Application Process Outline

The Committee Letter
Eligibility for the Committee/Composite Letter
Interview with a Member of the Health Careers Advisory Committee
Personal Statement
Activities List
Questionnaire
Supporting Letters of Recommendation
The MCAT and Other Standardized Tests
AMCAS and Other Application Services
Secondary Applications

The Committee Letter

Most admissions committees ask that applicants submit either a letter of recommendation from their undergraduate or post baccalaureate institution or up to three recommendations from individuals (usually professors) who know you well.  Because the institutional letter is more comprehensive it is generally preferred by admissions committees.  It is this letter that the Health Careers Advisory Committee and the Health Careers Office will prepare for you.

The Health Careers Advisory Committee consists of members of the faculty and administrators who have an interest in advising, the education of health professionals, biomedical sciences, public health, and/or the health care in general.  As such, committee members come from a variety of disciplines.  Members of the committee interview eligible applicants from Brown University and assist in the preparation of their interviewee’s letter of recommendation.  The completed committee letter is sent to each student’s designated health profession schools along with three supporting recommendations from members of the faculty and others who know the applicant well.

Eligibility for the Committee Letter

Any current Brown University undergraduate who is eligible to apply to medical or other health profession training programs.  To be eligible you must have completed, or nearly completed, all of the course work required for admission and have taken or be ready to take the MCAT or other appropriate test.

Any recent graduate of Brown University.  You must be able to obtain individual letters of reference from at least two Brown faculty members (see the section on letters of recommendations below for more information on supporting letters from faculty) and you must have completed most of your science courses at Brown.  If you do not meet these criteria, the Health Careers Office will by happy to advise you about the application process and act as a credential service for your letters of reference.  Alumni should feel free to make an appointment with Dean Simmons, either in person or over the phone, to discuss their eligibility for Brown’s institutional composite letter.

Re-Applicants. If you are applying to health profession training programs for a second time we will be happy to re-submit your previous committee letter along with a cover letter detailing any new experiences or credentials that have improved your candidacy. Click here for further information.

Not eligible: graduate students, alumni with graduate degrees, and individuals who have gained admission to medical school previously with our support.  In the latter case we will be happy to send the letter that we previously composed on an applicant’s behalf.

Note that the Health Careers Advisory Committee reserves the right to deny its recommendation to any applicant who it feels does not possess the qualifications and or characteristics consistent with success in the health professions.

Interview with a Member of the Health Careers Advisory Committee

In order to receive Brown's committee letter, you will need to have an interview with a member of the Health Careers Advisory Committee. The interview is semi-structured but informal and in most cases is not longer than thirty minutes.  At the same time that you schedule your interview, you will need to submit the following items:

Personal Statement

You will need to prepare and submit a draft of your personal statement.  This essay serves as a warm-up for the personal statement required on the AMCAS or other application services (see below).  It also gives us insight into the personal qualities that you will bring to the medical profession.  The personal statement for your medical school should be no more than 5,300 characters (those applying to other health professions or to osteopathic medical schools should check with the appropriate application service regarding the length of the personal statement).  It is understood that the essay you submit for your committee interview is a work-in-progress.  We suggest that you share a draft with someone you know who knows something about writing and/or the health professions and who you trust to give you honest feedback.  If you are having trouble getting started, seek help from the Writing Center.  The Health Careers Office also keeps a binder with several sample essays.

Whether you are applying to medical school or some other health profession training program, the personal statement is an important piece of qualitative information about you.  It is therefore worth your while to give it your fullest attention, and you should plan on going through several drafts before you have your final version.

Tips for Writing your Personal Statement:

  • Remember that you have limited space; think carefully about what you will write.
  • In preparing to write your statement think about the characteristics that an admissions committee might be looking for: academic ability, knowledge of the field, personal commitment and integrity, interpersonal skills.  In addition to these characteristics, they will also be concerned with presentation, including writing abilities, grammar, and spelling. So please be sure to take the time to proofread your statement.
  • Your essay does not need to be entirely about medicine or the reasons why you want to be a doctor.  It is more important that your essay gives admissions committees a sense of the person they are evaluating.  For this reason, you might want to focus your essay on something about you that is not apparent from the rest of your application.
  • Be sure that your essay is united by a theme or thesis.
  • Do not use your essay to simply summarize all of the activities that you’ve been involved in.  You will be able to do this elsewhere in your application.  An essay focused on a particular theme, idea, or thesis that cites specific examples of your experiences, while also reflecting upon those experiences, will be much more effective.
  • Allow readers to draw their own conclusions about you. To this end, you should avoid using direct statements—such as “I like working with people,” or “I really care.”
  • Avoid clichés!  (For example, “I am fascinated with the human body,” or “doctors can change lives.”)
  • Don’t idealize doctors or other health care providers (“it is a miracle what doctors can do…”); have a realistic view of health care that is neither overly zealous nor unreasonably cynical.
  • Choose your gurus!  Writing essays is more art than science; one or two readers should be able to give you sufficient feedback.  Too many opinions about your writing only leads to confusion.

You will need to submit two copies of your personal statement draft to the Health Careers Office at the same time that you schedule your interview with a member of the Health Careers Advisory Committee.


Activities List

You will need to submit two copies of an activities list at the same time that you schedule your interview with a member of the committee.  This list gives you an opportunity to tell us about your postsecondary non-academic experiences such as internships, volunteer or paid work, community service, travel, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, athletic endeavors, and/or significant hobbies.  Please do not include activities from your high school years.

Please be sure your activities list includes your name and the date of completion at the top!

We ask that you format entries in your list as follows:

  • The title of the activity or position.
  • The beginning and ending date of the activity.
  • The organization you worked for and its location.  For activities at Brown University it is sufficient to just note “Brown University.”  For activities off campus include the city, state, and, if outside of the United States, the country.
  • The average number of hours you committed to this activity per week.
  • Contact name and title (if applicable)
  • A brief description of your activity not to exceed 1,325 characters with spaces (this is consistent with the activities section in AMCAS, the American Medical Colleges Application Service).  You can use your word processing software to count the number of characters you have used in your description.  Please describe the activity clearly and accurately; if you have room after doing this, feel free to discuss how this activity was significant for you.

Using this format will allow you to easily transfer information to your AMCAS, ADSAS, or other standard application.  To the best extent that you can, please list activities chronologically starting with your most recent activities.

A typical entry might look something like this:

Emergency Room Volunteer
September 2003-January 2004
General Hospital, Anywhere, RI
Approximately 8 hours per week
Supervisor: Jane Doe

As a volunteer my initial responsibilities included patient transport, bringing samples to the laboratory, assisting nurses in preparing patient’s rooms, and making patients feel welcomed.  As time progressed the doctors and staff saw may desire to learn and I was allowed to spend most of the time observing.  I observed everything from stitches to treating suicide attempts.  This experience awakened my desire to be a physician, which has stayed with me since.

Questionnaire

In addition to completing a detailed activities list we ask that you also complete the Health Careers Office Questionnaire.  This form offers you an opportunity to tell us more about yourself, your academic interests, and your interest in medicine. 

To complete your questionnaire, create your own word processing document using the outline below.  You will need to include the text of each question followed by your answers.  Alternatively, you can download the questionnaire template from the Health Careers Office website and type in your answers following the questions.  Please do not hand-write your answers to the questionnaire.

You must submit two copies of your questionnaire at the same time that you sign up for your interview with a member of the Health Careers Advisory Committee.

Supporting Letters of Recommendation

Your committee letter from Brown is supported by a minimum of three individual letters of recommendation and a maximum of four such letters.  These letters, along with your committee letter, make up the contents of the packet sent from the Health Careers Office to your designated schools.  You will need to obtain letters from the following individuals:

  • Two from Brown faculty members, one of which should be from a professor in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Physics and the other from a faculty member in any academic area.

  • One or two from any other individual who knows you well in an educational or supervisory capacity.  This could also be a Brown faculty member.

Your letters must be submitted by June 16, 2008.  This is our priority deadline.  Failure to meet this deadline could result in delay of the completion of your committee letter.

Guidelines for Letters of Recommendation

  • To the greatest extent possible, ask for letters from qualified individuals who can write substantively about the qualities you will bring to the medical profession.
  • Use the List of Letter Writers Form to notify us of whom we can expect to receive letters from.  This form also asks you whether or not you’ve waived your right of access to your letters.  Please discuss with each of your recommenders this issue and what he/she is comfortable with.  This form should be submitted to the Health Careers Office as soon you know who your recommenders and no later than May 1, 2007.
  • Please do not include letters from family friends (even if you have done relevant work with this person).  Also, all letters should reflect post-high school experiences.
  • We will periodically notify you via e-mail of the status of your recommendation file.  However, it is your responsibility to request letters of recommendation and make sure that they are submitted in a timely fashion.  In addition, it is your responsibility to remind your letter-writers to write!  Although an individual has agreed to write a letter, he/she sometimes procrastinates and does not send it in a timely fashion.  A polite e-mail message or telephone call should do the trick.
  • Give each of your letter-writers the General Guidelines for Recommenders form.  This form is for the information of your recommenders and does not need to be submitted to the Health Careers Office.
  • MD/PhD Applicants: you will need to submit additional letters from individuals who can comment upon your potential as a researcher.  Individual programs differ in the number of research recommendations they require, though many will want anywhere from one to three such letters.  Be sure you know the guidelines for each program that you will be applying to.  You will need to complete additional forms with the Health Careers Office if you apply to MD/PhD programs.   We prepare a supplement to your regular MD committee letter packet which includes any additional research letters you request.  Hence, you will need to submit an additional list of letter writers form for your research letters. We also require an additional MD/PhD List of Schools Form on which you list the MD/PhD programs to which you are applying.  IMPORTANT NOTE: your regular MD packet should contain your three best letters.  Some students make a big mistake by putting their better research letters in the “supplementary packet” in order to justify sending extra letters in their regular MD packet.
  • Note that we will send to your designated health profession schools the letters that we have on file for you as part of your packet.  Please do not ask us to pick and choose which letters to send for you.  You should be confident that the people you are asking to write for you will submit strong letters.

The MCAT and Other Standardized Tests

Students who plan to go to medical or other health profession schools will need to take a required standardized test.  Students applying to dental school will have to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT); students applying to optometry school will have to take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT); veterinary schools require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), though some will accept the MCAT.  Veterinary applicants are strongly encouraged to check with the individual schools they plan to apply to for specific standardized test requirements.  The DAT, GRE, MCAT, and OAT are all computerized exams.  The MCAT will be offered over 23 testing dates in 2008 while other tests are offered more frequently.


Latest Date to Take the MCAT for 2009 Admission:
We recommend having your MCAT scores in hand when you submit your AMCAS application. This way, you can make an informed choice about the schools to which you will apply (you must select your schools when you submit your AMCAS application). Since we recommend submitting your AMCAS by early-mid July, you should take the MCAT no later than June. Of course, if you need more time to increase your score, delaying your testing date may be a good idea. However, we recommend taking the exam no later than August 26, 2008 for the 2009 admission cycle.

Information and scheduling for the 2008 MCAT are available on-line.  The Health Careers Office also has paper copies of the 2008 MCAT testing schedule.

Repeating the MCAT:
Repeating the MCAT is not recommended unless you were ill on the day of the test, you did not get enough sleep the night before the test and were stressed during the test, you recorded the answers to the test incorrectly, there was a disturbance during the test at the testing center, you did not adequately review for the test, you did not complete all the coursework necessary before taking the test, or scored significantly lower than your grades or practice tests would otherwise predict.  Most students who repeat the test just to see if they can do better end up with similar scores--going up a point or down a point here and there.  These changes are not considered significant and will not help your candidacy.  All sets of scores are reported to medical schools.  You may take the MCAT up to three times during any given calendar year but you are allowed to register for only one exam at a time.  If you are not sure whether or not to re-take the MCAT consult with Dean Simmons.

MCAT Preparation
Many students prepare for the MCAT by enrolling in test-preparation courses such as those offered by Kaplan or Princeton Review.  Other students prepare by studying on their own.  Study guides are available in bookstores everywhere.

MCAT Registration and Length of Time Scores will be Accepted
You may register for the MCAT on-line.  Medical school policies on accepting old MCAT scores vary.  In general, schools will accept scores that are two to four years old.  You should, however, check with the schools to which you plan to apply if you have an MCAT score that is more than a year old.  When you register, you will be asked if you would like to release your scores to your premedical advisor.  Since these scores provide the Health Careers Office with useful data and assist us in advising you, we ask that you release your scores.

AMCAS and Other Application Services

Most medical schools in the United States require that students complete an application from the American Medical College Application Service, or AMCAS.  The AMCAS application is electronic and can be initiated and completed on the World Wide Web at

www.aamc.org.

AMCAS asks you for a broad range of basic information, including:

  • Biographical data such as your name, address, date of birth, citizenship, etc.
  • Information about where you attended college
  • Grades from all of your undergraduate courses
  • Activities you’ve engaged in since high school

In addition, AMCAS will ask you to submit “personal comments;” this is where you should insert your personal statement (see above).  Other application services will have similar sections for your personal statement.

Students may begin working on their AMCAS applications in May; the application can be certified and submitted in June (check www.aamc.org for specific deadlines).  Note that medical schools each have different deadlines for accepting AMCAS applications.  Some have deadlines as early as October.  While most medical schools are part of AMCAS some are not.   These include the state medical schools in Texas, which uses the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS)

Students applying to other health professions schools will also need to use an application service.  Again, deadlines by which such applications should be complete vary from school to school.  Be sure to check the deadlines for each school that you apply to. 

Information about the various health professions' application services is listed below:

Secondary Applications

After you have completed your AMCAS or other standard application many schools will require you to complete their own application materials.  These applications are generically referred to as secondary applications.  When you receive a secondary application you should complete it as quickly as possible.  Some schools may decide not to admit you on the basis of your AMCAS application alone.  In this case schools will send a rejection notice rather than a secondary application.  Check Medical School Admission Requirements to see what the secondary application policy is for each of the schools that you apply to.  Note that each school will charge an application fee upon submission of your secondary application.  This will be in addition to the application service fees (e.g., AMCAS, AADSASS, etc.).

Note that some medical schools may want to see your SAT scores or high school transcripts.  These items can not be forwarded from Brown and must come from their original source (e.g., your high school or the College Board).

Important Note:
In many cases schools will ask if you will be sending individual letters of recommendation or a letter and packet from the health professions committee at your undergraduate institution (or wherever you completed your premed course work).  Always note that you will be receiving the institution’s recommendation (often referred to as the committee or composite recommendation), not individual letters of recommendation.  Never write in the names the individuals who have submitted letters on your behalf to the Health Careers Office since this will engender confusion in the admissions offices and lead to problems with your application.