PreMed Program

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Overview

The entire medical school application process, from start to finish, takes about 1-1/2 years. More generally, preparation and coursework for entry to medical school begins during the very first semester of college. The more formal process of applying to medical school takes place during the spring semester of your junior year, when you should:

• Register to take the April MCAT;

• Register with the University of Connecticut Pre-Medical Office;

• Request letters of recommendation from professors;

• Compile these letters with the UConn pre-med committee;

• Take the April MCAT.

In early June following the junior year, you should:

• Obtain official transcripts from UConn, complete the primary AMCAS application, and submit both

• Soon thereafter, complete and submit secondary applications;

• Engage in med-school interviews.

Students applying to medical school can be rejected at any time in the application process; however, you may be accepted only after completing the interview process. Following the interview, one of three possible outcomes will result: you will be accepted; you will be rejected; you will be waitlisted.

After mid-May, if an applicant has been accepted by more than one medical school, he or she must accept only one medical school offer. During this time, individuals who previously were notified that they are on a waitlist may receive acceptance notices. Medical schools may notify applicants of acceptance right up to the time classes start. If at the end of the cycle an applicant has received no acceptances, he or she may reapply to medical school for the following year. There is no limit on the number of times you may submit an AMCAS application. However, a few schools will review no more than two applications from one individual.

The entire application package that is submitted and reviewed by admissions committees can be broken down into the components below. The GPA, MCAT score, and extra-curricular activities are all part of the primary application but are separated below to provide further understanding regarding their respective weights.

GPA

The GPA is separated into two averages on the application, the BCPM and the overall GPA. The BCPM averages your biology, chemistry, physics and math scores. This average, statistically speaking, holds the single greatest weight in your application. Overall GPA ranks high as well: medical schools consider your overall GPA within the context of your major and the colleges and universities associated with your education. UConn is a middle-tier school. Therefore, it is unlikely that the admissions committees will alter your GPA for this reason. An engineering major is considered more difficult than other programs of study, and medical school reviewers consider this when reviewing applications.

MCAT

Entire web sites are devoted to the MCAT, and you are encouraged to visit such sites to gain insight into the test contents. This site focuses on the role of the MCAT in the overall application process. The MCAT is offered bi-annually in April and August, and a couple of months are required for scoring. Most advisors recommend taking the April MCAT: taking the exam in the spring makes it possible to assemble a potentially complete application in early June. Taking the MCAT in August means the exam results will not be complete until early October. By this time in the application cycle, some applicants have already received interviews and possibly acceptances.

The MCAT should never be taken on a whim or without proper preparation. Your scores are reported regardless of your wishes and can damage your application.

Medical schools assign the greatest weight to the physical sciences score on the MCAT. If you receive a 30 overall (plus or minus a few points) without significant disproportion in numbers, you are an excellent candidate for most schools. Obviously, some of the top-tier schools admit only higher scores.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Extra-curricular activities provide admissions committees with information about you outside of your academic programs. It is difficult to determine how much emphasis is placed on this facet of your experience. There are, however, some staple activities among students who matriculate into a medical college. Some of these include the following: volunteering in a health related field, Certified Nurses' Aid or Emergency Medical Technician experience, and research. Your senior design project is also a great entry. If you are applying during the summer of your senior year, it may not be possible to include the completed report in your application: in this case, it is advisable to send regular updates on the status of your senior design project to each of the schools as you complete these classes, or to discuss them during your interview.

Personal Statement and Interview

Again, it is difficult to determine the influence a personal statement has on the admission committee's decision for acceptance. Understandably, a strong personal statement can provide admission personnel with an impetus for the interview. There is no direction to the content of the statement. Many choose to write about their decision to choose medicine as a career, or they describe a life-altering experience. When writing this statement, use the first-person voice and keep it simple. Do not use the statement to provide a detailed listing of your extra-curricular activities. If practical, use your personal statement to tie your entire application together.

The entire process up to this point is intended to elicit an invitation to interview. Nailing the interview will land you an acceptance. The interviewers see hundreds of interviewees in an admissions cycle. The last thing they want is a regurgitation of your AMCAS application. Furthermore, interviewers will not conduct an oral exam to affirm your knowledge of science. Rather, the interview is intended to determine your skill in effectively communicate, your level of maturity, interpersonal skills, etc. To pinpoint what specific schools seek in the interview, consult discussion boards. Mock interviews are helpful but not as instructive as real interviews. For this reason, it is a good strategy to schedule some of your first interviews with schools that are not your top choices so you can gain practice. When it comes time for an interview with the school you are very interested in, you will be more relaxed and familiar with the process.

Letters of Recommendation

Usually, three letters of recommendation are required. These include two from science faculty and one from a non-science faculty member of your academic institution. Most medical colleges prefer a compilation of these letters prepared by the Pre-Medical Committee at UConn. The pre-med web site has a form with guidelines and addresses that should accompany your request for the letters of recommendation. Along with the request, send a copy of your personal statement to the preparer to provide a better understanding of your aim. The letters are sent to the schools directly from the Pre-Medical Committee.