What is a Strategy Appointment?
After completing the Canvas Course: Ready to Apply to Medical School or Ready to Apply to Dental School (Canvas Course deadline is February 28), students will upload their completed materials into their MyPreHealth Account. Once the Canvas Course has been completed, students will gain access to a link to schedule a Strategy Appointment with their assigned PreHealth Advisor (Strategy Appointment deadline is April 1). These meetings are a chance for you and your advisor to discuss your application, ensure that the components of your application are reinforcing each other, and to help you evaluate your readiness to apply.
Please Note: You must schedule your appointment well in advance of the April 1 deadline. Advisors will need up to one week to prepare for your appointment.
What if I Miss the April 1 Deadline for Completing My MyPreHealth Strategy Appointment?
Juniors and Seniors who do not complete their materials and meet with their advisor by the deadline are not eligible for an institutional letter of endorsement (cover letter).
Please note: materials are due for some advisors up to one week prior to the appointment; students must factor this into their planning. Our experience is that juniors who have not crafted a personal narrative and completed their MyPreHealth Strategy Appointment benefit from more preparation time before they apply. We urge you to complete your appointment in your senior year, apply at graduation, and make plans for a gap year.
In 2018-2019, we endorsed 47 first time A&S applicants who were not admitted to medical school. Nineteen of those applicants had a science GPA below 3.2 or an MCAT below 500. Of the remaining 28 with with BCPM > 3.2 and MCAT > 500, 13 or almost half had incomplete materials at the deadline. Eighty percent of the first-time applicants we endorse are admitted, but having incomplete materials by late spring poses a significant risk factor for non-admittance and is best avoided.
For students on campus, extensions will not be granted past April 1 deadline.
Should I apply this Cycle?
The application process is best summed up as one of finding the right fit for the school and for you so that a match can be made. As you go into the application process, it is important to examine, critically and reflectively, not only your scores and experience but also what they mean to you and to the schools to which you apply.
Well-prepared candidates have found the aspects here to be significant to their applications. Consider the degree to which each statement represents your own readiness for the current cycle.
If, after considering your readiness in these regards, you think a gap year might be in your best interest, your pre-health advisor.
What if I Have to Reapply?
Many successful physicians applied to medical school more than once! The AAMC encourages reapplication after thoughtful reflection. If reapplication is part of your path to medicine, that’s ok, and we want to help. Some medical schools will give applicants feedback on their applications, so it is definitely worth investigating whether this option is available to you. After carefully assessing your prior application using these reflection questions, discuss your responses with your prehealth advisor, who can help you with a strategy for next steps.
