Your Guide to Applying to Medical School + Printable Timeline

It’s no secret that applying to medical school is an arduous task. Something you might not know, though, is how complicated the application process can be. The truth is, you can have all the A’s, hours of community service, research, and shadowing under your belt, but if you don’t have a good understanding of how long the application takes to process, or where to submit your letters of recommendation (LORs), your chances of being accepted plummet. In this week’s blog, I hope to elucidate some of the ins and outs of the AMCAS, as well as provide a timeline so you can create a solid action plan when you’re ready to apply to medical school!

*As a disclaimer, everything below refers to the AMCAS (MD) application cycle. Other applications such as TMDSAS (for schools in Texas), or AACOMAS (DO) programs may differ.*

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Step 1. Know the Basic AMCAS Timeline

The first step when preparing for the application cycle is knowing the basics. The exact dates vary slightly from year to year, (check here for the most recent dates) but for the current 2020-2021 application cycle:

• AMCAS opened May 4th, 2020. This means you could enter your application information as soon as May 4th.
• AMCAS was ready to be submitted on May 28th, 2020.
• All processed applications were sent to schools starting July 10th, 2020. Secondary applications will typically be sent out around this date and continue throughout the summer.
• Interviews typically begin as early as August and continue until as late as March/April.
• The earliest you can be accepted is October 15th, 2020.
• You must narrow your acceptances to a single school and commit to enroll by April 30th, 2021.

Step 2. Consider the Length of Waiting Periods

While there is a lot of work that goes into applying to medical school, there is also a lot of waiting. Knowing how long some aspects of the application take to come together can significantly impact your decision on when to take the MCAT, when to ask for letters of recommendation, and even choosing which application cycle to apply. Here are some key waiting periods to keep in mind:

1. It takes approximately 30-35 days to receive your MCAT Result. This is very important to consider when selecting dates that approach the application cycle. If taking the MCAT directly before applying, I suggest taking it no later than April so you have a score before you submit your application in late May.
2. It takes approximately 6 weeks to verify your application, once the ENTIRE application is received. When you hit submit, you join a virtual line for verification. You don’t actually join the line until everything is received: all LOR’s, transcripts, and MCAT scores. Once your “on line”, everything is first come-first serve. This means the sooner you submit, the sooner you’re verified, the sooner you receive and can submit your secondary essays, and the sooner you’re offered an interview.
3. Schools that write a committee letter may have their own timeline. Make sure you’re aware of whatever documents you might need to submit to your school prior to the application cycle.
4. Secondary Essays should be submitted within 2 weeks of receiving them. They can be draining, take a long time to write, and come in hot. Almost all schools you apply to will offer a secondary essay to submit. Some schools require up to 6-10 essays, some schools will only require an additional fee *sigh*. It also feels as though all schools will send them at the exact same time, and your email will soon be flooded with essay prompts. However, some amazing students at Student Doctor Network (SDN) have done a lot of the hard work for you and compiled the most recent secondary essay prompts from each school here! Meaning, pre-write your secondary essays and don’t wait for them to pile up.

Step 3: Make your action plan.

The best way to tackle the AMCAS, like any seemingly Sisyphean feat, is to make a plan. Below I’ve outlined a *general guide to applying for med school. Click here for a printable pdf!

*The pdf has blank months so you can fill in your specific timeline, but has a checklist containing everything below*

*General being a loose term, feel free to compile your extracurriculars in January or write your personal statement today. This guide is for anyone planning on doing the bulk of their application the months before AMCAS opens.*

JANUARY

• Prepare for the upcoming year and application cycle. You got this.
• Assess any weaknesses in your application and make a plan to improve as necessary (for example, sign up to volunteer or gain more clinical experience if lacking).
• Begin thinking about your personal statement.
• Ask for LORs and check in with your pre-med committee if applicable.

FEBRUARY

• Write the first draft of your personal statement.
• Begin compiling your extracurriculars.
  • Up to 15 experiences including a 700-character essay per experience. Of which 3 will also be your “most meaningful” requiring additional 1350-character essays.
• Check-in with pre-med committee and LOR writers as necessary.

MARCH

• Continue working on your extracurricular descriptions and personal statement.
• Continue being awesome, give yourself as many pep talks along the way as needed.

APRIL

• The last dates to take the MCAT and receive a timely score.
• Make last edits to your personal statement and extracurricular descriptions.
• Create and finalize your list of schools you will apply to.

MAY

• Enter all AMCAS information once the application opens.
• Triple check all AMCAS information.
• Upload LORs and Transcripts
• Submit the day the application opens.

JUNE

• Be patient.
• Pre-write secondary essays for specific schools using this list and brainstorm responses to common secondary essay prompts.
• Create a system for tracking secondary essays and responses from schools. (I personally used an excel sheet, but any tracker will do!)

JULY

• Submit all secondary essays within two weeks of receiving them. This is the goal, extend the deadline to 3 weeks if absolutely necessary and reserve extension for schools that might not be your top choice.
• Update your tracker as you go.
• Be kind to yourself. Writing secondary essays is not an easy feat, but you’re almost there!

AUGUST

• Be patient as you wait for interviews
• Do mock interviews, practice both Multiple Mini Interviews and one-on-one interviews.

SEPTEMBER-MARCH

• This is the bulk of interview season, try and be patient, and not compare yourself to other applicants who might receive an interview or acceptance before you. It is a very long process, so hang in there.
• Have thank-you notes ready to send 1-2 days after each interview.
• Send updates to schools, only if applicable.

APRIL

• Compare all schools and acceptances.
• Attend second-look days.
• Commit to a medical school!

AUGUST

Start medical school!

OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE TIMELINE

• When you submit your application matters, a lot. While it’s not impossible to get in, submitting your final primary application any later than July decreases your chances of getting accepted immensely. AMCAS states the deadline is sometime in the Fall, but I have not yet personally met someone who applied as late as August and was accepted that cycle, no matter how good of a candidate they were.
• Some schools see when you open/start the secondary application. Meaning they can see if you opened it a month ago and have yet to respond. This can imply you’re not seriously considering their application (i.e. working on other secondary essays before theirs) and can decrease your chances of receiving an invite to interview.
• There will be a lot of waiting. As alluded to above, the application process includes many periods of waiting, and it can be mentally exhausting. Trust your process, focus on your own path, and be patient with yourself, your time will come.

*As a final disclaimer, these are not hard and fast rules but helpful insights that have proven true both with my own application and when speaking to my peers and other premeds applying to medical school. My hope is to prepare premeds for the application process while providing a realistic overview of what to expect. All opinions are my own.*

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If you are applying to medical school during this or a future application cycle, I wish you the best of luck! Navigating the med school application is NOT easy and applying in and of itself is commendable. While this post is not at all meant to scare those applying, I do hope it ignites that fire, gets the ball rolling, and equips those who might be intimidated by AMCAS with an arsenal to crush the med school application!

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the application process or surviving the premed years!

Have a beautiful week!