NYC Admissions Consulting

FAQs on Letters of Recommendation for your Law School Application

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m not very close with any of my professors, but have a great relationship with the volunteer manager at the legal aid clinic. Can I use her as a reference?

Law schools specifically look for recommendation letters to provide insight into a candidate’s ability to thrive in a challenging academic environment. You will need to have at least one reference from an academic source. Even if you aren’t close, providing specific examples from class discussions and course work will allow the professor to speak directly to the quality of your work.

Check with the law school, but most will accept supplemental recommendations. So you can also request a recommendation letter from your volunteer manager.

I’ve been out of school and working for a while now. Can I have my current supervisor write one of my recommendation letters?

Yes, if you have been out of school and working for a few years, you may ask your supervisor to complete a letter of recommendation. But you still must ensure you have one academic reference.  

The law school requires two recommendations, but will accept up to four. Do I need to submit four?

You do not need to submit the maximum number. Carefully consider the perspective and anecdotes that each of your potential recommenders could share. Pare down the number if you feel any of your recommenders will provide overlapping views of your abilities. However, if you have four strong relationships and each recommender can provide a unique view of your skills and character, then feel free to submit them all.

What if my recommender asks me, the applicant, to write the letter?

If a potential recommender puts you in a tough spot and only agrees to submit a letter that you’ve written, it is best to move on. It is often obvious to schools when an applicant has crafted the copy because of similarities in voice to other application components.

How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for your Law School Application

Good news! No one who hates you will agree to write you a Letter of Recommendation. It's too annoying of a task to bother with if you don't have nice things to say about someone. Still, some letters can be lackluster, especially if they're rushed or overly general. 

The University of Chicago Law School admissions blog describes a “standout” recommendation letter as one that provides, “specific and substantive discussion of your abilities as a student.” They look for “a discussion of particular examples of your work, possibly a research project or substantial piece of writing” and/or “qualitative comparisons to your peers and illustrative anecdotes.” 

There are ways to make sure recommenders are talking you up effectively. Here’s how to make the ask. 

Individualize your approach. What do you know about your potential recommender? Are they someone who will want a face-to-face conversation about this? Or are they someone who will be open to an email with an updated CV attached?

Remind them of your accomplishments. You're not telling them what to write—and they may well choose to highlight some of your other victories or qualities—but offering them a refresher to reference will make your request less of a burden. Your professors know the drill of writing law school references, but they have a lot of students, so a reminder of what you've done is still appreciated. Ex. "It was a privilege to be in a graduate course as an undergraduate. Attending office hours deepened my understanding of the material and provided me insight into strengthening my arguments for the paper, on which I earned an A. I also found that working with a group on the research project honed my abilities in research and developed my collaboration and leadership skills."

While you will want at least two of your recommendations to be written by those who can speak to your academic performance, you may also include a letter from a supervisor at a job or legal clinic where you volunteered. In this request, you want to tell the manager what it meant to you to work there and how you thrived. Ex. "Your recommendation would mean so much to me because this job reinforced my interest in the study of law. Working to support pro-bono immigration cases gave me a better understanding of the day-to-day work of a lawyer as well as additional insight into the necessary research and client-interaction skills required." OR "Working as an analyst in this consulting firm gave me significant experience with project and time management, developed my written and oral communication abilities, and improved my analytical skills. Over time I have increased my responsibilities. This summer I took on the role of team lead and now run weekly client meetings and oversee the analytic strategy and initial creation of client deliverables. I have also made myself available to newer project staff for mentoring and support.” 

If you're asking for a recommendation from someone who has never written one, loop them in on the qualities law schools are looking for and how you've exemplified them. Ex. "The schools that I am applying to value critical thinking and problem solving abilities, writing skills, and intellectual curiosity. I believe that my final group project on the early work of Chaucer showed my abilities in those areas.”

Go beyond the ask. After someone agrees to be your recommender, you're going to send them a "game plan" that gets into the experiences you’ve had and your accomplishments in greater depth than you did in your initial request. It is helpful to give each one a short portfolio of information, which should include:

  • School names and submission date(s)

  • Method for recommendation submission (e.g., LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service)

  • Background information (academic, professional) and your future career goals

  • Illustrative anecdotes from your work with this recommender, with particular emphasis on the following topics: analytical/critical thinking, writing/presentation skills, leadership, teamwork, personal characteristics you want to highlight (e.g., determination, intellectual curiosity), and your ability to grow from feedback. For example, the student who highlighted the Chaucer project can remind their professor what aspects of the presentation they worked on and reiterate that they organized the group's study sessions. You might also attach a copy of the associated paper that you submitted with your contributions highlighted. You get the gist. 

Say thank you in a unique way. Once someone has agreed to write your recommendation, do something nice for them. Send a memorable note, maybe even a small gift (a box of their preferred tea or some candy is nice) or offer to take them to lunch. This is common courtesy, but it's also going to remind them to submit their letter on time.

Who to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for your Law School Application

Recommendation letters are not going to make or break your candidacy for law school—ninety-nine percent of the time, applicant’s rec letters are filled with glowing reviews of their academic abilities and potential. But, if done right, a letter of recommendation can reinforce and expand upon key themes presented in other application components like your resume, personal statement, and essays.

Here are some actions to take to make sure this happens:

Consider Who Knows You Well

Most schools require two letters of recommendation and will accept up to three or four. At least two should come from academic sources (professor, teacher’s assistant, advisor) who can speak to your ability to thrive in a challenging academic environment. You may also submit letters of recommendation from nonacademic sources, for example a coach, professional manager, or volunteer coordinator. Of course, you will want to choose those you know will sing your praises, but also who can back up their claims (with specific examples) on your abilities in the areas of intellectual curiosity, problem solving, critical thinking, integrity, and perseverance. Don’t ask your family friend who is a Senator or Judge to submit a recommendation letter because you think his/her title will impress admissions committees. Save requests to contacts with significant influence at a specific school (say, they're donors or members of the board) for letters of support, which they can send separately from your application to the Dean of the law school. 

Take a Strategic Viewpoint

If your personal statement is anchored in a story that shows the reader your critical thinking and persuasion skills on a significant project, one of your recommenders could provide additional insight on this project in their letter. And remember, if one of your letters of recommendation further emphasizes your academic potential, the second should focus on other qualities, such as your ability to thrive in a collaborative environment. Furthermore, if you see gaps in your application, you may want to speak with one of your recommenders who could address them in his or her letter and share how you’ve grown from specific challenges. 

Guidelines for Adding Hobbies to Your AMCAS Application

Hobbies. They are not a make or break component of the medical school (and later, residency) application, but they are an opportunity to provide the admissions committee with a view of the person beyond the test scores. Hobbies are also an effective way to demonstrate how you will add to the diversity of the incoming class, showcase qualities you will need as a medical student/physician, and/or provide insight into how you may relieve stress during medical school. 

Within the AMCAS application, hobbies belong in the Work & Activities section under the extracurriculars category. Applicants can provide up to four experiences under each category type, with a 700 character (with spaces) count, unless the experience is designated “most meaningful” (requires an additional 1,325 characters with spaces). 

Below are our guidelines for adding hobbies to your AMCAS application:

  • Be current. If you played the trumpet in the high school band, but haven’t picked it up since then, consider what hobbies are more relevant to your life now. What do you turn to for fun, and what do you see yourself doing for stress relief in medical school?

  • Be specific in your description. Provide a sense of how often, and how long you have been pursuing the hobby, as well as what the hobby entails. It’s great that you love to read, do yoga, and travel, but so do many others. In what unique ways have you engaged with your interests? Did you launch a monthly book club for discussing the NYT best sellers? Write book reviews for the school paper? Did you gain a yoga teaching certification or take part in a unique yoga retreat? Do you travel to particular destinations or participate in medical experiences abroad?

  • State how your hobby has impacted your personal growth. Did an experience within your hobby contribute to a change in your perspective or influence your decision to apply to medical school? What attributes have you developed through your hobby that will benefit you as a medical student and physician (resilience, effective communication and collaboration skills, empathy, the ability to thrive in a diverse environment, etc.)? 

  • When possible, provide an experience or milestone that differentiates your involvement in the hobby. Many people play an instrument, but fewer start a quartet or play in the university band. Many people enjoy running or fitness, fewer run the NY marathon to support a favorite cause/organization or start a running club. Providing the specific way(s) that you’ve engaged with your hobby will demonstrate to the admissions committee what you may offer to your incoming class. 

The MBA Application: A Results-Driven Resume (Part 2)

Keep the following tips in mind as you craft your resume: 

Focus on results. We can’t emphasize this enough. Make use of active verbs to showcase your contributions. And, where possible, provide hard numbers that exhibit the results you’ve achieved and the impact you’ve made. 

Keep it relevant. Your resume should only include experiences from the start of college onward, and should showcase your abilities in innovation, leadership, and teamwork. 

Review the Guidance. Some MBA programs instruct you to “submit a resume,” while others such as MIT Sloan or UPenn Wharton, provide specifications for your submission. Review the school’s admissions page to confirm any instruction on page limits, font, and format. 

If the school does not provide formatting guidance, you should keep it simple. Opt for left-justified text in an easy-to-read font—we prefer Garamond—sized between 10 and 12. Additionally, while it may be customary in some cultures to add a headshot to the resume, this is not recommended for U.S.-based MBA programs. 

Use proper grammar. Even the best writers can get worked up about creating resume text. Don’t overthink it. Use proper punctuation and the appropriate tense (present for current activities, past for past activities). Read each line aloud and make sure that it flows smoothly. Do not lean on corporate jargon, rather you will want to ensure that you explain what you did and your results in a way that a fellow MBA classmate in a different field would understand. 

The MBA Application: A Results-Driven Resume (Part 1)

A key piece of the MBA application is a resume. It should showcase the breadth of your experiences and accomplishments. But remember, it should not merely communicate what you did in each role and extracurricular endeavor; each entry should explore WHY what you did and accomplished was so important to you and/or your team and/or the organization as a whole. What results did you achieve?  What impact did you have?  What did you learn?

MBA resumes should include the following components and should be no longer than one page:

  1. Education. List all degrees and include a bulleted list in the Education section of internships and extracurricular involvements you participated in while in college. 

  2. Work Experience. Using results-oriented bullets, show your progression in responsibility throughout your career. Elaborate on the impact you’ve had and/or lessons you’ve learned. Note also any awards and/or honors and/or significant recognition that you have received.

  3. Additional Information. This section can include significant extracurricular and charitable involvements you’ve participated in, languages you speak, as well as noteworthy skills, certifications, and memberships.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Personal Statement (Part 5)

In this blog series, we’ll be highlighting some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them.

Having too many readers: Having too many readers review your Personal Statement is a common mistake. If you're an Apply Point client, consider asking two people besides your two Apply Point advisors (who work as a team) to read your essays. If you're not working with a consultant, you could ask up to four people to read your work but make that the maximum just so you won't be overwhelmed by input.

This is certainly not us saying that you shouldn't have any readers at all. You want eyes or ears on this, especially if they're attached to someone you respect who knows you well. In fact, the top question you should ask them is: "Does this sound like me?" Friends, family members, or a mentor can confirm if your essay gets your personality and best qualities across. That said, send them the edited, polished draft rather than your raw first draft. This way their suggestions and questions won't psych you out because you already have a good idea of what you want to present in your statement.

One more note on having too many readers: Never post your essay in an online forum, such as Reddit. Sharing thoughts and advice on the overall application process online with other prospective students is great, but if you post your essay, you'll have too many strangers giving input and you’ll be vulnerable to plagiarizers. 

If you missed Part 1, Click here.

If you missed Part 2, Click here.

If you missed Part 3, Click here.

If you missed Part 4, Click here.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Personal Statement (Part 4)

In this blog series, we’ll be highlighting some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them.

Using long quotes: A short conversation you had in an intense circumstance can be illustrative in a Personal Statement. It helps a reader picture the event. But making the point of your essay completely revolve around a long quote of someone else's thoughts about medicine, leadership, integrity, or whatever, makes it their essay, not yours. No literary celebrity, professor, professional you worked with, or dad is supposed to be the star of this show. 

Dwelling on childhood stories: Saying you played lawyer / doctor / businessman as a kid should not feature prominently in your Personal Statement. In fact, we'd skip it: It's not a unique sentiment. Schools don't care how long you've dreamed of taking this step—they care if you have the potential and drive to make it happen.

This doesn't mean that a flashback scene is never relevant. If your mom had cancer when you were eight years old, you grew up fast, and you learned things about the healthcare system and doctor-patient interactions that influenced your professional goals. That is noteworthy. But you need this essay to focus on your recent impactful experiences. Ones that reinforced your interest in this career path and gave you the skills applicable to excelling in a program. 

If you missed Part 1, Click here.

If you missed Part 2, Click here.

If you missed Part 3, Click here.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Personal Statement (Part 3)

In this blog series, we’ll be highlighting some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them.

Staying linear: You don’t need the essay to be linear. Imagine your intro paragraph as the opening sequence of a movie—the most thrilling ones start mid-scene. You want to see an action star in action, not waking up to a buzzing alarm clock. Don't save the excitement for many scenes later. Show yourself there, then explain how you got there. 

Overusing passive voice: Keep most of your sentences active. Passive voice can minimize your contributions and slow down your essay's momentum. Active sentences move the statement forward. 

There is flexibility, of course. Some passive sentences aren't slow-going or unnatural. Take the passive "My research has been accepted for an oral presentation at the National Impressive Conference." vs. the active "The National Impressive Conference has accepted my research for an oral presentation." Honestly, both sentences are fine. Neither goes on too long nor is confusing. Both read as a natural way of speaking—the passive one might be a little more natural. 

There are also times when you'll use passive voice for effect, accuracy, clarity, or flow. Just be mindful of how often you're doing it. 

If you missed Part 1, Click here.

If you missed Part 2, Click here.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Personal Statement (Part 2)

In this blog series, we’ll be highlighting some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them.

Being uptight: A personal essay is more like journalism than an academic paper. You're telling a story, and this one is about you. You want to sound intelligent and respectful but being a bit colloquial makes you appear confident and relaxed. As if to say, "This is who I am. This is who I plan to become." Boom.

Also, a profound statement is often a simple one. We've heard more than one app reader complain about needing to consult a dictionary because an applicant had been over-consulting a thesaurus. Another reason to write less formally: You're going to interview at these schools. (Hopefully!) If you don't speak at all how you write, they're going to be confused about who you really are. 

Getting too poetic: Being a little poetic can show style, but if your point isn't clear, a beautiful turn of phrase is meaningless. One of our mottos is: "Clarity above all things." Leave no room for misinterpretation. The reader needs to see the story how you do. Crisp and untangled writing is also best given the character count limitation and how much you need to share. There is room for imagery but there isn't a lot of room for showiness. 

Spouting off clichés: Nothing says, "I don't think outside of the box" quite like the phrase "I think outside of the box." We also read a lot of first drafts that include "puzzle pieces"—skip 'em, they're going to be in a thousand other essays. 

If you missed Part 1, Click here.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Personal Statement (Part 1)

Writing a Personal Statement is a massive undertaking. In a relatively short document, you’re trying to show the admissions committee who you are and what you value, while simultaneously building a case for why you will succeed in the program and, later, in your career. It’s a lot. But we can help. 

In this blog series, we’ll be highlighting some of the most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach the Personal Statement. Try your best to avoid them.

Trying to include everything: You cannot fit every experience you've ever had into this essay—and hey, that's why you also submit a Resume or a Work and Activities section. Stick to one or two key experiences that prompted growth and reinforced your interest in the program. The Personal Statement is about showing depth

Telling instead of showing: The admissions committee is looking for more than a list of your strengths and traits. Not only is that boring, it is unreliable. A good rule of writing is: “Show, don't tell." Listing off your qualities is meaningless if you're not backing them up with real-life examples. Instead of telling the reader, “I am a good leader because I am diligent and organized,” provide a leadership anecdote that will show you empowering your team. 

Similarly, don’t tell the school what you will do in the future without showing them why you are capable of achieving such things. We've said it before: Sharing goals works when what comes before it exemplifies your strengths and abilities. More than what you want to do, what you have done tells us who you are.

Generating Strong W&A Entries: Shadowing

Approaching Your W&A Entry. Shadowing is great introductory clinical exposure and prevalent among applicants—88% of Johns Hopkins' 2018 accepted students had shadowing experience. But to med schools, shadowing weighs less than volunteering at free clinics, doing clinical research, or working as a medical scribe, etc. That's because it typically doesn't lead to significant patient interactions. Still, shadowing someone in a field you're very interested in is informative, and you can have poignant experiences. We had one client who shadowed an infectious disease doctor abroad and learned that potential life-altering treatments regularly can't cross international lines.

Since patient interaction isn't common in these scenarios, you want to emphasize how else a shadowing experience helped you build clinical skills or expanded your knowledge of a medical specialty, preferably one you're interested in pursuing after medical school. If these things don't apply to your shadowing experience, here are some other things to consider: What did you see—and how did it affect you? Did a doctor calmly handle an angry patient? Did you seek more information on any condition a physician diagnosed in front of you? Did you learn something about a doctor's day-to-day life that you didn't know before? Unless you had one incredible experience or really need to fill up your W&A, grouping your shadowing experiences in one entry is a great idea.

Connect Your Shadowing to Your Future. If you know what area of medicine you'd like to study, having multiple shadowing experiences with different physicians practicing the same specialty shows the depth of that interest. That makes for a powerful shadowing entry. Who you shadow should be relevant to your goals. If you're interested in congenital heart disease because you worked on a clinical research study related to it or your dad survived a heart attack, try to shadow multiple cardiologists. Shadowing a broad range of specialties is exciting and may indeed be a part of your deciding what field you're most interested in—that makes for a strong entry. But there's something sturdy and assuring about a med school candidate who has pursued one area in depth. A consistent interest is compelling.

Your Work & Activities Section: Two Problems You Don't Really Have

"Help, I have too many experiences!" 

We've heard it before: "How am I going to keep this at 15 entries? I have 20 options." Here's the thing, you probably don't. You can and should bundle certain activities. Doing so reduces repetition and allows you to include a wider variety of experiences. Say, you were secretary of your student council for one year and vice president for two—that's material for one entry. Even if one of those roles produced one of your Most Meaningful experiences, you can likely cover both in one write-up.

"Help, I Don't Have Enough Experiences!" 

You may insist: "I have had three clinical experiences, two volunteer posts, and was in one club in college. I don't have 15 options!" 

Here's the thing, you probably do. Did you take a weekend long improv class with some friends? It might have teased out a braver you or helped you to think on your feet. Do or did you have a non-medical job? Obviously, you're going to include all medical work or volunteering experiences as well as impressive internships or jobs in any industry. But even working as an office temp, swiping cards at the college food court, and ringing up retail at the local bookstore exemplifies your work ethic and commitment. It also implies that you're not spoiled. Facts are facts: A lot of med school applicants are privileged. Earning your own money can set you apart because it shows personal responsibility and that you know how to balance work and studying. 

Hobbies count too. It is not a waste of space to share that you're an artist or love to garden. You can angle these activities to be more relevant to your application by explaining what transferable qualities—creativity, dedication, patience—you can apply to medicine. Your hobby write-ups also can highlight different strengths than your other entries, have a passionate delivery, and show some personality. 

"No, I really don't have enough experiences."

If you don't have enough experiences, now is the time to get them. Put together a group to clean up tree pits in your neighborhood to practice leadership. Take a hip-hop dance class to become less stiff and stern. If you're interested in mental health, volunteer for a crisis hotline. Exercising empathy and learning to talk to people on the worst days of their lives is useful for a future physician. Last-minute shadowing experiences are an option, too. They in no way should replace clinical experiences, but, if you are light on clinical experience or want to get some career goal-related shadowing experiences in, this is the ticket. Attending a conference or volunteering at a community health fair are one-day events that can lead to impactful encounters. Pursuing and sharing education is very valuable to medical schools.

Your Work & Activities Section: Where to Begin

To improve your W&A writing experience and the quality of your entries, try this: 

Raid your brainstorm. As we’ve frequently mentioned, your brainstorm serves every part of your application process. If you're having a hard time with W&A entries, copy and paste info directly from a brainstorm bucket or two and cut and sew together the first draft of an entry from that material.

One client began a W&A entry on her time as an EMT by briefly sharing salient details about things she did and skills she acquired while working on an ambulance. She then copied (literally control-C) a poignant story from her brainstorm's ah-ha bucket wherein she showed compassion for a patient who had miscarried. She pasted it directly into her W&A draft document. She proceeded to trim unnecessary parts of the story (what day it was, what her partner was doing), and add a takeaway about seeing the importance of caring for a patient's mental health.

Start with the easy ones. Do you know what your takeaway was from shadowing a pediatrician? Did working on a poster presentation with a group help you learn to manage conflict? Have you been swimming competitively since you were a guppy? Instead of writing W&A entries in the order of their occurrence or importance, start with whatever comes naturally.

Do a dirty draft—and re-read it later. You don't have to refine your first draft text right away. In fact, we’d recommend that you write all 15 first drafts (that doesn't have to happen in one sitting) and then go back to the entries with fresh eyes later. Sometimes when you're reading one entry repeatedly back-to-back, you see what's in your head and not what is on the page. So, you might think a description makes perfect sense. But later, you'll read it, discover issues, and revise it accordingly.

Craft your stories. You'll always share some basic duties and details; and they can be pretty cut and dry. For example, "At the free clinic, I checked in patients and learned how to take vitals. I interacted with approximately 20 patients during every four-hour shift." But you must also include what you got out of this experience, preferably using an engaging anecdote. "One patient, Linda…" If you don't think you have a specific story to tell, schedule time with an Apply Point consultant and we'll talk things over and find one. You'll be surprised at how much of a story you can fit into 700 characters. But don't worry about going over the word count in your first draft. We're here to help you pare down, if necessary.

Your Work & Activities Section: Before You Start

Before we make a case for the kinds of experiences you should include in your W&A and get into the deep details you should be sharing, we're going to give you three super-basic tips for writing these entries. Bookmark/screenshot this page and keep it accessible because you are going to want to check that you're doing these three things in each entry that you write.

  1. Use complete sentences. This is not a resume. You might have done an activity log when presenting your candidacy to your pre-med committee. That will be an excellent resource, but it's probably not polished, and these entries must be.

  2. Go beyond the "what." Don't just describe a job you did. Share details about how this experience challenged, changed, or motivated you. Through anecdotes, show the qualities that medical schools are looking for, which include leadership and critical thinking abilities, empathy, strong communication skills, resilience, intellectual curiosity, and maturity.

  3. Utilize your space well. For general entries, you'll have 700 characters with spaces to tell your story. Aim to max out that character count. Each experience should warrant it—700 is not that many characters. For the Most Meaningful entries, you'll have 700 characters with spaces, followed by an additional 1,325 with spaces. If you come up short on either section of the Most Meaningful entries, don't worry about it, so long as you have something compelling in each section.

The 2025-2026 Allopathic Medical School Application Overview: Medical School Interviews

If you’re looking to start medical school in the Fall of 2026, now is the time to get started with the application process! Throughout this week, we’ll post blogs that focus on each component of the application and provide suggested timing and resources.

Medical School Interviews

Fall 2025 through Spring 2026 (by invitation only)

Many applicants receive invitations to interview following their submission of secondary applications and/or CASPer or Preview Exam scores. Schedule yours as early as possible. And before solidifying your travel plans, you should contact nearby schools to which you’ve applied and let them know you have an interview in the area in case they have availability. This serves the dual purpose of letting the other school know that you are “in demand,” while also showcasing your strong interest in their program.

Review our blog posts on medical school interviews:

The 2025-2026 Allopathic Medical School Application Overview: Secondary Applications

If you’re looking to start medical school in the Fall of 2026, now is the time to get started with the application process! Throughout this week, we’ll post blogs that focus on each component of the application and provide suggested timing and resources.

Secondary Applications:

Submit within two weeks of receipt. 

Secondary applications are typically sent between June and August, although they can come later depending upon the timing of your AMCAS submission. Many schools will not review your application file until you have submitted your secondary application. And, because most schools review applications on a rolling basis, and invite applicants to interview accordingly, it is important to send in your secondary application materials promptly, which we define as within two weeks of receipt. 

Additionally, because many of the schools will use at least some of the same prompts, you can start preparing responses to the most commonly asked questions as soon as you’ve submitted your AMCAS application. 

Review our blog post on common secondary application questions. 

The 2025-2026 Allopathic Medical School Application Overview: AMCAS Application

If you’re looking to start medical school in the Fall of 2026, now is the time to get started with the application process! Throughout this week, we’ll post blogs that focus on each component of the application and provide suggested timing and resources.

AMCAS Application

Submit no later than mid-June.

  • The AMCAS application opens and will be available here on May 1, 2025.

  • The first date to submit the AMCAS application is May 27, 2025.

  • The first date that processed applications will be released to medical schools is June 27, 2025.

We recommend that you submit your application in early to mid-June because your application will go through a verification process prior to the data being released to medical schools. This can take anywhere from a couple of weeks early in the process, to over a month during peak application submission periods. Note, in order to complete verification, your application must contain your official transcript, so request this document as well as your letters of recommendation a month or two before your planned submission date (by early April). You also want to submit your AMCAS application early because this step triggers schools to send out secondary application materials, either automatically, or after a pre-screen of your application. 

Review our blog posts on the AMCAS application:

The 2025-2026 Allopathic Medical School Application: An Overview with Suggested Timing

If you’re looking to start medical school in the Fall of 2026, now is the time to get started with the application process! Applying to medical school is arduous, but proper planning can reduce your stress and help you to maintain a manageable task load. Throughout this week, we’ll post blogs that focus on each component of the application and provide suggested timing and resources.

The four components of the medical school application include:

  • Standardized tests: MCAT and Situational Judgment Exams

  • AMCAS application 

  • Secondary Applications

  • Interviews

Standardized Tests:

MCAT: Your MCAT scores are typically valid for three years prior to matriculation, and you can take the exam up to three times.

  • Register: Select your preferred date, as well as a few alternative dates that would work. You can register for the test here. The ten-day deadline prior to the test is your last opportunity to schedule, reschedule, or cancel.

  • Prep: Start preparing for the MCAT at least six months prior to your planned test date. And sit for the exam no later than May 23, 2025 (scores released June 24th): This will avoid application delays. Keep in mind that we recommend that you take your exam by mid-April so that you can re-direct your attention to preparing the AMCAS application. 

Review our blog posts on the MCAT:

Situational Judgment Exams: There are two exams (CASPer and AAMC’s PREview) that fall under this umbrella. Depending upon the specific application requirements at the schools where you apply, you may need to take one, or possibly both. Currently, CASPer is the most commonly required of the two. 

CASPer: This test gauges your ability to critically evaluate complex scenarios and employ sound judgment and communication skills. Not all medical schools require applicants to take the CASPer, however, a growing number of allopathic and osteopathic programs do, currently over 50. Your CASPer score is generally only valid for one application cycle. 

The CASPer score is often requested alongside your secondary application or prior to an invitation to interview. Opting to take the test earlier in the cycle, rather than later, will allow you to have your scores readily available when requested, meaning that you can dedicate that time to preparing your secondary application materials or for mock interviews. It will also ensure that your application is not delayed as you wait for your scores.

Review our blog post on CASPer.

AAMC’s PREview Exam: Similar to the CASPer, the Preview exam gauges professional readiness by assessing your judgment in nine competency areas identified as critical for medical school success. It is unique in that it was created specifically for use in medical school admissions. Currently, only ten allopathic schools require the Preview exam, while an additional 14 allopathic schools and three DO programs recommend it.

  • Register: Find instructions for registering for the test here. You are able to reschedule your test up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled test time. Be sure to sit for the exam during the spring or summer of 2025.

  • Prep: Familiarize yourself with the test format and content before you take the exam. Once you have registered for the test, you will gain access to an exam tutorial. 

Review our blog post on the AAMC PREview Exam.

Are You a Pre-Med Struggling With a “Should-I” Question? We’re Here to Help. (Part 3)

If you’re planning to apply to medical school, you likely have a few “Should-I” questions on your mind. Stay tuned, as this week we’ll review the three most common pre-med questions and provide guidance and related resources.

Should I Take a Gap Year?

Maybe. In 2019, 43.9% of matriculating medical students had taken a gap year or two before medical school, according to the AAMC. You might even take a longer pause. Fun fact: The average age of a 2021 Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania matriculant was 24—ranging between 21 and 30. 

So, why might you want to take some time between undergrad and med school? You can use a gap year to beef up your transcript with a post-bacc or master's degree. Or you might take a break from academics to immerse yourself in a clinical or research experience. 

If you're light on clinical or research experience, we highly recommend a gap year. Longer-term clinical and research roles will teach you things a short stint cannot. And, if you work full-time in a clinical or research environment, that will further enhance your candidacy. 

Maybe you want to put away more money before attending medical school. Never a bad idea. Whatever work you do—it doesn’t have to be medical, you could be a bond trader or consultant—should challenge you in the areas of leadership, critical and creative thinking, and problem-solving. This is a transferable skill set to medical school and residency. What a gap year cannot be: A year of nothing but MCAT prep and vacation. Schools need to know you can handle multiple priorities and that you value learning and helping others.

Related:

Blog Series: Earning Another Degree or Certification Before Med School

Clinical Experiences that Medical Schools Love

How to Find Clinical Experiences for Your Gap Year(s)