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Medical School Roadmap

The road to medical school is a long one, below is a roadmap to help you navigate this process. The timeline can change if you plan on taking a gap year. 

Freshmen Year

Focus: Set on the right track, create goals, and begin forming connections 

  • Meet with your advisor to discuss prerequisite courses

  • Maintain a competitive GPA 

  • Attend informational events about medical schools 

  • Get involved in extracurricular and volunteering opportunities​​

  • Start shadowing doctors and medical professionals 

  • Apply and join undergraduate research â€‹â€‹

  • Explore financial aid options for medical school

  • Consider starting clinical jobs such as nursing assistant or scribing 

  • Go to faculty office hours to build connections with potential letter writers 

Sophomore Year

Focus: Build resume, prepare for admissions tests and other requirements 

  • Gain clinical experience as well as volunteering and community service activities 

  • Develop communication and leadership skills (ex: board positions of clubs, mentoring)

  • Create MCAT study plan 

  • Review AMCAS application process 

  • Continue: 

    • Maintaining competitive GPA 

    • Build relationships with faculty and mentors 

    • Meet with advisor and pre-med advisors 

    • Keep record of extracurricular activities and volunteering 

Junior Year
Fall Semester 

Focus: Prepare for MCAT and gather application materials 

  • Meet with advisor to discuss: 

    • Taking a gap or growth year ​

    • Post-bac programs 

    • When to take the MCAT exam 

    • Letters of recommendation 

    • Pre-med and other required coursework 

  • Begin serious preparation for MCAT exam 

  • Outline and draft your personal statement 

  • Start researching medical schools using MSAR 

Junior Year
Spring Semester 

Focus: Take MCAT and put finishing touches on application and supplemental material 

  • Take MCAT exam (January - May) 

  • Finalize medical school list on MSAR 

  • Finalize personal statement getting feedback from advisor and other mentors 

  • Obtain letters of recommendation with Interfolio, giving writers 4-6 weeks notice before it is needed​​

  • Draft activity descriptions and gathering references 

  • Submit application 

  • Practice interview questions. Find people to hold mock interviews with. 

  • Continue: 

    • Maintain competitive GPA ​

    • Stay involved in extracurricular activities and volunteering 

    • Gain clinical experience by shadowing, volunteering, or clinical work 

May of Application Cycle

  • Apply for Fee Assistance Program 

  • Create a profile and start application through AMCAS or AACOMAS when the application opens 

  • IMMEDIATELY after spring grades are released, request a Purdue transcript to be sent to the application provider 

  • Transmit transcripts from any other universities to the application provider 

  • Transmit letters of recommendation from Interfolio to the application provider 

  • Copy and paste activity descriptions to the application 

  • Download your application to check for any typos or errors 

  • Submit the day the application is avaliable for submission 

Summer of Application Cycle

  • Prewrite secondary applications using prompts found on student doctor network 

  • Request secondary fee waivers from schools 

  • Submit and pay for secondaries 

Senior Year

Focus: Continue to maintain competitive academics and extracurricular activities while navigating incoming admissions decisions 

  • Participate in interviews when invited â€‹

  • Complete loan/financial assistance application 

  • Complete prerequisite coursework 

  • Consider post-application plans, whether you are accepted or not 

  • After receiving letters of acceptance or rejection: 

    • If accepted: ​

      • Decide which medical school you want to attend ​

      • Complete FAFSA and financial aid forms 

    • If waitlisted or rejected: 

      • Talk with your advisor ​

      • Consider a gap year or post-bac program 

  • After graduation: 

    • Buy books ​

    • Find a place to live 

    • Attend orientation programs and matriculate 

Gap Year

Primary Changes: ​

  • Take MCAT senior year 

  • Spend gap year doing something productive towards gaining your medical degree such as: volunteering, clinical work, research, grad school, etc. 

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