The Professional School Application and Its Contents

The following information has been adapted from the AAMC's Anatomy of an Applicant Guide Links to an external site.. 

Primary Application

What it is: The primary application, such as the AMCAS (MD medical schools), AADSAS (dental schools), PTCAS (physical therapy schools), etc., is a verified record of most of the elements listed below compiled into a centralized application. This application is distributed to each professional school that you designate.

What it communicates: Why you’ve chosen to medicine/dentistry/etc. as a career, how you prepared for professional school, your experiences, and how people perceive you as a student and future healthcare provider.

Secondary Application

What it is: An additional school-specific application that supplements your primary application. It helps explain why you’re interested in a particular institution; how your goals, experiences, and plans align with the school’s mission and goals; and how and what you would contribute as a learner at that institution. In other words, it’s an opportunity to answer the question, why this school?

What it communicates: From the school’s perspective, the secondary application provides an opportunity to probe for more institution-specific information by, for example, evaluating your fit with their mission, assessing your reasons for applying to that particular school, and posing other school-specific questions.

Official Transcripts and Coursework

What they are: The official record or records from each college or university you attended, the courses you took, and the grades or credit you received.

What they communicate: Tells part of the story about how you academically prepared for professional school. For example:
• Did you take upper-level science courses?
• What were your grade trends and coursework patterns?
• Do you have experience with writing-intensive courses?
• Did you challenge yourself with higher-level coursework in and outside your major?
• Did you formally study another language or take coursework in another language?
• Do you have a broad liberal arts background?
• Did you take community college courses or complete coursework at other institutions?
• Did you take postbaccalaureate or graduate courses?
• Did you have to overcome academic challenges?

Admissions Exams

What it is: Admissions exams, such as the MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, and GRE, are standardized multiple-choice tests designed to assess your problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of different areas of the natural sciences, as well as behavioral, and social science concepts and principles.

What it communicates: These exams test the skills and knowledge that various stakeholders, including professional school educators, healthcare providers, and professional school students, have identified as key prerequisites for success in their respective schools and beyond. These exams are one tool that professional school admissions officers use in combination with application materials (e.g., transcripts and personal statements) and interviews to select future professional school students.

Personal Statements From Primary Application and Essay Questions
on Secondary Applications

What they are: The personal statement on the  application is your opportunity to communicate your motivation for your career and to distinguish yourself from other applicants. The essay questions on your secondary applications will provide context for the other components of your application and further inform an admissions committee about how you may be a good fit for their institution. (Note:  The PTCAS application has a more traditional essay prompt that applicants respond to.  Also, not all institutions or application services send out secondary applications.)

What they communicate: This is your best opportunity to tell admissions officers something about yourself that they wouldn’t necessarily learn by looking at the other parts of your application. You may focus on, for example, meaningful experiences, how your interests align with a school’s mission, your desire to serve in a particular community or to work with a particular patient population, or any challenges or obstacles you’ve faced, including distance traveled. Distance traveled is how admissions officers and pre-health advisors refer to those life challenges you’ve faced and conquered. 

Experiences, Achievements, Publications, or Poster Presentations

What they are: An opportunity to highlight your extracurricular activities, including healthcare related experiences and exposure, employment, volunteer work, internships, and research.

What they communicate: The impact you made while engaging in the activity and the personal growth and transformation you experienced as a result of your participation.

Letters of Evaluation or Recommendation, Committee Letter/Letter Packet

What they are: Confidential letters sent directly to the application service (or professional school) by individuals (or your undergraduate institution’s committee) on your behalf.

What they communicate: Your personal qualities, characteristics, competencies, and capabilities as a future healthcare profesional from the perspective of someone who knows you. 

Biographical Information

What it is: Your family structure, parent or guardian education and career information, citizenship, language proficiency, self-identified race and ethnicity, legal residence, and criminal convictions.

What it communicates: Your biographical information gives admissions committees more context about your background, access to resources and services, and family structure. For example, you may include the education level of your parents or whether you are the first in your family to attend college.

Possible Review of Social Media and Internet Search

What it is: This is the public commentary, discourse, and images you post on social media sites, message boards, and blogs.

What it communicates: Increasingly, admissions officers may view these sites to learn more about your opinions, biases, social behaviors, and judgments. This can be both positive and negative. Note: Be sure you know what’s available about yourself (or about someone else with your name or a similar name).

Interview

What it is: An in-person (or sometimes video) meeting between you and one or more individuals representing a professional school.

What it communicates: If you are invited to interview, it means that the school is interested in finding out about you and whether you would be a good fit there. It is an opportunity for the school to see how you present yourself, how you communicate, and how you engage with other current and future members of the school’s community. It is also your opportunity to assess how you feel about the school and its environment and to ask additional questions.

Financial Information

What it is: This is a snapshot of your ability to finance or pay for your education. Note: Your ability to afford professional school will not factor into the admissions decision.

What it communicates: Professional schools make different use of financial information. Some may use it either to help
distribute need-based aid and scholarship funds or to develop a financial package to help you finance your education.

Criminal History Search

What it is: A search and report of your criminal history. The report is used to ascertain the ability of conditionally accepted applicants to become licensed healthcare providers, to enhance the safety and well-being of patients, and to ensure the public’s continuing trust in the health professions. The AAMC recommends that all U.S. medical schools obtain a national background check on applicants upon their conditional acceptance to medical school.  This may be the case for other health professions schools, as well.

What it communicates: This confirms your integrity and whether you have been forthcoming and truthful about your criminal history on your application or during your interviews. It also communicates to professional schools your potential ability to become a licensed provider. Some professional schools may require an additional form asking you to disclose any other information.