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First Year Applicants

Academic Preparation

The school of medicine faculty believes that a broad liberal arts education provides the best background for those entering the medical profession. In addition to the required courses in the physical and biological sciences, applicants should include courses in the undergraduate curriculum encompassing mathematics, foreign languages, literature, history, art, religion, psychology, and political science. Medicine is best served by physicians whose learning has been thoroughly grounded in both the sciences and the humanities.

There is no standard, prescribed pre-medical curriculum. Applicants are encouraged to seek a firm base in mathematics, the prerequisite sciences, social sciences and humanities. The applicant’s preparation should engender breadth in the selection of courses taken, and depth and rigor in areas of special interest. Survey courses in biology, chemistry, and physics for non-science majors do not satisfy the core science course prerequisites. Applicants must take the introductory science course sequences required for students majoring in those fields.

Requirements

The specific academic program requirements include:

I. Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent

II. Completion of Required Undergraduate Courses (one year of college credit with lab)

       General Chemistry
       Organic Chemistry
       Physics
       Biology or Zoology
       English – Courses in composition and literature are strongly recommended.

While completion of these basic prerequisite courses is considered the norm, the school may consider innovative and less traditional preparations on an individual basis. The applicant must present convincing evidence for equivalent preparation in these subject areas. Courses in biochemistry, genetics, and physiology are recommended, but not required. While an applicant may present a minimum of three years of college work, ordinarily a four-year bachelor's degree is considered a prerequisite for entry.

III. Medical College Admission Test Scores

The MCAT exam is given in April and August each year. Applicants are required to take the MCAT no later than the August exam preceding their expected date of matriculation. Applicants are required to sit for the exam within three years of application. Test registration materials may be obtained from the MCAT Program Office, Box 4056, Iowa City, IA 52243-4046 (telephone: 319-337-1357) or the AAMC web site.

Application Process – First-Year Admissions

AMCAS Application
The School of Medicine participates in the American Medical College Application Service, a unit of the Association of American Medical Colleges. AMCAS administers the centralized process that allows applicants to apply to participating schools by submitting one application directly to the service in Washington, D.C.

AMCAS verifies the applicant's academic record and then distributes the application to the designated medical schools. AMCAS applications may be obtained by contacting the Applicant Relations Unit at 202-828-0600, or by visiting the AAMC's web site. Applicants must apply by filing the application electronically. The process of verifying and then transmitting application data information normally takes several days.

The AMCAS deadline for the University of Connecticut School of Medicine is December 15. Deadline extensions are considered on a case-by-case basis.

American Medical College Application Service
2450 N Street, NW, Suite 201
Washington, DC 20037-1131

Supplemental Statement and Application Fee

As soon as the University of Connecticut receives notification that an application is being processed to the School of Medicine from AMCAS, the applicant receives an email acknowledgement and attachment from the school inviting the applicant to submit the University of Connecticut Supplemental Statement (136K PDF), letters of recommendation, and the school application fee. The applicant is instructed to complete and submit the supplemental statement and school application fee within six weeks of receipt of the email. Applicants are encouraged to complete the supplemental application according to the timetable presented. Deadline extensions will be considered and allowed in most cases; however, all supplemental applications are due by December 30.

The University of Connecticut Supplemental Statement requests responses to several questions. The statement affords the applicant the opportunity to highlight aspects of preparation regarding research, teaching, and clinical experience. The statement also affords the opportunity to further discuss motivations for a career in medicine, and to discuss important issues facing medicine and health professionals. The intent of the supplemental statement is to provide the applicant with an additional opportunity to present and to amplify on relevant preparation and experience.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants are prompted to submit letters of recommendation in the email sent as soon as notification that an application is being processed to the school is received. While these letters are due within eight weeks of receipt of the email, applicants are encouraged to submit the letters immediately.

The applicant is advised to submit a composite recommendation from the premedical advisory committee at their undergraduate school. The composite letter ordinarily contains a summary review and recommendation statement from the advisory committee, and either full-text letter attachments or excerpts from statements provided by several faculty and others the applicant has selected to provide comment. For applicants from schools that do not provide a composite advisory committee letter, the applicant must provide a minimum of three letters from individuals familiar with their academic history. For students that have pursued additional academic preparation through post baccalaureate or advanced degree programs, letters are expected from either the advisory committee or from individual faculty advisors. For students that have pursued research or special summer program activities, a letter is normally expected from the program advisor or faculty supervisor.

Additional references confirming the applicant’s experiences and containing comments on personality and character traits are often quite helpful in capturing the personal and professional aspects of a candidate’s overall preparation. Deadline extensions will be considered and allowed in most cases; however, all letters are due by December 30. In some instances, additional recommendation letters or updates are requested from the school of medicine admissions office.

Interviews

All submitted and completed applications are reviewed for consideration for an interview. Interviews are offered only at the request of the Admissions Committee. Interviews for Early Assurance are held in March and April; Early Decision are offered in late August and early September; Regular Decision are conducted September through April. An important part of the Admissions Committee’s final selections, the interview provides an opportunity to meet the applicant and to gather additional personal and supplemental data for the committee to evaluate the applicant. For the applicant, the interview day provides an opportunity to meet with students and faculty and to evaluate the school. Interviewers provide the Admissions Committee with personal impressions and insights on the applicant by evaluating, and putting in perspective, all aspects of the applicant’s background, experiences, coursework, motivations, and values.

The interview day begins with applicant introductions and an overview orientation highlighting aspects of the school’s curriculum, clinical and community focus, student life, finances, and student outcomes. Applicants then ordinarily have two separate faculty interviews and a student interview. Applicants are then taken on a tour of the Health Center complex, focusing on the areas where the medical students spend most of their time, and then enjoy lunch with current medical students.

Applicants then engage in a mini problem based learning exercise that is designed to simulate, to the extent possible, the format and expectations of our Correlated Medical Problem Solving course. At the end of the day, applicants meet briefly with the associate dean for student affairs and the assistant dean for admissions. The interview day begins at 9:30 a.m. and typically concludes at around 3 p.m. In keeping with the school's intent to know its applicants well, no more than eight students are scheduled for an interview day. Interviews are conducted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays throughout the regular interview season. Approximately 400 applicants are selected for interviews.

The Selection Process

The selection process at the school of medicine is implemented by the faculty admissions committee consisting of basic science and clinical science faculty, medical students, and community representatives. The committee considers the applicant's achievements, ability, motivation, and character and evaluates the AMCAS application, supplemental application, letters of recommendation, and interviews (if requested). The committee looks closely at the entire academic record and MCAT scores in relation to the difficulty of the academic program. The committee considers evidence of academic achievement beyond regular course work, intellectual growth and development, substantial extracurricular activities, and the strength of the letters of recommendation. The committee considers all the materials presented by the applicant – the AMCAS application, the supplemental statement, the letters of recommendation, and the interviews in making final selections for the entering class.

Following a rolling admissions model, applicants are considered as the interview season progresses. Decisions are issued to candidates at the direction of the committee. With only 80 positions available in the first year class, the committee proceeds cautiously and conservatively in the early months, issuing acceptances only to those candidates that would fall within the top 120 places issued for the entire year. As the admission season progresses, more candidates are accepted as the Committee develops a more complete understanding of the current year’s applicant pool. The committee establishes a prioritized alternate list in March and April. As the new entering class appears to be taking shape, acceptances are issued to alternates as positions become available. Most alternate list activity occurs between May and July. Admission and reapplication counseling is available for those wishing to discuss aspects of the application process or specific concerns related to individual circumstances.

Acceptance

For the regular admissions cycle, acceptances are offered on a rolling basis beginning October 15 and continuing throughout the year. All admission decisions are made by the Committee on Admissions and are final. While it is impossible to provide a numerical ranking for those listed on the alternate list, every effort is made to inform alternate candidates where they are placed on the prioritized list, and the likelihood of whether a position will become available by the start of classes.

Deferral of Matriculation

Accepted applicants may wish to petition for a deferred matriculation. Deferrals are considered on a case-by-case basis, ordinarily for one year, and are usually related to personal circumstances, or some unique educational opportunity.

Policies Governing Admissions

University of Connecticut policy prohibits discrimination in education and employment, and in the provision of services because of race, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disabled veteran status, physical and mental disability, mental retardation, or other specifically covered mental disabilities, and criminal records that are not job-related, in accordance with provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX Education Amendments of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other federal and state laws and executive orders pertaining to equal rights.

The school of medicine has a strong tradition of seeking a very diverse entering class. Diversity is defined along a myriad of dimensions to include a representative sample of the highly capable applicant pool that can meet the health care needs of all segments of society. All interested applicants are encouraged to apply. Further information on medical school admissions is included in the Medical School Admissions Requirement (MSAR), an annual catalog for applicants that provides profiles of United States and Canadian medical schools, as well as descriptive information and data on recent applicant characteristics. Copies of this book are available in most college libraries, in the offices of pre-professional advisors, and from the Association of American Medical Colleges, One Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. 20036.