Applicant Session 1: The Ins and Outs of Applying

David Verrier, PhD, DirectorAna Droscoski, JD, Associate DirectorEllen Snydman, MS, Assistant Director

Katie Cruit, MS, Assistant Director

Office of Pre-Professional Programs & Advising

Garland Hall, 3rd Floor Phone: 410-516-4140

Website: http://web.jhu.edu/prepro

First… Are you a competitive applicant?

• Do you have a competitive Cumulative GPA, BCPM GPA and MCAT? (what are competitive numbers?)

• Do you have research or evidence of scholarly/academic investment?

• Do you have strong medically-related exposure? • Do you have meaningful community service?

– Consider: length of time, depth of experience, insight gained– Have you reflected on what you’ve learned through your experiences?

• Do you have evidence of leadership?• Will you have strong letters of recommendation?

Second…Are you ready? • Can you clearly, meaningfully, and authentically communicate

why you want to be a medical professional?• Do you have time to focus on the HPCA, AMCAS application,

letters of rec., graduation, MCAT, finding a gap year experience, personal statement, secondary applications?

• Do you need to consider your junior year vs. senior year transcript; do you need post-bac and/or masters coursework?

• Does the timing of the process work to your advantage?• Are you applying from a position of strength?

COA-Endorsed Core Entry-level Personal Competencies• Integrity and Ethics

• Reliability and Dependability

• Service Orientation

• Social and Interpersonal Skills

• Teamwork

• Capacity for Improvement

• Resilience and Adaptability

• Cultural Competence

• Oral Communication

How will these be reflected in your application?

2013 APPLICATION CYCLE TIMELINEInternal Process – November 2011 to June 2012

Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March April May

June

11/2011Applicant Meetings; Initial Request of Rec. Letters

3/30/2012HPCA Deadline

12/2011HPCA Application AvailableOnline

5/2012Committee

InterviewsEnd

Committee Application Available Online

Committee Interviews

Students Request Letters of Recommendation via veCollect

5 /2102Begin Work on AMCAS/ AACOMAS/ AADSAS application

6/2012Early submission of AMCAS/ AACOMAS/ AADSAS application ; follow-up with Pre-Prof. Office

Mid-June20124-6 letters of rec. submitted

4/2012CommitteeInterviews Begin

Work on HPCA from December to March

Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March April May

June July August

October 15,2012

First acceptances sent out by medical schools with rolling admissions; AMCAS deadline for many schools

May 15, 2013

Last date to hold multiple acceptances

2013 APPLICATION CYCLE TIMELINEExternal Process – May 2012 to August 2013

Aug. 2013

Med/Dental School begins

March, 2013

Interviews end at most medical schools

Oct. Sept.

Acceptances off of Waitlists

Aug. JulyJuneMay

Acceptances

Medical School Interviews

Sept., 2012

Med/Dental School interviews begin

Early May, 2012

AMCAS, AADSAS,AACOMASgo online

Early June, 2012

First date to submit AMCAS AADSAS,AACOMAS

AMCAS/AADSAS/AACOMAS

The Committee Letter• 3 – 4 page narrative• Sections of the letter include:

I. Candidate Overview

II. Research

III. Medically Related Experience

IV. Community Service

V. Other Activities

VI. Closing Comments

• All of your recommendation letters are attached

Letters of Recommendation

• Follow through with veCollecto Register and receive manualo Ask recommenders for LOR before putting their names into veCollecto Give writers: resume, transcript (optional), paragraph on why you want to be a

physician, copies of appropriate papers.

• Request letters nowo Recommenders who know you well; can speak of your knowledge, skills and

abilities as a future physician; can speak in terms of personal competencies.o Recommended distribution: science faculty, non-science faculty, those outside of

the classroom (research PI, athletic coach, volunteer supervisor, employer, etc.)

• Letters should be submitted to veCollect by mid-June

• Submission of letters of recommendation (with Committee Letter) totally separate from submission of AMCAS

How does the MCAT factor into your application?• If taken by May, can choose to see scores before submitting

AMCAS application in June.• If taken June or later, usually advised to submit your AMCAS

application before knowing your score.• Scores automatically released to AMCAS and immediately

available to your schools.• Non-AMCAS schools can receive scores via the MCAT

Testing History (THx) System.• Plan to only take test once.• When does it make sense to retake?

Personal StatementSchools view your personal statement as…• A chance to move beyond your numbers and really show the admissions committee who you are and

why you are applying.• A significant factor in whether or not you will be invited to interview.• A writing sample.

Some Keys: Authenticity, engagement, clarity of theme, intro-body-closing…

Questions to consider:• What experiences have shaped me the most and how?• Why is it important for me to tell admissions committees about this topic as it relates to me?• What does this topic choice tell admissions committees about me? How does my topic reflect on me?• How is this topic relevant to my pursuit of the health professions and to my application to health

professions school?

Personal Statement Workshops

(only need to attend one)

Thursday, April 5, 5 – 6 pm, Mergenthaler 111

Thursday, April 12, 5 – 6 pm, Maryland 110

Wednesday, April 18, 5 – 6 pm, Ames 234

Selecting Medical Schools• Last year:

$160 for application and one (1) school

+ $33 for each additional school

+ $50 - $125 for each secondary application• Key consideration – 10th to 90th percentiles in MSAR• Other key selection factors: residency, location, cost, class size,

male/female ratio, diversity, mission, curriculum, student life, special programs, personal considerations

• How many schools to choose?o Average number nationally is 14 schools/applicanto Average number for JHU students is between 15-20/applicanto Limited # reach schools, majority where your numbers are equal to or above

competitive indices, and, if available, “safety schools”

o Strongly consider applying to osteopathic schools• Sources of information: MSAR, Website, Interview Reports

AMCAS/AACOMAS

• Application available approximately May 1.• Can start submitting application approximately June1.• AMCAS/AACOMAS “verifies” academic and other demographic

information; downloads to schools selected by applicants.• Additional schools can be added through the AMCAS website—

Must notify Mrs. Krause or Mrs. Sanders to insure schools are forwarded Committee Packet.

AMCAS/AACOMAS Workshops(only need to attend one)

Thursday, April 26, 5 – 6 pm, Maryland 110

Monday, May 7, 5 – 6 pm, Maryland 110

What Does It Cost to Apply to Med School?

Estimated costs to apply and interview:– MCAT x 1 @ $240 $240– AMCAS Application (1 school) $160– Additional 19 schools @$33 each $627– 15 Supplemental App Costs @ $100 each $1500– Total Pre-interview Estimated Costs $2527

And that’s before interviewing!Add hundreds (or thousands) of dollars in

interview travel expenses…trains, planes, cabs, food, etc.

Ongoing Contact with Pre-Professional Office

• HPCA due no later than March 30, 4 pm!

• When you officially apply to medical schools, submit electronic copy of AMCAS application, the AMCAS Letter form, and Master List of Schools to Pre-Prof. Office. We do not submit Committee Packet without these materials.

Note: Medical schools do not begin receiving AMCAS applications until July.

• Pre-Prof. Office starts uploading your Committee Letter with veCollect letters of rec in mid-July.

• Notification of additional schools.

• Notification if recommenders change.

Strong suggestion: Get to know Mrs. Krause and Mrs. Sanders for questions regarding administrative aspects of the process.

Other Considerations:

• MD/PhD Applicant Information Session on Monday, March 12, 5 – 6 pm, Shaffer 101

• Health Professions Fair on Tuesday, April 10, 11 am – 2 pm, Glass Pavilion

• Osteopathic Medical Colleges (open up your sights and possibilities)

• Dental Schools (meet with Ms. Droscoski)

• Institutional Action

• Professionalism!!!

Key Resources

Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR). Profiles and statistics on every US and Canadian medical school. Purchased through Association of American Medical Colleges: http://www.aamc.org or at http://www.amazon.com

Osteopathic Medical College Information Book. Contact the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, http://www.aacom.org/Pages/default.aspx. A few copies are available in the Pre-Prof Office.

MCAT application information, preparation and FAQs: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/

Official MCAT practice tests: http://www.e-mcat.com/

The Pre-Professional Office website: http://web.jhu.edu/prepro/health/applicants.html

Questions?