Back: Premedicine Program
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Before the MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a national objective test given in April and August of each year. It is recommended that most students take the MCAT in April of their junior year, although some students will take it in the August following their junior year. Exam details are described in a later section.

During the period of the MCAT, students should be thinking about which medical schools they might wish to attend, and which faculty they should approach for letters of recommendation. It is a good idea to send for the catalogs of medical schools in which the student is interested since the schools differ in philosophy, cost, recommended courses, and application procedures. Much of this information may be downloaded from the computer link to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which is found in the description of the Premedicine Major in the Wesleyan home page. In selecting schools, the most helpful book is Medical School Admission Requirements, published by AAMC, Publication Department, 2450 N. Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037-1129 (telephone 202-828-0416; e-mail amcas@aamc.org). Information regarding this publication may be found on the AAMC website. A copy of this publication is on reserve in the Premedical Office (107A Gravely).

Concerning recommendations, schools differ in requirements, but most prefer a committee letter of evaluation if the undergraduate institution has a Premedical Advisory Committee. The alternative to the committee letter is obtaining three to five letters of recommendation from faculty representing the sciences, arts and humanities. The NCWC Division of Mathematics & Natural Sciences has a Premedical Advisory Committee which is composed of Drs. Jay Quinan, Deborah Glover-Fischer,  and Erica Kosal. To proceed with a committee letter of recommendation, evaluation forms should be obtained from the Premedical Office. These forms are to be used by Wesleyan faculty who are asked to write letters of recommendation for students. The letters are then to be forwarded to the Premedical Advisory Committee. These letters, along with a biographical sketch, a complete college transcript, and a personal interview with at least two members of the Committee, will serve as the basis for writing the overall committee evaluation letter. The Committee requires at least three and no more than five faculty letters of recommendation. A minimum of two letters should be from science faculty (preferably from different disciplines of science), and one from a non-science faculty member. Although the final committee evaluation letter is not usually prepared until summer or fall after a student's junior year, the individual faculty letters can be submitted to the Committee on any date prior to this time. The Committee interview is scheduled (usually between April and August between the junior and senior year) only after a biographical sketch and three letters of recommendation are received. In asking individual faculty to write letters of recommendation, it is best to approach them early during a content course. This way the faculty member can watch the progress of the student and perhaps get to know the student better. In asking faculty who taught past courses or faculty from large classes, it is a good idea to present them with a short vita along with an up-to-date copy of the transcript. Hopefully this will give them more to write about than just performance in the classroom.

The MCAT

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required by most medical schools and is usually taken by students in the spring of their junior year. One can register for the exam by obtaining forms during February from the Premedical Office, or by writing MCAT Registration, American College Testing Program, 2255 N. Dubuque Road, P.O. Box 4056, Iowa City, IA, 52243. The cost of the exam is approximately $150.

The MCAT is an all day test, and is administered in four sections. The morning has a section in Verbal Reasoning, which assesses the student's ability to understand, evaluate, and apply information and arguments presented in prose texts, and a section where the student has to write two 30 minute essays that assess the student's ability to write clearly, synthesize concepts, and present ideas cohesively and logically. In the afternoon there is a section on Physical Sciences that tests reasoning in general chemistry and physics, and a section on Biological Sciences that tests for reasoning in biology and organic chemistry. Exam scores are reported to the student, the premedical advisor, and to designated medical schools.

Although the use and importance of MCAT scores will vary from one medical school to another, they are definitely an important part of the overall selection process. Students should take them seriously and prepare for them. Many students take a preparatory course, e.g., Kaplan, to help them prepare for the examination.

After the MCAT

Most students make application to medical schools between July and September following their junior year. Before leaving school after the junior year, students should pick up forms for ordering transcripts. Also, they should pick up an application for the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) from the Premedical Office (107A Gravely Science). This application may also be downloaded from the computer in 106 Gravely Science. Most medical schools utilize this central application service, and students can apply to as many medical schools as they want (the national average is 10) by completing this one form. The AMCAS fee for 10 schools is about $200. For those few medical schools which do not use AMCAS, forms must be requested directly from the admission office of that school.

The Application

When filling out the AMCAS application forms or individual medical school application forms, be careful, neat, complete and accurate. When information is requested, put down everything, even if it seems unimportant. Medical schools are often forced to make choices between applicants on the basis of subtle differences. This application is the student's first chance to convince a medical school admission committee that she or he is special and deserving of careful consideration. On the page which allows the student to write whatever she or he likes, the student should respond in a meaningful, thoughtful and creative way in order to let the admission committee get to know the applicant better. If necessary, it is sometimes useful to use part of this space to explain any weaknesses or peculiarities in a record, such as a poor semester, leave of absence, interrupted academic career, etc. Most of the space, however, should be used to promote oneself as a strong applicant.

In general, one should set a target date of August 15 as the time to have all application materials in the hands of medical school admission committees. Schools will usually notify applicants when all materials, including application, transcripts, MCAT scores and letters of recommendation are received. If one does not hear within a reasonable period of time after all this material has been sent, call the school and ask if your application is complete. Most schools will send a secondary application for additional information (and additional fee) if they like what they see on the AMCAS application. Next is the interview.

The Interview

Interviews vary from school to school. At some institutions the interview will be a one on one meeting, whereas at others the applicant may meet with two or more interviewers, either separately or as a group. Sometimes medical school students are used in addition to faculty during the interview process. Interviews generally last 20 minutes to an hour, although they can go on longer when two or more meetings are involved. At most schools the interview is an easy going, open discussion rather than a stress encounter. Schools are interested in poise and behavior as well as what is said. Don't worry about being a bit nervous, that is normal and expected of most applicants. One should act naturally and answer all questions as truthfully as possible. Be prepared to ask questions of an interviewer, as this is often expected. It is wise to study the school catalog before an interview. Within four to six weeks after an interview, an applicant is usually notified of an accept, reject or hold status.

Following Acceptance

Be prompt in communication with medical schools following notice of acceptance. Don't hold two or more acceptances at one time. If you are accepted by one school and then another which you prefer more, immediately withdraw from the former as you accept the latter. Once accepted by a medical school, withdraw your application from all other schools which are lower on your priority list. Please keep the Premedical Office advised of all acceptances and your final decision.