1. AMCAS 2007

2. AGENDA About AMCAS Understanding the Medical School Admissions Process
The 2007 AMCAS Application
Completing the primary application
Submitting the application
Monitoring your application’s progress
Knowing your responsibilities
The AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP)
AMCAS Application Life Cycle
Applicant FACTS

3. A. ABOUT AMCAS
A service of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Non-profit, centralized application service
Collects applicant information
Collects one set of transcripts
Verifies academic records
Provides standardized grading information to participating schools
Advisor Notes
Standardized grading information: colleges do not follow a national standard for awarding credits and grades, and therefore, GPA calculations may differ from one institution to the next according to internal standards and policies. The medical schools need a way to compare applicants on the same scale, which is why AMCAS “normalizes” grading systems and calculates an “AMCAS GPA.” The medical schools use the AMCAS GPA in their admissions review, rather than the GPA’s calculated on each school’s transcript. The following is a common example that affects many applicants:
The AMCAS GPA calculation includes all attempted credits - AMCAS does not recognize “forgiveness” policies.
Example: you failed a three-credit semester course the first time you took it, then earned an “A” the second time. If the school has a forgiveness policy, your GPA for that class will be a 4.0, but your AMCAS GPA will be 2.0.
In addition, AMCAS calculates a cumulative, undergraduate GPA for applicants who have attended more than one institution.
If the applicant wishes to calculate an approximate AMCAS GPA, s/he may use the grade conversion chart available on the AMCAS Web site, or wait for AMCAS to process the application. Once processing is complete, AMCAS will notify the applicant and provide the GPA that will be transmitted to the designated medical schools.

4. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS
Applying is a two-step process
1. Primary Application: AMCAS
2. Secondary Applications: Medical Schools
AMCAS does not screen applications or make admissions decisions
Admissions requirements and decision processes vary from school to school

5. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS
Medical School
Primary Application
AMCAS processes the primary application.
Once this processing is complete, AMCAS sends the primary application to the medical schools selected by the applicant.
At this point, the medical school takes over the application.
Secondary Application
Interview
Upon invitation from the medical school:
Submit letters of recommendation
Submit additional writing samples
Send updated transcripts if necessary
Pay additional application fee if required
Schedule interview date upon invitation from the medical school
Advisor Notes
MCAT scores: all MCAT scores taken April 2003 and later will be automatically “attached” to the AMCAS application and sent to all designated medical schools. If an applicant wishes to release scores from administrations prior to April 2003, the applicant may do so by following the directions in THx (MCAT’s online score reporting system).
Complete online application
Send college transcripts
Pay application fee

6. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS
Medical School Resources
Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR)
Minority Student Opportunities
Links to participating schools:

7. B. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS
Application Resources
AMCAS frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Online application instructions
Advisor Notes
By May 2005, AMCAS will add two new resources: an applicant checklist and an application tips sheet.
NOTE: AMCAS will be reorganizing/revamping its Web site in the spring/summer of Therefore, the screen shots on this slide will become outdated at some point, but all resources will still be available.

8. C. AMCAS 2007 General Information/Getting Ready
Know the admissions requirements at each school
Obtain copies of your transcripts
Make sure you have access to a computer that meets AMCAS system and browser requirements
Make payment arrangements
Advisor Notes
Applicants may begin filling out the application in early May (on or about May 2), but may not submit it to AMCAS until early June 1.
Obtain your transcripts for your own records and make sure they are sent to AMCAS. More will be said about this topic in a later slide.
Application and transcript deadlines: Except for early decision program, the application deadlines for Regular MD and other programs vary from school to school. The transcript deadline is typically 14 calendar days after the application deadline. Even if an applicant meets the application deadline, s/he must also meet the corresponding transcript deadline for AMCAS to process the application.
AMCAS fees for 2006: $160 for first designation; $30 for each additional.

9. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
AMCAS Registration
Use “real” biographical information during registration:
Advisor Notes
Registering with “fake” information will:
1. Delay processing, and
Prevent schools from receiving your MCAT scores
REAL EXAMPLE: an applicant did not want to enter his Social Security number, so he used some other number when registering for a AAMC ID to obtain MCAT scores. He then registered for a second AAMC ID using another ID number. His MCAT scores were not sent to the medical schools because they could not be associated with his AMCAS application. The medical schools held his application from review until they received his MCAT scores.

10. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
Application Navigation
Become familiar with the navigation sections of the application:
Advisor Notes
You can navigate through the application using the buttons at the top or the links in the middle. A button is shaded for incomplete sections, solid green/teal for complete, and red if you are currently working in that section.
The following are not descriptions of each section/button, but points to emphasize in some sections:
Main Menu: The application is available 24/7 and the Main Menu always shows your current status. Until you have received from AMCAS stating that your application has been processed, do not assume your AMCAS application is complete. Frequently check your status by logging into the Main Menu. The menu also shows you whether or not you have completed
Schools Attended: list separately all schools attended, whether or not classes were transferred from one school to another.
Biographic Information: keep this section up-to-date at all times – the schools will only accept changes to your address, phone, and through AMCAS.
Course Work: This is possibly the longest section of the application – be patient and work through this section carefully. Have transcripts in front of you– do not rely on your memory.
Work/Activities: 15 limit. Choose the most relevant and most substantial. The essay and secondary applications are opportunities to add additional experiences.
Personal Statement: To avoid formatting issues, type essay directly in the AMCAS application, do not cut and paste – AMCAS cannot change formatting problems or other errors after submission. If applying to a MD/PhD program, two additional essays are required: one stating reasons for pursuing the joint degree and one providing details of research experience.
Print Transcript Request Form: This form becomes available once Identifying Information and Schools Attended are complete. AMCAS provides this form for the applicant to send to the schools attended. Print a form for each school from which AMCAS requires a transcript and mail to the Registrar along with any fees the Registrar may charge.

11. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
Advisor Notes
Main Menu: No matter where you are in the application, you can go back to the Main Menu.
Help: Click help to get page-specific instructions.
In this example, the box to the right shows all of the sub-sections for Biographic Information. As in the Main Menu, you can track which sections are complete. Some sections use this box differently, which you will see in the next slide.

12. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
Advisor Notes
In the Course Work Section of the application, the box to the right does not list sub-sections, but is used to keep track of the courses entered for a particular school, so that you don’t have to go back to the summary or printed application to see what you have left to enter for a school.

13. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
Common Pitfalls
Missed application deadlines
Delayed processing/missed transcript deadlines
Late shipping
Incomplete or inaccurate
Missing
Unofficial
Typos and other errors in essay, experiences, etc.
Failure to receive and respond to AMCAS notifications
Advisor Notes
Application deadlines: allow enough time to complete the application – several hours and/or several sittings may be necessary
REAL EXAMPLE: an applicant began filling out the application October 15 at 10 pm – the application deadline was at midnight. The applicant had spent a couple of hours entering course work and then had trouble with another section of the application. By 12:15 am, she was able to complete and submit the application, but missed the application deadline for all of the schools on the October 15 deadline. Another example is the applicant who complete his application a few minutes before the deadline, but had to wait for his payment information to process. When the payment actually completed at 12:01, he missed some of this deadlines.
Typing errors: applicants have experienced formatting issues when cutting and pasting essays from word processing software – type the essay directly into the application. AMCAS will not make corrections after submission. Post-secondary experiences, other essays.
Communication: keep contact information up-to-date - you may update your contact information at any time, even after submission.
-filters or the use of a “junk mail file” for multiple addressee s may prevent AMCAS mail from getting through
-applicants should consider creating a separate account that they will check frequently for AMCAS correspondence
Also, remember that the Main Menu of the application always shows your current status with AMCAS and is available 24/7. Do not assume AMCAS processing is going smoothly or is complete until you receive the from us stating that your application has been processed. If you have not received this , you should be checking the Main Menu regularly. Because AMCAS makes this information available 24/7, AMCAS is cannot be held responsible for missed deadlines or other problems that may occur due to a misunderstanding of application status or requirements.

14. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
Common Pitfalls
Course work errors
Missing course work
Missing grades / credits
Incorrect academic status
Incorrect course classifications
Advisor Notes
General info:
-An AMCAS Academic year of includes course work taken during the summer and fall of 2002, winter 2002/2003 and spring 2003
-AMCAS will not make corrections based on information/transcripts received after processing is complete
Academic status: many applicants do not review the instructions for Academic Status, this is particularly true for college classes taken while in high school.
Course classifications: generally, AMCAS will not change course classifications. Course classifications affect the science GPA (BCPM), so correct classifications are imperative.
Missing course work:
-If the applicant deletes a school in the Schools Attended section after entering course work for that school, you will also delete the course work.
-AMCAS will Return your application to you if you fail to list ten or more courses in your application.
REAL EXAMPLE: An applicant was not able to obtain a transcript because he still owed money to the institution. He submitted his AMCAS application after completing the Course Work section from memory. The applicant delayed the processing for two reasons:
AMCAS was not able to send his application to the verification stage because he could not obtain an official transcript.
Once he was able to provide an official transcript, AMCAS found that he forgot to enter more than ten courses that appeared on the transcript.

15. C. COMPLETING THE PRIMARY APPLICATION
Common Pitfalls
Software requirements v. application requirements
AMCAS requirements v. medical school requirements
Advisor Notes
Applicants often misunderstand the difference between software and application requirements and between AMCAS and medical school requirements.
Software v application, for example:
-grades are required even if they are on the transcript, but you can submit the app (I.e., the software does not prevent you from submitting your app w/out grades)
AMCAS v med school, for example:
-AMCAS does not require the MCAT in order to process your application, however, the most med schools not only require the MCAT but also require min score
-AMCAS does not require foreign transcripts, but the med schools may ask for them

16. C. SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION
Early is good. Error-free is better!
Emphasize completeness and accuracy over early submission
Use print option to check your data as final step before submission
Have your payment information ready
Ensure successful submission by checking the Main Menu
Advisor Notes
Payments must be made online, either by credit card or e-check. The applicant must be able to pay for all designations at the time of submission. If an applicant wants to apply to several schools, but only has funding for a partial payment, he may designate only those schools for which he can pay, and then add the other schools later (provided the application deadlines have not passed) when funds are available.

17. C. MONITORING YOUR APPLICATION’S PROGRESS
Check your AMCAS status
Monitor progress by frequently checking and Main Menu:
Advisor Notes
The following statuses refer only to AMCAS processing.
Not Submitted: you have begun filling out the application but have not submitted it to AMCAS.
Submitted to AMCAS – Not Ready for Review: you have filled out your application, paid your application fees, and submitted (electronically transmitted) your application to AMCAS. However, AMCAS is still waiting for transcripts.
Submitted to AMCAS – Ready for Review : you have submitted your application and AMCAS has received your transcripts. NOTE: at this point, AMCAS has marked your transcripts as received, but has not necessarily determined that they are all official and complete.
Submited to AMCAS – Under Review: Once your status changes to Ready for Review, your application does in line (behind those that were ready prior to yours). Once your application is at the top of your list, it goes to a “verifier” for review. your application is currently under review. The verifiers will determine if your transcripts are official and complete. At this point, the verifier will:
1) If any transcript is deemed unofficial or incomplete, the verifier will mark the transcript as missing and place your application back on Hold and immediately notify you by , or
2) If your transcripts are official and complete, the verifier will ensure that you correctly entered all of your course work, grades, credits, and academic statuses.
Returned to Applicant: If, during verification, the verifier determines that you did not enter 10 or more courses in your application that appear on your transcripts, the verifier will “return” your application so that you can enter the course work. You will then have to resubmit your application, provided that applications deadlines have not passed at this point. When you resubmit, your application goes to Ready for Review and waits in line again.
AMCAS Processing Complete: Your application will be sent to the designated medical schools for which you have met the application and transcript deadlines. Note: schools vary in how and when they receive processed applications, but they usually all receive them approximately one week from the processed date.

18. C. KNOWING YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Applicant Responsibilities
In addition to meeting deadlines and accurately completing the AMCAS application, you must:
Know the admissions requirements at each school
Promptly notify AMCAS of change in contact info
Review verified course work immediately after AMCAS processing is complete
Advisor Notes
Know the admissions requirements at each school you intend to designate, including: pre-requisite courses, MCAT and GPA requirements, state residency requirements. AMCAS will not refund application fees for failure to understand and comply with individual school requirements and restrictions.
Change in contact info: must be made in the AMCAS application ASAP. Changes will then be sent to the medical schools designated in the application. Please note: is the primary means by which AMCAS will communicate with you. AMCAS will not be held responsible for issues that arise due to incorrect contact information in the application.
Verified course work: when AMCAS processing is complete, AMCAS will notify you by . Once you receive the , review your course work and verification marks for accuracy. If you have questions or concerns about the way AMCAS verified your classes, academic status, grades, or credits, notify AMCAS immediately by submitting an Academic Change Request form, AMCAS will review your reasons for the request and respond in business days. AMCAS will only make changes if an error occurs during AMCAS processing – the change request is not to be used to correct applicant errors. If a discrepancy is found after a medical school has rendered an admissions decision, AMCAS will not be able to assist you for that application year.

19. C. KNOWING YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Applicant Responsibilities
In addition to meeting deadlines and accurately completing the AMCAS application, you must:
Respond promptly to interview invitations from the medical schools
File for financial aid as soon as possible
Withdraw from the schools you will not attend
Advisor Notes
Financial Aid: applicants in need of financial aid must initiate the steps necessary to determine their eligibility as early as possible. This includes filing the appropriate needs analysis forms in January or February, filing income tax forms early, and encouraging their parents (if necessary) to file their income tax forms early.
Admissions Acceptance: once you make a final decision about which medical school you will attend, you must promptly withdraw your application from any other schools to which you have been admitted.

20. D. AAMC FEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Assists individuals with extreme financial limitations
Based on federal poverty guidelines
Reduces MCAT fee
Provides 11 free medical school designations for AMCAS
Funded by AAMC
Applicants apply online and receive timely decision
Advisor Notes
FAP approval provides:
MCAT Reduction from $200 to $85 for up to two administrations in the year the approval is granted
AMCAS Fee Waiver - up to 11 free medical schools designations ($460)
Appropriate fees, at a rate of $30 per school, must be paid to process an application to medical schools
beyond this initial set of 11.

21. D. LEARN MORE ABOUT FAP

22. E. CONTACT INFORMATION
When contacting AAMC:
Know your AAMC ID
Be prepared to provide your SSN/SIN and DOB
Be prepared to provide specific information about your issue
QUESTIONS ABOUT
CONTACT an Applicant Relations Specialist
AMCAS – any questions about the primary application
(202)
FAP
(202) phone
Advisor Notes
Keep a record of all communications with AAMC, including:
-the date and time of your or phone call
-the details of your inquiry
-the name of the Applicant Relations Specialist or other staff member

23. F. AMCAS APPLICATION LIFE CYCLE
May take up to 6 weeks*
Not Submitted to AMCAS
Submitted to AMCAS – Ready for Review
Submitted to AMCAS – Under Review
AMCAS Processing Complete
Submitted to AMCAS – Waiting for Transcripts
Submitted to AMCAS – Waiting for Transcripts
Returned to Applicant
Advisor Notes
During the peak period for AMCAS (September – November), AMCAS may require approximately 6 weeks to move an application from Ready for Review to Under Review. However, the 4-6 weeks timeline is only an approximate range; AMCAS has processed some applications within a day, and has one occasion, needed more than 6 weeks to complete processing. The latter statement is especially important to note for someone who may need to request a withdrawal. Withdrawals and refunds can only be given if the application has not been processed and if the application deadlines have not passed. Once you submit your application, do not expect to have another few weeks to request a refund, since AMCAS could potentially process your application immediately.
If AMCAS Returns or places the status back to Waiting for Transcripts, the application will not become Ready for Review again until the applicant has met the requirements. Once Ready for Review again, the application will be reviewed in turn, which means that AMCAS may need another few weeks during the peak season to move the application from Ready to Review to Under Review.

24. G. APPLICANT FACTS
Average MCAT Scores

25. Median Grade Point Averages
G. Applicant Facts
Median Grade Point Averages
GPA
2003
2004
2005
Applicants
Matriculants
BCPM
3.36
3.55
3.56
3.37
All Other
3.6
3.7
Cumulative
3.47
3.62
3.48
3.63
BCPM = Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math
All Other = all courses not classified as BCPM
Cumulative = all courses

26. 2004 Applicants & Matriculants by Primary Undergraduate Major
G. Applicant Facts
2004 Applicants & Matriculants by Primary Undergraduate Major
Applicants 2005
Applicants
Matriculants
Biological Sciences
21,263
9,545
Humanities
1,526
797
Math and Statistics
250
133
Other
4,215
1,706
Physical Sciences
4,564
2,300
Social Sciences
4,291
2,078
Specialized Health Sciences
1,255
445

27. G. Applicant Facts
For more applicant data, go to: