Premedical Checklist for Juniors Majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology (or other majors).

Note: Much of preparation of being a premedical student culminates in the period beginning with the spring semester of your junior year, continuing through the following summer, and ending with medical school acceptance or rejection in your senior year. In the following timeline, most of the activities are scheduled monthly since there is little or no leeway in the scheduling of required events.

Throughout your junior year you should:

• Continue consulting with your premedical advisors.
• Arrange for visits and take advantage of any tours of the medical schools to which you intend to apply.
• Increase your awareness of the issues in medicine and stay informed of current issues.
• Review items recorded in your premedical diary. Determine in what areas you need to concentrate efforts to bolster credentials with regard to your physician interviews, shadowing experiences, volunteer experiences, or reading the literature about physicians. Particularly review Savett's The Human Side of Medicine and any other books that had a particular impact on you.
• Familiarize yourself with the common acronyms you will need to know as a part of the application process.

During the fall semester of your junior year:

• If you are a cell and molecular biology major, enroll in BMS 494 for the spring semester if you are eligible or can receive permission.
• Apply for the Peceptorship Program sponsored by the Greene County Medical Society. The deadline is in mid-November and information is available from the sponsor of the Premedical Society. The preceptorships are from five to ten days, take place over the Christmas vacation period, and include hospital exposure. Active members of The Premedical Society will learn of the details.
• Investigate the following web sites and sources in MSAR (Medical School Admission Requirments: United States and Canada
  • Medical education options.
  • MCAT.
  • Fee assistance programs for MCAT and AMCAS.
  • Applying to medical school.
  • Opportunities for minority students.
• Begin serious review for the MCAT.

• During the month of January:
  • Determine whether you are a competitive applicant at this point in terms of your GPA. If you do not have a GPA that would qualify you to go through the Missouri State University Premedical Committee, you need to consider your odds of being admitted into medical school at this point. If you are not sure, get advice from your premedical advisors.
  • Start serious work of your personal statement. Take advantage of the guidance received in BMS 494.
  • Start practicing your interview skills. Take advantage of the guidance received in BMS 494. This experience will include mock interviews.
  • Solicit informally those who will write letters of recommendation for you later that semester or during the summer or early fall. Consult with your primary advisor before making the choices. An early "heads up" will give those individuals an opportunity to more critically observe you during the spring semester.
  • Continue serious review for the MCAT. Look into any local course offerings or reviews that might be available.
  • As you start this semester consider the fact that, after this semester, your transcript of the first three years of undergraduate school will determine the GPA that medical school admission committees will be evaluating. Make this semester an academically strong semester.
• During the month of February:
  • Register now for the April MCAT before the deadline date. Although the MCAT will take place in mid-April, late registrations for the MCAT are not accepted so apply on time. 
  • If you are a junior and this is your first attempt at taking the MCAT try to schedule for the April administration rather than the August administration. At a few schools the August scores may disadvantage an applicant who is submitting first-time scores. Remember also, that schools will not begin to consider your application until MCAT scores are received and it takes about 10 weeks for the MCAT to be scored.
  • Do not take the MCAT prematurely. You must have completed the usual premedical coursework including: at least two semesters of biological science, two semesters of inorganic chemistry, two semesters of organic chemistry, and two semesters of physics. (Missouri State University students can be enrolled in the second semester of organic chemistry). Remember, the MCAT is an achievement examination and the content of these courses is assumed by those constructing the examination.
  • Make sure you plan efforts to minimize other activities on and immediately before the April MCAT test date.
  • Continue revising your personal statement. If you are enrolled in BMS 494, this will be part of one of your assignments. Seek advice and assistance.
• During the month of March:
  • Make sure your application to take the MCAT was in the mail by the deadline date.
  • Continue serious review for the MCAT. Look into any local course offerings or reviews that might be available.
  • Place your order for the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book so that you possess an updated copy. The book will be dated for the year during which you intend to matriculate into medical school. If you have an older copy donate it to a freshman or sophomore premedical student.
  • Continue polishing your personal statement.
• During the month of April:
  • Take the MCAT. Do not try the study the night before, but make sure you psychologically ready and relaxed. You need to be relaxed since there is nothing you can do at this time, but to reduce your stress, to improve your test performance. If you have taken numerous practice examinations, you should not have to worry about approaching each of the sections of the MCAT. Nothing should be a surprise if you have prepared.
  • After your MCAT, explore and download secondary medical school applications that may be available on line.
• During the month of May:
  • Confirm the names and addresses of your reference writers.
  • See the Early Medical School Decision Option. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the early decision option with your premdical advisor. Remember that you are committed to attend your early decision choice if you choose this route and you are accepted at that school.
  • Make arrangements for communication with your premedical advisor during the summer months.
• During the month of June:
  • Sit down with your premedical advisor and evaluate your MCAT results. Evaluate both the individual scores and the total score. Be receptive to advice given by your premedical advisor. In consultation with your premedical advisor, decide very soon whether you should retake the MCAT in mid-August. A few schools consider it a disadvantage for applicants who indicate in their AMCAS that they will retake the MCAT in August. If you (and your advisor) decide to retake the MCAT, make application before the deadline date.
  • Be sure you know how the medical schools to which you plan to apply handle MCAT scores. Some use the last MCAT score and some average the MCAT scores. Don't aim for higher scores when your original score is solid. Studies have shown that any subscore of "10" is just as likely to decrease as it is to increase on a retake. However, the lower your initial scores are, the more likely that more preparation will result in an increase.
  • Compare your scores with the performance data provided for MCAT results at the MSAR web site. Determine where you stand in comparison to those accepted (to at least one medical school) and those not accepted for each of the MCAT categories.
  • If your MCAT scores are "solid" and your other credentials are strong, continue with the application process. A solid MCAT cannot be precisely defined, but generally you should have no subscore below 7-8 on the VR, PS, and BS sections, your writing sample should be above "O"-"P", and your MCAT total should be within the range of those accepted recently at the schools to which you plan to apply. Note: Depending on school selectivity, some medical schools set applicant viability cutoffs for the MCAT subsections of "8" or "9".
  • Put the final touches on polishing your personal statement in early June, earlier if satisfied.
  • Make final choices of the schools to which you intend to apply. Make sure you are in the "range" of those accepted previously in terms of average GPA and MCAT scores. Works out a competitive balance of different choices, especially if you are applying to "reach" schools. Do not apply to any school to which you would not attend if admitted. Use the admissions data available at the MSAR web site.
  • Most medical schools post their secondary applications available for downloading. Download the secondary applications from the schools you have selected and begin the process of working on them.
  • Complete and submit on line your AMCAS application for allopathic schools or your AACOMAS application for osteopathic schools within two weeks after it becomes available (usually after the middle of June).
• During the month of July:
  • The deadline for early admission is August 1.
  • Complete and submit application for early admission or other secondary applications.
  • Spend all available time preparing for the MCAT if you decided to retake.
  • Obtain the "Missouri State University Packet for Premedical Students" from the Chairperson of the University's Premedical Committee. The packet will contain General Instructions, Criteria for Determining Eligibility for Committee Interview, Instructions for Application to the Premedical Committee, Request for Premedical Committee Interview form, Student Personal History Profile form, Two Request for Written Evaluation/Recommendation forms, and a Waiver form.
• During the months of August/September: 
  • Commit your references to submit reference letters on your behalf. Some faculty may require an informal interview period before writing their letter. Secondary applications may require additional reference letters than are required by the Premedical Committee.
  • Medical schools prefer confidential letters. Waive your Buckley Amendment rights. Everything in consideration, there are no advantages for you to have non-confidential letters submitted, but there can be disadvantages.

  Are you "on schedule" with the activities expected of applicants to medical school? Premedical students should refer to the appropriate checklists below as they proceed through their premedical curriculum.

  Premedical Timeline Checklist for Freshman Students
  Premedical Timeline Checklist for Sophomore Students
  Premedical Timeline Checklist for Senior Student

  Primary Web Sites for Premedical Students

  • Information on the 125 allopathic medical schools in the US: http://www.aamc.org/students/start.htm
  • American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) for applications to allopathic medical schools.
  • Information on the 19 osteopathic medical schools in the US: http://www.aacom.org 
  • American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Services for applications to osteopathic medical schools

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  For More Information

  Contact one of the following Premedical Advisors:
  
  Dr. Colette Witkowski* (417) 836-8961, Prof. Bldg, Room 404
  Dr. Christopher Field (417) 836-5478, Prof. Bldg, Room 352
  Dr. Richard Garrad (417) 836-5372, Prof. Bldg, Room 345

  * indicates current member of the Premedical Committee

  Department of Biomedical Sciences
  Missouri State University
  Springfield, Missouri 65897
  (417) 836-560