Interviews:  

The Health Professions Committee will grant interviews to applicants who meet the following criteria and have completed their file:

Medical Applicants must have a minimum cumulative science/math and overall GPA of a 3.25 and a minimum MCAT test score of 27.  Students requesting an interview before an MCAT score is available, require a minimum 3.4 GPA.

Dental Applicants must have a minimum cumulative science/math and overall GPA of 3.25.  Minimum DAT scores are a 17 in the Academic Average section and a 17 in the Perceptual Ability Section.  Students requesting an interview before DAT scores are available, require a minimum 3.4 GPA.

Important: There is a September 30th deadline for putting your name on the waitlist for an interview.  If you put off taking the appropriate admissions test for the first time, and you will not have test scores before September 30th, you will not qualify for an interview this year.  (note, there is a 4 week wait for MCAT scores).

All students who meet the academic requirements, must request a prequalifying review once they have submitted an autobiography and a minimum of two letters of recommendation have been received.  Once the file is reviewed AND completed, the student's name will be placed on the interview waitlist.

Note:  Qualifying for an interview does not guarantee you an interview slot.  Additionally, procrastination can hurt you because there are a finite number of interview slots.

Why are so many people interviewed late in the cycle?  Because they didn't have enough letters of recommendation.

Releasing Letters of Recommendation:  Beginning with the 2007 application cycle, new procedures for releasing letters of recommendation were instituted and new release forms generated.  At the schools' request, Allopathic, Osteopathic and Optometry releases will be done electronically for most schools; material to all the other schools will be mailed. Once uploaded, schools can view material instantly, but no new material can be added. 

As always, the release of letters of recommendation is not automatic, nor is it instantaneous. Students are advised to submit their release forms at least one week before deadlines.  REQUESTS FOR RELEASE CANNOT BE HONORED WITHOUT A SIGNATURE.

Applicants to allopathic medical schools need to submit their AAMCAS form as close to June 1st as possible. Note:  it may take you longer than you think!!!

Did you know that medical school admissions officers will call the Health Professions Office to find out why there is no committee statement for an applicant to their school?

Invitations for an interview at a medical school REQUIRE a response.  It is rude not to respond, and it is even worse to schedule an interview and not show up for it.  Be honest and courteous, it will take your further.

Completing Your File

• At least 5 Letters of Evaluation

• Disciplinary Clearance Waiver

• Photograph

• Autobiography

• PreQualifying review  -- NEW REQUIREMENT

Reapplicants

Your Health Professions Interview

• What is Expected of You

• What You Can Expect of the Interviewer

• What Happens Next

• Sample Questions for the Health Professions or Medical School Interview

• Questions the Student May Wish to Ask at at Medical School Interview

The Application

• First Things First

• When Should I Submit My Application

• The Application Form Itself

• AMCAS Grade Conversion

• The Personal Statement

• Early Decision

Releasing Your Health Professions Packet

Completing Your File

Letters of Evaluation

Students are required to obtain a minimum of five letters of evaluation.  At least three letters must be from faculty with two of them from science instructors (one letter must be from a member of the student’s major department; in addition, it is strongly suggested that one of these be in the Life Sciences).  Additional letters may come from employers and supervisors, particularly if the work was in research or a medically related area.  Students are required to have an evaluation submitted by their research advisor and a letter confirming that they have participated in health care (voluntary or paid work).   

Whenever possible, letters of evaluation should be solicited from professors rather than teaching assistants.  A file consisting solely of letters from teaching assistants will have less credibility with medical school admissions committees.

Those references of significant value to students are written by faculty to whom the student is known.  To improve the types of letters that come into the office, students should solicit letters of evaluation from faculty members with whom they have established a good rapport and in whose class they did well.

A one page resumé will help the recommender write a meaningful letter.

Disciplinary Clearance Waiver

All students must sign the Disciplinary Clearance Waiver (available in the HPO) if they plan to request a Health Professions Committee interview or the forwarding of confidential letters of recommendation/evaluation to other institutions.  Once the student signs the waiver, the appropriate Dean of Students can disclose to this office whether there is or has been any disciplinary action taken against an individual.

Photograph

Students seeking a Health Professions Committee interview must have an informal photograph in their file.  A Polaroid snapshot can be taken in the office at any time.  Students who wish to submit a photo of their own are free to do so.

The Autobiography  (minimum length requirement: 2 pages if single-spaced, Maximum length requirement:  5 pages if single spaced)

What should I write:  An autobiography is, by definition, the story of one’s life – that is basically what you should write (remember your life didn't start in high school).  Unlike the limited space in which you must write a personal statement when you apply to professional schools, this essay can be as long as five pages, but must bat least two full pages.  Note that it is for the use of the Health Professions Office and Committee and is not forwarded elsewhere.  The points to cover in your essay are as outlined below:

Your Chosen Field:  When, how, under what influences did you decide to pursue a career in medicine or other field? Did some special event or circumstance influence you?  What have you done to become better informed about your intended field?  Have you done volunteer health care work, had a paid job in health care, or shadowed a professional?  Mention family influences (i.e., my Mom’s a physician) or even a sick relative or friend for whom you have provided care.

Research Experience:  It is not necessary to have done research as an undergraduate, but a great many students have participated to a greater or lesser extent.  If you have carried out research or will do so in the coming year, provide a brief description and state what you gained or expect to gain from it.  If you have done an honors project, either departmental or college, note it.  If you will see your name on a publication, state in what journal.  Be sure that you fully understand what you have done and the reason for doing it.  Don’t be embarrassed in the future by a question about your research which you cannot answer, or discuss from a position of knowledge.

Community Activities:  Your community includes college as well as your home town.  Talk about your clubs and activities.  If you have held leadership positions or taken a leadership role in some activity, describe it, but don’t try to glorify yourself.  Write about your health care experience – it is important to know that you have been in a professional environment and can imagine yourself in that setting in the future.  Other community activities also “count”, service in your church, school, local service clubs, and so on.

Recreation and Entertainment:  How do you spend your free time? Do you have a life?  It is necessary that you present yourself as a well rounded person with interests in something other than high grades and good MCAT scores.  Do you read? What was the last book you read that was not required for a course?  Are you physically active?  Don’t try to be all things, but be more than simply a strong student.  Interactions with people are important.  After all, the field which you wish to enter involves very close contact with others.

Writing Style:  The format is up to you.  It does not have to be especially formal nor does it have to be great prose.  It does have to be grammatically correct, well organized, and clearly written.  Think of this as an opportunity to tell about yourself in such a way that your interviewer can get to know you before your formal interview.  This essay is a chance to explain any problems in your grades or MCAT scores – maybe you had a bad semester which needs to be explained. Your statement provides a chance to think about who you are and why a professional school should accept you over another candidate.  It will help the interviewer write a better and more informative letter if you provide the information.  After all, “this is your life,” and you will be judged on how you have used it so far.

Books that can help:  The HPO has several books with chapters on how to write an autobiography.  We also have several copies of the book Write for Success, Preparing a Successful Professional School Application by Evelyn W. Jackson, Ph.D. and Harold R. Bardo, Ph.D., which many students find helpful. 

Pre-Qualifying Review

For those who qualify, HP interviews will run from March 15, 2005 through May 31st, 2007 for 2008 applicants who have already taken the MCAT or who will be taking one of the sessions of  the MCAT in January or April. There will be very few interviews granted in the month of June because the staff are already booked for that month. Students who will be taking one of the sessions the MCAT in May, June, July or August may not schedule an interview before July 1st

Reapplicants

You need to meet with an advisor to determine, if possible, why you were not accepted this past year and what you need to do to improve your chances.  In all probability, you will not require a new Health Professions Committee Interview.

You must update your Health Professions file so that we can update your Composite Statement.  You are required to obtain at least one new letter of recommendation either from someone who has taught you this past semester or someone for whom you have worked, and you need to amend your autobiography highlighting what you have done the past year to improve your qualifications for admissions.

You need to complete your application forms early.  Keep in mind that the earliest you may submit your allopathic or osteopathic application is approximately June 1.   A late application may negatively affect your chances.

Do not simply resubmit last year’s material to the application services.  It sends the message that your application is not important enough to you to warrant your taking the time to update it.  Schools retain your previous applications for later comparison.

Your Health Professions Interview

Never allow yourself to be interviewed without adequate preparation.  It speaks volumes about your desire to be a physician/dentist when you are unable to speak intelligibly about topics about which all premeds or predents should at least be aware (i.e. current events, medical/ethical issues).  In addition, what type of message do you think is conveyed when you are unable or unwilling to ask questions or answer the “Why our school” question?

 What is Expected of You

C You are expected to dress as you would for a job interview.

 C You are expected to be aware of what is currently going on in the field of medicine. There is a current events bulletin board outside the HPO and a current events binder inside the HPO.

 C You most likely will be asked medical-ethical questions which quite often have no right-or-wrong answer, but students are expected to pick and defend a position.  In order to afford students the opportunity to learn more about medical-ethical issues currently facing the health professions, the HPO has purchased several videos covering some of these topics.

 CQuestons about your grades or autobiography may be asked. 

C Questions about research you have done may be asked, so brush-up on or find out about the work that was done in the lab.

 C Scroll down for sample interview questions.

What You Can Expect of the Interviewer

C The interviewer may keep you as long as an hour; even more on occasion.

 C The interviewer will have reviewed your complete file before the interview.

 C The interviewer will write a composite letter about you which will be submitted to the schools to which you  apply.  The preparation time of this letter varies from committee member to committee member; feel free to ask the interviewer about his/her turn-around time.  Additionally, if the interviewer feels that s/he needs to put off completion of your composite statement until receipt of your MCAT scores or other  material, it will affect turn-around  time.  If you recently took the MCAT and the scores are not yet available, you should ask your interviewer if s/he plans on holding-off completion of your composite statement until the scores are received.

What Happens Next

C You should complete a Release Form in the HPO.  Please keep in mind that it is seldom, if ever, possible to release materials immediately; there is usually about a one to two week delay between receipt of your request and the actual mailing of your materials.  Additionally, from July through October, when student release requests are at a peak, the preparation time can be a bit longer. Remember to plan ahead and turn in your forms in a timely manner.

 C Be aware that some schools will shred materials received about applicants who do not have a file already at their institution.  Therefore, wait until after you have begun to receive secondary requests before completing a release form.

Sample Questions for the Health Professions or Medical School Interview

C Tell me about yourself.  This questions is usually looking to set the student at ease, to find out when and why they decided on a medical career, their interests in medicine, etc.

C What health care experience have you had?  Did you enjoy it?

C What do you think about the health care system in the U.S.?  What do you think needs to be done?

C What are your thoughts about or what do you know about: abortion, assisted suicide, right-to-die, AIDS, tuberculosis, managed care, HMOs?

C What do you do in your spare time?  What do you do for relaxation?  What clubs have you joined?  Have you held any offices?

C Can you explain this/these grade(s)?

C What courses did you like/dislike the most?  What was the hardest/easiest?

C What kind of practice do you think you would like?  Where?  What specialty?

C What personal qualities should a good physician possess?  Do you think that you possess these qualities?

C If you aren’t admitted to medical school admitted this time, what are your plans?  Suppose you’re never admitted ?

C Why did you apply to this medical school?  Is it your first choice, or what is your first choice?

C Describe your research.  Your job.  Your family.

C Do you read other than course assignments?  What do you read?  What is the last book that you read?

C Do you have any questions of me?

Sample interview questions taken from Kaplan’s Medical School Admissions Workbook. 

Refer to www.studentdoctor.net for comments provided by hp student interviewees nationwide.  Feel free to add your comments to the database after any and all of your interviews.

Questions the Student May Wish to Ask at a Medical  School Interview

C Are there opportunities for students to design, conduct, and publish their own research?

C Is there flexibility in the course work (the number of electives) and the timing of the courses (accelerating, decelerating, and time off) during the pre-clinical and clinical years?

C How do students from this medical school perform on the National Board Examinations?  How does the school assist students who do not pass?

C How are students evaluated academically?  How are clinical evaluations performed?

C What kind of academic, personal, financial, and career counseling is available to students?  Are these services also offered to their spouses?

C Is there a mentor/advisor system?  Who are the advisors--faculty members, other students, or both?

C How diverse is the student body?

C Tell me about the library and extracurricular facilities.

C Are there computer facilities available to students?  Are they integrated into the curriculum/learning?

C What type of clinical sites — ambulatory, private preceptors, private hospitals, rural settings — are available or required?  Does this school allow for students to do rotations at other institutions or internationally.

C Is a car necessary?  Is parking a problem?

C Is there budgeting & financial planning assistance?

C What medical school committees (e.g., curriculum committee) have student representation?

C Are students involved in (required or voluntary) community service?

C Does this school provide vaccinations against Hepatitis B or prophylactic AZT treatment in case of a needle-stick or accident?

C May I see a list of residency programs to which recent graduates were accepted?

Questions extracted from a publication of The Organization of Student Representatives of the Association of American Medical Colleges entitled “31 Questions I Wish I Had Asked.”

The Application

First things first

· If you qualify for a Fee Waiver, complete and submit applications and supporting documentation. 

· Submit transcript request forms to the Office of Records and Transcripts in the Administrative Services Building, Busch Campus as soon as your Spring Grades are posted.  Be sure to have a copy of your transcript sent to you as well.  You will need the copy in order to complete the application.  In addition, you should check to make sure that everything on your transcript is correct. 

· Allopathic school applicants may obtain copies of the above forms at the following URL:  www.aamc.org/students/amcas/fap.htm. 

· Osteopathic medical school applicants may obtain copies of the above forms at the following URL:  www.aacom.org and follow the links to the AACOMAS (which is the actual application). 

· Dental school applications are available at aadsas.app@aads.jhu.edu. 

· Physican Assistant applications can be obtained at www.caspaonline.org 

· Podiatry applications can be found at www.aacpm.org. 

When Should I Submit My Medical School Application: 

· If you have already taken the MCAT exam and know your scores, be sure that your scores have been released to the appropriate service(s).  Submit the application as close to June 1 as possible; do not submit it any earlier because it will be returned to you. 

· If you plan on taking the MCAT prior to July and are awaiting receipt of your scores, expect them in mid-June; you may wish to wait until they are received before applying.  As long as you mail your material before August, you will be early enough. 

· If you plan on taking the MCAT in July or later, your scores will not be received by you or the medical schools for four weeks.  You should not wait for the receipt of your scores to submit your application. 

The Application Form Itself

The earliest that any of the applications can be submitted is near or on June 1^st  (because of the large volume of applicants, AMCAS may again be forced to stagger the earliest submission date— see the website for details).  It is generally recommended that students apply on or near to that date.  There are some exceptions though: students who have not yet taken the MCAT, students who need to complete requirements over the summer, students who need summer courses to improve their credentials, etc.  If you are unsure about when you should apply, contact us before the end of the Spring term. 

· Type the application and use a font that is easy to read (nothing less than 10 point is recommended). 

· Proofread and Spell Check it.  Typographical errors are sloppy and may give the wrong impression of you. 

· Have someone else read and critique your application.  HPO advisors are willing to critique penultimate drafts of your personal statements but not the entire application. 

· Above all, be honest.  Incorrect information, no matter how slight, may well result in a negative outcome.  

Grade Conversion:

The following comments pertain only to work done here at Rutgers.  For work done elsewhere, you may need to contact their registrar’s office. 

· The number of semester hours is equal to the number of credits. 

· For grade conversion, use the half-step system (letter “W” for AMCAS). 

· Science courses are Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math.  On occasion there are some courses which overlap (i.e., physiological psychology).  In these cases, students are asked to consider the content of the course work rather than the department which offers the course.  If the content was more scientific than not, list it as a science and vice versa.  Be realistic, because these application services have many undergraduate catalogues and can easily check a course description.  In the case of a discrepancy, your application may be held up.  If you are unable to make a determination, give them a call. 

· Engineering and Pharmacy courses for the most part are considered technical and therefore categorized as “all other” with the exception of the courses which fall into the gray area described above. 

· All applicants are required to list, in chronological order, the name and location of each institution attended.  For this reason, if you regularly attend a Rutgers-New Brunswick college and took a summer course on another campus (Newark for example), you must distinguish between the two.  You do not, however, need to have two separate transcripts because all courses from Rutgers University appear on your transcript. 

· Any course taken more than one time for which you did not get a “W” must be designated as a Repeat (“R”).  Even if you were assigned “E-credit” at Rutgers, you must list every time a given course was taken and place an “R” in the “Type Column”.  All grades, even if Rutgers does not calculate them into your GPA, must be included in your AMCAS GPA. 

· If you have received AP credit for work done in high school, you must list the course with the equivalent credits.  Because no grade is assigned by Rutgers University for such work, you must use the letter “G” for the AMCAS grade.  Do not submit test scores or high school transcripts to AMCAS as they do not want them.

· If you have two or more majors, use the appropriate AMCAS code: DM for Double Major NonScience, DO for Double Major Science & Non Science, or DS for Double Major Science.

The Personal Statement:

Generally, you should use as much of the area provided for your personal statement as possible. Something too short may give the impression that you did not give enough thought to the statement.  On the other hand, do not simply fill up space.  This statement is an opportunity to express why your application should be considered above other applicants with similar or even better credentials than yours.

Early Decision:

EDP or Early Decision Programs are recommended for only a few people.  While EDPs have good points, they also have some serious drawbacks.  You can apply to only one school and that school does not have to notify you of their decision until October 1.  If you are not accepted, your applications to other schools are later than most.  Anyone considering EDP is strongly urged to speak with an HPO counselor before committing him or her self.

Releasing Your Health Professions Packet:

Students need to stop in at the HPO and sign a release form or download a copy of the form from our website or submit a letter authorizing the HPO to release your materials.  Because of the federal laws which protect the privacy of students, we cannot release anything without your authorization.  Keep in mind that it is not always possible for the staff to release student materials immediately.  Normally there is a week delay; however, at out busiest times the wait may be longer.  It is the student’s responsibility to submit release forms to the office in enough time to meet deadlines.  All materials are handled on a first-come/first serve basis.

Beginning with the 2007 Application cycle, the HPO is sending letters of recommendation electronically to those schools who participate in the VirtualEval program.

VirtualEvals

For the vast majority of medical and optometry schools, the HPO is now releasing letters electronically through the VirtualEvals system.  For the participating schools, the system enables the receivers to download material when they are ready so we no longer have to worry about timing.  Additionally, VirtualEvals will send an email to the applicant confirming that their material has been uploaded and providing a list of the participating schools which will be able to view the student’s letters.

It is very fast, and it is the method the participating schools prefer, but it does have a drawback — material can only be uploaded once.  This means that all the letters must be received before anything is uploaded.  Letters that come in after your material has been uploaded will not be sent.

 Paper Evaluations

Dental schools, some medical schools, and other health professional schools do not participate in VirtualEvals, and material is sent to them in the traditional way — U.S. mail.  Timing is important as far as the release of materials to these schools is concerned because several professional schools have a policy of shredding materials received from applicants who do not yet have admissions files in their institution.  For this reason, we suggest that you wait until you begin to receive correspondence from the school(s) to which you are applying before you authorize the release of your letters of recommendation.  In general, students should also check with each admissions office to make sure their materials have been received unless a specific school has requested that applicants refrain from calling.  It is important that you allow enough time for processing (2-3 weeks after your material has been mailed by the HPO). 

So, how do you know which schools participate in VirtualEvals and which do not, The HPO has produced a new release form and fee schedule which lists all the VirtualEvals schools and all the non-VirtualEvals schools.  Material to all non participating schools will be processed through U.S. mail.

When Is The Ideal Time

The ideal time to mail out letters is when you start hearing from the schools themselves which is typically 4 weeks after the submission of your primary application (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS…).  At this point, you can be sure that the schools are aware of your interest and have a file on you.  Do not be alarmed if you do not hear from all the schools on your list; some schools do not send out secondaries.  It does not reflect their opinion of you as a candidate.  Once you start hearing from any of the schools, we recommend that you mail your letters out to all the schools on your list.

Follow up

It is important to follow up.  Call the HPO to find out if and when your material was mailed out.  Unless specifically directed otherwise, we have found that it is best to wait two or so weeks before checking on the status of your application at the medical/dental school.  Some schools receive a large volume of applications  which, when coupled with a cumbersome handling process, can cause delays in processing.  You certainly do not need to check so often that you become a nuisance, so we would recommend that you wait an additional two weeks before calling the various admissions offices.

HPO Processing Fees

In order to equitably distribute the costs involved in processing student applications to health professional schools, the Health Professions Office is revamping their fee structure.  The new fee structure took effect 6/15/07.

Uploaded Letters of Recommendation:  There is a flat $50.00 processing fee for releasing your letters to allopathic medical, osteopathic medical, dental, or optometry school.  Therefore, whether you are applying to 1 or 30 schools, the fee remains $50.00 for each type of school.  With a few exceptions, letters to these schools must be submitted electronically and require special preparation and equipment.

Mailed Letters of Recommendation:  Applicants to other health-related programs (i.e., podiatry, chiropractic, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy or graduate schools), must be mailed and will be charged on a per school/program basis as we have been doing -- $5.00 per school. 

Undergraduate Programs:  There is no charge for any Rutgers/UMNDJ undergraduate research/internship/scholarship programs.  There is a $5.00 fee for all other similar off-campus programs. 

We realize that the structure is a little complex, but we believe it to more accurately reflect the work involved.