Tips for Completing Your Medical School Application

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Cherissa Medina, MBA

Published on Feb 26, 2016

Many pharmacy schools, medical schools and other health care graduate programs are already accepting applications for the 2016-17 academic year. The Office of Pre-Health Advising at Grand Canyon University gets asked a lot of questions about the application process. Before applying, though, there are a few steps you should take.

Check the Admission Requirements

The most important step is to ensure that you meet the school’s minimum requirements to apply. You will need to ensure you meet the GPA and graduate entrance exam score minimum requirements. You should also confirm that you meet the prerequisite course requirements.

Read the Application Instructions Carefully

Most schools list their application requirements on their admissions page. This page will also tell you if they participate in a common application or if you need apply directly to the school. The second way to learn about application requirements is to go to the directory of schools page of the common application service. This will list all of the schools that participate in the common application service, and it will have a link to schools’ admissions requirements.

The next step is to read the application instructions thoroughly. This step is very important and will help you avoid any mishaps. It will also help you to fill out the application correctly, sufficiently and in a timely manner. The frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) section of the instructions will also help you get answers to your questions quickly, so pay attention to this section.

Make Time to Apply

Once you have read the instructions thoroughly, you are ready to being your application. Plan to spend about 10 hours filling it out. There are several steps to each application, and you want to give yourself ample time to fill it out correctly and avoid costly delays. Now you are ready to gather your application materials and ask for your letters of recommendation.

Grand Canyon University offers pre-professional biology programs to help you prepare for medical school, pharmacy school and more. Find out more about our degree programs by contacting us today!

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Cherissa Medina, MBA

Pre-Health Advisor

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.