Common Application Services
Medical, Dental, Osteopathic Medical and Optometry Schools all utilize common application services. For answers to specific questions regarding these processes or to initiate an application, please visit their individual websites:
What does a centralized application service do?
- Collects applicant information
- Collects a set of transcripts for each applicant
- Verifies the academic record, i.e., checks to see that the academic history you reported on your application agrees with that shown on transcripts from schools where you have done college-level academic work
- Provides standardized grading information to participating schools
- Provides all other application information to health professions schools
- At the end of the cycle, reports data on applicants to health professions schools and to health professions advisors
Why do they standardize grading information?
There is no national standard for awarding credits and grades. Some schools are on a course credit system; some are on a semester hour basis. Some award pluses and minuses, such as UMD, some do not. Medical schools need a standardized format in order to compare applicants. Consequently, common application services “normalize” grading systems and calculate what they refer to as an “AMCAS GPA” or an “AADSAS GPA,” for example. That is the GPA that the professional schools use for their admissions review. In addition, many students have taken courses from more than one undergraduate institution. The application service formula will put all of your course work into one calculation.
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How do I know what GPA will be reported?
If you want to go through the AMCAS calculation to see what your “unofficial AMCAS GPA” would be, you can use the grade conversion information available on the AMCAS web site. We ask you to go through this exercise in our Pre-Health packet so that you can see what the medical schools are likely to see and so that you and we can evaluate your trends in the way that the professional schools will. Once processing is complete, AMCAS will notify you of your “official AMCAS GPA” that will be transmitted to the designated professional schools. Refer to the “HELP” keys and FAQ’s on AMCAS for any additional information as the HPAO does not have any more information about this process than is written here.
AMCAS appears to be the only service that includes this GPA calculator tool, but using the one available on our website will be useful. There are subtle differences as to what GPA is calculated by each service:
Dental: excludes math in the science GPA calculation
DO: only uses the most recent grade received when classes are repeated, whereas other services will average the grades
Optometry: check FAQ's for OPTOMCAS
It is absolutely imperative that you take time to read through the information on the sites and that you visit them frequently when you have questions or to check for updates. There are important tools posted on the application service websites. Be sure that you refer to the information for the 2010 application. This should be available for all of the services by early May, if not before. Be sure to use the links that will provide you with some or all of the following information, depending on the particular program you are applying for:
- Application Instruction Book
- Application Worksheet
- Grade Conversion Guide
- Flow Chart on application processing
- Application Tips
- Application glossary
- Information on the Fee Assistance Program (FAP)
- Information on applicant responsibilities
- Information on acceptance procedures
Please remember that, in addition to these tools, there is a HELP function that is available. Use the HELP function and you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
While most of the important information should be reviewed at the service websites, here are a few pointers to watch for and help you get started. Many of these tips apply to all programs, although medical school and AMCAS are most commonly referred to.
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When is the best time to apply to maximize my chances for admission?
Initiate your common application as close to the date the service opens as possible. Refer to the chart above for expected opening dates.
The AMCAS application will likely be available “on or about” May 3, 2009. You can log in, get a password and begin working on it any time after that date. You can log in and out of your AMCAS application as many times as you need to before certifying and submitting it. The earliest date to submit will be “on or about” June 3, 2009.
Medical, Dental and DO: You should plan to submit your application between early June and early July. It should be fine to submit it any time before the second week in July in order to benefit from applying early.
If you took the MCAT prior to June 1, you should wait until you have received your MCAT scores before finalizing, certifying, and submitting your application. This is because knowing your MCAT scores will help you to finalize the list of schools to which you are applying. However, please note that if you are taking the MCAT after June 1, you should still plan to submit the application by late June or early July. When the scores are reported, many schools will process the applications in the order in which they were received.
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Why can’t I just apply by the deadline and be fine? Why do schools have a deadline if they aren’t giving all applications full consideration on that date?
Each service website has a link to deadlines for specific schools. Be aware that these deadlines are the absolute late deadlines. It is always a better policy to ask “when is the earliest I can apply”, and not “when is the deadline.”
The reason is that most programs operate on a rolling basis. Every school has a finite number of interview slots between early September and late March or early April in most cases. The applicants who apply at the beginning of the process are being considered with all possible interview slots still available. The applicant who completes his/her application closer to the deadline is being considered for a limited number of remaining interview slots and thus must be all the more impressive to warrant receiving a scarce interview slot.
Beyond this, most programs also begin making admission offers on the earliest date they are permitted to: October 15 for allopathic medical schools; December 1 for dental schools. Scarce interview slots are then compounded by even scarcer remaining seats in the class as students accept their admissions offers, sometimes holding onto multiple offers until May 15, when they are required to narrow down to one.
What happens after you submit the AMCAS application?
After being “verified” at AMCAS, your application information will be sent electronically to each of the AMCAS participating schools that you designate. Each school will then communicate with you through the “secondary” or “supplemental” application process, i.e., they will E-mail you and refer you to their web-based secondary application. There may be a handful of schools that still use a paper secondary application through snail mail. Alternatively, they may screen applicants and ask a subset of them to complete a secondary application. It is at the secondary application stage that schools will request that your letters be forwarded to them (see below). NOTE: the letters are not sent to AMCAS, with the exception of schools in the AMCAS pilot program; they are transmitted directly from our office to the schools (see details under the credentials service)
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additional tips:
- DO NOT begin completing the AMCAS application with a false name, nickname, incorrect AAMC ID, or incorrect information. You were assigned an AAMC ID when you registered for the MCAT. If you have not yet registered for the MCAT, you will be assigned an AAMC ID when you begin working on the AMCAS application. If you begin completing the AMCAS application without using your AAMC ID, you will be assigned an AAMC ID number that will not be matched correctly to your MCAT scores.
- For AMCAS and all other services: Those of you who were enrolled in spring 2009 courses should wait until after your spring grades are posted to request that your transcript be sent. However, you should not wait for grades from Summer Sessions as this will put you late in the application process. AMCAS will start accepting official transcripts on May 1 and not before.
- Transcript problems are the most common cause of delay in your application—so listen up. In order to assure that your transcripts are processed smoothly, you must use the Transcript Release Forms (TRF) a.k.a the Transcript Matching Form (TMF) that is available to be printed out from the electronic application of each service . Submit the transcript request form to the Registrar’s Office and any other post-secondary school that you attended from which you will be required to submit a transcript (refer to the HELP function on the actual application). In most cases, the TRF will print with the address of the Registrar’s Office at the specific school, so you don’t have to look up the address. Remember, a transcript is only “official” if it is sent directly from the Office of the Registrar. It cannot come from you (even in a sealed envelope).
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Please note that the HPAO does not send your transcript to AMCAS. The Office of the University Registrar does so at your request. You must submit an official transcript from EVERY college or university you have attended.
- Status Checks. After you submit your AMCAS application, you will start seeing a status comment on your entry page. This is to help you monitor the progress of your application following submission. Many schools will also have web sites that allow you to track the progress of your application through their admissions process. It is your responsibility to follow the status of your applications and to contact AMCAS or the schools as necessary with questions.
- Changes to your application after submission. After you initially submit your application, changes can only be made to a few questions in the application. These include required and alternate ID’s, name (including preferred and alternate), and contact information. If you do have to make any post-submission changes (including adding any schools to your list of designated schools), you will need to re certify and resubmit the application after making the changes. You can add schools to which you wish to apply; however, you cannot delete a school. We encourage you to have settled on the list of schools to which you will apply before you actually submit the application.
This is also a good time to mention that you should take care that, as much as is possible, you use a single name on all of your documents. You should enter your name in AMCAS in the same format as your name is on your transcripts (an exception might be if you got married after college and are now using a different name). In spite of there being unique identifiers, sometimes difficulties arise if an applicant ends up with a variety of names on the application, transcripts, letters of evaluation, etc
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- Post-secondary school experiences. The list of post-secondary school experiences is limited to 15 on AMCAS but varies with the different services. This change was made several years ago at the request of medical schools. They want applicants to choose what they think is important to them and important to call to the attention of med schools. You should not feel that you must have 15. They should be activities to which you made a real commitment. For example, if you went to Habitat for Humanity once, you should not list it. Not only does it not fall into the “important to you” category, but if you are asked in an interview to further describe your involvement with Habitat and you can only say you went once, it will appear that you are making an unsubstantiated claim (not helpful, as you can imagine).
- Designating schools and programs including combined degree programs. When you designate the schools to which you will apply, you will be asked to select a particular program. In most cases this will be MD. However, some of you are applying to MD/PhD programs and some of you are considering other combined degree programs. You need to be aware that if on your AMCAS application you select a joint degree program for a particular school, that designation does not activate an application to that joint program. It is primarily a data gathering function for AMCAS. For example, if you think you want to complete the MD/MPH at Emory, selecting MD/MPH on your AMCAS application will not suffice. You will have to make that clear through the Emory secondary application. If you want to apply to the MD/PhD program at Washington University, you should include Washington University on the list of schools to which you will apply and indicate that you are applying to MD/PhD there. But you should also consult the website of the Washington University MD/PhD program (visit AAMC for direct links to MD/PhD websites) to find out how to initiate an application to the Wash U MD/PhD program (as well as other MD/PhD programs). At most schools, if you are not considered for the MD/PhD program, you will be given the opportunity to leave your application in the pool for the MD program at that school. If you have considered a combined degree program but are not sure about it, you should select MD as the program of choice. You will have an opportunity after matriculation in medical school to consider doing combined degree programs. Applying to an MD/PhD program when you are not fully committed to it can have a negative effect even on your MD application (you will look like you are using poor judgment).
- Fee Assistance Program. If you believe you qualify for the AMCAS Fee Assistance Program (FAP), see the info on the AAMC website regarding how to apply. Do it as soon as possible. Money is limited. There is some fee assistance money available for dental and osteopathic medical school application services as well. Visit the service websites for more information.
- Early submission is important; however, you should be sure your application is error-free and complete. Incomplete applications will be returned and can delay your application. Errors, typos, and missing information cannot be corrected after submission. They will be submitted to med schools and med schools may conclude that you do not pay attention to detail (not good).
- Prior to submission, you should print your application to check the data you entered at submission.
- It is your responsibility to monitor the progress of your application throughout the process. This goes for primary as well as secondary applications.
- Race and Ethnicity Questions. This question is optional but helps the application services and professional schools to track information on their applicants. The ethnicity question is designed to identify Spanish/Hispanic/Latino/Latina applicants. If you answer no to that question, you will not need to define your ethnicity further. If you answer yes, you will be asked to define your ethnicity within that group. You may select more than one racial designation if that applies. You should be thoughtful in answering this question as individual schools may follow up with questions that probe the depth of your heritage. For example, there are many individuals who have some minimal Native American ancestry but have not been raised with any tribal tradition. Many schools are rightly skeptical that such a student would bring any diversity to their class.
- PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, AND THEN HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PROOFREAD FOR YOU.
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Study Abroad
Follow these guidelines for determining what transcripts you need to obtain in support of your study abroad experience:
- If applying through AMCAS, and the program was sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian Institution, the applicant should:
- List the U.S. or Canadian Institution sponsoring the study abroad program, and on whose official transcript the coursework will appear
- Applicant should have the sponsoring institution send an official transcript to AMCAS
- If the program was not sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian Institution, but the credits were transferred to a U.S. or Canadian Institution, the applicant should:
- List the U.S. or Canadian Institution that the credits will be transferred to
- List the foreign school under the “schools attended” section of the application
- Indicate that AMCAS does not require a transcript
- Select an exception reason of “Foreign College — Independent attendance -credits transferred to a U.S. or Canadian Institution.”
- Indicate that credits were transferred to another institution
- Select from the pre-populated drop down menu the U.S. or Canadian Institution sponsoring the study abroad program
- Enter all required course data under the name of the foreign school, but as it appears on the transcript on which the transferred credits appear.
- Applicant should have the U.S. or Canadian Institution to which the credit was transferred send an official transcript to AMCAS
- If the program was not sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian Institution, and the credits were not transferred to a U.S. or Canadian Institution, the applicant should:
- List the foreign school under the “schools attended” section of the application.
- Indicate that AMCAS does not require a transcript
- Select an exception reason of “Foreign College - Independent attendance — no credits transferred to a U.S. or Canadian Institution.”
- Indicate that credit was not transferred to another institution
- Enter all required course data, except credit hours attempted, as taken at the foreign school
- Refer to the section on Letters of Recommendation for specific information regarding uploading letters to AMCAS.
Note: Please remember to authorize release of information to me (Wendy Loughlin) as the Health Professions Advisor at Maryland. The only way I can continue to provide information on data for past applicants is if applicants agree to release it to me. I always protect the confidentiality of the information.
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Additional Resources
AMCAS, AACOMAS and AADAS will all be scheduled to give on-campus presentations later in the Spring. You are responsible for knowing the material they will cover. Plan to attend the relevant session(s).
BE CERTAIN TO DOWNLOAD AND READ THE SERVICE INSTRUCTION MANUALS IN THEIR ENTIRETY! THIS MANUAL WILL ADDRESS MANY OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WILL ARISE AS YOU FILL OUT YOUR AMCAS APPLICATION. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR AMCAS APPLICATION, YOU CERTIFY THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS DOCUMENT!
CHECK WEBSITES IN THE LATE SPRING FOR 2010 APPLICANT INFORMATION RESOURCES
2009 AMCAS RESOURCES
AMCAS - The American Medical College Application Service
AMCAS instruction booklet (full version)
AMCAS worksheet
Grade conversion guide to calculate AMCAS GPA
AMCAS tips and hints
Applicant checklist for AMCAS
AADSAS Instruction Manual
AACOMAS Instruction Manual
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Updated February 16, 2009
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Applicant FAQ's
Letters of Recommendation
Personal Statement
Common Application Services
Choosing Where to apply
Financing Medical Education
Mock Interviews
Interviews & Follow-up
Transcripts
AP Credit
Student Conduct Violations & Academic Performance
International Students
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