Ready, Set, Apply — Before The White Coat Ceremony

By: Alessandra Santiago Congratulations on making it to the end of our Ready, Set, Apply series! We are grateful to have brought you useful content in the lead up to your application cycle, and we wish the pre-med students following this content all the best in preparing their application materials. Given that this cycle has […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Nailing Your Med School Interview

By: Alessandra Santiago For those pre-meds who receive an interview invitation to a medical school, good news! That means you are academically qualified for admission. However, the final decision about whether or not you are offered a place in the upcoming class is contingent upon how well you conduct yourself during the interview. Let’s dive […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Strategizing Your Secondary Prompts

By: Alessandra Santiago In an earlier article of the Ready, Set, Apply series, we introduced how the secondary applications work. Typically, these are a set of essays that pre-med students receive after submitting their primary applications, waiting 4-6 weeks for administrative review by AMCAS, and passing the minimum GPA and MCAT requirements of the medical […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Who Should Edit My Primary App?

By: Alessandra Santiago At this point in the application cycle, it is likely that most pre-meds have a working version of their Primary App materials, including a Personal Statement draft along with a draft of their three most meaningful Activities essay. Now is an excellent time to start finalizing those drafts before sending them out […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Are Your Application Materials Ready?

By: Alessandra Santiago At this point in the series, we have covered everything from writing your Personal Statement to preparing for the secondary applications to selecting your schools. The Primary Application will open for students to begin compiling their materials on May 4, and students can submit their application materials as early as May 28 to pass the initial verification review. In […]

Ready, Set, Apply — When Do You Reapply?

By: Alessandra Santiago For many pre-med students awaiting admission determinations from their medical schools, there can come a point where reapplying becomes a reality. But when do you know for certain that you’ll need to reapply? The critical factor for students deciding their reapplication strategy is whether or not they have received any interview invitations […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Let’s Talk Secondaries

By: Alessandra Santiago Let’s talk secondaries. If you’ve followed the Ready, Set, Apply series until this point, you’ll be aware that the primary application opens on May 4, 2020 and you can submit your primary application as early as May 28, 2020.  After you have submitted the primary application, it typically takes 4-6 weeks for […]

Ready, Set, Apply — So, You’re Thinking D.O.?

By: Alessandra Santiago At this point in the Ready, Set, Apply series, we have only covered material relevant to allopathic medical schools. In this article, we will do a brief overview of some of the relevant information for osteopathic applicants, including dates for the AACOMAS application as well as dual applying to allopathic and osteopathic […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Ready to Hit Submit?

By: Alessandra Santiago In our last article, we covered how to approach writing your Personal Statement and Activities Section of the primary application. This week, we will cover how to edit, who to ask to review your application, and other fine-tuning tips and tricks before hitting the submit button. Proof-reading is the name of the […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Writing a Knock-Out Primary App

By: Alessandra Santiago Back in November, we covered the primary application and your personal statement. The written components of your primary application include your 15 extracurricular activities and personal statement, and these two components provide the application committee a full picture of who you are as a candidate. In January of your application cycle, the […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Foresight is 20/20: Know Your Application Timeline

By: Alessandra Santiago Welcome back, pre-meds! It’s a New Year, and that can only mean one thing: the countdown to the 2020 application cycle begins! Now is the time when focus is key, when both short- and long-term planning are required in spades, and when you have the chance to encapsulate all of your experiences […]

Ready, Set, Apply — Year-End Check-In

By: Alessandra Santiago Congratulations on making it through finals season and another Fall Semester! You’ve made it one step closer towards application time. We hope you’re feeling the excitement that goal progression can give. Before you embark on a well-deserved Winter Break, here’s a little check-in from us on a few key aspects of your […]

Ready, Set, Apply – Financing Your Applications

By: Alessandra Santiago A very important—but infrequently discussed—component of applying to medical schools is how much that process costs. With so many purchases both large and small on the way to applying, it’s a good idea to have an estimate of what you might expect to spend. As you go along, you may find that […]

Ready, Set, Apply – Getting to Know the Personal Statement

By: Alessandra Santiago It’s heavy-hitter time: drafting your Personal Statement. This is the chance for you to provide a committee of strangers a full ‘picture’ of who you are as a candidate for medical school. By demonstrating your individual, unique qualifications for pursuing medicine, you can paint a picture as to why you would be […]

Ready, Set, Apply – Preparing for the Primary

By: Alessandra Santiago While the open date for the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) primary application is still many months away (think: late May), let’s dive into what materials you will be asked to compile in this first round of applications to medical school. On top of completing your prerequisite and recommended coursework by the time […]

Ready, Set, Apply – What Schools Should You Choose?

By: Alessandra Santiago Where you will apply for medical school? Do you know where you fall within the matriculation metrics of your target schools? Want to figure out what your target schools should be, but unsure of where to start? Compiling your list of target schools is a key component in the admissions process, and it is […]

Ready, Set, Apply – Selecting Your MCAT Test Date

By: Alessandra Santiago While it is still too early to sign up for the 2020 MCAT dates according to the AAMC, now is the time to consider when you will take the MCAT,  in addition to taking a look at the budgetary obligations associated with taking the exam. Your first step is to head over […]

Ready, Set, Apply – How to Study for the MCAT

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By: Alessandra Santiago The MCAT. The Great Academic Equalizer. No matter how well you perform in your undergraduate or post-bacc program, there is no replacing a poor MCAT score. As you embark upon the testing odyssey, bring along your finest time management and retention skills on the journey. You’ll need them. So, when is the best time […]

Ready, Set, Apply – Letters of Recommendation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By: Alessandra Santiago This fall semester begins the year-long countdown to submitting medical school applications. For many students, this is an academic year of unique stressors, both academic and personal. Now more than ever, time management is crucial to stay on top of the growing list of to-do items for submitting applications. At the start […]

Ready, Set, Apply – Welcome & Orientation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By: Alessandra Santiago Welcome to the inaugural article for our 2021 Med School Application Guide! Over the next ten months, we will walk you through the timelines, deadlines, and requirements on the American Medical College Application System (AMCAS). We will offer insight into each component of the AMCAS application, from when to sign up for the MCAT to when (and […]