A Concise Timeline for Applying to Medical School and What to Expect

If you are applying to medical school you are probably getting every relative and every friend you have ever known if you have gotten in yet. However, what many people, even most applicants do not know is the timeline for applying, and you can’t really blame them. What I will try to do in this article is try to clear up the medical school application timeline, from when you should start taking the MCAT to when you can expect to be fortunate enough to receive an acceptance.

Your Entire Time in College

Do well in your classes and start asking for letters of recommendation. Four years might seem like a long time, but more often then not people find this is one of the hardest parts of applying. Some professors will say no, are just to busy to write a great letter, or end up not responding to emails as it gets closer to applying. If it is early in your college career than you can still ask for your letters and just store them in a system like Interfolio.

June- December Before You Apply

Start preparing for and take the MCAT exam. Now that might seem a little early, but the thing you really want to avoid is a blind submit, where you apply without yet having an MCAT score. Taking it between June and December gives you plenty of time to get back a score and decide if you would want to take the test again.

January-May

Start writing your personal statement and your activity section for your primary application. You do not have to write everything in Januaray, but it is important to start writing them. Start brainstorming and give yourself a few months to write, revise. For some tips to dramatically improve your personal statement you can read the article I wrote here. For the activity section, many of the same advice apply. You want to adequately be able to explain what you did in the activity, how it is important to you, and why it will help you become a better physician.

May

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