AMCAS New Advisor Webcast

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AMCAS New Advisor Webcast

• Presented by
• Jayme Bograd, Christina Searcy, Jeremy Manus and
  Allison Rafti, AMCAS

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Agenda

• About AMCAS
• Understanding the Medical School Admissions
  Process
• The 2010 AMCAS Application
• Completing the Primary Application
• Knowing Your Responsibilities
• Monitoring Your applicants process
• Application Life Cycle
• Letters of Evaluation
• Criminal Background Checks
• Advisor Information System
• Fee Assistance Program
• FACTS about Applicants and Matriculants

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About AMCAS

• A service of the Association of American Medical
  Colleges (AAMC)
• Non-profit, centralized application service
• Collects applicant information
• Collects one set of transcripts
• Verifies academic records
• Provides standardized grading information to
  participating schools

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Understanding the Process

• Applying is a two-step process
• 1. Primary Application AMCAS
• 2. Secondary Applications Medical Schools

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Understanding the Process
Primary Application
Secondary Application
Interview

• Schedule interview date upon invitation from the
  medical school.

• Upon invitation from the medical school
• Submit letters of recommendation for non LETTERS
  participants.
• Submit additional writing samples.
• Send updated transcripts if necessary.
• Pay additional application fee if required.

• AMCAS processes the primary application.
• Once this processing is complete, AMCAS sends the
  primary application to the medical schools
  selected by the applicant.
• At this point, the medical school takes over the
  application.

• Complete online application.
• Send college transcripts.
• Input Letter Writer Contact Information (Have
  Letter Writers send Letters of Recommendation for
  Participating Schools on their established
  timeframe)
• Pay application fee.

MEDICAL SCHOOL
AMCAS
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Understanding the Process

• General Information/Getting Ready
• Know the admissions requirements at each school
• Obtain copies of you transcripts
• Make sure you have access to a computer that
  meets AMCAS system and browser requirements
• Make payment arrangements

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The 2010 AMCAS Application

• Application Resources
• AMCAS frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Online application instructions

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Completing the Primary Application

• Application Navigation
• Become familiar with the navigation sections of
  the application

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Completing the Primary Application
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Completing the Primary Application

• What is verified for each course?
• Academic Status
• Academic Year Term
• Grades
• Hours
• Course Classification (BCPM vs. All Other)
• Course Type (Honors, Repeat, AP, etc.)

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GPA Calculations
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Study Abroad

• Include the foreign institution and the
  sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution in your
  list of colleges attended.
• Request a transcript exception for the foreign
  institution.  Indicate the U.S. or Canadian
  institution on whose transcript credits will
  appear.
• List study abroad course work under the foreign
  college at which it was attempted but as it
  appears on the sponsoring U.S. Institutions
  transcript.

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Example 1 Study Abroad at London School of
Economics

• In the Schools Attended Section applicant would
  list the home institution Columbia University
  and
• In the Schools Attended Section the applicant
  would list the study abroad school London School
  of Economics
• In the transcript request section of schools
  attended the applicant would select that the
  transcript is not required Foreign College
  Study Abroad through a U.S. or Canadian
  Institution
• In the course work section the applicant would
  list the course work under the Foreign College
  (London School of Economics) but as it appears on
  the home institutions (Columbia University)
  transcript

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Example 2 Study Abroad through Danish Institute
for Study Abroad (DIS)

• In the Schools Attended Section applicant would
  list the home institution Columbia University
  and
• In the Schools Attended Section the applicant
  would list the study abroad program Danish
  Institute for Study Abroad (country located)
• The applicant would indicate that the transcript
  is not required Foreign School, Independent
  Attendance
• In the course work section the applicant would
  list the course work under the study abroad
  program (DIS) but as it appears on the home
  institutions (Columbia University) transcript

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Example 3 Study Abroad through a U.S. or
Canadian Institution other than your home
institution (Columbia University)

• In the Schools Attended Section applicant would
  list the home institution Columbia University
  and
• In the Schools Attended Section the applicant
  would list the U.S. or Canadian Institutions
  sponsoring the study abroad program (example
  Butler University) and
• In the Schools Attended Section the applicant
  would list the study abroad program Institute
  for Study Abroad - Argentina
• In the transcript request section of schools
  attended the applicant would select that the
  transcript is not required Foreign College
  Study Abroad through a U.S. or Canadian
  Institution
• In the course work section the applicant would
  list the course work under the Foreign College
  (Institute for Study Abroad - Argentina) but as
  it appears on the sponsoring institutions
  transcript (Butler University)
• Both U.S. Transcripts Required (Columbia
  University and Butler University)

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Study Abroad AMCAS GPA

• If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution
  provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C, etc.) and
  credit hours convertible to semester hours for
  each course on their transcript or on an official
  letter attached to their transcript
• Enter all required course data exactly as it
  appears on the official transcript of the U.S. or
  Canadian sponsoring institution.
• AMCAS will include this course work in AMCAS
  GPA.
• If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution
  does NOT provide letter grades other than
  Pass/Fail
• Indicate "Pass/Fail" as the Course Type and
  provide all other required course data, entering
  the transcript grade exactly as it appears on the
  official transcript of the U.S. or Canadian
  sponsoring institution.
• AMCAS will NOT include this course work in AMCAS
  GPAhowever, AMCAS will include this course work
  in cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and Pass/Fail-Fail
  credit hour totals

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Knowing Your Responsibilities

• Applicant Responsibilities
• In addition to meeting deadlines and accurately
  completing the AMCAS application, you must
• Promptly notify AMCAS of change in contact info
• Review verified course work immediately after
  AMCAS processing is complete

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Knowing Your Responsibilities

• Common Pitfalls
• Missed application deadlines
• Delayed processing/missed transcript deadlines
• Late shipping
• Incomplete or inaccurate
• Missing
• Unofficial
• Typos and other errors in essay, experiences,
  etc.
• Failure to receive and respond to AMCAS
  notifications
• Early is good. Error-free is better!
• Emphasize completeness and accuracy over early
  submission
• Use print option to check your data as final step
  before submission
• Have your payment information ready
• Ensure successful submission by checking the Main
  Menu

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Monitoring Your Applications Progress

• Check your AMCAS status
• Monitor progress by frequently checking e-mail
  and Main Menu

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AMCAS APPLICATION LIFE CYCLE
May take up to 6 weeks
Not Submitted to AMCAS
Submitted to AMCAS Ready for Review
Submitted to AMCAS Under Review
AMCAS Processing Complete
Submitted to AMCAS Waiting for Transcripts
Returned to Applicant
Submitted to AMCAS Waiting for Transcripts
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AMCAS Letters

• Pilot program for 2009 entering class cycle
• 21 schools participated
• List of participating schools has been sent out
• No additional fee
• Purpose of service expansion was to
• Enable medical schools to centralize application
• Reduce scanning/printing in admissions offices
• Create single point of entry for application
  data documents
• Limit change for students and advisors
• 2010 Entering class cycle
• 109 schools participating
• List of Schools will be available on our website
  by next week
• No additional fee

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AMCAS Letters Overview
Advisor / Author / Career Center Options
Applicant
AMCAS Letter Writer Application
Medical School

• Medical Schools can
• View/download letters via AP applicant record
• Batch download via new School Tools tab
• Receive letters via SFTP

Interfolio
AMCAS
U.S. Mail
Virtual Evals
The flow chart is designed to show you that AMCAS
accepts letters through these mediums for
participating schools so not to disrupt your
current processes (too much) but not to say that
all letters sent to these vendors comes to AMCAS
first.   Medical schools not participating in
letters via AMCAS go directly to the medical
schools after they leave the vendors.
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AMCAS Schools NOT Participating
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Letter Basics

• Applicants can add up to 10 letters
• Applicants can send targeted letters
• Alumnus
• MD/PhD
• AMCAS retains letters for one application cycle
  only

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Letter Basics

• In AMCAS, the student will
• Identify the letters AMCAS will receive (up to
  10 letters)
• Committee letter, letter packet OR Individual
  letter
• Institution Information (if available)
• Letter Writer / Contact information
• Can add additional authors for letter packets
• Identify the medical schools to which each
  letter should be sent
• Print letter request form and provide it to
  letter writer/ contact
• Track receipt of letters by AMCAS

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Letter Basics

• Designating Letters to Medical Schools
• Select Medical School
• A pre-populated list of letters entered by they
  applicant will appear
• Choose from the list of letters by either
  selecting all letters or designating them
  individually
• Letters DO NOT have to be entered before
  submission of the application.
• Once application is submitted with letter
  information it can NOT be edited/deleted

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Letters not sending

• Applicants will be able to let AMCAS know if a
  letter is no longer going to be received so that
• Medical Schools will not wait for the delivery of
  a letter
• Applicants will stop receiving reminders about a
  letter they dont plan to have sent
• This letter still makes up one of their 10 letter
  entries

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AMCAS Letter Writer Application

• Log in using AIS username and password or create
  new username and password
• User should have applicants AAMC ID, Letter ID,
  and PDFd letter handy
• Once the PDF is uploaded, it is immediately
  delivered to AMCAS and applicant will receive
  email notifying them that the AMCAS has received
  letter (real time)
• https//services.aamc.org/LetterWriter/

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Enter Valid Combination of AAMC ID and Letter ID
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Verify the AMCAS Applicant and Upload PDF
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Verify the PDF is correct and Upload Letter
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View your Applicants
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Criminal Background Checks

• AAMC Facilitated Criminal Background Checks are
  run for 41 participating medical schools and
• Conducted on first Acceptance embargoed to
  January of the application year except Early
  Decision Program
• Subset of alternate list starting in May

• DISCLOSURE/CONSENT TO BE CERTIFIED BY ALL
  APPLICANTS

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Advisor Information System

• To register for access you must do the
  following
• complete Official Health Professional Advisor
  registration form found at www.aamc.org/advisors
  
• Provide a letter, on institution letterhead, from
  your president or provost designating you as an
  Official Health Professions Advisor
• Send via fax or Mail

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Advisor Information System
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Advisor Information System
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Advisor Information System Full View Display
on Screen
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Advisor Information System Filter by Program Type
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Advisor Information System Download Roster
Letters Data and Schools Attended
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Advisor Information System
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Advisor Information System
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Advisor Information System
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Advisor Information System
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Advisor Information System Enhancements - Summary

• Filter by Program Type
• View Letters Data in Roster of Applicants
• Download Rosters
• Schools Attended
• Letters Data

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AMCAS Fee Increase

• 160 Processing Fee includes one medical school
• 31 each additional school

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AAMC Fee Assistance Program

• Funded by AAMC - Assists individuals with extreme
  financial limitations
• Department of Health Human Services (DHHS)
  poverty level guidelines
• AAMC Multiplier
• 300 of applicant and parents income for 2008
  calendar year
• Reduces MCAT fee from 225 to 85
• A FAP approval is also good for one free copy of
  The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam.  This is a
  30 value provided free to FAP recipients who
  have used the fee assistance to register for the
  MCAT exam.
• Provides 13 free medical school designations for
  AMCAS

www.aamc.org/fap
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Applicant Facts
Average MCAT Scores
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Applicant Facts
Median Grade Point Averages
BCPM Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math All
Other all courses not classified as
BCPM Cumulative all courses
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Percentage of 2005 -2007 Applicants Accepted into
Medical School
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Applicant Facts2008 Applicants Matriculants by
Primary Undergraduate Major
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Applicant Facts
For more applicant data, go to http//www.aamc.or
g/data/facts/start.htm
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AMCAS Guest Log In Information

• Username amcasguest
• Password amcasguest

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QUESTIONS?

• Contact AMCAS _at_ [phone] or
• advisors_at_aamc.org
• HOURS 900 AM 700 PM ET