III. Medical School Preparation - The Second Two Years

A. Summer Following Sophomore Year Through December Of Junior Year

1. Assess your current strengths and weaknesses and develop plans to "shore up" weaknesses
   a. Academic - grades and completion of requirements
   b. Knowledge of medicine - volunteer work, research and contact with health workers
   c. Development of references - contacts with faculty, supervisors and others
   d. Community service
   e. Motivation, Is this still what you most want?
   
2. Take August MCAT
   a. Register early to insure test location of your choice
   b. Score reporting options, release to advisor
   c. MCAT Preparation - take preparation seriously
   
   1) Private preparation courses - structured, expensive, practice tests
   2) College preparation courses - practice test offered in February
   3) Individual preparation - inexpensive, requires significant discipline, study books and practice tests available
   
3. Begin more in - depth research of medical schools
   a. Why?
   
   1) Too important of a decision to not research
   2) Important to get into best school for you
   3) Not every school is for you
   4) There are differences among medical schools in curriculum and "Style"
   5) Time and expense involved in application
   
   b. How?
   
   1) Purchase current edition of MSAR
   2) Write for catalogs
   3) Use resources in CDC career library
   4) Visit medical schools in your local area
   5) Talk with medical school students at schools in which you are interested, find out where Caltech alumni are in medical school
   
   c. What do You Want to Learn?
   
   1) Mission
   2) Philosophy of education, curriculum
   3) Applicant pool, admissions procedures
   4) Tuition, expenses, and financial aid
   5) Special programs, e.g. MD/Ph.D.
   6) Type and locations of rotations
   7) Opportunities for minority students
   8) Residency placement rates
   

B. Winter Term - Junior Year

1. Reassess your motivation to enter medical school and your competitiveness for admission
   
2. Register to take or retake the April MCAT
   
3. Begin drafts of the Personal Statement required in AMCAS. (The Personal Statement is extremely important!)
   
4. Establish a Letter of Recommendation File in the Career Development Center a. read materials on "How to Obtain an Effective Letter"
   b. obtain copies of "Guide to Writing Letters of Recommendation For Students Applying to Medical School"
   
5. Approach individuals about writing letters of recommendation
   a. How?
   
   1) Set up appointment
   2) Bring copies of essay, resume, and transcripts
   3) Give guidelines on what to include
   
   a) How is applicant known, for how long?
   b) Research supervisors - nature of research, competence in laboratory, contribution, types of interactions, comparison with other researchers
   c) Instructor - type of class, requirements, how graded, population of students, and how applicant performed in comparison to others in class
   d) Supervisor - nature of work, responsibilities of applicant, competence of applicant, comparison with other workers
   e) Overall assessment of both academic and personal qualifications of applicant
   
   4) Ask, "Do you feel that you know me well enough to write an informed and positive letter?"
   
   b. Who to Ask
   
   1) Faculty - many schools prefer two science and one humanities or social science
   2) Research supervisors, do not have to be at Caltech
   3) Volunteer supervisors
   4) Other work supervisors
   5) Other individuals familiar with abilities of applicant, e.g. coach, Deans, faculty with whom you have worked on a committee
   6) NO family members, friends of family
   
   c. How many?
   
   1) 4-5 letters are adequate: quality, not quantity
   2) Exceptions - more letters may be justified if applying to MD/Ph.D.
   
6. April MCAT a. Concentrate on studying for and taking MCAT before filling out AMCAS application (earliest date to submit AMCAS is June 1)
   

C. Spring Term - Junior Year

1. AMCAS forms arrive in mid April - attend AMCAS workshop or make an appointment with premed advisor to pick up and go over forms
   
2. Write directly to non AMCAS schools, this list is in the AMCAS form
   
3. Make sure you are on track to graduate the following year
   
4. Continue researching medical schools
   
5. Complete AMCAS application
   a. Make copies before beginning
   b. Be complete and scrupulously honest - Think HONOR CODE
   c. Complete Personal Statement
   
   1) Style and content
   
   a) Be personal, meaning "self revealing" to the extent you are comfortable ("cheesy" even!), warm, creative, inviting
   b) Include information not detailed elsewhere on AMCAS
   c) Be cautious about politics, religion, negative statements in general and criticism of the medical profession
   d) Do not tell the readers what they probably alread know
   
   2) Format
   
   a) Fill up entire page
   b) Okay to single space with double space between paragraphs, Times 10 point type is a good choice
   
   3) Seek feedback and critique from premed advisor, faculty and others who know you well
   
   d. Type application - commercial computer programs are available for 1996 (NOTE - AMCAS expects to have their own computerized version of the application available for the class of 1997)
   e. Submit as close as possible to June 1 - Third Term Grades? Yes or No
   f. Check to see if AMCAS received your application - Important to do this!
   

D. Summer after Junior Year through Senior Year

1. Assess your credentials and application with a critical eye, review with premed advisor and other mentors
   
2. Make sure all your recommendation letters are in you file
   
3. Take courses senior year that will strengthen your application
   
4. Continue to take school seriously, but plan for time to do interviews
   
5. Continue volunteer/research work
   
6. Submit secondary applications
   a. Prioritize which secondaries to complete
   b. Whittle down schools even further
   c. Research each medical school specifically so that responses demonstrate knowledge of school
   d. Put secondary application on computer since some responses are general enough to use with several schools
   e. Complete as soon as possiblE (goal: two to three weeks after receipt
   
7. Contact medical schools
   a. Confirm that application is complete
   b. Check to confirm their review process and timetable
   
8. Then - allow yourself to wait to hear from medical schools, let them do their process
   
9. Respond immediately to any interview offered
   a. Okay to attempt to consolidate interviews
   b. Okay to ask schools for interview if another interview offered in same general geographical area
   
10. Preparation for interviews
    a. Research school, in even more detail than before, contact alumnae who are there or have recently graduated
    b. Review your application, reconfirm your motivation and goals
    c. Read "Interview Comments" in notebook in CDC library
    d. Schedule a videotaped mock interview with the CDC