York Times Health section (www.nytimes.com), the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int), the AAMC's 'Washington Highlignts' (www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh/start), the AMA's 'American Medical News' (www.ama-assn.org/amednews/), or the New England Journal of Medicine's 'The Next Generation' (www.nextgenmd.org). The www.ExploreHealthCareers.org website has a section on 'Issues in HealthCare.' Although reading will not substitute for first-hand experience, you can supplement your own experience by reading widely. See also the Prehealth Reading list.
B. Community Service
While clinical experience is necessary, it rarely provides opportunities to show leadership, initiative, perseverance, teamwork, etc. Community service can provide those opportunities. In addition, there are often opportunities to develop your communication and interpersonal skills with diverse groups of people. You can accomplish more if you choose projects that flow naturally from your own interests, skills and talents. Sustained commitment to one area, or a consistent theme connecting projects, is likely to be more impressive than a series of many different, unrelated, short-term projects.
For ideas, browse the Volunteer Connection website. UCB's Volunteer Clearing House also maintains a website at www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/vch. The Student Groups site provides information on Boulder campus Prehealth clubs and health-related service groups.
C. Research
One of the advantages of being at a major research University is the number and variety of
research opportunities that are available to undergraduates. You can do research for academic credit or be paid a stipend through BURST www.colorado.edu/Outreach/BSI/undergrad/burst.html,or UROP http://www.colorado.edu/research/UROP/. Summer research opportunities are available at CU through the UROP SURF program, NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs (http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/reu/start.htm), and Summer Cancer Research Fellowship (http://www.uchsc.edu/cancer/students/index.html) programs. Examples of national summer programs include SMDEP (www.smdep.org/), and NIH (http://www.training.nih.gov/student/internship/internship.asp).
Research does not necessarily need to be done in laboratory. If you are interested in research, talk with your major advisor about research opportunities in your major department. Undergraduate research provides an opportunity for you to see how new knowledge is obtained and evaluated. Even if you do not intend to do research yourself, this is a useful skill for a physician, whose practice of medicine will be based on research done by others. Furthermore, research is an excellent way of developing your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for practicing medicine. Carrying out a research project may also allow you to develop a strong relationship with a faculty member who may later be able to write you a letter of recommendation. If you enjoy and do well in research you may want to consider doing an honors thesis. Again, your departmental advisor can provide more information. If you find yourself fascinated by the interface between research and patients, consider looking into MD/PhD programs by going to http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section3/degree2.cfm.
D. Work/Employment
Keep in mind that you can develop many useful qualities, such as leadership, teamwork, responsibility, problem solving, time management, communication and/or interpersonal skills through work experience.
E. Communication
Remember that in addition to getting these types of experiences, you will need to be able to talk about them in your essays and interviews. Collect a repertoire of stories and anecdotes that you can tell to help illustrate what you have learned from these experiences. If you are not a natural storyteller, develop those skills. Consider joining Toastmasters, taking an acting or storytelling class or becoming an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for a class. A successful clinician must be able to communicate effectively with a diverse range of patients and colleagues. Develop your ability to start a conversation with unfamiliar people and put them at ease.
VI. Selection of Schools
A. U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools
The bottom line is that you can graduate from any medical school in the US or Canada (M.D. or D.O.) and have any type of medical career you desire. Your success in medical school depends far more on how much effort you put into it and the opportunities you make for yourself than on what school you attend. For this reason, the most important questions to ask yourself are: Where will you feel most comfortable? Which one(s) can you afford? And, for many applicants, at which one were you accepted? (See 'Get Into Medical School! 2004, Kenneth V. Iserson, M.D., for more discussion of this issue).
- Medical Schools Admissions Requirements (MSAR).
A new edition of the MSAR is published each April/May and contains the current
information on requirements, etc. for the entering class for which you will be applying. You
are responsible for meeting the current requirements. The MSAR also has summaries of
admissions data, including the number of non-residents accepted by each school. It is available
from the AAMC website: www.aamc.org/student/.
- Bulletins or websites of the various schools.
- Additional websites- some useful ones include:
- http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/rankindex_brief.php
- http://services.aamc.org/currdir/ (Information on Medical School Curricula)
-
http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/programs/start.htm (includes
information on combined degree programs such as M.D./M.B.A.,
M.D./Ph.D., M.D./J.D.
- http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/about/31questions.htm
The first step in deciding which schools should be favored with your application is to establish a set of criteria. This should include:
- The medical school(s) in the state of which you are a resident. It is here that you have the best chance.
- Schools that take non-residents. For the most part you will find that these are private rather than public schools. Check the MSAR for the number of out-of-state students accepted (see box at the end of the section for each school) and also note
whether the school has a contract with other states, is influenced by family ties to the state, disadvantaged background, etc. (read carefully the "Selection Factors" section in the MSAR).
- Schools that you can afford. Keep in mind that that private medical schools may have more financial aid to offset higher tuitions.
- Schools where CU-Boulder students have been accepted recently.
- Schools at which your GPA and MCAT scores are competitive
http://www.washington.edu/students/ugrad/advising/gpamcat.pdf).
- Personal Criteria:
- Geographical areas you can tolerate for 4 years.
- Tuition (but remember #2 and #3 above).
- Application and interview expense.
- Any non-traditional characteristics you have: experience, talents, age, time out of school, etc.
- Programs in areas of your interests: clinical research, specialties, etc.
- Presence of some sort of support group…family, friends, church. etc.
Most students apply to 10 to 12 schools; some apply to one and some to as many as 25. More important than the number is whether they represent a realistic selection. Iserson's 'Get into Medical School'has useful information on how to choose medical shcools. As you investigate various schools, make notes as to what you like and what you do not like about the school. These notes will be useful later as you through the application process. If you write or email a school, do so in good English.
For each school to which you decide to apply, make a file folder. In the folder place your notes and copies of all communications to and from the school. On the front of the folder record all items needed by the school for the application process, the deadline and the date the material was sent. This way you will have ready access (assuming that you can find the folder) to all information on that school. Keep monitoring the front of the file to be certain that all requirements are being met well in advance of the deadline.
If you are a resident of a state that does not have a medical school, your state may have a contract arrangement with states that do. For example, residents of Montana and Wyoming can apply to the University of Colorado medical school as well as to a variety of other medical schools through the WICHE program (http://www.wiche.edu/) and not pay out-of-state tuition.
Note that you should decide if you wish to apply to non-AMCAS schools (including
Osteopathic or Podiatric schools) prior to taking the MCAT since you indicate on the form
to which non-AMCAS schools your scores should be sent. Remember to release your scores to the PreHealth Advisor at the same time. Your scores are automatically sent to all of the AMCAS schools to which you apply. You can, however, add additional schools later through the MCAT Testing History system at https://services.aamc.org/mcatthx/.
B. Foreign Medical Schools.
Foreign Medical Schools
from a Premedical Advisor's Point of View, NAAHP presentation
VII. The Primary Application (essay, experience, transcripts)
A. General Rules
- Do everything carefully, completely, neatly, error-free and in perfect English.
- Do everything well in advance of the deadline.
- Always send the original, not a copy.
- Keep a copy of everything.
- Keep a dated record of all transactions, phone calls, etc.
- Type everything.
- Do not trust the U.S. postal service.
- Proofread everything very carefully, and have at least three other people proofread everything!
B. The application itself
The majority of all the allopathic medical schools use the centralized application service
known as AMCAS, which is short for "American Medical College Application Service."
This saves both you and the medical schools time and money. There are a few medical schools that do not use AMCAS. You must get their application directly from those schools. Note that public schools in Texas use TMDSAS. After you submit the application to
AMCAS, they verify the grades and courses and send the application to those schools that you designated. The
application is now entirely web-based. The website is:
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm. The application itself usually becomes available about May 1. However, you may begin working on a worksheet prior to that date. The
earliest AMCAS applications can be submitted is usually the 1st of June. The deadline for filing varies from school to school and is noted in the application material provided. However, you should submit your application as early as possible. Do not wait until after taking the August MCAT if you can avoid it. Waiting until the August MCAT scores are released (usually in late October) is likely to put you are a severe disadvantage.
Other applications include the: Osteopathic Medical Schools (AACOMAS at http://www.aacom.org/), Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS at http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/), Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS at http://www.ouac.on.ca/)and the Podiatric Medical Schools (AAPCMAS at https://www.E-AACPMAS.org/).
The way you fill out the application is extremely important. It is the first formal contact you have with the admission process at the school and it could be your last. If you are sloppy or secretive about yourself on the application, you will make a poor impression on the reader and your application will probably be rejected right then. It may be against your upbringing, but you must “blow your own horn” at this point. No one else can do it at this stage of the process.
C. Transcripts
Prior to beginning the application process of filing your applications, have copies of your transcripts from every school you have ever attended sent to you. This includes your CU Boulder transcripts. The internal transcripts that you and your advisor can access by computer differ slightly from the official transcripts that are sent out, especially with regard to AP credits. You will want to see what is actually being sent out. Make sure they are correct! If there is an error, it MUST be corrected prior to filing your application. You will be required to put on your application exactly what is on your transcript. If there are any discrepancies your application will be delayed significantly, and most often will be delayed long enough to prevent you from entering medical school.
To send your transcripts to AMCAS, you will download a Transcript Request Form from AMCAS. It will become available as soon as you enter each college you have attended. You do not need to enter all of your grades before accessing the request form.
Note that AP credits are not broken down by individual courses on official CU-Boulder transcripts. To ensure that your AP credits are accepted by AMCAS, be sure to request that the registrar send a copy of screen #150, Transfer Credit Acceptance, along with your official transcript. Make sure the screen print has official seal and signature.
D. Experiential Biography
To fill out the application to your best advantage you need to know who you are.
Who you are is reflected in what you have done. And you have done a lot of
things. Start now by dividing a piece of paper in half, lengthwise. On the left hand
side list all that you have done since high school. This includes involvement in
clubs, groups, or organizations as either a member or as an officer. For each group
list what you have done for or with it. List involvement in political activities, work
with scouts, church, community groups, tutoring, etc. List activities associated with
health care delivery whether volunteer or paid. List all the jobs you have had. The list should
also include the help that you have rendered to friends and neighbors. List
everything- the list can be slimmed down later.
For each item on the list, indicate number of hours per week and the types of things you did. It will take some time to recollect all
that you have done. So work on the list for a while, then put it away for a day or
two and then work on it some more. You will probably be very surprised at all that
you have done.
The schools are looking for evidence of leadership abilities, self-motivation, ability
to carry things through, compassion, caring for others, ability to work with others,
well-rounded education and experience, good communication skills and all such
good things. Once you have your list of activities, go through the list and on the
right hand side of the page put down the skills and personal characteristics these
activities reflect or required. From this list you will gain insight into the
characteristics that help define who you are.
Now, think of the anecdotes or stories you could use to illustrate these skills and characteristics and make notes to yourself so you can use these later.
E. Filling out the primary application (AMCAS)
(Note: many of these comments apply also to the completion of the AACOMAS, TMDSAS, OMSAS and AACPMAS applications.)
The process of filling out the application must be begun well in advance of any deadlines. It
takes a considerable amount of time to complete!! Some students claim the whole
application process, including the supplementary applications, is the equivalent of three
semester-long courses!
- Print out and read the Instruction Book completely and carefully before beginning to fill out any part of the application. If you want to begin working before the AMCAS for your application cycle becomes available, you may start with the Application Worksheet that is on the AMCAS website.
- As you complete the 'schools attended' section of the application, you will be
prompted to print a Transcript Request Form that you can mail to each school
you have attended. Do this early!
Have copies of your transcripts sent to the AMCAS (if you started college at CU and you have AP credits, remember to also have screen #150 sent) and, at the same time, have copies sent to you. This way you know
what has been sent to AMCAS and you will have an identical copy for filling out
the application. (Each year you should request a copy of your transcript to verify
that all course grades have been recorded accurately. This is especially necessary if
you have had a grade change submitted on your behalf.) Again, it is strongly
recommended that you review a copy of all your transcripts prior to having them
sent to the AMCAS or other application services. This way, if there is an error, you
have time to correct it prior to submitting your application.
- Reread the instructions.
- Now that you have used the experiential biography you generated to find out who you are, you are ready to begin to write the first draft of
your Personal Comments essay. Put yourself in the place of the reader and ask
yourself what you would like to know about an applicant. Then write accordingly.
Tell them who you are and why you are the best applicant in the pile. Never
apologize for something in the past; just explain it briefly. Remember that a coherent essay with a few brief anecdotes or stories to illustrate your points
is better than a list of everything you have done. Use good English and make no
typing errors. SELL YOURSELF.
Still having trouble starting your personal statement? That is common. Most students worry about what is most important to include. Some students feel more confident if they consult books with examples of successful personal statements before they try to write anything. We are happy to suggest such books but we do not believe that they are necessary. We find that the most effective essays "flow from the heart," so the best strategy is to start writing and see what emerges. For advice about writing personal statements, see Ablow's Medical School: Getting In, Staying In, and Staying Human; Write for Success; and How To Write A Winning Personal Statement. Once you have a reasonable draft of your essay, it may be useful to take advantage of an Application Essay Writing Workshop, if one is being offered. Check the Prehealth website for current workshops.
- Now you can use the experiential biography you generated to fill out the Post-Secondary Experience section. Be selective and only include significant experiences since high school. However, for those, be sure to describe what you actually did, making clear what your contributions were and what you learned or how you benefited. Consolidate where possible. For example, if you were on the Dean's list for 6 consecutive semesters, they should make up one entry, not six. You will normally include postsecondary activities that you mention in your essay as well as others.
- As you fill out the Academic Record section, be aware that the listing of all courses must be done carefully. Read the instructions carefully. AMCAS will compare your
listing against the official transcripts. They will note any errors with marks in the
right hand column. Too many errors convey a poor impression of your attention to
details. The courses are to be listed in the order that they appear on the transcripts.
Omit no courses.
Guidelines are given as to how many semester hours are included in Freshman
year etc. Some additional tips: college courses taken in high school should be listed as high school courses, however AP courses should be listed as part of your FR courses. Do not give yourself a letter grade for AP courses unless a letter grade appears on your college transcript. Study Abroad courses will only be verified if they appear on a US transcript. Use the course title that appears on your US transcript. Use the grade that is on your US transcript (usually P/F). Do include the foreign university in the colleges attended section.
- In filling out the course work portion, it is helpful if you expand slightly on the
Independent Research and Internship titles to provide an indication of the content.
However, be sure that you do have first on the line an abbreviation similar to the
title of the course on the transcript. If you don't, in evaluating the transcript,
AMCAS will indicate an error (or might even return the whole application).
- Once you have the rest of the application filled out, begin to rewrite the draft you
have of your Personal Comments essay. In item 4, a number of suggestions
were made as to how to prepare for this portion of the application. Here are some
other tips to follow if they feel right and if they fit your situation.
-
Do not leave blank.
- Amplify any significant items. Wherever possible be specific! Give an anecdote or
tell a story to illustrate your point. This will be much more convincing and more
memorable than just saying you are 'hard-working' or 'compassionate' or 'have always been interested in science.'
- Discuss what attracts you to medicine.
- Discuss what you can contribute to medicine.
- Discuss anything that indicates your uniqueness.
- Answer the question of why you, above all other applicants, should be accepted.
- Write whatever feels right and proper to you.
- Explain any significant inconsistencies between your GPA and your MCAT scores.
- Explain or describe any circumstances which affected your academic
performance. (But only if you did very poorly. A semester of B's is not
doing poorly!)
- Word everything in a positive manner. Do not put yourself down. Do not be negative. In other words: Build yourself up. Be upbeat and positive
about yourself.
- Did you sell yourself?
- Have several people, some who know you well and others who do not, read what
you have written both for grammar and for what they feel as they read it. Is it
positive? Is it upbeat? Does it make you sound good? Are the people who do not
know you well able to tell you who you are in the way you intended? I will be glad
to give you feedback.
- When the application is complete, have at least three different people proofread the
whole document. Errors reflect poorly on you. They can be interpreted as an
indication that you do not really want to be a medical student. The key here
is to show that you can be professional.
- To facilitate our obtaining information about CU-Boulder applicants from
AMCAS so that we can provide the best advice possible, please authorize AMCAS
to release information about your application to your prehealth advisor. All of your information will be kept strictly confidential.
- Make copies of ALL parts of the application before submitting.
- Before submitting, check each part of the application against the Instructions.
- Submit the application to AMCAS well in advance of deadlines. You do not need to
have taken the MCAT nor have the letters of recommendation finished before
submitting the AMCAS application. The schools will hold your application until the
MCAT scores arrive and the letters are involved in the secondary application
process.
VIII. Supplementary (Secondary) Applications
Each of the schools will, after receiving their copy of the AMCAS application, review your
application and, if interested in you, will send you a supplementary application packet or provide information about online submission. For
many schools this means one or more additional essays, which you should tailor to that particular school. The files folders you made as you researched medical schools will be very useful here.
Hence the need for the notes mentioned earlier. Your letters of recommendation will be
submitted as part of the secondary applications. It is critical that you be very familiar with
each individual school for which you complete a secondary application. They are trying to
ascertain from you why you want to go to their particular school, not just why you want to
go to medical school. You should not write and submit a generic statement on your
secondary applications nor should you repeat your AMCAS essay. They already have that.
IX. Letters of Recommendation
A. General
You will need letters of recommendation/evaluation for application to medical schools. Note that these are submitted with the secondary (supplemental) recommendations and not with AMCAS. You may choose to complete the requirements for a Committee Letter (see below) or use only individual letters. In any case, you will need letters of recommendation from faculty members.
Therefore you must get to know the faculty with whom you have contact. You can make these essential contacts through your classes or by doing research in a lab or taking an active role in a club or activity that has a faculty advisor. In large classes, you will need to make use of office hours and/or time before and after class. You can also seek out smaller classes, such as seminars, critical thinking courses, honors courses to establish a working rapport with faculty. It is critical that whoever writes letters for you to be able to address who you are, and why you would be a good medical school student. They need to be able to address issues or bring things to light that are in addition to what is in your application. If your letter writer can only comment on your grade or that you attended class, they will write a letter that not only is of no use, but could actually be detrimental. Try to ask letter writers who can comment on specific accomplishments, activities, characteristics.
If you are uncertain, it is all right to ask your potential letter writers whether they feel that they can write you a good letter. Be prepared to provide any information they ask for- typically a copy of your personal statement for AMCAS, a resume and transcripts. You may choose to use the Credentials File service provided by the Preprofessional Advising Office to hold your letters until you are ready to have them sent (see below).
B. Committee Letters
Many medical, dental, optometry and podiatry schools require or strongly prefer a Committee Letter. Go to
Committee Letter Procedures to find the instructions for completing a Committee Letter (CL) File and obtaining a CL interview. This process takes time and must be completed in the spring before you apply to medical school so be sure to plan ahead.
C. Individual Letters of Recommendation
If you choose to send individual letters of recommendation, pay attention to what is requested by each school. For example, CU medical school accepts five letters: three from individual faculty and two from other people who know you well and will write informative letters. Other schools may ask specifically for letters from two science faculty or from someone in your major, etc. Do not have too many letters sent. It only increases the work of the admissions committee and, after the first four or five, multiple letters probably will not provide such additional, helpful information about you. If there are too many letters in the file, one begins to wonder what the applicant is trying to hide. Finally, a letter from a physician is not essential. Unless the physician BOTH knows you well AND can take the time to sit down and write a substantive letter for you, the letter will not help your case. As long as your letters fit what the school is asking for, it is better to have letters from people who know you well than from a higher level person who does not really know you.
We generally recommend obtaining five letters: two science, one non-science and two from non-academic sources, such as work or volunteer supervisors. This selection will generally cover the range of letters specified by most medical schools.
You may choose to use the Credentials File Service in the Preprofessional Advising Office to send your letters to each medical school (see below). If you do so, you will need to complete and turn in the following forms to give to your recommender; Guidelines to Recommenders and Waiver of Confidentiality. The recommender should then send the completed forms and letters of recommendation to our office. Preprofessional Advising will supply a cover sheet when your letters are sent to each school. If you do not use the Preprofessional Credentials File Service, then you will need to follow the directions given by each medical school as to forms and cover sheets needed. You will also need to supply your recommenders with stamped envelopes addressed to each medical school.
D. Preprofessional Credentials File Service
The Preprofessional Advising Office offers a Credentials File Service to current and former students. This service allows you to establish a file to hold your letters of recommendation until you are ready to have them sent. Further information about this service as well as the forms needed for establishing a Preprofessional Credentials File are available at PreProfessional Credentials File Service.
X. Interviews
A. General
Medical schools use interviews to gain an impression of you and how you react to people when you meet them for the first time. They are looking for such things as how articulate you are, how you think on your feet, how self-confident you are, your maturity, the level of your motivation, and the reasons why they, the interviewers, should advocate your acceptance. At many medical schools the interviewers present your case to the committee. Thus, they are on your side. They expect you to be nervous; if you are not they might draw the conclusion that you are overconfident or, that you do not really want to gain entrance into the program.
There are a few things that you can do to prepare for the interview:
- Know what you wrote in your application materials.
- Be sure you have good answers for questions of the types listed below. Learn to use the STAR technique for answering behavioral questions.
- Know the background of the people who wrote your letters.
- Know the school, its requirements and its curriculum - read their Bulletin from cover to cover.
- Read up on current issues in health care delivery. See the last section of the Prehealth Reading List for newspapers and journals that regularly cover healthcare. Choose one or more and read it regularly.
- Be prepared for questions on ethics. See:
- Use the practice interview service provided through the Preprofessional Advising Office (see below)
Practice interviews should be scheduled through the Preprofessional Advising Office. They
are offered approximately once per week so be sure to sign up as soon as you are invited to your first interview.
B. Is the interview important?
YES, at the CU medical school the interview scores determine
whether you are even considered by the admissions committee. In the final evaluation, these
scores play an important role. Thus you need to do well.
C. How long are the interviews?
They are usually scheduled to last 45 minutes. However, they
may be shorter or they may be longer. Do not try to read anything into the length of the
interview. Students with both lengths of interviews have been accepted… or rejected. The
duration of the interview reflects more the needs of the interviewer than how the interview
went.
D. How should you behave?
Arrive early so you can find the room where you are to report.
Dress neatly. When you meet the interviewer, be courteous and greet with a firm
handshake. Throughout the interview maintain eye contact with the interviewer; do not look
all over the place. Remain cool; do not overreact. Some of the interviewers try to provoke
the interviewee; do not fall for it. Do not chew gum, do not smoke, do not play with your
pencil or your hair. Sit erect but relaxed, or at least as relaxed as possible. Listen to what is being said. If you do not understand the question, ask that it be repeated. Put your mind in
gear (but do not take too much time) before answering. Answer the question that was asked,
not what you expected to be asked. Have a positive attitude and give positive answers. Do
not ramble; be spontaneous, clear, concise (but not cryptic) and, above all, honest. Do not
volunteer information especially about subjects which you are not extremely well versed.
Use the name of the interviewer. Remember you are the expert- only you know yourself. If
given the opportunity, ask questions, but only if you have thoughtful ones. Thank the
interviewer for his or her time.
E. How should you dress?
It is important to appear as professional as possible during the interview. Generally, this means suits for men and women. Choose outfits that are clean and well-fitted to your body and above all, accentuate your personality and allow the interviewer to focus on you. Review the following document for more details about what is and isn't appropriate attire for interviews.
F. Who are the interviewers?
The types of interviewers vary. They may be from one of the basic science departments,
from a clinical area, or you might have a student who is a member of the admissions
committee. They have varying styles, which should not be surprising. Some are pushy,
some laid back, some friendly, some antagonistic, some active, some passive. But they are
all skilled at interviewing. Do not be offended by their mannerisms. Some will have read
your folder before you arrive. Others feel that they get to know you better if they do not
look at your folder until after the interview, or during the interview. In this manner they are
not biased for or against you. In all cases they will be your advocate before they committee
and are looking for information with which they can urge your acceptance before the
committee. You start with a 10, the highest score, and only your performance can lower it.
At most schools you are interviewed by two interviewers separately. A few programs have
two or three people interview you at the same time. Other schools have begun using a group
problem-solving session as part of the interview process as well. In these situations, 8 to 10
candidates are asked to work together to come to consensus about some issue presented to
the group. The interviewers are looking for individuals who are able to be leaders and
listeners.
G. Some examples of types of questions that could be asked are given below.
Think about what examples or anecdotes you could give to illustrate your answers. Paint a picture. Tell a story. Be specific!
- Questions centering on your motivation and the testing of your motivation: When
did your interest in medicine first arise? What other experiences confirmed this
interest? Trace why you have wanted to be a doctor (dentist, PA, etc.) from your
freshman year in high school to today. Why do you want to be a doctor? Note that general statements about liking science or wanting to help people are insufficient. Think about your answer to this question.
- Questions centering on your understanding of medical school: Why do you think
you will do well in medical school? What makes for a good medical student?
- Questions centering on how you view the future, on how you project your past
experiences into the future and what your life goals are: What will you be doing ten
years from now? What type of medicine will you practice? How do you visualize yourself
as a physician.
- Questions centering on how you have planned your life: Why did you choose your
particular major? Why did you take time off after college?
- Questions centering on the nature of your support groups (because these have been
shown to be essential for success in medical school): What is your family like?
What are your friends like? Do they support your decision? What is your
relationship with your family? Do you get along with your spouse, parents, etc.?
- Questions centering on your likes and dislikes and how you perform under adverse
conditions: What was your biggest adversity? What was the best experience in
your life? What was the worst experience in your life?
- Questions centering on your realistic self-evaluation: What are your strong points? What are your weak points? You do need to be able to discuss your weaknesses. Pretending you have none is not believable. On the other hand, balancing your discussion by talking about what you have learned about how to deal with it, or the positive side of this characteristic, is reasonable.
- Questions centering on your outside interests and your inquiring mind and how
you deal with stress: What are the last two non-school books you have read? Did
you like them? Why did you like them? What do you do for relaxation?
- Questions centering on poor performance in the past, or on the breakup of a
marriage; have you moved beyond the experiences or do you still carry a guilt
about them that might erupt when you are stressed as a medical student: Why did
Do you see your child(ren) often.
- Questions centering on the aspect of medicine you have chosen: Why not a career
in research? If you want to help people, why not become a minister or a
psychologist or a teacher.
- Questions asked of both males and females: How will your child(ren) be taken care
of if they are sick? What happens if you (or if male, your wife) gets pregnant while
you are in medical school? How will you deal with marriage while in medical
school?
- Questions centering on how you react to people and how you have thought about
your experience: During your clinical experiences, what kinds of people have been the worst and what kinds of people have been the best patients? What kinds of people do you find most irritating?
- Questions centering on how realistic you are: What will you do if you are not
accepted this year? What about next year?
- Questions centering on current issues: How do you view socialized medicine? How
do you view Federal Health Insurance? How should abortions be financed? What
about test tube babies? What about genetic engineering?
- Questions about situations (note there are no right answers, but you should
answer). They are looking to see if you are flexible, opinionated, innovative, how
you view people, etc.: A 15-year old girl comes in and is pregnant and does not
want her parents to know. A 50-year old man with an ulcer is not taking his
medicine properly. A 70-year old woman has terminal cancer and wants to die. A
50-year old man has signed a living will. His wife, however, wants you, the doctor,
to do all heroically possible to prolong his life. What would you do?
These are the types of questions that are asked. Let me underscore that both men and women
are asked about the impact of a career as a medical student upon their marriage and the care
of any children. In the past few years the medical schools have come to realize that a
support group of some kind is vital for a student and that both spouses have a role in the
care of each other and of their children. While a number of questions may seem nosy,
remember that you ARE the subject of the interview!
Some books that have information on preparing for medical school interviews include: The Medical School Interview, 1986, R. Zielinski; Medical School: Getting in, Staying in, Staying Human, K. R. Ablow; Get into Medical School! A Guide for the Perplexed, 2004, K.V. Iserson, http://www.galenpress.com, and Interviewing for Health Professions Schools, 2007, NAAHP. A website that gives interview feedback from students who have interviewed at medical schools around the country is at http://www.studentdoctor.net. For a list of 100 top questions asked during the interviews, take a look at this document. You also want to learn about the school at which you are interviewing by asking questions. Here is an excellent starting point: www.aamc.org/students/applying/about/31questions.htm.
It is natural to be concerned when it is February and you have not been invited for an
interview. The CU School of Medicine has historically accepted about half of the class on
the 15th of March. Individuals who have been interviewed on the Friday before the Ides of
March have been accepted on that date.
Please, after you have been interviewed, drop by and tell me about the interview.
H. Should I send a thank you note after the interview?
It is a nice gesture to send the interviewer(s) a thank you note after the interview. It is also a way to help you stand out and be remembered. Thank you notes should be written on a note card and not sent as an email.
XI. Financing Medical School
Working during medical school is virtually impossible. Most students rely primarily on financial aid rather than employment to meet their financial needs. About 75% of all medical students have some type of financial aid. Many, but not all, forms of financial aid are need-based. This assumes that the student, spouse, or in some cases the parents will pay for the cost of education to the extent that they are able and that financial aid will be used to supplement the effort the family is making. Be prepared to borrow money. The medical school class that graduated from public schools in 2002 had an average debt load of $91,389 and from private schools $123,780. While these numbers may seem daunting, default rates for medical school graduates are currently exceedingly low.
Keep in mind that you do not get to defer payments on these loans
during your residency. Once you graduate (which is at the end of your fourth year - the
government does not consider you a student during your residency), your repayment
begins. The average family practice resident during their first year will earn approximately
$30,000/year BEFORE taxes (yes this is taxed income). With a $90,000 debt at an
average of 5% interest, your payments will be approximately $1,125.00 per month. When
you consider that your average take home pay will be about $1,750.00, it doesn't take a
rocket scientist to see what might happen. The more you can save, borrow from family, etc.,
to reduce your ultimate debt load, the better.
When you are accepted by a medical school they will provide as much help as possible in
locating sources of funding. But you will be responsible for providing part of the financing and you should save as much money as possible. CU does not require that you use it all the
first year. They require only 30% of what you have saved which leaves you with some
money for emergencies, etc. A useful website is: http://www.aamc.org/md2.
Some additional sources of funding are available from the National Health Service Corps
Scholarship Program at http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/applications/
. This program will pay full
tuition and fees, reasonable expenses and a monthly stipend. In return, immediately after
completing your training, you will be required to establish a full-time practice in a federally
designated health professional shortage area identified as having the greatest need. You will
be required to serve one year for each year of support you receive, with a two-year
minimum commitment. The deadline for this program is typically in March. See website for
more details.
Military Scholarships are available from each branch of the military. These typically offer
full tuition and fees, reasonable expenses and a monthly stipend at any approved school of
medicine or osteopathy. In return, you will be required to serve on active duty for a specific
length of time (usually proportional to the number of years for which you received
support). Your obligation includes a certain number of days on active duty each year while
on scholarship and full time commitment after you have completed your internship and
residency training. You must be a U.S. citizen and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment to
receive a scholarship.
XII. Postbaccalaureate Programs.
You can fulfill all of the prereqs for medical school and gain the relevant types of experience without a formal post-baccalaureate program. However, some of you may want to consider the programs that are available. Here are some resources to help you find more information on these programs.
- Postbaccalaureate Descriptions and Programs This is a link to a CU site with an explanation of what a postbaccalaureate program is, including links to the type of programs currently available.
-
http://services.aamc.org/postbac/index.cfm. This database has several fields by which users may search for post-bacc pre-med program opportunities: state, type of institution (public or private), type of program (undergraduate or graduate), degree type, institution name, and special program focus (e.g., career changers, academic record-enhancers, underrepresented minority students, and/or disadvantaged students.)
- http://hpap.syr.edu/pblist.htm.
XIII. Appendices
C. Useful Books
- Books and other study aides that can be ordered from the American Association of
Medical Colleges:
http://services.aamc.org/publications
- Medical School Admissions Requirements, otherwise known as the MSAR. New edition each May. Price is $25.00 + $5.00 shipping (subject to change).
- AAMC Curriculum Directory. This directory describes the academic programs of medical schools in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It includes information on curriculum characteristics and current trends and innovations of interest to applicants. Available on-line at
http://services.aamc.org/currdir/start.cfm.
- Minority Student Opportunities in the U.S. Medical Schools. The publication provides information to under-represented minorities applying to medical school. It contains descriptive entries for U.S. medical schools with information on recruitment programs, admission policies and procedures, academic support programs, and financial aid for under-represented minorities. $12.00.
- Reading List
- Application Essay Writing Resources
- See section VI., parts D. and E. on this website
- Attend a Prehealth Application Essay Writing Workshop (see Prehealth Events Calendar for
availability)
- Consult a book (available from bookstores)
Writing About Me, 2003, L. Massey and B. Huntington;
Medical School: Getting In, Staying In, and Staying Human, 1990, K.R. Ablow;
Write for Success: Preparing a Successful Professional School Application, 1987, E. W. Jackson and H. R. Bardo;
How To Write A Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School, 2002, R.J. Stelzer.
- MCAT Study Resources
- from AAMC at http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/about/start.htm
- MCAT Student Manual. This manual provides detailed information about the format and content of the Medical College Admission Test. The manual contains science content listings and describes the science problem-solving, critical thinking, and communications/writing skills tested by the examination. Preparation and test-taking strategies are described. $15.00.
- MCAT Practice Test 6R and Solutions (paper or web). This is a full-length MCAT, comprised of previously administered MCAT items. This test has been updated to reflect all the content, format and scoring changes to the MCAT for 2003! An accompanying Solutions Booklet provides detailed answers to all items and samples of scored Writing Sample essays, $40.00. Note that the items and solutions for this practice test are included as part of the Full Membership to MCAT Practice Online ($80.00).
- From Other Sources (to be added)
- Interview Resources
- See Section IX. of this website
- Books
- The Medical School Interview, NAAHP
- Medical School: Getting in, Staying in, Staying Human, Ablow
- Get into Medical School! A Guide for the Perplexed, 1996, K. V. Iserson (http://www.galenpress.com)
- Website: http://www.studentdoctor.net
D. Health Professions Abbreviations and Acronyms
(Modified from Health Professions Advisory Program (HPAP), Syracuse University)
- AACOM – American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
- AACOMAS – American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service
- AACPM – American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine
- AACPMAS – American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service
- AADSAS – American Association of Dental Schools Application Service
- AAMC – American Association of Medical Colleges
- AAVMC – Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
- ADEA – American Dental Education Association (formerly the Amer. Assoc. of Dental Schools (AADS)
- AED - Alph Epsilon Delta Prehealth Honor Society
- AHPAT – Allied Health Professions Admissions Test
- AMA – American Medical Association
- AMCAS – American Medical College Application Service
- AOA – American Osteopathic Association
- APA – American Podiatry Association
- CASPA - Ventral Application Service for Physician Assistants
- DAT – Dental Admission Test
- FMG – Foreign Medical Graduate
- GRE – Graduate Record Exam
- JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association
- JAOA – Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
- MAT – Miller Analogy Test
- MCAT – Medical College Admission Test
- Med-MAR – Medical Minority Applicant Registry
- MSAR – Medical School Admission Requirements
- MSTP – Medical Scientist Training Program
- NBME I – National Board of Medical Examiners Examination, Part I Basic Sciences
- NBME II – National Board of Medical Examiners Examination, Part II Clinical Sciences
- NEJM – New England Journal of Medicine
- OAT – Optometry Admission Test
- PAC - PreHealth Advisory Committee
- PCAT – Pharmacy College Admission Test
- PharmCAS - Pharmacy Central Application Service
- SAPP - Student Association of Prehealth Professionals
- USMLE – United States Medical Licensing Examination
- VCAT - Veterinary College Admission Test (no longer offered)
- VMCAS – Veterinary Medical College Application Service
E. Additional Web Sites
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