1. What is the AMCAS application? AMCAS stands for the American Medical College Application Service, which is a centralized application service available through the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). It allows candidates to apply to multiple allopathic (MD) medical schools using a single application. You can access the AMCAS application through the AAMC website….
AMCAS Tips
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Writing Compelling Activity Descriptions to Boost Your Med School Application
Having worked in admissions for over two decades, I have read thousands of activity descriptions for medical school and related healthcare fields. Some candidates seem to view this element of their application as less important than their personal statement, writing only cursory descriptions of their tasks. Other applicants fill out only a few of their…
Med School Applications Kick Off: Ten Tips to Get You Through the Season
Getting ready to apply to medical school? This can be a hectic time as you try to stay on top of everything. Here are ten tips to help you hit the ground running: 1. Get cozy with AMCAS/AACOMAS. These two services – the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and the American Association of Colleges…
Retaking Classes For Med School: What Every Premed Needs to Know
If you have retaken classes in the past – or expect to need to retake a class in the future – this post will help you understand this element of your profile, in general, for the AMCAS application, and for the AACOMAS application, as needed. 1. All grades earned are calculated into the cumulative GPA….
How to Answer the AMCAS Other Impactful Experiences Question (Formerly the Statement of Disadvantage)
If you have experienced any form of severe hardship – at any time in your life – medical schools want to know. Prior to the 2023-2024 cycle, AMCAS allowed candidates to self-identify as a disadvantaged applicant because of social, economic, or educational circumstances. Aiming to leave behind the negative connotations of the term “disadvantaged,” this…
The AMCAS Primary “Deadline”
In just a few days, many of you will want to submit your medical school primary application. You’ve probably heard that you have to click “send” on the first day possible – which this year is May 28, 2024 – if you want your best shot. But just how true is that? The AMCAS primary…
2023-24 AMCAS Work and Activities Section: What to Include (With Examples)
The AMCAS Work and Activities section is where you can share all your awards, memberships, research, clinical experiences, paid employment, publications, leadership, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and – as of this year – advocacy and social justice efforts. You have a limit of 15 activities that you can include in the AMCAS application. The types…
Matching Your Values to a Medical School’s Mission Statement
We cannot stress enough how important it is to understand and think about a medical school’s mission statement when you are applying. Successful applicants not only demonstrate that they have the essential qualifications a particular school wants, but they also prove that their interests and values align closely with those of the school. Why are…
Four Quality Control Tasks to Complete Before Submitting Your AMCAS Application
The AMCAS system may be open for several months, but it’s to your advantage to apply earlier rather than later so that med schools can consider your application while they have more seats available to fill. On the other hand, it’s a mistake to submit your application before it’s truly ready to be sent in….
Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Med School Personal Statement
Our recent webinar, How to Write a Compelling Medical School Personal Statement, featured Accepted med school expert Mary Mahoney, who combines her medical knowledge with her talent for creative storytelling. Mary’s experience and advice will help premeds compose meaningful personal statements with impact. We know the life of a premed is hectic, so if you…
Reapplying to Med School: Your Primary Application
The previous posts have focused on identifying problem areas in your application and offering ideas to help you address them. You might be feeling a bit fragile after such a critical review – if so, then you’re doing it right. This exercise demands that you be ruthless and identify every potential flaw. Your ego might…
5 Dont’s for Your Medical School Personal Statement
The personal statement is the only place in the AMCAS, AACOMAS and TMDSAS primary applications where you get to present yourself directly to the admissions committee. Here, you can persuade them to give you an interview, or – if you’re not careful – unknowingly reveal red flags that undermine your entire application. Since it plays…
How to Write the Statement of Disadvantage
If you have experienced any form of social, economic or educational disadvantage—at any time in your life—you can apply to medical school as a disadvantaged applicant. To receive this designation means that you will need to complete an additional essay on the AMCAS application. The character limit for this short essay is 1,325. Examples of…
Get the Scoop on Elevating Your AMCAS Application
Did you miss our recent masterclass, Create a Winning AMCAS Application? This was a fantastic primer on bringing your A-game to your AMCAS application—the first step on your journey to med school. This year, when applications are up a massive 18%, it’s vital that you find out what your strongest competitors already know from this…
AMCAS Traffic Rules: How to Use the “Choose Your Medical School” Tool
Everyone is probably aware that this is an “unprecedented time” for medical school applications. With applicant numbers at an all-time high, admissions staff working remotely, and interview dates stretching into the spring and possibly later, this application season has been like nothing we’ve seen before. But there is one constant in the application process –…
Ace Your Med School Application 2020 Webinar is Live
We had a wonderful turnout for our recent live session, Ace Your Med School Application: A Live Q&A with 3 Med School Experts. It was packed with important information, and the attendees asked our panel great questions. If you couldn’t join us, you don’t have to miss out on all that valuable insight. The session…
Med School Admissions Veteran Shares Her Experience: How to Get In [Episode 314]
Accepted admissions consultant Cydney Foote sheds light on the medical school application process [Show Summary] Are you not quite ready to submit your AMCAS application? Don’t panic. We’ve got the advice you need to polish off your personal statement, MMEs, and activity descriptions. Listen to the podcast for answers to “How many schools should you…
How to Choose the Best Experiences for Your AMCAS Application
It’s that time of year when premeds across the world are gathering everything they need to put on their AMCAS application. In this article, I’ll walk through one facet (one of the largest) of this dainty little application, the experiences section. I will outline what makes a good experience to write about, which ones should be deemed…
Can You Submit Your AMCAS Application BEFORE Taking the MCAT?
It’s risky to apply to med school before taking or retaking the MCAT for a few reasons: 1. Applying to med school is expensive and time intensive. It’s hard to know where you might be a competitive applicant if you don’t know how your scores compare to other students at a school. Your practice scores…
What NOT to Do in the Activities Section of Your Medical School Application
Don’t underestimate the importance of the activities section! Let’s take a look at some of the biggest mistakes to avoid in your activities section so you can make sure that you’re doing it right: Mistake #1: Providing less than 15 activities Simply submitting an application with less than the required 15 activities can lead to…