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• Career Exploration
• Preparing to Apply
• MCAT
• Application Process
• Admissions Process
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• Summary
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• Are you prepared to dedicate yourself to learning the skills required to become a doctor? (According to The Insiders Guide to Medical School Admissions, …”essentially you are committing up to 11 years to training”).
• Have you met with a physician to learn more about “a day in the life of a doctor”?
• Do you have any hands on experience in a hospital environment?
• Do you care about other people, their problems, and their pain?
• Have you chosen an undergraduate major that will adequately prepare you for success in medical school? One including coursework in biology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and English?
• Do you enjoy learning, gaining new understanding? Do you often dig deeper into a subject than your teacher requires?

• Upon deciding on a career in medicine, consult your school’s pre-medical advisor ASAP.
• Consult a copy of the MSAR™ (Medical School Admission Requirements) – a resource book published by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
  • It contains information on admission requirements at US and Canadian medical schools.
  • Aims to help students approach their goals realistically and to plan their education carefully.

• The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is a national, standardized test for applicants to medical schools.
• It is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
• The MCAT assesses your knowledge of basic science concepts, problem solving skills, critical thinking, and writing skills.
• The goal of the MCAT is to assist admissions committees to predict which applicants will be most successful in medical school.
• The test consists of 4 sections:
  • Physical sciences (physics & gen. chemistry)
  • Verbal reasoning
  • Writing Sample
  • Biological Sciences (biology & organic chemistry)
• The MCAT is administered in April and August of each year. Applicants are advised to take the MCAT approximately 18 months before they plan to enter medical school.
• The length of the MCAT test day is approximately 9.5 hours (including breaks and lunch).

• Scoring of the MCAT is derived by scoring the 4 sections separately.
• Each section is graded on a scale of 1 to 15
• The raw score on the Writing section is converted to a letter grade ranging from J (low) to T (high).
• The average score on each multiple choice section of the MCAT is 8 out of 15, or 24 out of 45 total.
• A score of O for the essay portion is considered normal.

NOTE: Most competitive medical schools look for a combined score of 30 minimum on the MCAT, but there is a wide range of scores deemed acceptable by medical schools. If your MCAT score is lower, your GPA will need to be higher.
 

• The Fee Assistance Program is available for those individuals who have “extreme financial limitations”.
• It reduces the MCAT test fee from $185 to $80.

• Students interested in pursuing medical school are advised to PREPARE for the MCAT by taking a prep course, ordering printed test booklets, or accessing online practice tests
• Free online practice tests are available online at:
  • http://www.e-mcat.com  or
  • www.princetonreview.com/medical/testprep/testprep.asp?
    TPRPAGE=82&TYPE=MCAT 
• The Office of Graduate & Professional Opportunities in conjunction with the Princeton Review offers a MCAT test prep course during the academic year.

• About 90% of students begin the medical school application process at or near the end of their junior year in college.
• According to the Insider’s Medical Guide, prospective medical school applicants “should arrange to have all applications 5 months before applying.”
• Most students take up to 3 months to complete the application.

 **FEE WAIVERS ARE AVAILABLE FOR QUALIFIED APPLICANTS.

AMCAS application procedure

• Your pre-med advisor can assist you in obtaining an AMCAS application, or
  You may also contact AMCAS directly at amcas@aamc.org  for additional information.
• Applicants are also encouraged to complete the electronic version of the AMCAS application. Information about this service is also available on the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) website www.aamc.org.
• Primary application to AMCAS consists of several sections:
  • Personal Information
  • Academic Information
  • Activities
  • Awards & Honors
  • Personal Statement (essay)
  • Designated Medical School to apply
  • Letters of Recommendation are also required during the application process.
• Transcripts must also be sent to AMCAS as soon as available.
   
• The AMCAS processing period last 4 to 6 weeks, and begins once all materials (application and supporting documents) have been received.
  Upon receipt, your information is then verified.
   
• After your application has been verified, your AMCAS GPA is calculated.
  (NOTE: this GPA may differ from the GPA calculated by your school).
   
• Following GPA calculation, you will be notified via e-mail that your application has completed the verification process.
   
• Finally, the application and its supporting documents will be forwarded to your designated schools to be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

• Rolling Admissions: ”Most – if not all - medical schools have what is called a “rolling admissions” process.
  • The “rolling admissions” process reviews applications as they become complete and admission determinations are made throughout the process. They do not wait for an application deadline to make acceptance or rejections.
     
• Secondary Applications: After receiving your primary application, each school will determine whether to reject the applicant or to send a secondary application.
  • Secondary applications contain a few questions that require short essay responses. Usually the goal here is to evaluate your writing skills.
  • There is usually a secondary application fee that must be paid to the school during this process.
     
• The Interview: After secondary applications are processed, the admissions committee determines whether an interview will be granted.
  • THIS MEANS THAT YOU ARE VIEWED AS A STRONG CANDIDATE.
  • Interviews present an additional cost to the applicant, who usually must fund this trip himself.
  • The interview is usually the last step in the formal medical school application process.
     
• After the Interview: After the interview, there is typically a waiting period before you are notified of your status (accepted, rejected, or waitlist).
  • Accepted: You will have a deadline to accept the offer to attend.
  • Rejected: Don’t despair… you still have other schools who are making decisions.
  • Waitlist: Don’t give up… you still have a chance of being admitted.

• School rank
• Location
• Cost
• Social support
• Research opportunities

• Preparation is key. To insure that you perform your best on the MCAT, prepare for the MCAT by taking a course, studying past tests, etc.
  • The Ofc. Of Graduate & Professional Opportunities offers Princeton Review test prep courses in conjunction with the TSU Testing Center. The cost of the MCAT test prep course is $500.00.
  • If you have a financial hardship, don’t give up on medical school. Consider applying for a fee waiver.
     
• Pay close attention to the admissions requirements at your schools of choice.
  • MEET ALL DEADLINES – apply as early as possible!
     
• Prepare for your interviews. Dress professionally!
   
• CONSULT YOUR PRE-MED ADVISOR REGULARLY.

• Tennessee State University (TSU) and Meharry Medical College (MMC) have established a partnership to offer a dual degree program in medicine.
   
• MMC permits qualified TSU students who have completed a 3 year course of study and met the appropriate entrance criteria, to enroll at MMC for the first year of medical training.
  After successful completion of the first year, the students return to TSU to be awarded a BS degree in Biology or Chemistry and then return to their professional studies at MMC.

• 2003 MCAT Essentials. Association of American Medical Colleges.
  www.aamc.org/mcat .
  Date accessed: 05/14/03.
   
• AAMC: Considering a Career in Medicine: Getting into Med School.
  http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/gettingin.htm .
  Date accessed: 05/14/03.
   
• Learn about the MCAT.
  http://www.princetonreview.com/include/testprep/printpage.asp?TPRPAGE=12.
  Date accessed:05/14/03.
   
• Medical School Admissions: The Process from premed requirements to MCAT. http://www.bestpremed.com/applyMD.htm .
  Date accessed: 06/13/03.
   
• How to Gain Admission to Medical School. (1999). I. Oransky, E. Poulsen, D.M. Sanghari, & J.K. Varma (Eds.), The Insider’s Guide to Medical Schools. Princeton: Peterson’s.
   
• The Application Process. (1997).R.S. Toyos, The Insider’s Guide to Medical School Admissions. Franklin Lakes: Career Press.
   
• The Premedical & Medical Schools Admission Guide. E. Wang. http://www.medicalschool.com/Applicationoverview.htm .
  Date accessed: 06/13/03.
   
• The Premedical & Medical Schools Admission Guide. E. Wang. http://www.medicalschool.com/MCAT.htm .
  Date accessed: 06/13/03.
   
• When Should I Apply to Medical School?
  http://www.info.gradschools.com/review/mcat/when.html.
  Date accessed: 05/14/03.