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Resources to Prepare for Medical School

These resources are for students and alumni preparing to apply to medical school after completing their degrees at UCSC. Please note that UCSC does not have a medical school.

Explore

There is a wide variety of career options in healthcare. Patient care involves contributions from professionals with a wide variety of specialties that work together as a team. You should take time to explore the careers that are available to you and find the one that is the best fit with your strengths, goals, and interests.

There are many ways to learn about the different health professions, including website research, shadowing health professionals, attending talks, taking classes, and general self-reflection.

About Physicians

Reflection Questions

As you are exploring healthcare careers, allow yourself to take the time to reflect and answer the reflection questions on the worksheet provided.

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(link to create a copy of Google Doc)

Prepare

Application Process

Core Competencies

There are 17 core competencies applicants should be able to demonstrate. These were developed for students applying to medical school.

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(link to create a copy of Google Doc)

Medical School Programs

The requirements and training for each program will vary. We recommend that you begin identifying programs that you want to apply to and get familiar with their requirements.

Academics

Prioritize academics as your overall GPA and science GPA will be important metrics in your applications.

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 Worksheet: GPA Calculator 
(link to download Excel spreadsheet)

Prerequisites

We recommended that you seek counsel from individual medical school program admissions offices, as requirements for each program will vary.

Standardized Exam

Experiences

It is important to get familiar with the experience requirements for each program. Note that programs may have different definitions for healthcare and patient care experiences.

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(link to create a copy of Google Doc)

Apply

Which Year Should You Apply?

You should apply when you feel you are a strong candidate. Many students consider taking experience year(s) to help confirm that this is the profession they want to pursue and to have enough experience to be a strong candidate. Some programs may have a minimum number of hours of clinical experience. 

The majority of matriculated medical school students have at least one experience year.

Application Portal

Medical schools use different centralized application systems.

  • MD medical schools use AMCAS
  • DO medical schools use AACOMAS
  • MD schools in Texas use TMDSAS

All medical school applications open once a year in early May, but the beginning submission dates vary. Submission dates being:

  • AMCAS (MD schools) is typically in early June.
  • AACOMAS (DO schools) is typically the same date the applications open in early May.
  • TMDSAS (MD schools in Texas) is typically in mid-May. 

Primary Applications

You will only need to submit one primary application for each centralized system you are interested in applying to. The focus of this application will be why you are interested in being a physician. The main components of your primary application will consist of your personal statement, your coursework information, your activities and work experiences, and identifying your letter of recommenders.

We recommended applying within the first two months that submissions are available. Deadlines for each individual program will vary. However, medical schools utilize rolling admissions, so they will start reviewing applications before their deadlines.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is where you can write a brief statement expressing why you are interested in being a Physician Assistant. We recommend you start drafting your personal statement in January of the year you plan to apply.

Letters of Recommendation

The number of letters of recommendation needed will vary by program, but 3-5 letters are typical. We recommend asking for letters at least 3 months before you need them submitted to allow writers enough time to write strong letters. Before asking people for letters, we recommend completing a reflection guide to help determine the best people to write you strong letters. Once you identify the ideal letter writers, you can share with them your reflection guide and guidelines for writing your letter.

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(link to create a copy of Google Doc)

Transcripts

You will have to submit transcripts from all colleges and universities you attended.

Secondary Applications

Some medical schools will automatically invite all students with verified primary applications to submit secondary applications, and other programs will invite select students. The focus of this application will be on why the specific program you are applying to is a good fit for you. Unlike the primary application, you will need to submit secondary applications directly to each program that invites you, and there are separate application fees for secondary applications. 

Students may be invited to submit secondary applications as early as late-June. The deadlines will vary for each secondary application. Generally, you should aim to submit the secondary applications within 2-3 weeks of being invited. Keep in mind that schools use rolling admissions.

Medical School Interviews

Get/Stay Connected With Us

Newsletter & Upcoming Opportunities

Pre-Health Career Coaching

  • Visit our virtual drop-in pre-health hour every Wednesday from 1–2 PM.
    • This is a great opportunity to ask quick questions about preparing for health professional schools and the resources available at UCSC.
  • Schedule a 30-minute one-on-one coaching appointment.
    • Within Handshake, select Career Coaching > Pre-Health to talk about the application process for health/medical schools and how to prepare to be a strong applicant.