Academic Advising Center

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Academic Advising Center
PO Box 112015
Gainesville, FL 32611-2015
(P) 352-392-1521
(F) 352-392-2905
Email: advisor@advising.ufl.edu

Centralized Application Services

Most medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physician assistant, and podiatry schools utilize a centralized application service. The applicant sends one application to a central processing location that verifies transcripts and calculates GPA's, forwarding the information to the schools designated. Not all schools utilize such services, so it is important to make sure you check with each school to which you apply to make sure you know how to initiate an application. Most schools, after receiving the preliminary application from the centralized application service, will require additional information, and an additional application fee. Applications can be completed online or downloaded online.

It is strongly recommended that all applicants heed the following suggestions:

Follow all instructions carefully. This may seem obvious now, but the applications are quite detailed, and making the smallest of mistakes may delay the processing of your application, or cause incorrect information to be sent to the schools to which you are applying. It is much better to take the time now to make sure you fill out the application correctly, than to wait to correct a mistake later.

After submitting your preliminary application, you may receive a copy of your profile from the application service. Carefully review this information immediately, and follow the instructions for changing any incorrect information. Depending on the information that is incorrect; you may also want to contact the individual schools, since it may be a while until they receive the updated information.

Request a copy of your transcripts from all schools you have attended now, so that you can refer to them when filling out the application. You will need official transcripts later, but the academic information you list on your application must match the information on your transcripts.

Apply as early as possible, (June 1st) even if you have not taken your standardized tests!

Be aware of all schools’ deadlines!

Do not send your application before the earliest date listed, or it will be returned (except for AACPMAS).

Make sure you have an application for the appropriate entering class!

Proofread the application carefully before sending it. Make sure all required information, including appropriate fee, is included.

Answer all questions honestly, including any questions about academic performance, conduct violations, or criminal charges. If you have questions about how to note criminal charges, contact Student Legal Services, located in the J. Wayne Reitz Union. Questions regarding suspension or conduct violations should be directed to the Dean of Students Office in Peabody Hall. Most applications provide a place to explain such incidents. Explain them honestly and openly, without making excuses. If you have any questions about how to explain these incidents, consult with a pre-health professions advisor.

Permanent address - list an address that you do not expect to change over the next year (such as your parents’).

Preferred mailing address - Correspondence will be sent here. If you move, contact the centralized application service and all schools to which you have applied immediately. Do not miss that letter offering you an interview!

Print a copy of your application. You will have this information as a back up and some professors may request it when writing a letter of evaluation.

Many schools only accept in-state residents, or strongly prefer them. You may only declare yourself a resident of one state. If you are not sure of state residency requirements, contact the schools to which you plan to apply.

Important Information for each Application Service

AMCAS

AMCAS will begin receiving applications June 1.
Do not send letters of recommendation or other supplementary materials to AMCAS.
If applying for a Fee Waiver, request it now on-line at http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/start.htm . You must have a fee waiver approved before submitting your AMCAS application.
If you plan to take the August MCAT, make sure you indicate this in the appropriate section. It is important for schools to know that they can expect scores in October, even if you have already submitted scores for an earlier test.
If you answer “yes” to the question regarding academic performance or conduct violations, explain fully in the Personal Comments section (but do not make excuses – explain briefly and move on).
Check yes to the Advisor Information Service Release – please. You are not required to release your information to your Pre-Health Professions Advisor. However, this information is helpful to us in your future advising or the advisement of other students. Also, we like to hear how many of our students have been accepted! All information on individual applicants will remain confidential.
Beginning with 2003, MCAT scores will be automatically released to all AMCAS schools. If you are applying to non-AMCAS schools, such as foreign medical schools or osteopathic medical schools, you will need to request score reports to be released to those non-AMCAS schools. You may go to http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/sendscores/testhistory.htm to release scores to non-AMCAS schools.
Extracurricular information: When listing clubs and organizations, note any offices held or special programs worked on. List all volunteer work and employment, not just health-related activities. When listing volunteer work, briefly describe what you did. Telling an admissions committee that you volunteered at a hospital does not tell them anything about what kind of experience you got. You will only be allowed to enter 15 post-secondary experiences, so be selective about what you choose if you were involved in more than 15 activities.
Transcripts: Transcripts must be sent to AMCAS directly from the Registrar’s Office. Do not send them yourself. Request transcripts from all U.S., U.S. Territorial or Canadian post-secondary institutions attended, even if transfer work appears on your UF transcript.. 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 additional transcripts to AMCAS after your initial application. Send these directly to the schools to which you have applied.
Academic Record: Fill out the Academic Record carefully, following all instructions exactly. All courses must be marked Biology (B), Chemistry (C), Physics (P), Math (M) or All other (A). If unsure which category a course is in, ask your professor. For a course to be considered a science course, the course contact should be at least 51% biology, chemistry, physics, or math related. Your GPA will be calculated by AMCAS, and will be broken down into science (BCPM), non-science (AO), and total (TOT). Each GPA will also be broken down into first year, sophomore, junior, senior, post-bac, cumulative undergraduate, and graduate.

AACOMAS

AACOMAS will begin receiving applications June 1.
If applying for a Fee Waiver, apply now. 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 recommendation 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-Health Professions Advisor. However, this information is helpful to your future advising or 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. Schools should be aware that they will receive your scores in October even if you have submitted earlier test scores.
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 UF transcript. See AACOMAS instructions regarding study abroad and foreign coursework. 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 additional 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 UF, write in the numeric value. D+=1.5, C+=2.5, B+=3.5. Your courses will need to be categorized specifically according to the AACOMAS application instructions. AACOMAS will calculate your science, non-science, and overall GPA, and break it down by academic year. For repeated courses, need to be indicated if it was taken as an attempt to improve the previous grade.

AADSAS

AADSAS will begin receiving applications May 15.
AADSAS does not have a fee waiver program.
Some schools require supplementary materials to be sent 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 DAT scores to AADSAS. Have them sent directly to the individual schools.
Beginning with the 1999 entering class, applicants have the option of either 1) sending letters of recommendation directly to AADSAS, which will then distribute the letters to the schools or 2) having letters of recommendation sent directly to the schools by using the OHLPA letter of recommendation service. You should contact the schools to which you plan to apply and find out if they have a preference for either method.
Extracurricular activities: There is no space 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 you would like to address, use the Applicant Essay.
Transcripts: AADSAS requests that you have the Registrar’s Office send official transcripts directly to them. You will need to download the Transit Request Form from the AADSAS on line application site. AADSAS will also accept official transcripts submitted by applicants as long the official transcripts are in a sealed envelope with the institutional seal or registrar’s name written across the envelope flap. Submit transcripts from each and every college or university you have attended, even if the transfer work appears on your UF 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 all science courses, all biology, chemistry and physics courses, 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.

VMCAS

VMCAS will begin receiving applications in August.
Three evaluation forms go directly to VMCAS, not to the individual schools . You must give each of your evaluators a special evaluation form, which you will download on-line, 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 can also have you recommenders send these letters to the OHLPA Office and we will send them directly to the schools for you.
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!
Adhere to all deadlines! VMCAS will send your application to schools if it received by Feb., even if after the deadline, but will note postmark and receipt date, and the school may not consider your application if it is late.
The VMCAS “Applicant Data Phase” is August through February. From March 1 on, information may only be updated through the individual schools.
Standardized test scores (GRE, 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 other 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 all U.S. and Canadian schools attended, even if transfer credit appears on your UF 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). 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. All grades for repeated courses are included in the GPA calculation.

AACPMAS

MCAT scores must be released to AACPMAS by the testing agency.

On-line applications as well as a downloadable pdf application are available.

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. However, you should apply as early as possible.

Note that the New York College of Podiatric Medicine does not participate in AACPMAS. Students interested in applying to NYCPM need to apply directly to the school.

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.

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 UF transcript. If you attended a foreign university, you may have your coursework translated or evaluated – see 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 UF courses, (a UF grade of B+ = 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.

CASPA-coming soon!

PharmCAS -coming soon!