Blog Archives

AMCAS Question: Can a medical school see the names of other med schools you apply to?

Med school applicants sometimes worry about adversely affecting their chances of admission because they might “offend” one school by applying to others. Good news: Schools will never know which other institutions or how many other institutions you applied to through AMCAS.

In February, med schools at which you are accepted will be able to access a report which will show them at which other schools you are holding acceptances. But, of course, at that point, it’s too late for that information to harm you.

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AMCAS Calendar Change

AMCAS has announced that the opening for the 2014 AMCAS submission is being delayed until Monday, June 10 at 9:30 am EST because of technical difficulties. Check out this page for details.

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AMCAS Calendar

Here’s a quick reminder for med school applicants that 2014 AMCAS opens for submission tomorrow, June 4. For more information, check out this AMCAS web page for applicants.

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Medical School Letters of Recommendation: You Get More Bees with Honey

medical school admissionsMaking the process of letter of recommendation (LOR) writing and submission smooth for your faculty recommenders will likely improve the content and turnaround time of your LORs. Your medical school LOR writers have several options for submitting to AMCAS. Because you want to make the process as convenient as possible, and because different faculty members may have varying preferences, you should offer each writer all feasible alternatives.

Below are the options. Note that your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID (found on your Letter Request Form) are required, regardless of the means of submission:

1. AMCAS Letter Writer Application: This site enables letter writers to upload documents to AMCAS securely.

2. Interfolio: AMCAS can receive letters sent to Interfolio if the applicant is an Interfolio user or if the faculty member’s institution/organization uses the program.

3. Snail mail:
AMCAS, attn: AMCAS Letters
AAMC Medical School Application Services
P.O. Box 18958
Washington, DC 20036

(If your recommender plans to send the letter by snail mail, be courteous and provide him/her with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.)

4. VirtualEvals (VE): VE is available to members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP).

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The AMCAS Verification Process – Longer than Expected

I’m getting feedback from some medical school applicants that this year’s AMCAS verification process is taking longer than many candidates had hoped. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), applicants should expect a wait of up to six weeks from the initial “Ready to Review” status post-submission to complete processing. To check on your AMCAS status, you can go to the Main screen of the application and click on the “Status” link on the left hand side.

You can send questions to AMCAS@aamc.org. I’ve found the response time to be quite fast.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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