Now that the 2018-2019 AACOMAS and AMCAS application cycles are officially open, I wanted to offer some advice based on my observations and frequently asked questions.

• DEADLINES AND PLANNING

o I’m starting with this because I hope you will carefully plan your timeline for applying to your medical schools of choice.

o Some schools (including LMU-DCOM) will accept a January 2019 MCAT score for fall 2019 matriculation. If you are applying with a January 2019 MCAT, you should probably plan to have everything else submitted prior to that test so you can make sure you are not missing anything other than your MCAT.

o Most schools admit on a rolling basis. The LMU-DCOM deadline is March 15, but DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE. It can take AACOMAS several weeks to verify a transcript. You don’t want to wait until the last day to submit and then learn that you are missing items.

o If you are concerned about budgeting for matriculation deposits, check with each school to determine their deposit amounts and deadlines. For osteopathic medical schools, I recommend that you consult the Osteopathic Medical College Information Book (CIB): http://www.aacom.org/news-and-events/publications/2018-2019_cib

• Letters of recommendation

o Be sure to check each school’s requirements. Some DO schools require a letter from a DO. Others (like LMU-DCOM) will accept a letter from a DO or an MD. When choosing your letter writers, it is important that you choose individuals who are actually familiar with your experience and potential.

o In addition to a letter from a physician, LMU-DCOM requires a letter from a pre-health advising committee OR letters from two science professors. If your school does not have a pre-health advising committee, then you will need letters from two science professors. If you do not know if your school has a pre-health advising committee, it probably doesn’t!

o If you are a non-traditional student who is unable to contact previous professors, talk to each individual school about letter substitutions. In some cases, you may be able to submit letters from work supervisors, research PI’s, etc.

• MCAT and GPA

o Familiarize yourself with the MCAT and GPA requirements of each school. Some schools do not have minimum requirements; in this case, inquire about their averages. If your GPA is below the school’s average, ask if they look for upward trends in grades or if they still do grade replacement. Keep in mind that AACOMAS no longer does grade replacement when calculating GPA.

• Letters of interest/intent

o If a school is seriously your top choice, it’s not enough to just say, “Your school is my first choice.” Explain why they’re your first choice. Show that you have done your research. Express your passion and motivation for studying medicine at that school. Know their mission. Think about how your application reflects your fit with that mission.

o Avoid sending emails to multiple medical schools at one time. If you do this, you will seem less sincere in your “your school is my first choice” emails!

• Non-traditional applicants

o I sometimes observe hesitation from non-traditional applicants that I meet. Quite often, their hesitation is unfounded. Many non-traditional applicants possess maturity, motivation, and valuable experience. With that in mind, be sure that your application clearly outlines your path to medical school. If you are changing careers, what led to the career change? What have you done to facilitate that career change? What experiences have prepared you for medical school?

• Gap years

o There is no “one size fits all” approach to a gap year. Taking post-bacc classes, enrolling in a master’s program, conducting research, gaining additional work or volunteer experience in the medical field, participating in a long-term mission trip, or retaking the MCAT are all valuable ways to spend a gap year – it depends on the individual. It also depends on the schools you are considering. If your weakness is GPA, your time and money might be best spent on a post-bacc or master’s program instead of on research. If you are leaning toward research, examine how heavily the schools you are considering weigh research. Take a close look at your application package as it stands; if you have a pre-health advisor, be proactive about seeking their advice (and heeding it).

• International applicants

o Before spending hundreds of dollars on application fees, be sure you are familiar with each school’s policy on international applicants. For example, LMU-DCOM accepts international students, but strong consideration is given to applicants with ties to Appalachia.

• Supplemental applications

o Some schools send invitations for supplemental (secondary) applications. Other schools (like LMU-DCOM) require everyone to submit a supplemental application in order to be considered for admission.

• Interviews

o Interviews are your opportunity to interview the school as well. Your interview preparation should include having questions to ask the interviewers, staff, and students. Just make sure that your question cannot be answered by simply looking at the school’s website.

o Before interviewing, familiarize yourself with the medical school’s mission. Ideally, you will have done this prior to applying.

o Be able to explain WHY you want to be a physician. This explanation needs to be more than “I want to help people.” We HOPE that you want to help people; if that is your driving force, elaborate. There are plenty of careers in which you can help people. There are plenty of health careers in which you can help people. You need to be able to explain why you want to be a PHYSICIAN in order to help people. If you can’t do this, you may need to reconsider your career plans.

o If you are interviewing at a DO school, you need to understand what osteopathic medicine is and why you want to attend an osteopathic medical school.

 Bonus tip that you might not think is important: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/osteopathy

o It is your responsibility to plan your travel for interviews. Make sure you have transit to and from the interview – some areas may not have reliable public transit or many taxi options.

o Etiquette – if you are no longer interested in interviewing at a school or are unable to make it to your interview, let the school know as soon as possible. Interviews are very competitive, and there are more qualified applicants than interview spots; if at all possible, allow the school time to offer your interview to another qualified applicant.

• Passion and motivation

o Again, before spending the money on application fees, interview travel, or possibly even tuition and supplies, you need to closely examine WHY you are pursuing a career in medicine. You may have heard the expression, “Your ‘why’ should make you cry.” I think this is important advice for any career field, but it might be even more important in medicine. You are embarking on a long, difficult, expensive journey. You need to be absolutely certain that this is the career path for you. You need to be certain about whether to pursue a DO or MD. Talk to med students. Talk to residents. Try to get an idea of what you are getting yourself into. When you are frustrated and exhausted to the point of tears, you need something powerful to motivate you to keep pushing toward your goal of being a physician. Check out Dr. Daniel’s blog post on this.  

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