Timelines (printable version)

Timelines for Application vary upon when you intend to enter medical school. From the time you begin contemplating going to medical school, say in your sophomore year, until you enter medical school, may be three years or as long as six (if you take 3 years off after graduation) or more. It all has to do with timing, when you take the MCAT (DAT or GRE), when you submit the AMCAS (AACOMAS, AADSAS, VMCAS) application.

You must take into consideration from the time you submit the AMCAS (AACOMAS, AADSAS or VMCAS) application, it is at least a year and a half until you enter school. To be best prepared for entering medical school as you intend, follow the timeline suited for your plan. No matter what timeline you chose, it is helpful to begin your journey during your first and sophomore years.

If your intended journey is to enter medical school the fall semester after graduating from CC, follow your first and sophomore years and your junior year will be one and a half years from entering medical school.

If your journey includes entering medical school a year after graduation (giving yourself a year between undergraduate and medical school to revitalize) , follow your first and sophomore years and your junior year will be two years and a half from entering medical school.

If your intended journey begins more than one year after graduating from CC, follow your undergraduate years with the after graduation timeline.

Preparing for Medical School while at CC

First Year:

Attend orientation meeting at the beginning of the year
Register for 8th Block FY180 (Science in Medicine) course – open to first year students only (if offered)

First Year & Sophomore Years:

Attend Health Professions Club meetings
Get on the Health Professions Advising e-mail distribution list for notices of health profession related events
Take required courses for medical school
Take courses in the humanities and social sciences to fulfill CC graduation requirements
Get to know faculty and administrators
Start looking into possible medical schools
Learn about the medical practice (volunteer, shadow)

During the summer:
Volunteer – clinical experience
Shadow
Work in a research lab, research fellowships, internships

Junior Year: (time line when applying for entrance in the Fall after your CC graduation)

Complete all basic pre-requisite courses before taking the MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE or other required entrance test
Get on the Health Professions Advising e-mail distribution list for notices of HPA events, if you aren’t already
Attend Health Professions Club meetings especially those pertaining to mock interviews, personal statement, tests & applications
Begin writing personal statement and resume
Pick up HPA personal information packet at Health Professions Advising Office
Research possible medical schools, start list of schools
Attend one on one informational meeting with Health Professions Advising Committee before the end of the academic year

October:
Participate in mock interview

December onward:
Distribute letter of evaluation waiver request forms to prospective referees
Begin review (on your own or through a professional company) for required entrance test

Check out test registration information - print out and read all important pages at: www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp , www.aamc.org/mcat Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

DAT Registration 90 days prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp

MCAT Registration 4-5 months prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.aamc.org/mcat (20+ test administrations [January – September]) Scores released one month after taking MCAT

Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

May:
Return HPA personal information packet to Health Professions Advising Office
AMCAS application available to view, instructions & manuals to print out: www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm
Hardcopy of AMCAS, AADSAS and VMCAS information at Health Professions Advising Office

June:
Earliest submission date for AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS & VMCAS applications - be mindful of final submission deadlines

*Authorize HPA Office to view application*

Application verification may take 4-8 weeks to process so submit accordingly.
Confirm HPA Office has personal information packet, test scores, letters of evaluation and authorization to view application data
June:
Early Decision Program application period

July:
HPA committee begins writing composite letters - written & sent to medical schools after application verification, in order of file completion

August:
Early Decision Program interviews begin

During the summer:
Volunteer – clinical experience
Shadow
Work in a research lab, research fellowships, internships

Senior Year: (time line when applying for entrance in the Fall after your CC graduation)

Complete all basic pre-requisite courses and graduation requirements
Get on the Health Professions Advising e-mail distribution list for notice of HPA events, if you aren’t already
Attend Health Professions Club meetings especially those pertaining to mock interviews, personal statement, tests & applications
Confirm HPA Office has personal information packet, test scores, letters of evaluation and authorization to view application data

HPA committee writes composite letters – written & sent to schools in order of file completion

October:
Participate in mock interviews
Early Decision Program notification of acceptance
VMCAS application deadline

October – March:
School entrance application deadline*
School interviews*

November – August:
Notification of acceptance*

During your time off:
Volunteer – clinical experience
Shadow
Work in a research lab, research fellowships, internships
Do anything that will make you a stronger applicant

* These dates vary according to individual schools

Junior Year: (time line when applying for entrance a year after your CC graduation)

Complete all basic pre-requisite courses before taking the MCAT, DAT, GRE or other required entrance test
Get on the Health Professions Advising e-mail distribution list for notices of HPA events, if you aren’t already
Attend Health Professions Club meetings especially those pertaining to mock interviews, personal statement, tests & applications
Start looking into possible medical schools
Learn about the medical practice (volunteer, shadow)

October:
Participate in mock interview

December onward:
Begin review (on your own or through a professional company) for required entrance test if taking the test this year

Check out test registration information - print out and read all important pages at: www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp , www.aamc.org/mcat Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

DAT Registration 90 days prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp

MCAT Registration 4-5 months prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.aamc.org/mcat (20+ test administrations [January – September]) Scores released one month after taking MCAT

Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

During the summer:
Volunteer – clinical experience
Shadow
Work in a research lab, research fellowships, internships

Senior Year: (time line when applying for entrance a year after your CC graduation)

Complete all basic pre-requisite courses before taking the MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE or other required entrance test
Get on the Health Professions Advising e-mail distribution list for notices of HPA events, if you aren’t already
Attend Health Professions Club meetings especially those pertaining to mock interviews, personal statement, tests & applications
Begin writing personal statement and resume
Pick up HPA personal information packet at Health Professions Advising Office
Research possible medical schools, start list of schools
Attend one on one informational meeting with Health Professions Advising Committee before the end of the academic year

October:
Participate in mock interview

December onward:
Distribute letter of evaluation waiver request forms to prospective referees
Begin review (on your own or through a professional company) for required entrance test if taking the test this year

Check out test registration information - print out and read all important pages at: www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp , www.aamc.org/mcat Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

DAT Registration 90 days prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asps

MCAT Registration 4-5 months prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.aamc.org/mcat (20+ test administrations [January – September]) Scores released one month after taking MCAT

Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

May:
Return HPA personal information packet to Health Professions Advisng Office before leaving campus
AMCAS application available to view, instructions & manuals to print out: www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm
Hardcopy of AMCAS, AADSAS and VMCAS information at Health Professions Advising Office
Complete distribution of letter of evaluation waiver request forms to prospective referees before leaving campus

June:
Earliest submission date for AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS & VMCAS applications - be mindful of final submission deadlines

*Authorize HPA Office to view application*

Application verification may take 4-8 weeks to process so submit accordingly.
Confirm HPA Office has personal information packet, test scores, letters of evaluation and authorization to view application data

June:
Early Decision Program application period

July:
HPA committee begins writing composite letters - written & sent to medical schools after application verification, in order of file completion

August:
Early Decision Program interviews begin

October:
Participate in mock interviews
Early Decision Program notification of acceptance
VMCAS application deadline

October – March:
School entrance application deadline*
School interviews*

November – August:
Notification of acceptance*

During your time off:
Volunteer – clinical experience
Shadow
Work in a research lab, research fellowships, internships
Do anything that will make you a stronger applicant

* These dates vary according to individual schools

After graduation, a year and a half before anticipated entrance to medical school: (time line when applying for entrance a year or more after your CC graduation)

Complete all basic pre-requisite courses before taking the MCAT, DAT, GRE or other required entrance test
Distribute letter of evaluation waiver request forms to prospective referees
Begin review (on your own or through a professional company) for required entrance test before taking the test

Check out test registration information - print out and read all important pages at: www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp , www.aamc.org/mcat

DAT Registration 90 days prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp

MCAT Registration 4-5 months prior to desired test date Release scores to HPA Office www.aamc.org/mcat (20+ test administrations [January – September]) Scores released one month after taking MCAT

Hardcopy of registration information at Health Professions Advising Office

May:
Return HPA personal information packet to Health Professions Advising Office before applying
AMCAS application available to view, instructions & manuals to print out: www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm
Hardcopy of AMCAS, AADSAS and VMCAS information at Health Professions Advising Office
Confirm distribution of letter of evaluation waiver request forms to prospective referees

June:
Earliest submission date for AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS & VMCAS applications - be mindful of final submission deadline

*Authorize HPA Office to view application*

Application verification may take 4-8 weeks to process so apply accordingly.
Confirm HPA Office has personal information packet, test scores, letters of evaluation and authorization to view application data

June:
Early Decision Program application period

July:
HPA committee begins writing composite letters - written & sent to medical schools after application verification, in order of file completion

August:
Early Decision Program interviews begin

October:
Early Decision Program notification of acceptance
VMCAS application deadline

October – March:
School entrance application deadline*
School interviews*

November – August:
Notification of acceptance*

During your time off:
Volunteer – clinical experience
Shadow
Work in a research lab, research fellowships, internships
Do anything that will make you a stronger applicant

* These dates vary according to individual schools

** Authorizing HPA Office to view test scores & application expedites submission of your letters of evaluation, assists in record keeping (in this way the HPA Office has a heads up and knows you are applying) and reporting to CC administration**