Application Process

The application process to medical school seems somewhat mysterious and confusing to many since it follows a step-wise pattern which seems rather lengthy and unnecessary drawn out. It is by far the most complex admission process of all professional schools. The following outlines the sequence of events which describes this admission process from time of taking the MCAT to your acceptance to medical school.
THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE AT LEAST ONE YEAR.

TIME	EVENT
April of Junior Year or August before Senior Year or April or August following completion of all courses needed for MCAT	MCAT EXAM Do not take this exam without being prepared. You should have had all your required chemistry, biology and physics courses when you take the MCAT. In addition, you should have prepared for the mechanics of the exam by taking practice tests , etc. It is a difficult, long exam. Some students have taken this exam as sophomores and have done very well and some have to sit out for a year (or possibly finish a second major) during their application year). Even as a junior , taking the exam for the first time in August will delay your application in that year's cycle. Application to take the MAT is an on-line process.
Summer / Early Fall of Application Year	Complete and SUBMIT APPLICATION (online) to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). This is a clearing house service which will forward your application to all participating schools to which you have indicated you would like to apply. A few elite private schools (Baylor , Harvard , Yale, etc.) do not participate in AMCAS and you must apply separately to those schools on their own application forms. Completing the AMCAS application carefully and thoughtfully is of utmost importance. In short , your personal essay must reflect you as a real human being who is capable, interesting , and caring. The question of how many and what other schools you should apply is a complex one and depends on several factors including your pocket book, your MCAT scores and your home state. Please consult with the pre-medical advisor for individual guidance on this question. Early admission applications are possible for medical schools but they are submitted very early (usually an Aug 1st deadline) and some schools, including I.U., have minimum requirements which have been getting stiffer every year. If you are going to apply for early admission your MCAT will have to be taken before submission of your application, i.e. the previous spring or fall. You can only apply for early admission to one school and, following a supplementary application and interview you will hear by October about the status of your application. If you are not accepted in October , you will be considered for regular admission at that school but it would be wise also to apply to a few additional schools at that time.
Early / Late Fall of Application Year	For those applying regular admission - If any schools which you indicated on your AMCAS form are interested in you as an applicant (your MCAT scores will have to have arrived at the Med School via AMCAS for them to make this decision) A SUPPLEMENTARY APPLICATION from the particular school will be sent to you to complete and depending on the school, the school's admission office may also at that time schedule an INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT for you. Supplementary applications vary from school to school in length , complexity, and expense. Some require further essays , all request that your recommendation letters be sent. Some have forms for these , others do not. At BSU, we do not have a pre-med committee as they do at some larger schools (e.g.I.U.) so you will have to ask your professors individually for letters of recommendation to be sent separately by them at a time very close to your submission of the supplementary application. Your file should be complete at the time of the interview. In asking for a letter of recommendation from a professor it is always helpful description of yourself and your desire to go to medical school to the professor so they can have a better picture of you as a student , a citizen and a person. Don't be shy , it will only help you if they can speak about you from knowledge.
Late Fall / Winter / Spring of Application Year	GO TO INTERVIEW. (You must be professionally dressed for this interview.) You may hear from the medical school within one month of your interview that YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED for the following fall term but you may not hear for several months. If you apply late in the application year, your chances for rapid acceptance are smaller and you may be put on an alternate list and not hear until late May or June about your application.
As you can see , the application procedure takes approximately 12-15 months from the time you take your MCAT exam and the time you enter medical school in the fall of the next year.