Medical School Application Timeline

While the majority of students interested in medical school plan to complete premedical requirements and start the application process by the end of their junior year, others take the necessary courses later in college or as posbaccaluarate students. Many students don't make the decision to pursue a career in medicine until after graduation. Applying after college does not put you at risk; in fact, many medical schools prefer the maturity of older applicants.

If you plan to attend medical school directly after graduating from college, the following is the usual, four-year timeline to application. If you plan to take a year off after graduation, before entering medical school, adjust this time line by one year (e.g. you will apply to medical school the summer after your senior year NOT your junior year).

First Year

• Read Premed Information for Harvard Students: Courses and Resources, available as a handout at the Office of Career Services. This handout is designed to help dispel some of the premed myths and provide you with the resources at Harvard for premedical students.
• Join the Premedical Listserv at Harvard .
• Begin to identify possible sites for volunteering in the health field - hospitals, physician's offices, nursuing homes, HIV clinics, etc.
• Get involved in the campus and Cambridge communities.
• Get to know your faculty -attend office hours, invite to dinner, etc..
• Plan for your summer by reviewing Summer Opportunities in Health & Medicine.

Sophomore Year

• Continue gaining healthcare experience.
• Participate actively in service organizations and campus activities.
• Continue meeting with faculty.
• Plan for summer opportunities.
• Learn about health care reform, managed care systems, medical ethics and other important and current issues relevant to medicine. Check the binders within OCS for recent articles from the New York Times, Academic Medicine , and other publications.
• Attend med school visits

Fall term of Junior Year

• Begin Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) preparation
• Harvard's House-based premedical advising system is unlike most other colleges. Each House has a committee of Premedical Tutors, who are Harvard Medical School students, residents or alumni/ae. Get to know your committee. Make an appointment to speak with the resident Premedical Tutor in your House. As medical practitioners, they are invaluable resources about your potential career. The House premedical committee is also responsible for the composite letter of evaluation sent to the medical schools when you apply.

Spring term of Junior Year

• Register for the MCAT on-line
• Generate a list of medical schools to which you will apply
• Download an AMCAS Worksheet to begin preparing for your application
• Begin draft of personal statement for AMCAS application
• Attend Selecting Medical Schools Workshop, held in OCS
• Attend Creating Your Personal Statement Workshop , held in OCS
• Attend Completing the AMCAS Application Workshop , held in OCS
• Confirm all letters of recommendation have been sent to the House Premedical Committee

May 15, Junior Year

• Apply for AMCAS Fee Waiver, if applicable

June, Junior Year

• Send spring grades and GPA recalculation to your House advisor
• Submit request to Registrar's Office to have Harvard transcript sent to AMCAS (use Transcript Request Form from AMCAS web site)
• Arrange for official transcripts to go directly to AMCAS from any other college at which you have registered (for example, college courses taken while in high school or during the summer) Use Transcript Request Form available on AMCAS web site.

Summer After Junior Year

• Complete and mail AMCAS application and non-AMCAS School applications

July after Junior Year through Fall of Senior Year

• Receive, complete, and mail secondary applications. Upon receipt of secondary requests, contact House Premedical Tutors and ask for release of House letters to medical schools (check with your House for specific procedures)

September of Senior Year

• House Premedical Committee letters will be sent by mid-month to all medical schools, provided you have adhered to your House deadlines

Fall term of Senior Year

• Contact medical schools to confirm application is complete
• Prepare for medical school interviews:
• Attend a Medical School Interview Workshop, held at OCS
• Review material in the OCS Library binders: Current Articles on Health and Medical Issues
• Schedule mock interview, if your House provides these
• Review material in OCS Library binders: Alumni Evaluations of Medical Schools; contact alumni/ae at the medical schools for further information
• Attend medical school visits at Harvard to speak with representatives and current students from various medical schools. These will be listed in OCS News.

Fall term through Spring term of Senior Year

• Travel to interviews
• Send thank you notes after interviews
• If have not received interview offers by January, contact premedical advisor
• Wait for acceptances, rejections and waitlist notifications

Spring term of Senior Year

• Apply for financial aid
• Stay in touch with premedical tutor regarding status of application

May 15 of Senior Year

• Last date to hold multiple acceptance offers

Late Spring term through Summer of Senior Year

• If planning to defer, make formal request to medical school
• If you have been accepted, submit your final transcript to the medical school
• If on waiting list, stay in touch with medical school admissions offices on regular basis
• Update your House premedical tutor on the outcome of your applications.

August or September after Senior Year

• Register for your first day of medical school!