Dear Applicants,
Best of luck with the application cycle! Please try to remember that this is a marathon,
not a sprint. Harvard applicants are generally very successful in this process and you can
get a great medical education at any medical school in the country.
1. AMCAS. The slides from the AMCAS 2020 presentation are now on our
website<https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/amcas> and you can view the webinar
here<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8130499655517732353>53>. Applicants can
find useful information in these slides, in the 2020 AMCAS instruction
manual<https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fastly.net/production/media/filer_…df>,
and by calling the AMCAS
helpline<https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/app…
for individual, specific questions. The application opens on May
1<https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/preparing-…
for applicants to begin working on it. May 30th is the first day the application can be
submitted. We recommend all applicants submit their AMCAS applications by mid-June.
1. AMCAS Letters of Evaluation Section. We wanted to add more detailed instructions for
this section.
* Select "committee letter". All of the letters that come from Harvard
are considered a single committee letter. (This includes the House Letter and the
individual accompanying letters.)
* For letter title: "Harvard Committee Letter"
* For primary contact's first name: "Academic"
* For primary contact's last name: "Coordinator"
* For primary contact's title: "[House name] Academic Coordinator"
* For primary contact's email: Your Academic Coordinator's email address
(check with your Academic Coordinator if in doubt about the correct email address to
use).
* For primary contact's address: [Your] House Office U.S. Postal Services
address
NOTE- if you are an MD/PhD applicant and applying to BOTH MD only and MD/PhD programs,
then you will enter two committee letters and designate one as MD only and one as MD/PhD.
1. OCS Medical School Admissions Data book. We recommend that all current applicant use
this book to make school selection choices. If you are a current student and do not have
one, you can come to OCS and pick one up at the front desk. If you an alum and are not in
Cambridge, please send an email to
ocsrecep@fas.harvard.edu<mailto:ocsreception@fas.harvard.edu>, providing a mailing
address and a staff member will send one to you (we are only able to send these within the
US). Please do not send your requests to us. If you are applying in a future cycle,
please wait and obtain a new version which will be available mid-Fall.
1. MSAR. We strongly recommend that all current applicants subscribe to the current
edition of the Medical School Admissions Requirements for $28. The new version is now
available
here<https://apps.aamc.org/msar-ui/>i/>.
1. CASPer. The first CASPer test is May 14, 2019. The CASPer webinar for applicants is
on May 10th at 12pm. Please register
here<https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rRWE9RkrS7aT0QTrkcebqg>.
How to Maximize Your Chances of Success on
CASPer<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__view.attach.…
Student Information Flyer on
CASPer<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__view.attach.…
The resources page on
TakeCASPer.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__take…
1. OCS premed summer schedule. We will see students and alumni in June and August in
appointments as usual, but will not have drop in hours. Please note that advising
appointments between 5/20 and 6/28 are limited to 2020 applicants. (If you are not a 2020
applicant, and have an urgent question, email us at
premed@fas.harvard.edu<mailto:premed@fas.harvard.edu>). In July, OCS advisors
throughout the office do not to see students so that we can focus on publications, web
revision, and program planning for the upcoming school year. Your House premedical tutors
are available in July to answer questions related to secondary applications. Our office is
not closed, however, and we can see and speak to applicants for urgent issues.
1. Advising appointments. Ellen Williams, who some of you may have worked with
previously, will be offering some advising appointments for applicants starting on May 1.
Please feel free to book with her as well.
1. 2020 Application Q&A webinars. These are on Wednesdays: 5/1 @
12pm<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7758782261957409537>37>, 5/8 @
5pm<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5398739926564145409>09>, 5/15 @
3pm<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8733062813864654593>93>, 5/22 @
4pm<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3495914108418764033>33>, 5/29 @
9am<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1466866554427923969>69>, 6/5 @
4pm<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7445543493832024321>21>, 6/12 @
12pm<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4065034521095195137>
These will be a great way to ask any questions you might have!
Good luck with finishing up the academic year and with the start of this process!
Best,
Emiko, Oona, and Ellen