Completing the 2018 AMCAS Application - Harvard … · Completing the 2018 AMCAS Application ......

Completing the 2018 AMCAS Application

Spring 2017Oona Ceder, Emiko Morimoto & Ellen Williams

Office of Career ServicesHarvard College

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A Reminder about Academic Integrity

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Clickers, course re-grades, inappropriate collaboration

Before you start

• If you are applying for matriculation in 2018 or are an alumnus/ae applying in a future cycle, please be sure to subscribe to the OCS Med School Applicants Listserv using a harvard.edu email address.

• During the application cycle, we will be sending periodic updates with important information for applicants over this list.

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https://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/harvardocs-medschool-applicants-list

Before you start

• AMCAS and med schools use applicant email addresses to send notices of updates, changes, deadlines, errors, and the status of your application.

• Be sure that your SPAM filters do not delete these emails.

• Add aamc.org as a safe domain.

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Before you start

• Transcripts: Obtain and review your unofficial Harvard College transcript & other transcripts for college-level courses you may have taken elsewhere during high school or college

• Current students should use the "View Unofficial Transcript" link in the Grades tab of my.harvard

• Alumni: You can obtain an unofficial PDF version of your transcript by clicking here and logging into the Alumni tab on my.Harvard with your HarvardKey. (Under the “Alumni” tab, select the “Grades” tab to view and print your unofficial transcript.)

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https://portal.my.harvard.edu/psp/hrvihprd/EMPLOYEE/EMPL/h/?tab=ALUMNI&jsconfig=%7B%22menuclicked%22:%22HU_SSS_ALUMNI_GRADESLnk%22%7D

Before you start

• If eligible, apply for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP). To receive benefits of FAP approval, you must wait to receive decision before submitting AMCAS application.

• Because over 100 medical schools utilize criminal background checks, be sure to check the status of prior arrests that you thought were expunged.

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Before you start

• Check the admissions requirements of medical schools to which you plan to apply to be sure you fill the eligibility requirements for each school.

• See the Medical School Admission Requirements® (MSAR) online database for more information about each school’s admissions and financial aid policies.

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https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/deciding-where-apply/medical-school-admission-requirements/

Before you start

• Note that the MSAR Medical School Admission Requirements® online provides important information about eligibility requirements , including:

• State residency (many state schools accept applications from out-of-state applicants)

• US citizenship, resident alien, or other immigration status

• International applicants: Check eligibility and financial aid policies

• Many medical schools welcome applications from DACA students: see the full list and policies at Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

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https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/deciding-where-apply/medical-school-admission-requirements/

https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/e8/f4/e8f4a47f-2ac1-467c-9317-e6cbce10fc5c/daca_policies_oct_2016.pdf

Before you start

• For more information about the number of International Students who apply, are interviewed, and matriculate at U.S. Medical Schools, see the following resource on the OCS Website: U.S. Medical School Admissions Information - Financial Aid policies, MCAT policies, and information about in-state, out-of-state, and international applicants.

• For information about the financial aid policies regarding International Medical Students for the schools that accept Non-Canadian Applicants who are not permanent U.S. residents, also see: Further U.S. Medical School Financial Aid Policies for International Students.

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http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/files/ocs/files/2016_medical_school_matriculation_hpa.xlsx

http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/files/ocs/files/2017_medical_school_international.pdf

Applicants to Texas State Schools

• Applying to State Medical and Dental Schools in Texas: Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS)

• See the TMDSAS Website for information about how to create your application.

• TMDSAS manual: EY 2018 Application Handbook(pdf)

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http://www.tmdsas.com/

http://www.tmdsas.com/Forms/Application%20Handbook%20EY%202018.pdf

D.O. School Applicants

• Applying to Schools of Osteopathic Medicine (DO schools): Association of American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS)

• See the AACOMAS Website for information about how to create your application.

• AACOMAS manual:

◦ Apply Now◦ Application Instructions and FAQs

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Note: AACOMAS opens for submission on May 4, 2017. The 2017-2018 AACOMAS application cycle will open on August 2, 2017.

http://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/applying

http://aacomas.liaisoncas.com/

http://help.unicas.com:8888/aacomasHelpPages/instructions/index.html

Canadian Applicants to Ontario Schools

• Applying to Ontario Medical Schools: Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS)

• The six medical schools in Ontario use the centralized OMSAS while the other 11 medical schools require individual applications.

• Most Canadian medical schools strongly favor applicants from within the province and some are only open to Canadian citizens/permanent residents. Students who are planning to apply through OMSAS should carefully review the OMSAS Application Guide. 12

https://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/

https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/omsas-app-guide/

Overview• About AMCAS• The AMCAS Application

• Schools Attended and Transcripts• Biographic Information• Course Work• Work/Activities• Letters of Evaluation• Medical Schools• Essays• Standardized Tests

• Criminal Background Checks

• Fee Assistance Program

• Monitoring your Application Status

• The Verification Process13

About AMCAS

• What does AMCAS do?• Provides an online medical school application

• Collects official transcripts from all applicants

• Verifies academic records and calculates an AMCAS GPA

• Distributes application data to participating medical schools

• Collects & distributes letters of recommendation

• Facilitates criminal background checks for accepted applicants

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Standardized grading information: colleges do not follow a national standard for awarding credits and grades, and therefore, your Harvard College GPA calculations may differ from your AMCAS GPAs. The medical schools need a way to compare applicants on the same scale, which is why AMCAS “normalizes” grading systems and calculates an “AMCAS GPA.”

How does AMCAS work?

Application Submitted

• Applicant completes & submits AMCAS application online

• Applicant pays submission fees (or uses valid Fee Assistance Program benefits)

Application Processed

• Applicant arranges for all required official transcripts to be sent to AMCAS

• AMCAS performs verification of coursework and calculates AMCAS GPAs

Application Delivered

• AMCAS distributes verified application to designated med schools

• AMCAS delivers letters to designated med schools as they are received

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Just to remind you of the overall process at AMCAS… Once AMCAS has received both your application and has received and verified all of your required official transcript/s, your application will enter the verification queue. AMCAS will then verify the coursework you entered into you application with the coursework listed on your official transcripts and will calculate your normalized AMCAS GPAs. Once the application is verified (or processed, those two words are often used interchangeably) which can take up to six weeks, AMCAS will deliver the application to the medical schools you designated. Letters of evaluation (once assigned to medical schools) are delivered electronically on a rolling basis. Remember, you can submit your application before your letters and transcripts are received. Letters are not required to verify an application.

Application Timeline

May 2, 2017 AMCAS application opens & AMCAS begins accepting transcripts

June 1, 2017 AMCAS opens for submission of applications; if your transcripts have arrived at AMCAS, your submitted AMCAS enters queue for verification

June 13 & 20 May MCAT scores released

June 30, 2017 Initial transmission of application data to medical schools

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KEY SPRING DATES May 2—AMCAS opens June 1—First AMCAS submission date Note: MCAT scores will be released directly to AMCAS on the designated score release days. June 30—AMCAS will release first batch of application data to medical schools. Individuals who cancel their application prior to verification can get a full refund of AMCAS fees. Applicants who withdraw prior to June 30 will not be considered re-applicants.

Application Fees

• $160 processing fee which includes one medical school

• $39 for each additional school

• Payable online via Visa/MasterCard

• See MSAR Website for school secondary fees• And our MSAR Data By Med School resource:Information About Academic Requirements, MCAT Requirements, Admissions, and Financial Aid Policies. (Excel)

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Application Fees $160 processing fee (includes one school) $39 for each additional school Fees subject to change Purchase a one-year subscription to the Medical School Admissions Requirements online resource MSAR Website for $28 at https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/buying-and-using-medical-school-admission-requirem/

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/buying-and-using-medical-school-admission-requirem/

http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/premed-academic-requirements

http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/premed-academic-requirements

2018 AMCAS Participation

For complete participation listings:Application: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/participating-medical-schools-deadlines/Letters: www.aamc.org/aboutamcaslettersCriminal Background Check: www.aamc.org/amcascbc

AMCAS Participation

Application 149 Schools/Programs

All MD granting schools in the United States with the exception of MD programs at Texas public schools

AMCAS Letters 144 Schools/Programs

See www.aamc.org/amcasletters

Criminal Background Checks

112 Schools/Programs

See https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/criminal-background-check-service/

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/participating-medical-schools-deadlines/

http://www.aamc.org/aboutamcasletters

http://www.aamc.org/amcascbc

http://www.aamc.org/amcasletters

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/criminal-background-check-service/

www.aamc.org/amcas

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For everything you need to know about AMCAS, please visit our website at www.aamc.org/amcas. Sign in for the 2018 Application will become active on May 2 (click to highlight). You can also get to other resources, like the MCAT page and Fee Assistance Program page from the AMCAS homepage.

Accessing the AMCAS Application

Only create a new AAMC account if you have never accessed

the AAMC system before.

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If you have registered for the MCAT exam, the Fee Assistance Program, or the SMDEP program then you should have an AAMC ID. If so, you should use those same log in credentials to log into the AMCAS application. Only create a new account of you have never accessed the AAMC system before. If you have more than one AAMC account in our system, this could appear fraudulent. NOTE: If you are a re-applicant, you should use the same username and password you used in the past.

AAMC Registration

Only complete registration if you do not have an AAMC ID

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AAMC registration collects your basic information and pre-populates some responses in your AMCAS application. The registration system will complete an automatic check for duplicate registrations.

Account Details

• AMCAS provides additional information to applicants about the receipt status and date of letters and official transcripts:

AMCAS Main Menu

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Once you log into the AMCAS application, you will see this Main Menu (this is a screenshot of the main menu in the AMCAS application). This page is always just a click away from anywhere in the application by clicking the Main Menu button in the top right. The sections of the application are accessible from the both the horizontal bar at the top and the list in the center of the page. The sections automatically display Complete or Incomplete based on whether all of the required fields in that section of the application have been filled in. The action buttons on the right become active when certain information has been entered into the application. Note: You can only access certain sections once you have completed others, for example. You cannot complete the Course Work section until you have listed your schools in the Schools Attended section. Check the status of your application, letters of evaluation, and transcripts received on the left hand side of the application by clicking the “Details” link. Print the Letter Request form and Transcript Request Forms from this screen.

Overview• About AMCAS

• The AMCAS Application• Identifying Information• Schools Attended and Transcripts• Biographic Information• Course Work• Work/Activities• Letters of Evaluation• Medical Schools• Essays• Standardized Tests




• The Verification Process 24

Identifying Information

Schools Attended

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Enter high school and any post-secondary institution(s) that you have attended into this section even if no credits were earned. If Home schooled list state and country, and under school choose other, and type home schooled. If multiple high schools, list just the one from which you graduated.

Schools Attended

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College/s: To enter Harvard College: Find Harvard University among the prepopulated colleges under “School” and enter program type (undergraduate) and start and end dates. NOTE: you are required to enter information about any post-secondary institutions you have attended, regardless of credit earned or transferred. Full instructions on which schools you must enter are available by clicking “Help” at the top of the screen in the application. These Help icons are scattered throughout the application to assist you along the way.

Schools Attended

Can indicate secondary field under minor

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For Harvard College, complete the following information on your degree and concentration. You can enter a secondary field under Minor.

Schools Attended

• List every post secondary institution where you enrolled for at least one course; even if credits were transferred, no credits were earned, or you withdrew.

• Include colleges at which you took courses while in high school and received college credit.

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Advisor Release

select “Yes”32

Advisor Release

Advisor Information Release Service:• Please give permission for AMCAS to share information

with Harvard Premed Advisors by checking YES. (These reports will go to Oona, Emiko, and Ellen at OCS, not your House Premed Tutors)

The reports we develop on applications and acceptance to medical school are based on the data we receive from AMCAS. The information will only be used for aggregate statistics and all identifying information is kept strictly confidential.

• If you encounter problems with your application, we cannot discuss your situation with AMCAS staff unless you check this box.

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Official Transcripts

• An AMCAS Transcript Request must be processed by the Registrar at every school where you enrolled in college level classes.

• For instructions about how to send your official Harvard transcript to AMCAS, please see the FAS Registrar’s Office instructions. (Note that your Harvard College transcript can only be ordered online through the National Student Clearinghouse transcript ordering service. You will find instructions and the link to this service on the FAS Registrar website.)

• You will need to include the AMCAS Transcript Request form with your National Student Clearinghouse transcript order. To do so, scan and upload an electronic copy of the Request form into your Clearinghouse order.

• Note: Harvard University is no longer an approved eTranscripts(ETX) sender to AMCAS, so your transcript can only be sent to AMCAS in hardcopy form via US Mail or Express Mail). To select AMCAS as the recipient of your transcript, select “Educational Organization Recipient” and choose “AMCAS.”

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In the schools attended section, you will find link to a transcript request form (which facilitates proper matching of your transcript to your application via a Transcript ID number). The link to the request for can also be found from the Main Menu of the application.

http://registrar.fas.harvard.edu/transcript/order-transcript


• To order a transcript from another post-secondary institution at which you may have taken courses, you will need to consult that school’s Registrar’s Office for instructions.

• If a school has placed a financial hold on your transcripts, AMCAS will not grant an exception under any circumstances.

• Your AMCAS application will only be “queued for verification” if your transcript/s has/have arrived at AMCAS.

• If a transcript is not required for an “attached school,” you will need to submit a Transcript Exception Request. (This is rare; the most common reason a transcript may not be required is in the case of foreign institutions at which you enrolled in study abroad coursework.)

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If you have taken college-level courses at an institution other than Harvard College, you will also be able request an official transcript from that institution in the “Schools attended section.” If a transcript should not be required by AMCAS, you can also request exceptions for those that are not required in this section of the application (this is rare, as the majority of transcripts are required by AMCAS).


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This section of the AMCAS allows you to create and print AMCAS Transcript Request forms to send to the registrars at schools from which AMCAS requires official transcripts in order to process your application. This section also allows you to request exceptions for transcripts that are not required by AMCAS. AMCAS strongly encourages you to utilize these forms. See the AMCAS resource page on our website at http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/amcas for more information about ordering your Harvard transcript (under “FAQs for Applicants”)


• AMCAS cannot validate foreign transcriptsand will not accept them.

• Applicants must request an exception for transcripts that are not required; failing to do so may result in missed deadlines

• Missing and unmatchable transcripts are the number one reason for processing delays

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Transcripts

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If you do not ask for an exception and later discover that an official transcript is not available, your application may be delayed and you may miss deadlines. AMCAS is not responsible for delays in processing or missed deadlines and will not make an exception to deadline rules.

Institutional Action

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• If you answer Yes, you may use the provided space beneath the question to explain; this space is 1325 characters or approximately one-quarter of a page in length. Failure to provide accurate information in answering this question or, if applicable, in completing the form provided by the school, will result in an investigation.

• Applicants who become the subject of an institutional action after certifying and submitting the AMCAS application must inform their designated medical schools that an action has occurred within 10 days.

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• If you are unsure whether your particular situation represents an Institutional Action, please contact your Academic Dean (Allston Burr Academic Dean) for advice.

• If you will be writing an Institutional Action essay for the AMCAS application, please also consult with the OCS Premedical Advisors.

• Note that medical school secondary applications may also include questions about institutional action.

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• The AMCAS Application• Identifying Information• Schools Attended and Transcripts• Biographical Information• Course Work• Work/Activities• Letters of Evaluation• Medical Schools• Essays• Standardized Tests





Biographic Information

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Important: Keep all address and other contact information updated in order for medical schools to contact you in regards to secondary applications.

Biographic Information

Under biographic information, you will fill in contact information, then citizenship. If you have any type of visa, permanent resident status, DACA, or Adjustment of Status, enter the relevant information.

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Biographic Information: DACA Status

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) citizen status option

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If you are a DACA applicant: The AAMC has published the document Medical School Policies on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This document shows a list of medical schools that have reported willingness to consider Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applicants. The list is not comprehensive, so also contact the medical schools directly to learn more. See https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_public/e8/f4/e8f4a47f-2ac1-467c-9317-e6cbce10fc5c/daca_policies_oct_2016.pdf Under biographic information, you will fill in contact information, then citizenship. If you have any type of visa, permanent resident status, DACA, or Adjustment of Status, enter the relevant information.

Biographic Information:Legal residence

• Legal Residence: applicants who qualify for residency in more than one state may declare only one of those states as their legal residence on the application.

• Language Proficiency: at least one language and one proficiency required. Asks re use in childhood home. Defines levels from “basic” to “native/functionally native”.

Legal Residence: applicants who qualify for residency in more than one state may declare only one of those states as their legal residence on the application.

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Biographic Information:Self Identification

• Legal Residence: applicants who qualify for residency in more than one state may declare only one of those states as their legal residence on the application.

• Language Proficiency: at least one language and one proficiency required. Asks re use in childhood home. Defines levels from “basic” to “native/functionally native”.

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After selecting one of the options, other check boxes may appear. Optional.

Biographic Information:Language Proficiency

• Language Proficiency: Indicate languages that you speak. You will be asked to identify your level of proficiency in each of the languages you selected and the use of each language in your childhood home.

• Guidelines are provided for levels that range from “basic” to “native/functionally native”.

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Check the boxes next to the language(s) that you speak. English will automatically be selected; however, you can uncheck this box. If you select “Other,” you are required to specify the language in the space provided. When you are finished, click Continue. On the next page you will be asked to identify: your level of proficiency in each of the languages that you selected; and the use of each of the languages in your childhood home. When selecting your level of proficiency, follow the guidelines provided in the 2018 AMCAS Manual.

Biographic Information:Childhood and Disadvantaged Status

• Socioeconomic Disadvantage Indicator: Derived from parents’ Education and Occupation (EO) – only two lowest SES’s (EO-1 and EO-2) are reported to medical schools

• Underserved: do you believe that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by health-care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health-care providers?

• State and federal assistance programs: these are defined as "means-tested programs” (e.g., AFDC, ADC, unemployment compensation, GA, food stamps, SSI, Medicaid) where family income, assets must be below certain thresholds

• After completing this section, you will then be asked if you wish to be considered a disadvantaged applicant by the medical schools. If YES, you will be given an additional 1325 characters to explain.

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See the 2018 AMCAS Manual for instructions on how to enter Childhood Information.

Biographic Information:Military Service

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Biographic Information:Felonies and Misdemeanors

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You must inform the Admission Office of each medical school to which you apply if you are convicted of, or plead guilty or no contest to, a misdemeanor or felony crime after the date of your original application submission and prior to medical school matriculation. This communication must be in writing and must occur within ten (10) business days of the occurrence of the conviction. If you answer Yes, you must use the provided space beneath the question to explain; this space allows 1325 characters or approximately one-quarter of a page in length. See 2018 AMCAS Manual for instructions and definitions of felony, misdemeanor, and specific state information.


• Applicants need not disclose any instance where applicant: • was arrested but not charged; was arrested

and charged, but the charges were dropped; • was arrested and charged, but found not

guilty by a judge or jury; • was arrested and found guilty by a judge or

jury, but the conviction was overturned on appeal; or

• received an executive pardon

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There are also state specific mandates so should check; for example expunged juvenile records. See 2018 AMCAS Manual for instructions and specific state information.


• For any post submission convictions, applicants MUST notify their medical schools within 10 days of the offense.

• Warning: In Virginia and Ohio, speeding conviction = misdemeanor! Must be reported on AMCAS.

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If in doubt, please consult with us, a lawyer, and your local, state, and/or federal authorities. Virginia: In Virginia, reckless driving is a misdemeanor (or felony) (https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#points_6.asp) “Virginia Code 46.2-862: A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who drives a motor vehicle on the highways in the Commonwealth (i) at a speed of twenty miles per hour or more in excess of the applicable maximum speed limit or (ii) in excess of eighty miles per hour regardless of the applicable maximum speed limit.” (http://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/46.2-862/) Ohio: The Ohio Rev. Code 4511.21 identified speeding scenarios that are classified as misdemeanors. (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.21) Consider getting legal advice if you received a speeding ticket in Ohio or Virginia and are not sure it was reported as a misdemeanor. Other states may also define certain traffic violations as misdemeanors. Again, if in doubt, please consult with a lawyer, and your local, state, and/or federal authorities. Misdemeanors or felonies that occur during your application cycle: You must inform the Admission Office of each medical school to which you apply if you are convicted of, or plead guilty or no contest to, a misdemeanor or felony crime after the date of your original application submission and prior to medical school matriculation. This communication must be in writing and must occur within ten (10) business days of the occurrence of the conviction. Also see the 2018 AMCAS Manual for the complete AMCAS Certification Statement for policies on reporting to medical schools.

Course Work Summary

To assist applicants with completing the Course Work section, the summary screen provides additional information at a glance:

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AAMC: “The fourth section of the application is Course Work. This is typically the section that takes the most time to complete. You will see that the schools you entered in section two are shown here in the schools attended box, and you will enter information about all of the courses you took at this school.” “There are links in this section to video tutorials that demonstrate how to enter some of the different types of coursework you might have such as study abroad coursework or AP credits.”

Course Work Summary

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Once you enter all of your coursework information you a list of the courses will appear on this page of the application.

Course Work

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You will enter coursework for each school you have attended and added in the schools section. Use a copy of your official transcript(s) to complete this section. Missing transcripts is the most common reason for delays in processing and verification. Your AMCAS verification will not begin until your transcript/s have arrived at AMCAS. Remember that the transcript order function is live once AMCAS has opened on May 2.

Course Work

Course work to be listed: • Any course ever attempted at any U.S. or

Canadian post-secondary school, even if no credit was earned.

• Includes all college-level courses taken while in high school.

• Courses taken at an American college overseas (see AMCAS Instruction Manual for list)

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Course Work

Course work to be listed (cont’d): • Courses from which you withdrew.• Courses for which you received a grade of

"Incomplete" and for which no final grade has been assigned.

• Courses that have been repeated.• Courses that you failed, regardless of whether

they have been repeated.• Courses you audited.

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Course Work: Year and Term

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See the 2018 AMCAS Instruction Manual for instructions.


• Add courses in chronological order exactly as they appear on the official transcript.

• For courses taken at Harvard, use the semester system calendar designation.

• List a full-year course as “Full Year”. Do not divide full-year classes by term.

• For summer courses, assign the upcoming status (e.g., courses between FR & SO year are listed as SO status).

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(cont’d)• Do not assign more than one status to a term.

• Assign High School (HS) status to college-level courses taken while you were in high school, regardless of the physical location of the college-level course.

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Course Work: Course No. & Name

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Abbreviation is fine so long as it’s obvious that it matches up with AMCAS name and transcript. Important: When entering your Harvard College coursework, refer to your unofficial transcript (which is visually identical to your official transcript, and can be printed from my.harvard). Course names listed under Course Enrollment in my.harvard may not correspond exactly to the course names on your official transcript. Alumni can obtain an unofficial PDF version of their transcript under the “Alumni” tab in my.harvard > Grades and Unofficial Transcript (https://portal.my.harvard.edu/psp/hrvihprd/EMPLOYEE/EMPL/h/?tab=ALUMNI&jsconfig=%7b%22menuclicked%22%3A%22HU_SSS_ALUMNI_GRADESLnk%22%7d)

Course Classification

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Course Classification: BCPM GPA

• The Science GPA for AMCAS is called the BCPM GPA and is comprised of courses that are considered Biology (B), Chemistry (C), Physics (P) or Mathematics (M) only.

• Note: LS1a=Chemistry; LS1b=Biology• If you have a question, such as coding a

psychology course as biology, ask yourself if the primary content of the course was biology. If yes, you can code the course as biology. This classification is not based on the department offering the course. Use your best judgment.

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The applicant is responsible for correctly classifying his or her coursework. See the 2018 AMCAS Instruction Manual. Also see the FAQ for Applications, Coursework Section on the OCS website (http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/amcas). AMCAS Grade conversion: A=4.0 A-=3.7 B+=3.3 B=3.0 B-=2.7 C+=2.3 C=2.0 C-=1.7 D+=1.3 D=1.0 D-=0.7 F=0


• To learn more about the BCPM GPA, click on the HELP button at the top of the AMCAS application webpage. Open the "Course work Classification" section under "Course Work." Scroll down to find a list of courses. Any course classification followed by "BCPM" will be included in the BCPM GPA

• If AMCAS changes a classification, and the applicant disagrees with the change, the applicant can appeal the change via the application's Academic Change request option (available within the AMCAS application).

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To process an Academic Change request, AMCAS typically requires a copy of either the syllabus or the course description provided by the college or university; the document provided by the applicant would need to specify the course's primary content.


BCPM subjects as defined by AMCAS:Biology (BIOL)

• Anatomy • Biology • Biophysics • Biotechnology • Botany • Cell Biology • Ecology • Entomology • Genetics • Histology • Immunology • Microbiology • Molecular Biology • Neuroscience • Physiology

Chemistry (CHEM) • Biochemistry • Chemistry • Physical Chemistry • Thermodynamics Mathematics (MATH) • Applied Mathematics • Mathematics • Statistics Physics (PHYS) • Astronomy • Physics

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Engineering Science is NOT classified as part of your BCPM (Science) GPA, but has its own category, ENGI. Computer science also has its own category, COMP (so doesn’t equal math and is not included in BCPM). Statistics courses are classified as Math.

Specific Course Information

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Med schools that require biochemistry will usually let you use CHEM17 to satisfy the requirement of a year of organic chemistry; they are usually also aware that the lab portion of organic chemistry is located in CHEM 27. Contact the OCS Premed Advisers if a school asks for documentation about our CHEM17/CHEM27 course sequence. If you are using CHEM27 to satisfy a school’s biochemistry requirement, you should know that most of them have already approved CHEM27 for biochemistry; in a small number of cases, a school may not accept CHEM27 towards satisfaction of their biochemistry requirement. If you find that you are applying to one of these schools, please contact us and we can help you determine whether you will need to take an extra biochemistry course, and if so, when to do so.


• Harvard uses a credit hours system to assign course credit.

• Please list credit hours as they appear on your Harvard transcript.

• Most semester-long courses are worth 4 credit hours. Full-year courses are ordinarily worth 8 credit hours.

• Note that there are a few 4-credit full-year courses (e.g., Neuro 95hf); they should be designated as a “Full-Year Course.”

• Be sure to check for any 2-credit courses, such as Orchestra.

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• A half-year course (one semester) is equal to four credits/credit hours/semester hours; a full-year course (two semesters) is generally equal to eight credits/credit hours/semester hours.*

* Note: Half courses (“hf” courses) extending throughout the two terms of the academic year are equal to four credit hours. You should select the “Full Year” option under “Academic Term” for hfcourses.

• For older alumni who took Chem 10/15: This course is equivalent to only 4 credits. (It will, however, fulfill the medical school requirement of one full year of general chemistry.) You can write “Accel” to indicate it was an accelerated course.

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Presentation Notes

If you are using CHEM17 to satisfy a year of organic chemistry with lab requirement (using the lab portion of CHEM27 as your lab): There is no need to write “Accel” – medical schools know this course covers full year of topics in organic chemistry.


• Lab hours are not counted separately. They are included in course credit hours.

> Select “combined lecture/lab course” for the question “did this class include a lab section?”

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Course Work: Special Course Types

Presenter

Presentation Notes

See the 2018 AMCAS Instruction Manual for instructions and Special Course Types definitions.

Special Course Types

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Special Course Types

Only necessary for certain courses.

• Audit: if officially registered, but no credit, then no credit hours or AMCAS grade should be assigned.

• Pass/Fail: courses are listed on Academic Record, but excluded when computing AMCAS GPA. Harvard’s SAT/UNSAT courses should be listed as such.

• Honors: Harvard does not have “honors level” courses.

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Presentation Notes

Please list Harvard courses taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory as pass/fail in AMCAS. AMCAS does not have separate categories for courses that are mandatory, as opposed to voluntary, pass/fail.

Advanced Standing Only

• Official Rules : To claim AP credit, the AP credits must be listed on your transcript.

• Harvard does not put AP courses on transcript unless you accept Advanced Standing. So, if you list an AP on the Academic Record, and it is not on the transcript, AMCAS cannot verify the AP score. The Harvard College Registrar will NOT verify these AP scores for AMCAS.

• Do NOT include AP credit unless you accepted Advanced Standing.

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Advanced Placement Scores

• If a medical school wants verification of the AP score (some California and Texas schools do), then you must request the official AP score to be sent directly from ETS to the medical schools and not to AMCAS.

• Most secondary applications will allow you to indicate AP scores being used to meet math requirements.

Only if granted and accepted Advanced Standing:

• The total credit hours for the AP courses should be equal to 32 (e.g., 4 AP courses at 8 credit hours each.)

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Presentation Notes

How do I indicate to med schools that I have taken AP Calculus? AMCAS has asked that students not list AP calculus on their AMCAS application if it is not on that student’s Harvard transcript. You will have other opportunities to tell medical schools how you are fulfilling their requirements, either on the secondary application, on the interview day or later after acceptance. The Harvard Registrar will not validate the APs, but you may be asked at some point to have the official AP score sent from the testing service to particular medical schools.

Study Abroad

Courses attempted through a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution must be entered.

• Include the foreign institution and the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution in Schools Attended.

• Request a transcript exception for the foreign institutions. Indicate the U.S. or Canadian institution on whose transcript credits will appear.

• List study abroad coursework under the foreign college at which it was attempted exactly as it appears on the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian’s institution's transcript. Do not enter the coursework twice.

• If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution provides letter grades and credit hours for each course on their transcript , enter all required course data.

QUESTIONS: P lease contact AMCAS directly.77


• The AMCAS Application• Identifying Information• Schools Attended and Transcripts• Biographic Information• Course Work• Work/ Activities• Letters of Evaluation• Medical Schools• Essays• Standardized Tests





Work/Activities

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Work/Activities

• Experience Type: from the drop-down menu, select experience Type that best describes each experience. You can only select one Type per experience. It is up to the applicant to decide which experience Type best suits each particular experience. Please do not ask your House Tutors or the OCS Premed Advisors how to list experiences. Use your best judgment.

• If you list a publication, make sure it has been accepted for publication and cite it properly. If the paper is just being "prepared for submission" or "submitted," include this fact as part of the research description in the section where you listed the research activity.

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Work/Activities

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Experience type

Work/ActivitiesMaximum of 15 entries

You can enter 3 additional date ranges for repeated activities

Maximum of 3 “Most Meaningful”

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Presentation Notes

You are asked to select up to three experiences as most meaningful to you. Additional space (1325 chars) is provided for each, to explain why you selected these experiences.

Work/Activities

• Applicants may indicate repeated activities

• Applicants can enter up to four separate date ranges

• Applicants can enter future end dates up to the start of the matriculation year (up to August 2018)

• Applicants will specify the total hours spent on this activity for each date range

• Work/Activities entries will be shown in the order they are entered by the applicant within the online application, but are sorted by each medical school’s preference during application review

Presenter

Presentation Notes

From the AAMC: “You can include repeated experiences so instead of entering a summer job three times, you would enter it once and indicate repeated date ranges for those periods during which you held this position. You can enter up to four separate date ranges for a single experience, and you can also enter future dates up to the start of your potential matriculation year (so for the 2018 cycle, this would be August 2018).”

Work/Activities

• A maximum of 15 experiences may be entered. Enter only significant experiences. You do not need to enter 15! Each experience has space for a 700 character description. Remember that each experience you list is "up for grabs" if you are invited to interview. You may be asked about anything in your application.

• Note: Supervisor contact information must be provided. If activity was organized by a student group, list advisor or another administrator who can verify your experience, if possible.

• As a courtesy, be sure to notify the person whose name you list for this contact.

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Work/Activities

• Repeated Activities: (from year to year) List a repeated activity just once and use the space beneath the activity to show multiple dates, roles you served, or multiple awards you received in that activity.

• Multiple Roles: If you held multiple positions in one organization, list this as one experience only, and describe your various roles within the description section.

• “Most meaningful activity” experience summaries (3): Limited to 1325 characters (including spaces) or 1/4 page.

• Activity description (for each of your entries): Limited to 700 characters. Use to provide information or to describe responsibilities.

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Presenter

Presentation Notes

You can group different activities together – e.g., shadowing as one entry; list publications together, etc.

Work/Activities

Advice from the Assistant Dean of Admissions, Weill Cornell Medical College:• Think carefully about which kind of experiences were

really meaningful to you -- don't try to fill up space.

• Don't repeat information in the “description” section already noted in “experience type”, “title” “organization”, etc., sections.

• If the organization in which you participated is not well known, give a brief description followed by the role you played there, especially if it involved any type of responsibility.

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Letters of Evaluation

AMCAS will receive your recommendation letters directly from your House via VirtualEvals.

There are three steps for applicants: 1. Under Letters of Evaluation, you’ll need to “add” a

committee letter to let AMCAS know about the letters they are going to receive from your House Office.

2. Send your Letter Request Form ID (7 digits) to your House Office.

3. Complete the Medical Schools section and assign the letters to each participating school.

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select

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Presentation Notes

Note: Do not add each of your individual recommenders as “individual letters.” Your individual recs are scanned and included as part of the Committee Letter pdf. If by mistake you created multiple AMCAS Letter IDs rather than just the one “Committee Letter,” be sure to correct your AMCAS application to indicate that the individual letters will no longer be sent.


• Select “committee letter”. All of the letters that come from Harvard are considered a single committee letter. (This includes the House Letter and the individual accompanying letters.)

• For letter title: “Harvard Committee Letter”• For primary contact, use your Allston Burr

Academic Dean’s name (or simply “Academic Dean”).

• Now you’ll be able to access the AMCAS Letter Request Form. Email Letter ID # to your Academic Dean’s Office.

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91


Bring or email this to your Academic Dean’s Office

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schools receiving letter listed here93


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• In rare situations, Harvard applicants may wish to add additional individual letters AFTER the House Committee Letter pdf (which includes attached individual letters) has been submitted. In this case, applicants should use the AMCAS Letter Service Application program. This program allows recommenders to upload individual letters. Please see the AMCAS Instruction Manual for instructions.

• Please note that the Houses are not ordinarily involved in uploading additional individual letters to AMCAS after the House Committee Letter has been submitted.

• House Committee Letters will be sent by mid-August if the applicant has abided by House deadlines.

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https://services.aamc.org/letterwriter/

Medical Schools

• Research individual medical schools before designating them in the application. Schools cannot be removed after submission.

• Designate only program types for which you are eligible and for which the deadline has not passed.

• If you wish to apply to both an MD and MD/PhD program at the same medical school, you must check directly with that medical school regarding the application procedure.

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Presentation Notes

Once you have submitted your application to AMCAS you cannot remove schools on your designation list. To add additional schools once you have submitted your application, you must log in to your AMCAS application, select the additional schools you wish to designate, and re-submit your application to AMCAS by the stated deadlines of the schools you wish to add. (Adding schools does not require a lengthy verification process, and will not hold up your evaluation at the schools you included when you first submitted your AMCAS.)

Medical Schools

Type of program(e.g., MD vs. MD/PhD), Combined Degree Programs, Special Programs, etc.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Note: You do not need to check the “Combined Degree” program boxes that some schools list in this section of AMCAS. You will also be able to apply to these Combined Degree programs once you are already enrolled at medical school. Some schools have accelerated combined degree programs, such as the four-year NYU SOM MD-MPH program; most applicants who wish to be considered for such accelerated combined degree programs will choose to apply to both programs concurrently. Please consult the OCS premed advisors or with the medical schools in question if you are unsure of the best time to apply to a combined degree program.

Medical Schools

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Presentation Notes

Designate letters of recommendation to be sent to each school. You should check the box for the Committee Letter pdf from your House for each medical school to which you are applying.

Medical Schools

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Medical Schools

• AMCAS does not evaluate state or U.S. residency eligibility or citizenship status. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine eligibility before designating a school.

• You must indicate if you have ever previously applied to this medical school. Failure to acknowledge previous application activity will result in an investigation.

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Essays

• Please refer to the OCS webpage on creating your personal statement:• http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/personal-statement

• Remember: PROOFREAD! No changes can be made after your application is submitted to AMCAS.

• You cannot run a spell check in the AMCAS application.

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Essays

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MD/PhD Essays

105

MD/PhD Essays

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Presentation Notes

These essays will only be sent to those schools where you are applying MD/PhD.

Certification Statement

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Presentation Notes

See the 2018 AMCAS Instruction Manual for the complete Certification Statement: Certification Statement In order to complete and submit your application, you must certify the following statements by checking each box and clicking the Agree button. □ I certify that the information in this application and associated materials is current, complete, and accurate to the best of my knowledge. □ I certify that all written passages, such as the personal statement, essays required from MD-PhD applicants, and descriptions of work/activities, are my own and have not been written, in part or in whole, by a third party. Quotations are permitted if the source is cited. □ I have read, understand, and agree to comply with the AMCAS Instruction Manual, including the provisions noting that I am responsible for monitoring and ensuring the progress of my application process by checking the Main Menu of my application. I understand that I am also responsible for reviewing my application after AMCAS processing is complete. □ AAMC investigates and may report to legitimately interested parties discrepancies in information, attempts to subvert the admission process, and any other irregular matter that occurs in connection with application activities. I understand and agree that the sole and exclusive remedy available to me to appeal or otherwise challenge the AAMC’s decision to send an investigation report to legitimately interested parties shall be confidential, binding arbitration through written submissions only to the Washington, D.C. office of the American Arbitration Association under the expedited procedures for commercial matters. I understand that my failure to request in writing arbitration within 30 calendar days of receipt of an investigation report that has been approved by the AAMC for transmittal to interested parties will constitute an absolute bar and waiver of this exclusive remedy. I further understand that the sole issue for arbitration shall be whether the AAMC acted reasonably and in good faith in making its decision. □ I understand that I am responsible for knowing and understanding the admission requirements for each school to which I am applying, and that I am not eligible for a refund of AMCAS fees if I do not meet the admission requirements of the medical schools. □ I understand that I am required to inform the Admission Office of each medical school to which I apply if I am convicted of, or plead guilty or no contest to, a misdemeanor or felony crime after the date of my original application submission and prior to medical school matriculation. I understand that this communication must be in writing and must occur within ten (10) business days of the occurrence of the conviction. □ I understand that I am required to inform the Admission Office of each medical school to which I apply if I become the subject of an institutional action after the date of original application submission and prior to medical school matriculation. I understand that this communication must be in writing and must occur within ten (10) business days of the occurrence of the institutional action. □ I acknowledge and agree that my sole remedy in the event of any errors or omissions relating to the handling or processing of my application is to obtain a refund of my AMCAS application fee; however, I may be eligible for a refund only if I have notified AMCAS of any errors or omissions within ten (10) days of application processing completion. □ I understand that AMCAS has my permission to release information, at the request of the medical school(s), to a third party to pre-populate online secondary applications. □ I understand that any medical school in which I enroll may release my relevant student records to the AAMC for inclusion in the AAMC Student Records System (SRS), a secure, centralized enrollment database on the national medical student population. Access to SRS is limited to medical school administrators and select AAMC staff. The student records released to the AAMC may include information about my enrollment status, attendance, degree program, graduation plans, and demographic and contact information. Released student records will not include information about my academic performance, such as coursework grades or test scores. The AAMC uses SRS data for accreditation purposes, data services, outcomes studies, program evaluations, research projects, and other data activities in support of the medical education community and may release the data to a limited number of third parties. All AAMC uses and release of data will be consistent with the AAMC’s privacy policies. □ I understand that I am required to inform the Office of Admission of each AMCAS-participating medical school to which I apply if I matriculate into any degree-granting program after submission of my application to AMCAS and prior to matriculation at an AMCAS-participating medical school. I understand that this communication must be made in writing.


• The AMCAS Application• Identifying Information• Schools Attended and Transcripts• Biographic Information• Course Work• Work/Activities• Letters of Evaluation• Medical Schools• Essays• Standardized Tests (info on past and upcoming MCAT

tests/ test dates)




• The Verification Process108

Standardized Tests

Contact [email protected]

Monday – Friday 9 am – 5 pm ET

If you are re-taking the MCAT and don’t indicate your upcoming testing date, medical schools may review your application without waiting for your new score.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

From the AAMC: “Finally, the last section of the application is the Standardized Tests section. MCAT scores are automatically released to AMCAS. If you have already received your score, you should verify that it is captured correctly in your application. You can submit your AMCAS application without MCAT scores, but you should indicate your intended future MCAT testing date and keep that information updated throughout the application process. This is especially important for applicants who already have an MCAT score in their application. Medical schools have no other way of knowing that you intend to take an additional MCAT. If you don’t indicate that you plan to take another test at a future date, they could review your application with the score that is already present in your application and make a decision before they have received a new score.”

mailto:[email protected]

Standardized Tests

www.aamc.org/mcat

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Beginning last year, the AMCAS application has been updated to list the MCAT scores as shown on this slide. Old MCAT scores will now be reported with the score as well as percentile ranks for each score.

Standardized Tests

www.aamc.org/mcat



• Criminal Background Checks• Fee Assistance Program




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Presentation Notes

From the AAMC: “The AAMC recommends criminal background checks on all accepted applicants to assist medical schools in evaluating the ability of an individual to attain appropriate licensing in the future and to ensure trust in the profession of medicine. Criminal background checks are run on students accepted into an early decision program as soon as they are accepted, on students accepted under regular decision after January 1. Background checks are run on applicants placed on an Alternate List after May 15 and only at the request of the medical school. Applicants have the opportunity to review their criminal background check report before it is sent to medical schools. There is no additional charge to you for this service. You will receive an email notification from the AAMC’s background check vendor, Certiphi Screening, Inc., initiating the background check. You will also have 10 calendar days to review their report for irregularities, after that time it will automatically be sent to the medical school(s).”


• After January 1, accepted/waitlisted applicants to a school that participates in the AAMC CBC service will receive an email from CertiphiScreening asking to provide consent to conduct a Criminal Background Check

• Results will be made available for review prior to their release to medical schools which have accepted the applicants.

• Applicants have 10 days to review the report and contest the accuracy of the results

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Presenter

Presentation Notes

From the AAMC: “The AAMC recommends criminal background checks on all accepted applicants to assist medical schools in evaluating the ability of an individual to attain appropriate licensing in the future and to ensure trust in the profession of medicine. Criminal background checks are run on students accepted into an early decision program as soon as they are accepted, on students accepted under regular decision after January 1. Background checks are run on applicants placed on an Alternate List after May 15 and only at the request of the medical school. Applicants have the opportunity to review their criminal background check report before it is sent to medical schools. There is no additional charge to you for this service. You will receive an email notification from the AAMC’s background check vendor, Certiphi Screening, Inc., initiating the background check. You will also have 10 calendar days to review their report for irregularities, after that time it will automatically be sent to the medical school(s).”


• Conducted on first acceptance (or, in some instances, Alternate List)

• Disclosure/Consent must be certified by all applicants

• Searches:Social Security Number, County Criminal Records, Statewide Criminal Records, Federal Criminal Records, National Criminal Database, National Sexual Offender Database, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals/Entities, Dishonorable Discharge from the Armed Forces, International Screening

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Presentation Notes

From the AAMC: Federal Criminal Records Search �A direct search of federal courthouse records for any felony or misdemeanor criminal history. All records are researched to help ensure positive identification and complete, easy-to-read details. National Criminal Database Search �This search is an instant, multi-jurisdiction private database search covering more than 194 million criminal records collected from across the country. While the database does not contain information from all states, it is an excellent supplement to county, statewide and federal criminal searches. To ensure compliance with FCRA, all database “hits” are verified directly through the source of information to ensure that records reported are current and up-to-date. National Sexual Offender Database Search �A search of a national private database which contains sex offender data collected from across the country. All records are researched to help ensure positive identification.


• The report procured during this process will not be released to any party other than the medical schools requesting this report.

• On the report, history including infractions and juvenile records will be displayed to the applicant but medical schools vary on the content they can and will view.

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• Fee Assistance Program• Monitoring your Application Status


Fee Assistance Program

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2017 Fee Assistance Program• Reduction of MCAT Registration

fee from $310 to $120• The Official Guide to the MCAT®

Exam, Fourth Edition, the AAMC MCAT® Practice Exam 1, the AAMC MCAT® Practice Exam 2, the AAMC MCAT® Section Bank, and the Official MCAT® Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question Pack, Volume 1 ($170 value).

• Free access to MSAR Online until December 31, 2018 ($54 value)

• Waiver for all AMCAS fees for one application submission with up to 16 medical school designations ($730 value).

• Benefits are valid for up to two calendar years.

• Apply: www.aamc.org/fap

Apply for fee assistance before registering for the MCAT or submitting an AMCAS application. Benefits cannot be applied retroactively.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

You should complete the fee assistance program application well in advance of when you intended to register for an MCAT testing date or submit your AMCAS application as benefits are not retroactive. For more information, see https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/eligibility/ Benefits Each award includes access to the Medical School Admission Requirements® website, the MCAT® exam, and AMCAS benefits. Your benefits will expire on December 31 of the calendar year after you receive your award, regardless of when in the year your application was approved. If you apply and receive fee assistance during two consecutive calendar years, any unused benefits from your first award will expire as soon as your new award is approved. Fee assistance benefits are never retroactive. How long can I use these benefits? You will be able to use your Fee Assistance Program award benefits for up to two calendar years. Benefits will expire on December 31, the year after they are awarded regardless of when in the year you apply for, and receive, the award. For example: If your application is approved: Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2016: December 31, 2017 Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2017: December 31, 2018 Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2018: December 31, 2019 You may only apply once per calendar year. Each award includes MCAT, Medical School Admission Requirements website, and AMCAS benefits. If you apply and receive fee assistance during two consecutive calendar years, unused benefits from your first award will expire as soon as your new award is approved.

https://members.aamc.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Action=Add&ObjectKeyFrom=1A83491A-9853-4C87-86A4-F7D95601C2E2&WebCode=ProdDetailAdd&DoNotSave=yes&ParentObject=CentralizedOrderEntry&ParentDataObject=Invoice%20Detail&ivd_formkey=69202792-63d7-4ba2-bf4e-a0da41270555&ivd_prc_prd_key=D6154C35-3E41-4B67-9CD4-180F1B93F63F

https://members.aamc.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Action=Add&ObjectKeyFrom=1A83491A-9853-4C87-86A4-F7D95601C2E2&WebCode=ProdDetailAdd&DoNotSave=yes&ParentObject=CentralizedOrderEntry&ParentDataObject=Invoice%20Detail&ivd_formkey=69202792-63d7-4ba2-bf4e-a0da41270555&ivd_prc_prd_key=7FB427A9-ABAD-46EC-811C-2C6E7803F4AC

https://members.aamc.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Action=Add&ObjectKeyFrom=1A83491A-9853-4C87-86A4-F7D95601C2E2&WebCode=ProdDetailAdd&DoNotSave=yes&ParentObject=CentralizedOrderEntry&ParentDataObject=Invoice%20Detail&ivd_formkey=69202792-63d7-4ba2-bf4e-a0da41270555&ivd_cst_key=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&ivd_cst_ship_key=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&ivd_prc_prd_key=E72BD7DC-B18D-4A2B-BB12-300B7A9BED0B

https://members.aamc.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Action=Add&ObjectKeyFrom=1A83491A-9853-4C87-86A4-F7D95601C2E2&WebCode=ProdDetailAdd&DoNotSave=yes&ParentObject=CentralizedOrderEntry&ParentDataObject=Invoice%20Detail&ivd_formkey=69202792-63d7-4ba2-bf4e-a0da41270555&ivd_prc_prd_key=D822ED6A-8F18-406C-B82F-72B15DA1E555

https://members.aamc.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Action=Add&ObjectKeyFrom=1A83491A-9853-4C87-86A4-F7D95601C2E2&WebCode=ProdDetailAdd&DoNotSave=yes&ParentObject=CentralizedOrderEntry&ParentDataObject=Invoice%20Detail&ivd_formkey=69202792-63d7-4ba2-bf4e-a0da41270555&ivd_cst_key=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&ivd_cst_ship_key=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&ivd_prc_prd_key=53FA6AFB-002F-4C1B-B4BF-8E1E74D472E7

http://www.aamc.org/fap


• AMCAS fee waiver for up to 16 medical school designations ($730 savings)

• Benefits are valid up to two calendar years. Benefits expire on December 31 the year after they were awarded.

• Assists applicants who, without financial assistance would be unable to take the MCAT or apply to medical schools through AMCAS

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• Eligibility Criteria• Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or have

refugee/asylum or DACA status

• FAP does not distinguish between dependent & independent applicant status

• Note: Most medical schools waive supplemental application fees for applicants who have been granted fee assistance by the AAMC

• Must have FAP application approved before can apply benefits to AMCAS application or use for MCAT registration.

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Presentation Notes

From https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/eligibility/ Fee Assistance Program award approval is tied directly to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' poverty level guidelines. In 2017, you will be granted fee assistance if each household reported on your application has a 2016 total family income that is 300 percent or less than the 2016 national poverty level for that family size.





• Monitoring your Application Status• The Verification Process 123

Monitoring

124

Monitoring Progress

• AMCAS Application Status• Not Submitted to AMCAS• Submitted to AMCAS – Waiting for Transcripts• Submitted to AMCAS – Ready for Review• Submitted to AMCAS – Under Review• Returned to Applicant• AMCAS Processing is Complete

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Submission & Processing

• Ideally, submit application and transcript/s by mid-June. You should wait for your spring grades before submitting.

• If you are taking or re-taking the MCAT in June or July, you should still submit your AMCAS Application by mid-June. You should then indicate under Standardized Tests that you plan to take the MCAT on this future test date.

• Emphasize completeness over early submission.

• Errors/typos/missing information can’t be corrected after submission.

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Presentation Notes

Note that your AMCAS application will not be placed in the queue for verification unless your transcript/s has/have also arrived at AMCAS.

AMCAS Verification

• Once application is submitted and all transcripts received, the application will join the verification queue.

• From the date of submission, verification can take up to six weeks to be completed.

• For applicants who submit AMCAS by mid-June, verification usually takes between a few days and a few weeks.

• Note that your medical schools will only begin to receive verified AMCAS applications on June 30.

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AMCAS Verification

• Only the GPA calculated and verified by AMCAS will be considered official by the medical schools. You will be able to view the AMCAS Verified GPA when your application status is “Processed by AMCAS.”

• Please refer to the AMCAS manual for instructions on how to calculate your GPAs.

• The AMCAS GPA conversion scale:

A=4.0 A-=3.7 B+=3.3 B=3.0 B-=2.7 C+=2.3C=2.0 C-=1.7 D+=1.3 D=1.0 D-=0.7 F=0

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• What is verified for each course?

• Academic Status• Academic Year & Term• Grades• Hours• Course Classification (BCPM vs. All Other)• Course Type (Repeat, AP, etc.)

• The end result:

• Verified AMCAS GPA broken down by science & non-science courses and by academic status

• Note that medical schools do not just see your GPA. They receive all of the detailed information that you entered in the coursework section of your application.

AMCAS Verification

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AMCAS Verification

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AMCAS Verification

• Once the application is submitted and all required official transcripts are received, the application will join the verification queue Applicants should consult the

AMCAS Instruction Manual and video tutorials to ensure that all coursework is entered accurately, including AP credit and study abroad courses

From date of “Ready to Review” application status, ~ 6 weeks

Processing updates are provided on Twitter (@AMCASinfo) to help applicants gauge where they are in the verification queue and on the AMCAS application sign in page.

ApplicationSubmitted

All Official TranscriptsReceived

Verification Queue

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Presentation Notes

From the AAMC: “Applications are placed in the verification queue as soon as AMCAS receives your submitted electronic application and all of your required official transcripts. When requesting transcripts from your registrar(s), use the Official Transcript Request form that is generated from within the AMCAS application. The form helps AMCAS match transcripts accurately. AMCAS does accept electronic PDF eTranscripts from approved senders. The verification process takes about 6 weeks from the time an application reaches the status of “Ready to Review”. In order to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible, check the AMCAS Instruction Manual and watch the video tutorials to ensure that all coursework—particularly AP credit and study abroad coursework—is entered accurately before submitting your application. In order to verify an application, AMCAS does a line-by-line comparison of all of the coursework you entered into your application to what is on your official transcripts. They will also calculate your AMCAS GPAs which are normalized GPAs which allow medical school admissions officers to compare students’ GPAs from different schools and programs. AMCAS posts processing updates on the application sign in page almost every morning. They also provide processing updates on Twitter so you can gauge where you are in the verification queue. Follow @AMCASinfo or visit the AMCAS Twitter page for regular updates on processing.”

AMCAS Verification

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From the AAMC: “These graphs depict verification times during the 2014 and 2015 application cycles. The shaded portion shows you the time period when it took more than 15 business days (3 weeks) to complete the verification process once an application was marked “Ready for Review”. As you may notice, there is not much of a shaded portion on last year’s graph. Due to the backlog of applications during the 2014 application cycle (as seen in the extended shaded portion of that graph), AMCAS made substantial changes to their verification operations last year in order process applications more efficiently. Of course AMCAS plans to continue these faster turn around times for the 2016 application year. However, because verification times do depend heavily on the number of applications they get and when the applications are submitted—these charts are only for reference and are not a prediction of processing times for the 2016 application cycle.”

AMCAS Verification


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These graphs depict our peak submission times during the 2015 and 2016 cycles. Due to the backlog of applications during the 2014 application cycle, we made substantial changes to our verification operations within the last two years in order to process applications more efficiently, such as a triage system that funnels more complicated applications (apps with more than one school, with study abroad coursework, etc.) to more seasoned verifiers. Compared to the feedback we received from applicants during the 2014 cycle, applicants have seemed much more satisfied since than with the verification turn around which we plan on continuing for the 2017 application year. However, because verification times do depend heavily on the number of applications we get and when they are submitted—these charts are only for reference and are not a prediction of processing times for the 2017 application cycle.

Verification

• To address changes to Course Work made by AMCAS during the Verification process, you must submit a change request to AMCAS using the Academic Change Request option, available only after your application has completed the Verification process.

• You only have a limited time to appeal any changes, so review your course work carefully as soon as it is verified by AMCAS.

• Allow at least fifteen working days for AMCAS to review and/or process any change request.

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Let us know if you find a course category was changed incorrectly on your AMCAS. We want to make sure that AMCAS is reading Harvard courses correctly.

Post-Submission Changes

• AMCAS understands that post-submission changes are confusing for applicants:• Once an application is submitted, the “Submit Application”

button will be grayed-out

• A new “Update Application” button will appear to aid applicants in making a post-submission change or update

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From the AAMC: “If you need to make a change after your application has been submitted, click on the “Update Application” button that will become available after your application is submitted. There is no processing delay or fee for updating your application—unless you’re adding an additional medical school. For more help with post-submission changes, see our video tutorial available on our website.”

Changes After Submission

AMCAS states that only the following changes by the applicant are allowed after submission:

• Required & alternate IDs

• Name (full legal name, preferred name, & alternate names)

• Contact information

• Date of birth & birth address

• Sex

• Next MCAT date

• Additional medical schools; change of Program types

• Release of application information to pre-health advisor

• Letters of evaluation (adding late letters, and notification that a letter will no longer be sent)

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Adding schools or change of program type: Note that school specific deadlines apply. See https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/participating-medical-schools-deadlines/ for all AMCAS school deadlines.

Changes After Submission

• If you change any information (ID’s, name, contact information), you must re-certify AND re-submit your application or the medical schools will not get the update.

• Updated information (grades, activities, awards) after submission to AMCAS, must be sent directly to individual medical schools. AMCAS will not make changes to course work or activities that become available after your application has been processed.

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Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants

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See https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/application-and-acceptance-protocols-applicants/ Medical Schools cannot view the number or names of other schools that an applicant has applied to. Beginning in February of the application cycle, medical schools will be able to see Multiple Accept Data, meaning that for an applicant a school has accepted, other schools where that applicant is also currently holding an acceptance will be visible. Beginning in April of the application cycle, medical schools have access to the National Acceptance Report, which lists all applicants with a current Acceptance or Matriculated action. From the AAMC: “As a reminder, medical schools are NEVER able to view the number or names of other schools that you apply to [Note: Medical schools cannot view your full school list during the application cycle; medical schools are able to see your full school list and actions/outcome for each school from a past application cycle if you are a re-applicant]. In February of the application cycle, medical schools will be able to see Multiple Accept Data, meaning that for applicants a school has accepted, that school will be able to see where else those applicants are also currently holding an acceptance. In the beginning of April, medical schools will have access to the National Acceptance Report, which lists all applicants with a current Acceptance or Matriculated action. For more information about these reports, see the Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants on the AMCAS website. These protocols were previously named Traffic Rules.”

Resources & Information

• AMCAS Help Line: 202-828-0600Office hours 9am-7pm ET M-F; closed Wed 3-5pm;24-hour automated phone line

• Applicant Website: www.aamc.org/amcas, especially 2018 AMCAS Instruction Manual

• Email: [email protected]

• @AMCASinfo

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Note: www.aamc.org/amcas now redirects to https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/apply-to-med-school-with-amcas/

Resources & Information

• See these instructions for emailing us at [email protected].

• If you still have questions that are not answered here or in the FAQs on our website at http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/amcas, you are welcome to come to a 10-minute Premed drop-in or make an appointment for a 30-minute advising appointment (schedule through Crimson Careers). (Premed drop-ins are held until the end of Final Exam period.)

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http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/files/ocs/files/premed_advising_at_harvard_college2017_web.pdf

mailto:[email protected]

http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/amcas

http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/premedical-health-careers-advising

https://harvard-csm.symplicity.com/students/?signin_tab=0&PHPSESSID=3cbc1027a589d3aa96299432297ea4cb

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