The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a
centralized application processing service located in Washington,
DC. The AMCAS people do not make any admissions decisions. They
simply verify your academic history and process, duplicate, and
send your application and MCAT scores to all AMCAS member schools
that you designate.
The AMCAS application greatly simplifies the initial stages of
the application process. Instead of having to complete individual
applications for every single school, you complete just one AMCAS
online application. The vast majority of the U.S. LCME-accredited
medical schools are AMCAS-affiliated.
AMCAS applications can be obtained online at the Web site of
The Association of American Medical Colleges at www.aamc.org.
Filling In the Blanks
AMCAS applications become available in April for the class
entering in the fall of the following year. AMCAS begins
accepting applications in early June.
Medical schools will want to see an application form, your
transcripts, your MCAT scores, and letters of recommendation
before they inform you that your application is complete. Until
they receive all the components of your application folder, they
won't consider you for a secondary application and personal
interview.
Many schools have a rolling admissions system. This means that
those applicants who are reviewed first will be given the first
interviews, and subsequently, will be granted admission before
other candidates. There is seldom a downside for getting your
application in as soon as possible.
In Three Sections
There are three sections to the AMCAS application:
General Information:
The information requested is similar
to that in most applications. Spotlight those activities and
honors that are most important to you and those that you hope
will distinguish your application. List in descending order of
priority.
You may also want to highlight health-related activities,
public service work, and science or medically-related work
experience.
Personal Statement:
This is the one area on the AMCAS
application where you can infuse a little bit of personality. The
personal statement is your opportunity to separate yourself from
other equally qualified applicants, so take time and write a
statement that sets you apart from the rest.
Coursework and GPA:
You're required to input a detailed
list of every course you've taken since secondary school. Before
you even begin, you should have a copy of an unofficial
transcript from all community college, undergrad, and grad
institutions you've attended. You'll need this in order to tackle
the complex matrix of classes, semester hours, credits, and
grades.