PRE-HEALTH HANDBOOKS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR EACH APPLICATION SERVICE

American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS)

• Applications can be completed electronically via http://www.adea.org
• AADSAS will begin receiving applications June 1.
• AADSAS does not have a fee waiver program.
• Some schools require supplementary materials to be sent to the school at the same time the AADSAS application is sent, while some want you to wait until you hear from them. Make sure you check the Supplemental Materials Table in the AADSAS instruction booklet for each school to which you are applying! Follow these instructions exactly! Do not send supplemental materials to AADSAS.

Extracurricular activities: There is no room for writing in what you did. You are given a list of activities and mark off in which ones you participated or were a leader. If you have significant experiences or information you would like to address, include it in your applicant essay.

Transcripts: AADSAS will accept transcripts sent by the applicant, if they are in a sealed envelope with the Registrar’s signature over the seal. You may also have the Registrar send the transcripts directly. Submit transcripts from each and every college or university you have attended, even if the transfer work appears on your USC transcript. All foreign transcripts must be translated into English before submitting them to AADSAS. Immediately following the fall semester, send the Academic Update Form to AADSAS to update your application with grades you have earned since you applied. Do not send updated transcripts to AADSAS.

Course Work section: This section can get confusing. Follow directions exactly. AADSAS computes a separate GPA for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, non-science coursework, and total coursework. These GPA’s are also broken down into undergraduate, graduate, and combined GPA’s. Repeated coursework is computed into the GPA.

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service

• AACOMAS will begin receiving applications June 1.
• If applying for a Fee Waiver, apply early. The fee waiver must be approved before you may submit your AACOMAS application.
• Make sure you release your MCAT scores to AACOMAS!
• Do not send letters of evaluation or other supplementary materials to AACOMAS.
• Check yes to the Advisor Information Service Release - please! You are not required to release your information to your Pre- Professional Advisor. However, this information is helpful to your advisor in advising future students. Also, we like to hear how many of our students have been accepted! All information on individual applicants will remain confidential.
• If you plan to take the August MCAT, indicate this in the appropriate section.

Transcripts: Transcripts must be sent directly from the Registrar’s Office. Do not send them yourself. Submit transcripts from all U.S. institutions, even if transferred coursework is on your transcript. You may have foreign coursework evaluated. For Canadian and other foreign schools, consult the AACOMAS directions. If you are enrolled in school during the summer or fall semester while/after you apply, send updated transcripts to all schools for which you are still in consideration immediately following the semester. Do not send updated transcripts to AACOMAS after your initial application.

Extracurricular information: For Prior Career/Experience, most of you will put "Student". There is very little space for the "Volunteer, internships, honors, awards" section. Continue in the Personal Comments section if necessary.

Academic Record: The AACOMAS grading system does not include grades for .5 values. If you received any + grades from USC, write in the numeric value. D+=1.5, C+=2.5, B+=3.5. Your Science GPA consists of Biology/Zoology (B), Inorganic Chem (I), Organic Chem (O), Biochemistry (T), Other Science (S), and Physics (P). Your Non-science GPA consists of Math (M), English (E), Behavioral Science (H), and Other Non-Science (N). AACOMAS will calculate your science, non-science, and overall GPA, and break it down by academic year. For repeated courses, only the last grade will be used.

American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Application Service (AACPMAS)

• MCAT scores must be released to AACPMAS by the testing agency.
• Do not send letters of recommendation or other supplemental materials to AACPMAS.
• AACPMAS will accept applications before the first processing date (usually the first Thursday after Labor Day), but will not process them until this date. Do not send them too early, though.
• AACPMAS does not have a fee waiver program.
• The individual colleges do not charge an additional application fee beyond the AACPMAS processing fee.
• The deadline for priority consideration is April 1 of the year you wish to enter podiatry school. The final postmarked deadline is June 1.

Extracurricular Information: There is a section on the application where you check off types of extracurricular activities in which you have participated and/or were a leader. Later in the application, you are given the opportunity to elaborate on these experiences. Make sure you indicate any offices you held in clubs and organizations. When describing volunteer work, do not just write where you volunteered, but explain what you did. However, do not ‘squeeze’ information into this section. Remember, your application should be easy to read. A lot of space is given. If necessary, you may explain in more detail in your personal statement.

Transcripts: Transcripts must be sent directly to each college to which you apply. Do not send transcripts to AACPMAS! Transcripts must be sent directly from the Registrar at each college or university you have attended, even if transfer credit appears on your USC transcript. If you attended a foreign university, have your coursework evaluated by one of the services listed in the application instructions. If you are enrolled in school during the fall semester, send updated transcripts to all schools for which you are still in consideration immediately following the semester.

Completed Coursework Section: In the Grading Systems Conversion Table, use the Intermediate Grades column to locate AACPMAS grades for USC courses, (a USC grade of B+ equals an AACPMAS grade of AB). AACPMAS will compute your GPA based on what you enter in this section, without verifying the information against your transcripts. However, make sure the information matches what is on your transcripts. If the two do not match, a college may cancel your application or withdraw an offer of acceptance. Your GPA will be broken down into Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Other Science Courses, Behavioral Science, Math/Statistics, English, and Other Non-Science courses, as well as an overall GPA. There will also be a separate graduate and undergraduate GPA, as well as a combination of both. Your science GPA will consist of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Other Sciences. The GPA’s will include both grades when a course is repeated.

Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS)

• Application is electronic at http://www.aarmc.org
• VMCAS will begin receiving applications in June.
• Three evaluation forms go directly to VMCAS, not to the individual schools. You must give each of your evaluators a special envelope (which comes with the VMCAS application) and have him/her place the letter in the envelope, sign the seal, and return the envelope to you. Submit your evaluation forms with your VMCAS application. You must check the appropriate application procedure for each school to which you apply. Some schools participate in VMCAS, but will not accept VMCAS applications from certain applicants (e.g., in-state applicants). Follow these instructions carefully.
• The University of Georgia VMCAS deadline is October 1. VMCAS will send your application to schools if it received by February, even if after the deadline, but will note postmark and receipt date, and the school may not consider your application if it is late.
• Tuskegee University does not participate in VMCAS.  For application information contact Tuskegee directly.
• Standardized test scores (GRE, VCAT, MCAT, TOEFL) must be released directly to VMCAS. If you did not release your scores to VMCAS the day of the test, contact the testing agency as soon as possible to have your scores released.

Extracurricular Information: The question labeled "Veterinary Experience" refers to work you did with professionals. The "Animal Experience" section refers to contact you had directly with animals. "Employment History" refers to any other paid work you have done. Do not list any experience more than once. If something you have done fits into both "Veterinary" and "Animal" experience, choose the more appropriate category. For the sections marked "Honors and Awards" and "Extracurricular and Community Activities," list awards/activities most relevant first if you do not have enough room. If you still need more space, use the Explanation Sheet.

Transcripts: You must submit transcripts from each and every college and university attended, even if transfer credit appears on your USC transcript. Transcripts are to be submitted with your application in a sealed envelope, or directly from the Registrar, for all U.S. and Canadian schools. Ask for the Registrar’s signature or stamp over the seal. VMCAS will accept transcripts directly from the Registrar, but they caution that this may delay processing. For schools outside the U.S. and Canada, you must have your transcripts evaluated by one of the organizations listed in the VMCAS instruction booklet. Have your fall transcripts sent to VMCAS immediately after the fall semester ends (within 10 working days). VMCAS will begin receiving transcripts June 1. Do not send them earlier. If you are attending summer school, send your transcripts from that school immediately after the semester.

Core Curriculum Section: Follow the directions precisely. Core curriculum includes only courses required by the schools to which you are applying, not all courses that fit into the specified categories. GPA’s will be calculated for your core curriculum, your last 45 hours, and for your overall coursework. Grades are entered exactly as they appear on the transcript; VMCAS does not have a grade conversion chart.

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