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Application Process
Health Professions Applicant Handbook
This Applicant Handbook is intended as a guide for
students ready to begin the application process to
allopathic and osteopathic medical school. Much of the
information applies to other doctoral level health
professions as well, but you should consult with
Carol
Baffi-Dugan, Program Director for Health Professions
Advising or Shirley B. Smith, Associate Director of
Pre-Professional Advising for specifics regarding your
intended career.
In addition to this resource you will need
The Health
Professions Recommendation Committee Information Packet
to be fully informed about this application process and
to acquire the required forms. Both booklets should be kept throughout the process and
referred to when you have questions. They are not
substitutes for your contact with Carol Baffi-Dugan,
Shirley Smith, and the administrative assistant for the HPRC, but can answer many questions and help you
negotiate this complex process
HANDBOOK CONTENTS
- Making the Decision: Is medicine for me? Am I
competitive? When to Apply? Am I competitive? When
to apply
- The Application: AMCAS/AACOMAS, Personal
Statement, Transcripts, Acknowledgements, Non-AMCAS,
Where to Apply, Early Decision
- The Standardized Test: MCAT, other tests
- Letters of Recommendation: The HPRC, Individual
Letters, the Composite Letter, Sending Letters
- Financing the Application Process
- Interviews and Beyond
- Common Questions and Answers
- The Timeline
- Appendices: Application Services, Test Services,
Internet Sites, and Resources
Printable
version of Health Professions Applicant Handbook
Applicant Emails
AMCAS Tips
AADSAS Tips
AACOMAS Tips
FAQs
Nuts & Bolts of Applying:
What about standardized tests?
The MCAT, Medical College Admission Test, is a one day,
standardized exam, required by all medical schools and
podiatry schools. The MCAT is designed to test material
covered in introductory undergraduate courses in general
biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and
general non- calculus physics. It also assesses your
ability to organize your thoughts and write essays. For
the most part, the required premed courses cover the
material tested on the MCAT.
Dental schools have their own exam called the DAT;
optometry schools have the OCAT. Veterinary schools
require the GRE. You can find detailed information about
all of these tests in the Resource Library or on their
association's websites.
Keep in mind that questions on the MCAT are geared
towards both concepts and some pure factual
memorization. The test is given on a Saturday, twice a
year April and August. You must take the test no later
than August, the year before your anticipated
matriculation into medical school. If you are planning
to enter medical school directly following your
graduation from Tufts, you should take the MCAT in April
of your junior year for two reasons. First, medical
admissions committees will not consider your application
until it is complete; if you do not take the MCAT until
August, the schools will not receive the scores for 60
days and your folder will not be complete until October.
With rolling admissions, you will be at a disadvantage.
Second, if by chance you do not do well in April you
will have the opportunity to retake the test in August.
Admissions committees will pay close attention to the
subsequent higher scores. If your first MCAT is in
August you will not have another chance that year to
retake it.
In order to prepare for any of these tests, you will
need to study the information from your introductory
science courses and take practice tests beginning at
least a couple of months before the test date. Various
study aids exist, including guide books and preparatory
courses. Many Tufts students enroll in commercial review
courses. Their primary value is to set up a schedule of
review and outwardly imposed discipline. They provide
good review materials and practice tests (for a high
fee). If you are sufficiently motivated to do so, you
can achieve the same thing on your own. Your end result
will depend on the amount of preparation you do,
regardless of whether or not you take a review course.
Registration material, or information on how to get it,
for all of these standardized tests can be found on-line
at the various associations (see appendix.) While
admissions committees differ widely in their use of test
scores, many feel the test provides a standardized
comparison between students with different scholastic
backgrounds. Most admissions committees seem to
understand that the test is only a one day exam, and
this can be taken into consideration when comparing the
score to the entire college record. A poor performance
does, however, predict difficulty on other standardized
exams, and all health professionals must pass multiple
tests throughout their training and for licensure.
Your test is an important part of your candidacy, so
take it seriously, plan for it and study for it.
Do I have to apply to medical school at the end of my
junior year?
Absolutely not; you can apply earlier or later. The
early acceptance program is described above.
The average age of an entering medical class is not 22
but closer to 24-25. Many applicants do not apply at the
end of their junior year but after graduation, sometimes
a number of years later. At Tufts this is true for
approximately two-thirds of our applicants. A pause of a
year or more between graduation and matriculation at
medical school can be a very good idea for a number of
reasons. Many students feel that after four years of
college they need a break before starting four more
years of studies. It also gives you a chance to do
something you may not have the chance to do after you
become a physician and/or to earn some money for your
future education. Applying later may also significantly
help your chances of admission. When you apply, medical
schools will see four years of grades instead of three
and students generally do better their last two years.
In addition, both your recommenders and admissions
committees frequently see you as a more interesting and
mature candidate. Every Tufts student should give
serious consideration to this timeline.
The trend towards older or "nontraditional" applicants
is true for virtually all the health professions, where
admissions committees are frequently seeing applicants
with significant work experience, and maturity applying
to their programs.
Can I decide to become "premed" if I did not start out
that way?
Of course. As described above, there is no one timeline
for admissions to health professions school and the
"non-traditional" applicant is becoming more and more
common. Post-baccalaureate Programs that allow college
graduates to complete premed requirements exist
throughout the country - one of the oldest is at Tufts.
You can discuss this course of action with the health
professions advisor.
How do I go about getting recommendations for medical
school?
Recommendations are an important part of the application
process, and all health professions schools require
them. Medical and dental schools generally require a
committee evaluation, provided by the student's
undergraduate college. Some other health professions
schools, such as podiatry, optometry and veterinary
medicine may accept but not require it. Tufts offers an
organized committee, the Tufts Health Professions
Recommendations Committee, which provides this critical
service.
If you are planning to enter medical school just after
graduating Tufts, then you should register with the HPRC
in Dowling Hall in spring of your junior year. The
health professions advisor will hold numerous workshops
on the medical, dental and veterinary school application
process during that spring as well.
The HPRC requires you to submit four to five letters of
recommendation prior to application and work with the
Committee. The letters of recommendation should be sent
directly to the office on the form(s) provided (they can
be obtained at Dowling Hall or on the Student Services
website). Recommenders and admissions committees may
prefer that you waive your right to read these
recommendation letters. This action shows that you have
confidence in yourself and in the people you have chosen
to write on your behalf; also, admissions committees
tend to regard confidential letters as more candid.
Since you are eventually going to need letters of
recommendation, think about getting to know at least
some of your professors, including your advisor. If they
only know you as a face in a large lecture course they
will not be able to write much of a letter. Letters of
recommendation should be from people who know you well,
and can assess your qualifications with objectivity and
insight. When considering who will write letters on your
behalf, choose people who can discuss you from various
viewpoints. Be certain to include at least one
recommendation from a professor; they need not be from
the sciences but if you can approach a science professor
for a letter, do so. Ideally, you can ask a variety of
faculty members from different departments. It is also
wise to have a letter from your major department.
You should also obtain letters from people who know you
in a professional manner, including, for example,
employers, summer internship coordinators, and
physicians or researchers with whom you have worked.
Coaches also often write very good letters. You should
avoid letters of recommendation from your personal
physicians, family friends, relatives, clergy and
politicians; these letters tend to be seen as highly
subjective and biased. Admissions committees do not find
such letters useful.
The current chair of the Health Professions
Recommendation Committee is Professor Harry Bernheim
from the Biology Department. Other committee members
represent the departments of Biology, Psychology,
Classics, Economics and Physics, as well as the School
of Engineering. You will work with the committee once
you begin the application process to medical school.
However you can submit letters of recommendation prior
to that time - forms are available in the Dowling Hall
lobby.
Who gets into school?
It is extremely difficult to get into all health
professions schools with medical school being the most
competitive. Without a doubt, students who have been
successful have been good students, who have worked
hard, developed good study skills and performed well in
their courses. But it is not the 4.0 student who is most
likely to gain admission. Students who complement their
studies with involvement in their campus community,
significant exposure to their chosen profession, and
contribution to the larger community are the most
attractive applicants. They may have a 3.5 GPA rather
than a 4.0. These students can usually clearly and
sincerely articulate their motivation for this career
and provide a strong, well-balanced application.
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