Medical School Application Timeline

Health Professions Committee Registration

Submit your HPC Registration Form to notify us of your official interest in joining the Health Professions Committee this year. For first-time candidates applying for 2024 matriculation, the deadline to join the Health Professions Committee is November 15, 2022. 

If you have previously been through committee, you will join the committee letter process in the spring.

Interview Rubric

Candidates will be evaluated using the Health Professions Committee Interview Rubric; this can also be a helpful tool for self-evaluation and determining when you will be most competitive.

Tracks to Join the Applicant Pool

There are three tracks to join this years’ applicant pool.

1. New to Committee – as a regular or Early Assurance Program candidate, you have never been through the Health Professions Committee (HPC) before (your full timeline is below).
2. Through Committee with Deferred Application – you went through the HPC during a previous year, but deferred your application until this year.
   • You join the timeline mid-spring. Around March/April, reach out to our office to let us know you plan to apply this cycle. We recommend you also schedule an appointment with one of the advisors to fill them in on what you have been up to since you went through committee.
3. Re-Applicant – you went through the HPC in a previous year and you applied to professional school, but were not offered admission this cycle. You plan to re-apply this year.
   • Before starting this process again, consider what about your candidacy has improved? When is the best time to re-apply? Will you be able to obtain at least one new letter of recommendation? Applying in two consecutive years may not be the best strategy as it may not allow enough time for you to improve your candidacy.
   • You join the timeline below mid-spring. We recommend you also schedule an appointment with one of the advisors to fill them in on what you have been up to since you went through committee.

First-Time Applicant Timeline

Dates are listed for students interested in applying for 2024 matriculation and plan to go through the Health Professions Committee (HPC) process during the 2022-2023 academic year.

October 18, 2022 :: Applicant Information Meeting

Begin working on upcoming deadlines that require planning and focused time, namely reaching out for Letters of Recommendation and the HPC Applicant Information Form.

November 15, 2022 :: DEADLINE to join the Health Professions Committee process 

Submit your HPC Registration Form – this form notifies us of your official interest in undergoing Health Professions Committee review this year.

November 2022 :: Testing, veCollect, LORs, Headshot

1. Review the MCAT schedule to plan your testing date. 
2. Register for veCollect. Middlebury HPC reviews all application material via veCollect. You register for access with this link to connect your account to Middlebury College.

• Select Vermont from the dropdown.
• Select Middlebury College from the dropdown.
• Complete the registration form, choosing a login and password, to create your account. You will receive an email that includes a link to activate your account and takes you to the Applicant “dashboard.”
• On the Applicant dashboard, read the detailed instructions under the “For Applicants” tab in order to understand the steps involved in requesting letters of recommendation (LOR’s).
• veCollect Letter Request Instructions here

3. Upload a headshot to veCollect (document upload instructions here). It must be in .pdf format. (Your photo does not need to be by a professional photographer, it is for internal use only.)

January 15, 2023 :: DEADLINE to complete Health Professions Committee File

1. Upload the HPC Applicant Information Form to your veCollect account (document upload instructions here). We will upload your Middlebury transcript from the registrar’s office to veCollect in early January and will make your Middlebury Overall and Science GPAs available to committee members.
2. Two letters of recommendation must be submitted by January 15th for the committee process and at least one letter must come from a science faculty who taught you in a neuroscience, biology, chemistry, physics, or math course; preferably at Middlebury. (You will need all additional letters by the June 1, 2022 deadline, but only two are required for the committee process.)
3. Print, sign, scan and upload the HPC Dossier Waiver form to your veCollect account (document upload instructions here) – please complete this before your first interview.

January-March 2023 :: HPC VIRTUAL Interviews

An integral part of the committee process is the three interviews with the committee members. All interviews will be conducted virtually and are expected to occur between January 15 – March 15, 2023.

Please remember that you cannot schedule your interview until AFTER your veCollect file is complete. A completed file includes:

• Your headshot
• At least two letters of recommendation – one of which must come from a science faculty who taught you in a biology, chemistry, physics, neuroscience, or math course; preferable at Middlebury
• A signed HPC Dossier Waiver
• Your HPC Applicant Information Form – which includes your personal statement

Candidates will be evaluated using the Health Professions Committee Interview Rubric.

March-July 2023 :: Situational Judgment Testing

Medical schools use many data points when evaluating a candidate file, including GPA, MCAT, Experiences, Letters of Recommendation and written materials. In recent years, many medical schools have added Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) to the holistic candidate review, with the belief that SJTs can demonstrate social intelligence, professionalism, ethics, empathy, problem-solving and collaboration. Read more here.

March-April 2023 :: HPC Review Period

• HPC continues evaluation of candidates.
• If pre-med, download the AMCAS application material from the AAMC website – available towards the end of April/early May.
• Continue working on your application essay and ask for comments and suggestions from family, friends, advisors, etc.

April 2023 :: Finalize MCAT Testing

May 2023 :: AMCAS Applications Open 

May 15, 2023 :: Complete draft of School List

The MSAR is an invaluable tool to help you build your list

Instructions for Creating a School List

June 1, 2023 :: Final DEADLINE for HPC Materials

• E-mail mlothrop@middlebury.edu once your veCollect account is complete and includes: 
  • All Letters of Recommendation
  • Committee Letter Request form
  • A PDF Copy of your AMCAS/AACOMAS Application once you’ve submitted in June (does not need to be verified)

**NOTE: This step is critical for initiating the committee letter writing process!

• Read the Application Instruction Manual(s)
• If you qualify, apply for Fee Assistance

Early June :: AMCAS Application Opens for Submission

After you have certified and submitted your application, and AMCAS has received all of your required transcripts, your application will enter the processing queue.

June-August 2023 :: Application Period

Submit primary applications.

• AMCAS Medical School Application Process
• AACOMAS Medical School Application Process

If you are applying through AMCAS, there are some helpful AMCAS tutorials available on their website. We have found the following tutorials to be the most helpful with applicant questions:

• Course Classification Guide
• How to Enter Study Abroad Coursework
• Do’s and Don’ts for Completing your AMCAS (including how to manage AP’s course withdrawals)
• Basic Coursework Tutorial
• Entering Coursework on AMCAS – insider tips from Midd grads

Summer 2023 :: Committee Letter

Timeline for the Committee Letter:

1. We start writing your letter once you’ve uploaded your primary application to veCollect. Be sure to e-mail Mary once it’s been uploaded, and then again when your application has been verified.
2. Once you have submitted your first secondary application (and your file is complete), e-mail Mary again. It is at that point that we finalize your letter. Letters are typically completed within two weeks of your email.

When your committee letter is complete, we will upload it directly to AMCAS/AACOMAS. Once the committee letter is uploaded to your primary app by our office, it is up to YOU to get it to the individual medical schools.

To learn how to do that within AMCAS, watch this helpful AMCAS tutorial – (Skip to around minute 5:45)

Fall 2023-Spring 2024 :: Interview Period

When you receive an interview offer, please submit this Interview Offers form (you can resubmit for each subsequent interview)

Interviews at professional schools.

• AAMC – Preparing for Medical School Interviews

• Johns Hopkins University information on the interview

• Ten Medical School Interview Tips – Go In Ahead of the Competition

• 5 Tips for Your Medical School Interview: Advice from a Recent Admit

• Sample interview questions

Mid-Fall 2023-Spring 2024 :: Admissions Decisions Begin

You will want to check the individual school websites to see when they will be releasing admissions decisions.

Late Spring-June 2024 :: If Accepted/Waitlisted

Congratulations on your acceptances! Please 

You should also feel very proud of your waitlist acceptance(s)! That is no small feat. While it can be frustrating to be left ‘in limbo,’ receiving a waitlist letter ultimately means that the admissions committee(s) evaluated your application and confirmed that your background and experience are a good fit for their program, which is good news. If you are needing support around what to do with the waitlist, you’re welcome to reach out by e-mail.

Late-Summer 2024 :: Matriculation!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Keep us informed when you can, we’d love to hear how you are doing. Also, if you are willing to become an alumni contact for future applicants to your school, please contact us.