Overview of the Medical, Dental, etc. School Application Process

(App Series #1, updated 5/28/18; if web links do NOT work, copy and paste URLs into internet browser)

When Should a Student Apply? The process of applying to medical, dental, and other types of health professions schools is long, tedious, and time-consuming. In order to have everything completed in time and to maximize one's chance of gaining acceptance without interfering with school work, a student should begin working on the formal application about 18 months before he/she wishes to enter a medical, dental, etc. school (i.e. for most students, this occurs the summer between junior and senior years at XU—if the student has a competitive grades, entrance exam scores, etc. to present at this time).

XU students are STRONGLY encouraged to begin preparing medical, dental, etc. school application components (e.g. Post-Secondary Experience Form, Personal Statement, etc.) starting in the fall of Freshman Year and continuing throughout enrollment. Why??? So that you can remain proactive in cultivating the BEST application possible and be prepared to submit a GOOD and CRITIQUED application to medical, dental, etc. school EARLY in the application cycle. Further, preparing your application components prior to spring of junior year will allow you to spend MORE time on preparing for the MCAT, DAT, etc. and earning competitive grades.

Where Should a Student Apply? Students who apply to allopathic medical and/or osteopathic medical school are generally advised to apply to at least 10 schools. This is a large enough number to give one a good chance of acceptance yet small enough to minimize cost and time. Students applying to dental, podiatry, veterinary, and other health professions schools are encouraged to apply to at least 5 schools. It is generally advised that students strongly consider the following types of schools, where applicable, when determining which schools to apply to:

• Public schools in their home state; • Historically-Black schools (Meharry, Howard, Morehouse, Drew/UCLA); • Schools where XU students have been accepted into in past years (public and private); and • "Wild Card" Schools. FYI, these are schools that may not be as "popular" among applicants (perhaps due to geographic

location or being newly accredited) but may have a good reputation for accepting underrepresented minorities (URMs) or making efforts to increase URM enrollment.

Detailed guidance in selecting schools to which to apply is provided in document #8 of this application series.

What Admission Tests Are Required for Application to Medical, Dental, etc. School? Essentially all medical schools in the U.S. require that you take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) for admission. Similarly, the dental schools require the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and optometry schools require the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). Students interested in applying to veterinary, podiatry, chiropractic, and other health professions schools should review school-specific requirements for admission test information. Additional information about admission tests and how to prepare for them is provided in document #3 of this application series.

Is there a fee to register to take the MCAT, DAT, etc.? Yes. The registration fee is $315 and the DAT registration fee is $460 for 2018 test administrations. Information regarding the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Fee Assistance Program (FAP) is available at https://www.aamc.org for students taking the MCAT and applying to medical school. Information regarding the American Dental Association (ADA) Partial Fee Waiver Program for students taking the DAT is available at http://www.ada.org/dat.aspx. Information regarding specific fees for other admission tests may be obtained by conducting an online search.

When Should a Student Take the MCAT, DAT, etc.? The MCAT, DAT, OAT, and GRE are offered at multiple times during the year. However, since medical, dental, and some other health professions schools generally fill their classes by March of each year, the last practical time to take the test is early fall of the year before you wish to enter professional school. CAVEAT: You are encouraged NOT wait until the fall to take the required entrance exam for the first time. Students are encouraged to take the MCAT no later than May of the year they will apply; students who plan on taking the DAT, OAT, or GRE are encouraged to do so no later than June of the year they will apply. Document #3 in this application series has additional information regarding the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and GRE.

If you hope to enter medical, dental, etc. school in the fall following the completion of your senior year at/graduation from Xavier, we believe that the best strategy is to take the MCAT, DAT, etc. early in the summer between junior and senior years (i.e. when you should have completed the courses that cover entrance exam content areas). So that you have time to devote to BOTH performing competitively in your XU coursework and adequately preparing for MCAT, DAT, etc., we recommend that students take NO MORE THAN 14 semester hours in the spring of junior year (or whatever semester the student opts to commit to formal entrance exam preparation). Although the MCAT, DAT, OAT and GRE are computerized and offered multiple times per year, XU students are STILL encouraged to take these tests NO LATER THAN May (MCAT) and June (DAT, OAT, and GRE); this way, students who may need to retake SHOULD have ample time to prepare to retake by September (for example) and still be considered for entry during the desired application cycle.

Should Xavier students enroll in a review course for the MCAT? A review course is HIGHLY recommended!!! Application to medical school is very competitive, and students should definitely consider completing an MCAT review class such as Kaplan, Examkrackers, Princeton, etc. in the spring of junior year BEFORE taking the MCAT. Indeed, MCAT prep courses are NOT cheap (the cost to enroll in a discounted MCAT course on XU's campus in Spring 2018 was $1499 for Kaplan, $1799 for Princeton, and $1749.99 for Examkrackers). In the fall of junior year, commercial MCAT review courses such as Kaplan and Princeton conduct free information and advertising sessions on Xavier's campus so that students can make more informed decisions about which review course is worth investing in. For information on the Kaplan MCAT Review, visit https://www.kaptest.com; for information on the Princeton MCAT Review, visit http://www.princetonreview.com/; and for information on the Examkrackers MCAT Review, visit https://examkrackers.com. Other options for MCAT, DAT, etc. prep include a number of non-discounted formats through the aforementioned courses and many other review companies. Since there are so many MCAT prep options available, students must carefully vet their options before enrolling to ensure that they find the course that best meets the individual student’s needs.

Should Xavier students enroll in a review course for the DAT, OAT, or GRE? Most Xavier students who plan on applying to dental school or optometry school opt to study on their own for the DAT and OAT instead of paying to enroll in a review course. There are, however, DAT and OAT review in-person and online courses available. If you are applying to schools or programs that require the GRE, you are encouraged to consider enrolling a GRE prep, like the one offered by XU's Office of Graduate Placement. Regardless of the admission test you plan on taking, YOU must determine which course of action (i.e. self-study or an actual review course) is BEST for you. Additional information about admission tests and how to prepare for them is provided in document #3 in this application series.

Where Does One Apply for Medical, Dental, etc. School? Most medical, dental, and other health professions schools in the United States do not accept applications directly from students. Instead, they require that you apply through central application services (e.g. AMCAS for allopathic medical school; AADSAS for dental school; AACOMAS for osteopathic medical school; TMDSAS for medical and dental schools in Texas; AACPMAS for podiatry school; OptomCAS for optometry school; VMCAS for veterinary school; SOPHAS for public health school, etc.) which evaluate and "package" your application before sending the information to the schools to which you wish to apply. There is, of course, a fee for processing your application. When the schools to which you have applied receive your application from the central service, select applicants will be sent a school-specific "secondary" application which you complete and return with more $$. You should refer to the admission requirements resources and school-specific websites to determine whether or not the school participates in a central application service.

When do the central online applications for most health professions schools open? Most online applications for health professions schools open between May-July (most Xavier students complete the application process the summer between junior and senior years—if they are prepared to present COMPETITIVE applications at that time). Usually, AMCAS, AACOMAS, TMDSAS, and VMCAS open in May; AADSAS opens in June; and OptomCAS opens in July. Review the application process details for the health professions schools you plan on applying to well in advance so you are able to have your application completed, critiqued, and submitted in a timely fashion. FYI, the Premedical Office recommends that most applications be submitted no later than JULY of the year the application cycle begins.

How Much Will It Cost to Apply to Medical, Dental, etc. School? If you apply to at least 10 medical schools as recommended, you will probably have to spend about $500+ for the primary application process alone (for the 2018-2019 cycle, AMCAS is $170 for the 1st medical school and $39 for each additional medical school) and then another $50-125 for EACH secondary or supplemental application you submit after your primary application (e.g. AMCAS) has been processed. The AAMC offers a Fee Assistance Program to help defray the cost of MCAT registration and AMCAS fees. Fee assistance programs may be available for osteopathic medical school, dental school, and other health professions schools. You should take the time NOW to explore such programs. In addition to financing the primary and secondary applications, you will also have to pay for travel to and from professional school interviews AND lodging (unless you have family or friends that you can stay with while you interview).

Students are encouraged to apply to a minimum of five (5) dental, optometry, or other types of health professions schools. The primary application for most dental schools, AADSAS, costs $245 for the 1st dental school and $102 for each additional dental school. Be advised that each type of health professions school has its own type of application and associated fees.

Is Financial Aid Available to Pay for Application Costs? If you come from a low-income family, you might be able to get fee waivers for the application process (i.e. test registration fees and primary application fees). However, practically no school helps with $$ to travel to the school for the interview. Information regarding fee assistance may be obtained by visiting school-specific application/admission test services online.

General Advice For the Application Process

• Make sure your application is well organized, has been proofread, and that you have eliminated all typos and grammatical errors. First impressions DO count.

• Never underestimate the positive impact of sending in your application early or the negative one of having it arrive at the last minute. Many schools view "last-minute" applicants as being uncertain that they really want to apply. As a result, last-minute applications may hurt your chance of acceptance.

• Under no circumstances should you leave the "Personal Comments" (Essay) part of the application vacant. Doing so makes you appear to be lazy or, even worse, that you have nothing to write about.

• Be sure that you get someone (e.g. Premed Office personnel) to proof your application. Content, typos, and grammatical mistakes may hurt you.

• It may be that you find it necessary to telephone or email one or more of the schools during the application process. If so, make certain that you immediately keep records of everyone you communicated with, when you communicated with them, and what was discussed.

• Do like your mama taught you--send thank you notes to anyone you stay with on interviews, persons who wrote evaluations, etc.

• If you know exactly which school you wish to attend and have good grades/MCAT scores, you should check in Medical Admission Requirements to see if the school has an "Early Decision" option.

• BAD CREDIT CAN HURT YOUR APPLICATION/CHANCES OF GAINING ENTRY: In recent years, medical, dental, etc. schools have indicated that applicant credit history may be factored into the application review process. Why? Because bad credit suggests that you may not be able to meet the financial demands of a professional school education and may deter private and federal lending institutions from approving you for loans to finance your education. Do NOT let bad credit hinder you from realizing your goals—be responsible!!

TIMETABLE FOR STUDENTS APPLYING TO MEDICAL, DENTAL, etc. SCHOOL IN 2019 FOR ENTRY IN THE FALL OF 2020…

• August: Between the 3rd Monday of August and September 30th, turn in your Personal Statement and Post-Secondary Experience Form to the Premedical Office at xupremed@yahoo.com (per the DETAILED instructions sent to juniors via email in August) so that they can be critiqued. NOTE: As a JUNIOR PREMED, you should be cultivating FINAL versions of your personal statement and PSE form so that these items can be used to secure professional school letters of evaluations in November AND to include on your actual medical, dental, etc. school application starting in May. Additionally, taking the time to finalize these items in the Fall will give you more time to focus on MCAT, DAT, etc. preparation in the Spring.

• September: a) Meet with a Premedical Advisor to assess your progress and b) actively work on revising your Personal

Statement AND your Post-Secondary Experiences Form. Revision should be submitted to the Premedical Office at xupremed@yahoo.com. Note: It is important to prepare these items NOW so that they'll be in good shape to get faculty evaluations in November.

• September-December: Attend ALL free MCAT review sessions offered on-campus (and off-campus, if necessary) so

you can decide which review is BEST for you to pay to enroll in for the spring!!! If you are taking the DAT or OAT and would like to enroll in a review course, you should also take the opportunity during this time to determine which review option is best for you.

• September-December: Explore summer enrichment and research programs for 2019 (apply early)!! If you will NOT be

attending a formal enrichment or research program, we encourage you to secure some other type of summer experience that demonstrates your interest in medicine (e.g. volunteering at a hospital, nursing home, or other patient-care setting, shadowing, etc.).

• October: a) Make revisions to your Personal Statement AND your Post-Secondary Experiences Form & submit them to

the Premedical Office for review and b) Get information/applications for summer programs.

• October-January: Register to take the MCAT, DAT, OAT, or GRE as soon as registration for your testing year opens AND you know the best location to take the exam. If you have plans to participate in a summer enrichment or research program, be mindful of program start dates when deciding on your entrance exam date. We recommend that students take the MCAT no later than May of the year they plan on submitting their professional school applications (June at the latest if you MUST push it back). MCAT test dates fill up QUICKLY, especially test administrations during the summer months; register early! Students taking the DAT or OAT should take the test no later than June of the year they plan on submitting their professional school applications. If you plan on taking the GRE, please review application and testing deadlines for the schools or programs you are applying to.

• November: a) Meet with a Premedical Advisor to discuss faculty whom you will ask to write letters of evaluation and b)

prepare to give items to faculty who agree to write evaluations on your behalf for medical, dental, etc. school. NOTE: You have to ask EARLY so that your evaluators have time to write your letters and turn them in, ideally, by May.

• December: Get ready to formally prepare for the MCAT, DAT, etc. in the spring (discounted MCAT reviews on-campus

usually begin January-February).

• December-February: Submit summer program applications and supporting materials for 2019!

• January: Enroll in an MCAT, DAT, etc. review course that begins January-February so you can adequately prepare throughout the semester to take the MCAT NO LATER THAN MAY (DAT and OAT no later than June)!!!

• March: Meet with a Premedical Advisor to choose which schools, post-baccalaureate programs (if applicable), etc. you

will apply to.

• April-May: Take the MCAT and follow-up on letters of evaluation for medical, dental, etc. school. Take the DAT or OAT no later than June.

• May-June: Complete medical, dental, etc. application (and complete critique/revision process before submitting).

• July 2019: Submit your AMCAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS, AACOMAS, etc. application. FYI, most applications allow you

to begin submitting in early June (or sooner). We recommend that you NOT submit your primary application until you have received at least one set of MCAT, DAT, etc. scores. WHY??? On most applications, you must indicate if you plan on retaking the MCAT, DAT, etc. (and you need a score to make this determination). Also, some students will change the schools they designate on applications based on their scores OR decide not to proceed with applying for the current application cycle. If you decide to submit your primary application WITHOUT test scores, we recommend that you apply only to a couple of schools and then add additional schools to your application once you receive your test scores. Lastly, we recommend that you have your primary application completed, critiqued by the Premedical Office, and revised by you IN A TIMELY FASHION so that as soon as you get your MCAT, DAT, etc. scores, you are in a position to SUBMIT your final primary application.