When you submit your application depends on several factors, including the strength of your profile, your level of certainty about the program you’re targeting, when/whether you have taken the MCAT, and your undergraduate academic performance.
While the idea of applying to an EDP might be appealing, it can be difficult to gain acceptance this way. If you are rejected from an EDP, that does not mean that you are not qualified, just that school wants to see all – or at least more – candidates before deciding. Be aware that if you are not ultimately accepted, the early application could prevent you from being able to apply via the traditional route. Do your research to determine whether your target program encourages early decision; some schools even offer advice on what makes a good candidate.
Following this timeline means that you will need to devote much of your spring and summer to completing applications, which can be tough to do when you are also taking advanced-level coursework and pursuing research and service activities. It also means that you will go on interviews during your senior year.
For this reason, it is increasingly common for premeds to apply at the end of their senior year of college. This later application timeline gives you an extra year to take the MCAT (ideally in the summer after your junior year, so you have time to retake it, if needed). Applicants who go this route will complete secondaries and interview during their gap year. This approach allows you extra time for travel, research, and volunteer or work experience, which are increasingly valued by admissions committees.
Postbacs are one- or two-year programs designed to provide the foundational coursework one needs for medical school. Initially designed for applicants in the workforce who wanted to change careers, and for individuals who majored in a non-science field and needed to complete the required premed coursework, there are also postbac courses for applicants who need to improve their GPA and MCAT scores.
Postbac programs enable candidates to show their ability to perform well in higher-level science coursework. If you are undertaking a postbac program for academic enhancement, your goal should be to demonstrate a sustained upward trend in your GPA for more than two semesters. This usually necessitates a gap or “glide” year, during which people often do research.
While completing a postbac program can show med schools that you are capable of high-level coursework, be prepared to dedicate a significant amount of time to the program. If you have a bad semester in a postbac program, this can work against you.
Master’s (MS) programs give you advanced skills that you can use in medicine, while also exposing you to other aspects of science and healthcare. Doing well academically in a master’s program will show medical schools that you are capable of graduate-level work, so you must get excellent grades throughout. In contrast to a postbac program, MS programs give you graduate-level coursework comparable to that of medical school, but they do not change your undergraduate GPA.
MS programs are available in biomedical sciences, bioinformatics, biotechnology, genomics, physiology, stem cell biology, and many other subject areas.
Master of public health (MPH) programs allow you to focus on epidemiology, biostatistics, policy, environmental health, international health, disaster management, health services administration, and other such areas. You might have opportunities to do research and enhance your awareness of major public health issues critical to medicine. You can gain valuable skills working with data, designing experimental protocols, and analyzing results. You might also discover issues in healthcare that motivate you and help you focus your med school applications. Just be sure to maintain your basic science knowledge, so you can apply with a strong MCAT score.
This article was originally posted on blog.accepted.com.
1. Early Assurance Programs (EAPs)
EAPs typically ask candidates to apply during their sophomore year of college and require that they have done exceedingly well academically (to the point that the schools can assume the applicant’s MCAT score will be top notch).2. Early Decision Programs (EDPs)
EDPs allow applicants to gain admission to one school and not have to apply to any others. If you’re absolutely certain about where you want to go to medical school, an EDP can save you a lot of time and effort in applying. The timeline will be similar to that for traditional applications (see item #3 in this list), but the deadline for these programs is August 1.While the idea of applying to an EDP might be appealing, it can be difficult to gain acceptance this way. If you are rejected from an EDP, that does not mean that you are not qualified, just that school wants to see all – or at least more – candidates before deciding. Be aware that if you are not ultimately accepted, the early application could prevent you from being able to apply via the traditional route. Do your research to determine whether your target program encourages early decision; some schools even offer advice on what makes a good candidate.
3. Traditional application timeline
If you follow the traditional time frame apply at the end of your junior year as a rising senior in college. This requires that you take the MCAT early in your junior year or even over the summer between your sophomore and junior years of college. Taking the MCAT early allows you to know where you would be a competitive candidate and gives you a chance to retake the exam, if needed.Following this timeline means that you will need to devote much of your spring and summer to completing applications, which can be tough to do when you are also taking advanced-level coursework and pursuing research and service activities. It also means that you will go on interviews during your senior year.
For this reason, it is increasingly common for premeds to apply at the end of their senior year of college. This later application timeline gives you an extra year to take the MCAT (ideally in the summer after your junior year, so you have time to retake it, if needed). Applicants who go this route will complete secondaries and interview during their gap year. This approach allows you extra time for travel, research, and volunteer or work experience, which are increasingly valued by admissions committees.
4. A postbac timeline
If you had a rough freshman year in college but have had an upward trend since then in your GPA (and an overall GPA above 3.5), you might want to apply to medical school right out of college. However, if the upward trend in your grades did not start until your junior or senior year, you might want to seriously consider a postbac program.Postbacs are one- or two-year programs designed to provide the foundational coursework one needs for medical school. Initially designed for applicants in the workforce who wanted to change careers, and for individuals who majored in a non-science field and needed to complete the required premed coursework, there are also postbac courses for applicants who need to improve their GPA and MCAT scores.
Postbac programs enable candidates to show their ability to perform well in higher-level science coursework. If you are undertaking a postbac program for academic enhancement, your goal should be to demonstrate a sustained upward trend in your GPA for more than two semesters. This usually necessitates a gap or “glide” year, during which people often do research.
While completing a postbac program can show med schools that you are capable of high-level coursework, be prepared to dedicate a significant amount of time to the program. If you have a bad semester in a postbac program, this can work against you.
5. Timeline after completing an MS, MPH, or other postgraduate study
If you have been out of school for a year or more, did not get accepted the first time you applied, or are not entirely certain that medical school is for you, you might want to explore a graduate program before applying to medical school.Master’s (MS) programs give you advanced skills that you can use in medicine, while also exposing you to other aspects of science and healthcare. Doing well academically in a master’s program will show medical schools that you are capable of graduate-level work, so you must get excellent grades throughout. In contrast to a postbac program, MS programs give you graduate-level coursework comparable to that of medical school, but they do not change your undergraduate GPA.
MS programs are available in biomedical sciences, bioinformatics, biotechnology, genomics, physiology, stem cell biology, and many other subject areas.
Master of public health (MPH) programs allow you to focus on epidemiology, biostatistics, policy, environmental health, international health, disaster management, health services administration, and other such areas. You might have opportunities to do research and enhance your awareness of major public health issues critical to medicine. You can gain valuable skills working with data, designing experimental protocols, and analyzing results. You might also discover issues in healthcare that motivate you and help you focus your med school applications. Just be sure to maintain your basic science knowledge, so you can apply with a strong MCAT score.
This article was originally posted on blog.accepted.com.
