Blog Archives

Medical School Letters of Recommendation: You Get More Bees with Honey

medical school admissionsMaking the process of letter of recommendation (LOR) writing and submission smooth for your faculty recommenders will likely improve the content and turnaround time of your LORs. Your medical school LOR writers have several options for submitting to AMCAS. Because you want to make the process as convenient as possible, and because different faculty members may have varying preferences, you should offer each writer all feasible alternatives.

Below are the options. Note that your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID (found on your Letter Request Form) are required, regardless of the means of submission:

1. AMCAS Letter Writer Application: This site enables letter writers to upload documents to AMCAS securely.

2. Interfolio: AMCAS can receive letters sent to Interfolio if the applicant is an Interfolio user or if the faculty member’s institution/organization uses the program.

3. Snail mail:
AMCAS, attn: AMCAS Letters
AAMC Medical School Application Services
P.O. Box 18958
Washington, DC 20036

(If your recommender plans to send the letter by snail mail, be courteous and provide him/her with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.)

4. VirtualEvals (VE): VE is available to members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP).

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The AMCAS Verification Process – Longer than Expected

I’m getting feedback from some medical school applicants that this year’s AMCAS verification process is taking longer than many candidates had hoped. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), applicants should expect a wait of up to six weeks from the initial “Ready to Review” status post-submission to complete processing. To check on your AMCAS status, you can go to the Main screen of the application and click on the “Status” link on the left hand side.

You can send questions to AMCAS@aamc.org. I’ve found the response time to be quite fast.

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Happy Customers

“Your turnaround speed is amazing!”

“I hope that all is well, and that your clients are all as happy as I am!”

“Your edits really helped me think deeper about this process.”

The above are comments I’ve received from clients this month. If you are hitting a wall with your AMCAS, consider hiring me.
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Insider’s New Approach to Helping Applicants

Many of you may know that I have two blogs – one here on the Insider website and one on blogspot. I want to announce that I’ve just rolled out a new format for my blogspot blog, which includes improved searchability and a video bar. Check the blog out here.

The “search this blog” option (on the right, midscreen) can be especially helpful for applicants who are about to starting their personal statements, ERAS or AMCAS, and thus, need strategic application writing tips ASAP.

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Medical School Application Calendar

Don’t forget that May 1 is the first day AMCAS 2012 is available on the AAMC website and that June 1 is the earliest date for submission of the AMCAS.

Submitting a strong application early is important for your candidacy, particularly with rolling-admissions schools. Your personal statement should be closing in on its final form now. For those of you who don’t know where to start with your essay, consider my new Writer’s Block Package.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the FeminEm podcast: