Applying to medical school? Thinking about applying to medical school? Not sure what the process of applying even entails? Trust me, you are not alone.

When I was a young pre-med, I was unfamiliar with the application process. I didn’t have any friends or family who could help me. For that reason, I decided to outline the general application process for you so that you know what to expect. This post focuses on explaining the AMCAS and AACOMAS application processes.

Types of Application Systems

For people who are interested in allopathic medicine, the entire process is outlined on the AAMC website: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/timeline-application-and-admission-medical-school/

For people who are interested in osteopathic medicine, their process is outlined on the AACOM website: https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/how-to-apply-to-osteopathic-medical-college

Additionally, for people who live in Texas, there is a separate system that is outlined here: https://www.tmdsas.com/PLAN/medical/index.html

For residents of Texas who wish to go to school in Texas only, you do not have to fill out the AAMC or AACOM applications if you are only applying within their system. However, if you wish to go to medical school in different parts of the country, you will need to use AAMC or AACOM application portals. 

Personally, I did not apply to schools through TMDSAS so I cannot give you information regarding their applications. However, I applied through both AMCAS and AACOMAS so the following information applies to those processes. 

Overview of AMCAS and AACOMAS

For both the AMCAS and AACOMAS applications, the process entails two applications: the primary application and the secondary application. The primary application is a general application that has your demographic information, education history, coursework, letter designations, personal statement etc.

The portal sends your primary application to all your designated schools. You must pay for each primary application. The fees are different between AMCAS and AACOMAS. 

Once the application is complete, it is verified before transmission. The verification process involves someone manually comparing your transcripts to the coursework that you input.

It is very important that you try to complete this step within the first two weeks of the application opening because it takes longer for applications to be verified later in the cycle. Submitting early means your application is reviewed earlier in the application cycle. 

However, if you are  not prepared, do not rush the application because that will lead to mistakes. Hopefully, with the help of this post and my post on tracking your experiences, you will be prepared to submit within the first week. 

AMCAS Specific Information

For the AMCAS, the application portal opens in early May.  The portal transmits the primary applications on a designated day in June. After the schools receive the primary applications, they will most likely send secondary applications. It seems like most schools just send their secondary applications to everyone who submits without screening them. (I am not sure exactly, but that is the general sentiment across pre-med forums).

The secondary application is more specific to the school and each school has a different way of doing their application. Generally, schools seem to require your course work and essays specific to that school. You have to pay an additional fee for the secondary application as well. 

AACOMAS Specific Information

For the AACOMAS, the application opens in early May and there is no designated day for transmission. The applications are transmitted after verification. The secondary applications for AACOMAS are dependent on the school.

Some schools have them on the same portal as the primary application so you can fill them out at the same time. Other schools are similar to the allopathic schools and send a separate application. These schools will also require an additional fee.

I had two schools who had their secondary applications within the primary, those schools will send an email later asking you to submit the application fees. This step surprised me as they waited weeks after I had submitted my applications to ask for the payments.

I also applied to two schools that sent separate secondary applications. These fees are very clear on their secondary application portals. You submit the payments through secure websites or Paypal.

Transcripts and Letters

Now, there are many other tiny details within the application that will vary per person. Letters of recommendations and transcripts will be specific to your universities. 

For transcripts, do not request until your last completed semester is available. You do not want to submit your transcripts until your spring semester grades are officially available.

You will be able to list any future coursework like summer courses and senior year courses. But for courses that you recently completed, do not request until they are ready. It will save you time in the long run. 

The transcript requests will depend on your undergraduate and graduate institutes. That information should be available on your school’s website and the AMCAS and AACOMAS websites have information that will help you as well. 

For letters, this step will vary due to the types of letters you may have. For students with committee letters, follow your committee’s instructions. 

Students who are submitting individual letters on their own, you will need to use an online portfolio to upload your letters. There are a few portfolio services which students use and each has varying costs and functions. 

On the actual applications, you will need to designate each person who will be uploading a letter. You will be able to submit your application for verification without the actual letters.

You will just need to designate who those people are before submitting. The application service should send you a confirmation when that person has uploaded those letters. 

Overview

Once you have completed all the applications and the payments have been made, all you can do is wait until they contact you again. 

I hope that this blog post has been helpful to you. I have made another blog post that focuses on tracking your experiences during your pre-med journey.