Applying To Medical Or Dental School

Before You Apply

The most important question to ask yourself at this point are, "Am I ready to apply? Have I created the most competitive application possible? Would I benefit from an extra year? A post bac program?" Medical and dental schools see over 5,000 applications a season. They want to read yours once. Make it count!

What To Expect in Medical School 
10 Things to Do to Prepare for Applying to Medical School 
Making the Most of Your Gap Year 

The Rough Timeline

Applications cycles to medical and dental schools typically open for submission in June of a given year.  If you wish to apply in a given cycle, you need to start the process in the fall of the PREVIOUS YEAR.  For example, if you want to apply in the cycle starting in June 2026, you need to start the internal YU process in September of 2025. The total application cycle is many months starting in the Fall of the calendar year prior to when you plan to make application.  

Fall-Spring: self-assessment, standardized testing, YU internal applications for committee letters
May-June: applications open and may be filled out in May, but may not be submitted until June
Summer: submit applications, receive and fill out secondary applications from individual schools
Summer-Fall: interviews scheduled and conducted, some acceptances sent
Spring: interviews scheduled and and conducted, acceptances rolling out
Fall: matriculation to your new health professions school
 

Things You Will Need to Apply

In order to apply when applications open, will need:

1) To have finished nearly all of your required coursework with a competitive GPA in the sciences and overall.
2) To have taken or have a date to take the required standardized test (MCAT, DAT, etc).
3) To have completed all of your volunteering, clinical, and/or shadowing hours.
4) To have completed the committee letter process.

The Committee Letter Process

The "committee letter" is an evaluation of you as an applicant by the pre-health department. It also includes all your other letters of reference.  Committee letters are the preferred form of recommendation for most medical and dental schools.  The committee letter process starts the Fall Semester before you apply.  The rough process is as follows with more detailed information in the sections below. 

1) Attend/Review the Applicant Orientation (Fall Semester).  Information and recordings of the most recent orientation are below. 
2) Fill out and submit the Self-Assessment to figure out where you stand (Fall Semester).   
3) Register your intent to apply this cycle (Fall Semester). If, after reviewing your self-assessment, it looks like you are a strong applicant, let us know that you plan to apply this term.
4) Submit the YU Pre-Health Committee Letter Application. (January)
5) Obtain letters of recommendation from faculty and supervisors. (Fall-Spring)  
6) Schedule and attend a one-hour meeting with the pre-health director (Spring)
 

In addition to following the deadlines above, to qualify for a committee letter you must

1) Have met with the pre-health department regularly over your time at YU.
2) Conducted yourself in a professional matter while at YU.
3) Finished or have a plan to finish all your academic obligations before matriculating to health professional school.  If you are an Honor's student, this includes writing your thesis and graduating with full honors designation. 
4) You must submit your finalized application in a timely fashion. Rolling admissions means that applying early is a must. The pre-health department writes committee letters during the summer months.  Committee letters cannot be furnished once the Fall semester begins.  

Orientations/Presentations: 

WILF Campus Pre-Health Applicant Orientation
Wednesday, October 25th, 2023, 5:45-6:45pm
Belfer Hall Room 817
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Slides: EC2025 Applicant Orientation (YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance.)
Recording: EC2025 Applicant Orientation Video  (YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance.)

This orientation is for upper-level students expecting to apply to medical, dental and health programs in the upcoming application cycle (in the current academic year).  The orientation will cover the internal YU application process, what professional school application services are expecting, what applicants will need, and approximate timelines.



WILF Campus MCAT Q&A
Tuesday March 19, 2024 5:45pm-6:45pm
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Recording: Spring 2024 MCAT Q&A (YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance.)

Join YC alumnus Or Mossaiov (Examkrackers, MCAT tutor) and the WILF Campus Pre-Med Peer Mentors Moshe Carroll, Rami Nordlicht, and Jonah Tripp for an MCAT Q&A. This virtual event will be question-driven.   

Important Documents for the Committee Letter Process

In order to provide you with a committee letter, you need to fill out several forms. Please pay attention to the due dates. Submitting materials on time speaks to your organization and professionalism. 

Self Assessment: Are you ready to actually ready to apply?  The self assessment will help you figure out if you are where you need to be in order to start the application process. Try to answer questions honestly and fully so that you have an accurate sense of where you stand.  If you feel you are ready, email the self assessment to wilf-prehealth@yu.edu and register your intent to apply.   

• EC25 - Self-Assessment - Due 11/27/2023 - YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance.

Register Your Intent to Apply with the Pre-Health Office: It is vital the pre-health office know that you are planning to apply in the upcoming cycle. Fill out the virtual form here so that the pre-health can track you application process, keep you in the loop on applicant-specific info sessions, and make sure you are ready to apply!

• Committee Letter Applicant Registration Form  - YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance. 

Committee Letter Application: Once you have completed the self-assessment and confirmed that you are ready to apply, you must submit and committee letter application. This may seem like a lot of work, but much of the material covered will be asked again in your actual Med/Dent/Health school application. The application not only allows the pre-health office to get an idea about you as an applicant, but also serves as a rough draft on your actual Med/Dent/Health application. When complete, email the self assessment to wilf-prehealth@yu.edu with corresponding additional materials.  

• EC25 - Committee Letter Application (MED)- Due 1/29/2024 - YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance.
• EC25 - Committee Letter Application (DENT)- Due 1/29/2024 - YU log-in required.  If you do not have one, please email wilf-prehealth@yu.edu for assistance.
• FERPA Waiver For Committee Letters - to be provided to the pre-health office upon submission of your final med/dent/health school application.  See below explanation of FERPA waivers. 

Letters of Recommendation

After reviewing your GPA and MCAT/DAT scores, medical and dental schools like to see the “person behind the numbers.” The recommendations provide an objective view of your strengths in a variety of academic or non-academic settings. Talk to your professors and supervisors. Leave a good impression!

Letters of recommendation will be sent to the Pre-Health Office and will be included in your committee letter package. Medical school applicants should aim to have seven letters sent to the Pre-Health Office and dental school applicants need four. But these are the MINIMUM number of letters you should request. More is better.  You should request letters from ALL your volunteering and extracurricular activities are well. Two of your letters must be from science faculty, one from non-science faculty. Please consult the guide on Letters of Recommendation for more details. If your letter providers have question about what to include in a letter, AMCAS has a helpful guide for recommendation providers to which you can refer them.  

FERPA Waivers: Professional schools prefer to review your scholastic and non-academic record with the understanding that it was obtained confidentially. Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, you have the option to waive or not to waive your rights to see your records. Please check and sign below. A copy of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is on file in the Yeshiva College Registrar's Office. Should you have any questions, please contact us at wilf-prehealth@yu.edu.

• FERPA Waiver For Recommendation Letters - to be provided to each person from which you request a letter of recommendation.   

Pre-Health Mentors

Pre-Health Peer Mentors are upperclassmen completing the application process who were specially chosen by the Pre-Health Department to assist underclassmen on a variety of issues, including course selection, MCAT and DAT prep, extracurricular activities and other topics. They are a valuable resource, so please feel free to contact them. Their contact information can be found on the WILF Pre-Health Advising Homepage.
 

Understanding The Process

Below are links to helpful information from AAMC about applying to Allopathic Medical School 

Applying to Allopathic Medical School 
Deciding Where To Apply 
Applying to MD/PhD Programs 
The Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students

Below are links to helpful information from AACOM about applying to Osteopathic Medical School 

Applying to Osteopathic Medical School
Deciding Where to Apply
 

Below are links to helpful information from ADEA about applying to Dental School

Applying to Dental School
Deciding Where to Apply