If you are applying to medical school for the 2011 cycle, hopefully you have started working on your primary application. If not, it’s ok, you still have some time. Click for AMCAS (MD applications) or AACOMAS (DO applications) to get get going!

Here is a checklist of things you need to keep track of for your application.

Transcripts. You must send your transcripts from every college you attended (even if you only took a class) to AMCAS or AACOMAS.

Letters of Reccomendation. If you have not asked for letters of reccomendation yet, today is the day. If you’re applying to DO schools, do they need a letter from an osteopathic physician?

Personal Statement. This is your time to shine. Do you have a good working 1st draft? Have you asked for feedback from multiple sources who know you well? Make sure you edit carefully! Check out this post from a med student on how to ace the personal statement. Hat tip: Pre Med Hell

MCAT. If you’ve taken it already, great. If not, do you have a study plan? Have you thought about what you will do if your score is not as high as you would like?

AMCAS or AACOMAS (or both). Even if you have your personal statement done and all your activities listed, this can be a huge time sink. The most time consuming part? Probably entering in every grade from every class you have taken. It’s maddening.

Money. Applying to medical school is expensive. Do you have enough money saved up? Think around $500 for the primary application, and then about $100 per secondary application. Then flying for interviews. It all adds up very quickly.

The application is long, but do not be discouraged. In the big scheme of actually getting into medical school, you are towards the end of the road. Finish strong.

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I submitted both AMCAS and AACOMAS July 10th. I applied to fourteen schools- seven MD and seven DO.

I’ve received four secondary applications, all from MD schools. I’ve completed one, with goals of finishing the remaining three by the end of the week.

Some secondary applications are simple, some are annoyingly complicated. The most time consuming aspects are the essays, but a few applications just have some busywork that takes time and effort.

I’ve heard that DO schools take a while longer to process the primary application and send out their secondaries. Has anyone else heard the same thing?

Where are you in the application process? What do you find to be the most frustrating aspect?

Good luck to all applying! To those of you who will apply in the future, take heart, it’s a long process but not incredibly difficult.

I’ve been working on primary applications so the blog has been a little quiet. But I’m finished!

I submitted both AMCAS and AACOMAS yesterday morning. Both were tedious and took longer than I wanted but I’m just glad it’s over. I applied to seven MD schools and six seven DO schools.

Now I’m awaiting secondaries which my pre med advisor says may start appearing next week.

I’m looking forward to a little break from applications but also anxious to keep going. This is a crazy process.