Health Professions

Example Timeline

Freshman Year:

  • Talk with you Advisor to schedule your first semester classes
  • Meet with Pre-Professional Advisor to learn premed requirements
  • Think about major and minor
  • Plan a tentative degree plan for the next 3 ½ years
  • Develop study skills and maintain excellent GPA
  • Begin extracurricular activities and participate in premed club
  • Get AAMC’s MCAT Student Manual for subject outlines
  • Work/volunteer in medical area
  • Subscribe to medical student journals or websites and read interesting books about medicine
  • Challenge yourself to get a summer internship/volunteer job working with patients

Sophomore Year:

  • Work/volunteer in medical area
  • Meet with Pre-Professional Advisor to discuss your progress
  • Fine tune your schedule and degree plan with your academic advisor
  • Maintain excellent GPA
  • Check medical school’s entry requirements
  • Consider participating in research
  • Work/volunteer in medical area and consider what you will do this summer
  • Apply to MMEP (minorities only)
  • Study for MCAT (summer before junior year only if Physics with a Lab is completed)
  • Apply for MCAT (if you will take it early)
  • Plan for any special junior-year program (ie. Junior year abroad)

Junior Year:

  • Study for MCAT (if not yet taken)
  • Apply for MCAT (if not yet taken)
  • Take MCAT by mid-June, scores are reported about 30 days after test is taken
  • Meet with Pre-Professional Advisor again and maintain the best GPA you can
  • December → Check websites for application procedures and begin personal statement
  • Gather information about medical schools to which you may apply
  • Learn about AMCAS/AACOMAS/other application services. Plan for the finances needed to apply.
  • 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 medical area and consider what you will do this summer
  • Fill out questionnaire about yourself and submit it with transcripts, personal statements, and c.v. to the pre-professional committee
  • Meet with pre-professional committee and submit letters of recommendation no later than May
  • May-AMCAS opens for data entry but submission is mid-June
  • June-AMCAS starts accepting applications
  • June-Premed committee writes 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)

Senior Year:

  • 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 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 letter confirming interest
  • Consider what you will do this summer (keep 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

Formula to predict competitive applicant: Science GPA X 10 + MCAT = >65