5 Steps to Take In Preparation for the AMCAS Application

Let's face it. The medical school admissions process can be very competitive. Here at the MSU College of Human Medicine (CHM), for example, over 6,000 applications are received annually.

It is said often and truthfully that one of the keys to successful admission into medical school is applying early. Applicants should be ready at every stage of the process, which means preparing before the process even begins.

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) application is available in May and allows submissions in June. With the starting line for the next cycle right around the corner, now is the time when potential applicants are wondering how they can prepare in order to place themselves in the best position for when the AMCAS application opens.

Here are some tips of what you can be doing to prepare in the meantime.

Make A Plan
Or in other words, make a timeline if you haven't done so already. This means doing some digging for relevant dates and deadlines. Each medical school has their own timeline so it'll be helpful in the long-run to make note of all important dates, should that information be available.

Beyond having those dates, making a plan will help alleviate some of the anxiety that may occur throughout the cycle. A plan can help keep you steps ahead and will allow you time to keep preparing for subsequent stages of the process.

Research
Research and making a plan go hand-in-hand because the timeline you take moving forward is heavily influenced by the schools you are genuinely interested in. By now, you should have a strong interest in a few.

While gathering the dates and deadlines (usually found on the school's website), spend a little more time to look over the schools with the intention of evaluating where each school still stands. Doing a little more research can help you make some beneficial decisions about where to apply and weed out the school you have no interest in attending.

What is each school's mission and do they align with your interests? What are each school's premedical requirements? How much does it cost to attend? Do you want to concentrate on applying to schools out-of-state, closer to home, or does proximity not matter?

Right now is when you can cut the schools you can't see yourself attending from the list. Once you have a better picture of the schools you'd like to seriously apply to, you can also make note of their premedical requirements and adjust accordingly, which play a big role in your timeline.

Additionally, you should also review how to apply to AMCAS. There, you will find information on frequently asked questions as well as descriptions to each of the application's sections.

Elizabeth Lyons, admissions advisor for CHM, would also suggest potential applicants take a look at the resources page on the AMCAS site.

"Applicants often have trouble with certain sections of the application, so if they can familiarize themselves early, the process of applying may be easier," Lyons says.

Experience
Having both clinical exposure and examples of leadership are extremely important to your application. Exposure can be acquired in a number of ways.

Shadowing a doctor is a great route to getting that exposure and has proven very enlightening for many applicants. Finding a physician to shadow may take some time and effort so it's a good idea to be proactive sooner than later.

While some applicants have been able to acquire employment at clinics and hospitals, volunteering is naturally another great option.


Shadowing is helpful, but receive clinical experiences of depth as well

At CHM, we strongly suggest that your volunteer experiences help identify your interests. If you have a desire to study, say, pediatrics, an example to consider would be volunteering at a children's clinic, hospital, or some sort of youth organization.

Organizations like the American Red Cross, United Way, and Susan G. Komen Foundation often look for volunteers. Places like nursing homes or community centers are also good options to consider.

Getting a look at day-to-day activities and gaining some valuable experiences are of obvious benefit. Yet it should not go unnoticed that you will also be making some important contacts you should, in turn, be able to utilize in the future. You will need people to write letters of evaluation and recommendation, right?

In regards to leadership, your experiences don't have to be medical- or health-related. However, like your volunteer experiences, we suggest that it reflect your interests. Sometimes, volunteer opportunities can even lead to leadership opportunities. For example, volunteering at Susan G. Komen can lead to organizing a local Race for the Cure committee.

Exemplifying leadership can mean taking active roles in numerous types of organizations, such as ethnic or religious organizations. Have you participated in committees for sports leagues, festivals, or other events?

If you feel you have the time to gain even more exposure, now is the time. We'd love to hear about it in your application.

Begin Working on Your Personal Statement
Beyond the experience and academics, an extremely important portion of the AMCAS application is the personal statement. The personal statement is 5300 characters, which is approximately 1.5 pages, single-spaced.

Personal statements are vital to helping schools differentiate candidates from one another. It's what your statement says about you that can have a strong impact on whether you receive an interview or not, so taking the time to write, er, orchestrate your personal statement is a solid decision.

We'll be discussing the personal statement at length and offering more tips in another blog post in the future so stay tuned. At this point, drafts should certainly be created. Note also that MD/PhD candidates must also supply two additional essays.

"This is your opportunity to describe who you are and why you are uniquely qualified for a career in health beyond GPA and MCAT results." says CHM admissions advisor, Brian Ulrich.

"Advocate for yourself."

Gather & Review Your Paperwork
Applications will not be reviewed without the necessary documents so gathering the pertinent paperwork beforehand can be very wise.

This is a great time to get your letters of evaluation and recommendation in order. Up to ten letter entries can be created in the AMCAS application. Be thoughtful of who can provide some solid examples of your contributions and ambitions.

Copies of your transcripts and experience information will also come in handy as certain portions of the AMCAS application require detailed information regarding your course work.

But Bryde believes gathering your paperwork is just the first step. With your paperwork gathered and readily available, it's also important to take time to review your documents for grammar and typos.

There is no spellchecker in the AMCAS application and applicants are not allowed to change anything once an application has been submitted.

So there you have it. We, the CHM office of admissions, hope this information serves you well. Ensure you allow yourself enough time to make sure that the necessary steps get done. The journey is just beginning.

Good luck!