Slide 7:

Applications open in June and close between November and January. Primary first, then
secondary.

Expect to take the MCAT the latest in April, and have your letters of rec ready by May.

Submit as early as possible since the earlier, the more likely to get into the interview pool

After submitting applications come interviews.

Slide 8:
The AAMC Fee Assistance program, if eligible, can provide a lot of financial benefits to the
application process.
MCAT Offical Prep online-only package ($270 value)
MCAT cost reduced to $130 from $320
MSAR (Admissions requirements database) access
1 application submission (with upto 20 medical schools) covered, which is approx $950 saved
Fee Assistance Program (aamc.org)

AMCAS Primary = 170 + 40 for each school

AACOMAS (Osteopathic) = 195 + 45 for each school
TMDSAS (Texas) = 185

Secondary Apps can cost $75-100

Transcripts at UCSD cost one-time $165 for lifetime access + shipping charge for each
CASPer = $10 + 10 for each school
Some specific fees for school requirements

Interview/Travel cost = $500-$1k per school

Slide 10:
You need to be able to show skills, knowledge, and abilities in these areas. Whether it’s through
your extracurriculars, personal life, school, etc. One experience can demonstrate proficiency in
more than one competency

Service orientation
Social skills
Cultural competence
Teamwork
Oral communication

Ethical responsibility to self and others

Reliability and dependability
Resilience and adaptability
Capacity for Improvement

Critical thinking
Quantitative reasoning
Scientific inquiry
Written communication
Living systems
human behavior

Core Competencies: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/core-

competencies/

Slide 11:
Med school related activities: volunteering, EMT, scribe.
Non Medical school related activities: sports, music, art, cooking.

Non medical school related activities: can actually bring out more of you as a person.
Interviewers want to get to know you as a person and one of the best ways can be talking about
something you genuinely love doing in your free time.
Find ways where you can tie your extracurriculars to why you want to become a doctor. Parts of
things you may consider fun can actually tie into why you want to become a doctor. For
example, for sports you work as a team, generally you have to become a people person to be a
good teammate. Know how to communicate your strategy, plans.
Music you love sharing with other people, making them happy which requires you to be a
people person, open to sharing. Same with Art.

Personal experience, at least for some college interviews, it was much more interesting when I
was talking about stuff I liked doing like producing music for me.
15 Activities can be put on the application

Slide 12:
Course Requirements: https://career.ucsd.edu/plan/explore/pre-health-
med/medicine/prepare.html

Math (2 courses in calc/ 1 course in stats)

Upper div bio courses (genetics, physiology, cell bio)
Disclaimer: not all med schools have the same requirement but these are the general ones. If
you have a specific school in mind, you should probably look it up and see their requirements.

Slide 13:
If AP credit is not accepted, you can replace it with an honors series or upper division series in
that subject at UCSD.
Learn more about med school prerequisites and AP credit here:
https://career.ucsd.edu/plan/explore/pre-health-med/medicine/prepare.html

Slide 14:
CASPer: https://takecasper.com/about-casper/
“Situational judgement tests (SJTs) are a type of psychological test which presents the test-
taker with realistic, hypothetical scenarios and may ask the individual what they would do in the
dilemma and why they would do it. Situational judgement tests tend to determine behavioral
tendencies, assessing how an individual will behave in a certain situation, and knowledge
instruction, which evaluates the effectiveness of possible responses.”

Slide 26:
Enhance current science GPA ---> grade-enhancer program
Still need to complete pre-reqs ---> career-changer program
Structured: has a set curriculum that is taken in a specific order
Unstructured: more flexible with courses taken & each individual student plans out their needed
coursework

Post bacc programs are great to prepare for the application process of med school (application
strategies, mock interviews, personal statement writing workshops); also MCAT preparation
There’s a lot of academic & peer support to help you