Application Timeline

Health Professions Application Timeline

The deadline to enter the Health Professions Committee process for this application cycle is January 15, 2018. Anyone wishing to the process after this date will need special permission from the Director, Barbara Fuller.

*Dates are listed for students interested in applying for 2019 matriculation to medical or dental school and plan to go through the Health Professions Committee (HPC) Process. NOTE: Veterinary school applicants do not need a committee letter, and letters of evaluation are uploaded directly into VMCAS. But all veterinary school applicants should meet with an advisor to discuss the unique veterinary school application process.

Re-applicants should email Barbara Fuller directly about the required steps.

Expand the sections below to access required forms and more information.

    • Attend the Junior/Senior/Alumni Information Meeting in Hopkins 002 at 6:30 p.m.
    • If you cannot attend, download the presentation here (available on Dec. 13)
    • Review MCAT/DAT/GRE schedules to plan your testing date.
    • Revise your resume. Come to the Williams Career Center any day from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. without an appointment. Any career advisor will review your resume.
    • All applicants must inform the Health Professions Office that they plan to go through the review process this cycle. Complete the Intent to Apply Form.  You will need special permission from Barbara Fuller after this date.
    • Williams Office of Health Professions uses veCollect (VirtualEvals) for storage of application material. Open a veCollect account after submitting the form. (Manual authorization of veCollect account may require a few hours.) You will upload all documents—HP Self-Assessment Guide, Biographical Report, and Resume—to your file.
    • Use these special instructions for uploading documents to veCollect.
    • Begin to request letters of recommendation from professors, supervisors, physicians, and others who have worked with you. You should have three to four evaluators, and two of them should be science faculty. There is an art to asking for letters; make sure it is someone who knows you well and can discuss your potential as a future health care professional.
    • Create evaluator records in veCollect, which automatically sends out instructions to evaluators.
    • Request transcripts from any institution at which you have taken courses (e.g., summer or study abroad). These transcripts are for the Office of Health Professions and the HP Committee. You will also have to request transcripts as a part of the AMCAS completion and submission. The transcript request form will be linked to the AMCAS in the "Schools Attended" section.
    • Send these transcripts from outside institutions in electronic form to Barbara Fuller ([email protected])
    • You cannot schedule an interview until your veCollect folder contains the Self-Assessment Guide, Biographical Report, and Resume. The HP Office must have your outside transcripts in hand.
    • Schedule the "HP Committee Interview (in-person or Google Hangout) with Barbara Fuller or Lisa Howard on Handshake. This is a 90-minute interview.
    • At least TWO letters of recommendation should be in your veCollect file by April 15, 2018.
    • MCAT, DAT, GRE: completed testing by late spring or early summer. July is acceptable but not optimal for MCAT as your AMCAS will not be completed until late August when scores are released. August testing will put you further back in review pack!
    • Health Professions Committee members will meet in early to mid-May for evaluation of all applicants. The committee letters will then be written in the order that applicant files become complete.
    • If pre-med, download the AMCAS application material from the AAMC website – available towards the end of April/early May.
    • Do you research on the medical schools you are considering and note differences in application requirements for those schools (found on websites or MSAR). Request application materials from any schools that are not AMCAS (allopathic medical school), AACOMAS (osteopathic medical school) or AADSAS (dental school) participants. The six Ontario medical schools use OMSAS.
    • Texas uses its own application system, TMDSAS.  All letters of recommendation should be in veCollect by May 15 if you are applying to a Texas school because that admissions cycle starts earlier than AMCAS.
    • Begin working on your final application essay and ask for comments and suggestions from family, friends, and advisors.
    • MD/PhD candidates have a more extensive application process, and the deadlines for these program (e.g., MSTP) applications are earlier than for regular MD program applicants. Proceed with those earlier deadlines in mind.
    • This is similar to the process you followed when applying to college, and you should have “reach,” “best fit,” and “safety” schools in your list. Useful information is found here.
    • A common mistake students make when applying to professional schools is that a) they don’t include enough schools that are within range of their scores, and b) they omit their state schools, Williams-friendly NECOME or NorthEast Consortium on Medical Education schools (Harvard, Tufts, UConn, Rochester, Perelman, Sidney Kimmel, Geisel-Dartmouth, U of Vermont) or schools that align closely with their interests. While where you apply is ultimately your decision, you may find it very helpful to get feedback on your list. Feel free to email it to the HP office! The MSAR and VMSAR are invaluable tools to help you build your list.
  • All letters of recommendation should be in veCollect, in addition to other required documents.

    • A first draft of your committee letter will be written when your application materials are present in veCollect.
    • The committee letter is finalized once the verified AMCAS or other primary application is received. You will be placed in a letter-writing queue on a first-come, first-served basis.
    • When your committee letter is complete, Linda uploads it to your veCollect file. She will email you with instructions to “lock your quiver.” Once that is done, she sends the entire letter packet to AMCAS
    • Pre-dental students have a slightly different process, but you will still use veCollect for letter storage. The HP office will ensure that the committee letter is uploaded as instructed by AADSAS.

    • Admissions offices take a first download of applications in late June-early July. Most schools will send you an invitation to complete a secondary application upon receipt of your verified AMCAS.
    • A few schools (e.g., UCSF, Duke) send out secondary invitations selectively, meaning you passed a preliminary screen.
    • Send back the secondaries in a timely fashion, but it is a costly process. You don’t have to send them within two weeks if you cannot afford it. Be prudent with your choices of which applications to submit first.
    • Some schools start interviewing in August, so be prepared.
    • Please complete a “Health Professions Interview Form” after each interview. It is so helpful to your colleagues. Don’t forget to email Barbara Fuller with your interview invitations, offers of admissions and other decisions.
    • There are many resources on the web regarding interview tips, but always check out AAMC first.
    • Medical schools may have an Early Decision Program. If you apply, you may receive an admission decision on October 1.
    • Schools that have rolling admissions generally send out a first wave of decisions in late October.
    • A few schools (Columbia, Yale, Harvard) wait until February and March for releasing one first batch of decisions. Be prepared to wait!