<p>I know in high school when I applied to college, my teachers wrote LOR for me and sent them to the guidance office where copies would be made. Does the same apply for med school? Like do you tell your professor to send the LOR to the pre med office? I'm pretty sure that I'm going to do research with my current bio professor and I would like her to right a LOR for me. But I will be at main next year (I'm currently at a branch campus), so does she just submit the letter over there? It's probably a school specific question but what did you guys do? Also how many LOR are usually required? I'm going to try to get them from D.Os, M.Ds, etc. DO those letters help? I know though that some schools require D.O letters but how about for the rest? And I know on another post someone said that you should apply right after the MCATs. So I will be taking the MCATs during the early summer of 2014. When do the apps go up? May 1st? I also want to try to take the GRE for P.A school. When do you think I should take it? Keep in mind that I also plan to take the MCATs. I'm currently a sophomore. Do you think drawing up a list of M.D/D.O/P.A schools to apply to is a good idea? Or is it too early?</p>
<p>The pre-health offic only handles LORs if your school uses a committee letter. If it does, then they will tell you where and when they want letters sent. Otherwise, you will list your references when you submit your AMCAS application and AMCAS will contact your references directly with information on how to submit a LOR.</p>
<p>LORs for grad prorgam are handled differently than LORs for AMCAS. Each school will have its own process. Please check the admission site for each school your plan to apply to. Most grad programs will not accept committee letter packets, but PA programs may–again please check with the programs themselves.</p>
<p>Each allopathic medical school will have its own LOR requirements, but the minimum number is 3. Typically you will need 2 LORs from BCMP profs and 1 from a non-science/math prof. But different schools have different requirements so you will need to check each and every school your plan to apply to.</p>
<p>RE: DO letters [for DO schools]–that is something you will need to check at each and every school you apply to.</p>
<p>AMCAS applications open on May 1, but you cannot submit until after June 1. The exact date changes a bit each year. </p>
<p>Not sure of the dates for AACOM. </p>
<p>The GRE tests different material than the MCAT. There’s a writing section, there’s a whole section just on math and the verbal portion tests different skills than the MCAT verbal does. <cough>vocabulary<cough> Doing well on it requires preparation. I strongly suggest you don’t take it cold. The GRE also has a iterative testing protocol which can make scoring well very difficult.</cough></cough></p>
<p>And it’s way, way too early to make a list of potential schools. You won’t have a clue if you’re competitive until your see your scores (MCAT and GRE) and have better approximation of your final GPA.</p>
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<p>MCATs are generally valid for 3 years, but there is some variation by school.</p>
<p>And AMCAS has finally issued its decision regarding the new 2015 MCAT and Fall 2016 applicants. Medical schools will accept both the new MCAT AND the old MCAT for Fall 2016.</p>
<p>2017 and 2018 are still under study and a decision will be released early next year.</p>
<p>(P.S. Don’t forget it takes 4 weeks to get your MCAT score back.)</p>
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<p>Someone on the grad school form told me that the GRE isn’t that important for grad school admissions. Can anyone confirm this for P.A school? Also will the summer 2014 MCAT be the old MCAT just without a essay section? So there will be just a number score, no letter score right? And the GRE is basically the SAT right? The same material is on both tests so I could technically take it at anytime vs. the MCATs where I actually have to finish the 4 pre med courses. (physics, orgo, chem and bio)</p>
<p>Admission criteria will vary by school and program. You need to contact the programs you’re interested in and ask.</p>
<p>Can’t speak specifically about PA programs, but a low GRE can screen you out of grad program consideration. Most programs have a minimum GRE score threshold you need to be above just like most programs have minimum GPA standards.</p>
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<p>You are half right. The GRE-M is essentially the same as SAT-M. But the GRE verbal assumes a much higher vocab ability that SAT-CR.</p>
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<p>This is more true for research based PhD programs than grad programs in general. Research-based grad programs tend to place more emphasis on your upper level major grades, your prior research experience, publications and LORs from PIs. (That is, once, of course, you’ve meet minimum GRE and GPA cutoffs.)</p>
<p>So basically the AMCAS sends e-mail requests to people you listed as references? Is the AMCAS basically the common application ? So there’s probably a general essay that has to be submitted for all med schools. Plus like the colleges I applied to, some of them have secondary apps which might have more essays correct? BTW regarding the LOR, they’re in the system correct ? So my recs don’t have to keep submitting them to every school I apply to? So where ever I submit my main app, my LOR will follow correct?</p>
<p>it didn’t bump</p>
<p>*Quote:
And the GRE is basically the SAT right?</p>
<p>You are half right. The GRE-M is essentially the same as SAT-M. But the GRE verbal assumes a much higher vocab ability that SAT-CR.*</p>
<p>right…the GRE verbal can be brutal. People are often shocked by how much lower their GRE V is compared to their CR SAT. When my son got a 770 in the V, he was surprised to learn that that was considered rare/high for STEM majors…it was commented on by all the PhD folks he met during visits. It’s not unusual to get an 800 in the Math on the GRE, but to get a 1570+ total is not common.</p>
<p>To answer your questions from #9:</p>
<p>Yes, yes (but like the Common App not all schools use it), yes and yes. Not exactly. It depends. No.</p>
<p>BTW, some schools still require actual paper LORs–or at least some still did 2 years ago.</p>