All applicants are required to complete a mock interview between early-October and late-February in preparation for their Committee Interview. Mock interviews can be scheduled with advisors at the Bates Center for Purposeful Work.

Submission of the Committee Letter Registration Form will open your medical studies file with the Bates Medical Studies Committee & Bates Center for Purposeful Work.

Applicants should treat the Committee Letter Registration Form just as they would their professional school application. All elements of the application form were designed to learn about you in order to inform our assessment and ranking of your candidacy. We expect a great deal of thought and reflection (and polish) in each of your answers.

Note: Should you have any updates or changes to report regarding information previously provided on your registration form, such as a new MCAT score, change in test date, new email address, changes to your list of letter writers, etc., you are required to edit your registration form with those changes and re-submit the pdf to the Committee.

1. Download the Committee Letter Registration Form PDF, save to your computer as you progress through the form, and follow the submission directions on the form. Please Note: The Registration Form requires that you download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC PDF software. Users of MAC computers should especially avoid MAC’s “Preview” software when completing this form: After downloading Adobe and saving the Committee Letter Registration Form file to your computer, right click the Registration Form PDF file rather than double clicking, choose “open with”, and select the Adobe Acrobat option (rather than Mac’s default “Preview” software).
2. Submit a passport-style photo along with the Registration Form.
3. Registration Forms must be submitted by January 15.
4. After submitting the registration form, make an appointment to meet with an advisor (Bruno Salazar-Perea) to discuss your application plans.

The Self-Assessment form helps you prepare your strongest application possible, while also designed to inform you whether or not now is the appropriate time to apply for professional school.

1. Download the Self-Assessment PDF, and save to your computer as you progress through the form. Please Note: The Self Assessment form requires that you download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC PDF software. Users of MAC computers should especially avoid MAC’s “Preview” software when completing this form: After downloading Adobe and saving the Self-Assessment file to your computer, right click the Self-Assessment PDF file rather than double clicking, choose “open with”, and select the Adobe Acrobat option (rather than Mac’s default “Preview” software).
2. Submit form by February 1

Please include all extracurricular activities and offices held, medically-related experiences such as shadowing, volunteer activities, internships, and jobs.

Resume guides are available through the Bates Center for Purposeful Work.

1) Please have Bruno Salazar-Perea critique your resume before submission
2) Submit a final copy by February 1

You must obtain an Official Transcript. Include transcripts from all post-high school courses including summer courses at other colleges.

1) Visit the Bates Registrar’s webpage to see how to request an electronic transcript
2) Submit transcript by February 15

To be eligible for a Bates Medical Studies Committee interview, applicants must have a final-draft version of their personal statement submitted to the committee well in advance of your committee interview. Some recommendations may be provided during your committee interview, which can be used to update your statement in advance of your professional school application. However, we encourage applicants to work with their advisors well in advance of the committee letter application process in order to produce the final-draft document necessary to become eligible for a committee interview (due February 15).

Please visit the Personal Statement webpage for resources and more information on how to write your personal statement.

Applicants who have previously interviewed with the committee are required to submit a Brief Narrative. Typically a one or two-page document, we ask that you outline any/all efforts you have taken to improve your candidacy in the time since you last interviewed with the committee. Based on your Brief Narrative, an addendum will be added to your old Committee Letter Packet summarizing these efforts (due February 1)

Letters of recommendation are critical for a successful application. Please visit the Letters of Recommendation webpage for more information. Requests for letters of recommendation should be sent out as early as possible to help ensure that writers are able to submit letters on your behalf by the due date.

The Committee recommendation will be based in part on your individual references (in addition to your academic record, registration form, interview, etc.). Letters of recommendation are a vital part of your application, and one should take great care in selecting individuals who are to serve as references. Be sure to discuss overall academic work, non-academic activities, and professional goals with these individuals. It is best to provide them with a résumé, a personal statement (if you have a rough draft), and a current unofficial transcript.

One should not hesitate to ask whether or not an individual is willing to give strong support (this does not mean that he/she should not discuss weaknesses as well as strengths). In addition to science professors, choose individuals who know you in different ways so the professional school gets a broad picture of your background and qualifications. Experts who have observed you in a professional capacity, for example, might also be a valuable reference.

Medical schools are increasingly setting a limit on the number of individual letters of recommendation that they will review. Michigan Medicine, for example, requires a minimum of three letters, and a maximum of four letters.

Your references and release forms must be submitted by March 1.

A series of dates will be set up in the early spring based on committee members’ availability. Interviews will be conducted between early-March and mid-April and you will have the opportunity to choose an interview slot as long as your documents have been properly submitted. You will be contacted to schedule the interview.

AMCAS, AACOMAS, and AADSAS are centralized application services that allow you to complete only one application, which the service will verify for accuracy and then distribute to your designated schools. Please visit our FAQ page for more information on this process.

• Early May: AMCAS application opens.
• Late May/Early June: AMCAS officially opens for application submission.
• Early May: AACOMAS officially opens for application submission.
• Mid-May: AADSAS application opens.
• Mid-June: AADSAS officially opens for application submission.

Important note: Your reference letters do not need to be uploaded in order for you to submit your professional school application, or for your application to be verified. We suggest that you submit your professional school application as soon as possible, and your letters of recommendation will be uploaded as soon as they are ready.

Committee Letters are finalized and ready for submission by July 1st, pending submission of all required documents to the Bates Medical Studies Committee.

After you submit your primary application, send James Smith your AMCAS letter request form PDF, and/or your AACOMAS/AADSAS ID number and electronic letter request.

Your references and committee letter will be uploaded to AMCAS, AACOMAS, or AADSAS to be sent to the medical/dental schools you have selected in your application.

Medical/dental schools may request an additional application referred to as the Secondary Application. These applications involve short essays. FILL THEM OUT ASAP!!