When applying to medical school or dental school, timing is critical. Here is the general application timeline you should follow your application year (18 months before you begin medical/dental school; typically junior year):

• January: We recommend starting your letter of recommendation packet and personal statement in January of your application year (usually junior year). Make sure to complete and turn in your letter packet to the CHS Center for Pre-health Advising (SC 244). This includes having contacted all your letter writers to ensure they are willing to write you strong letters. If you want to utilize the service (which we strongly recommend, as medical and dental schools, as well as letter writers, prefer that you use it), you must schedule an appointment with Laurie Goll, CHS Pre-Health Advisor
• February/March/April: Continue to work on your personal statement. Some letter writers may ask to view your draft to enhance their letter's message. You should also begin studying for your admission's exam (DAT/MCAT). This can be on your own/self study or through a test prep program. Feel free to meet with Laurie to discuss pros and cons of both.
• April: Attend the “How to Apply" to medical and dental school workshops given by the Marquette pre-health advisers. They will walk you through the entire application and how to fill it out.
• Advising week for Fall registration: Review the course requirements, one more time, for all the schools where you are applying to see if any of these schools have additional math, upper-level science or social science requirements. Discuss any remaining requirements with Laurie Goll, your pre-health adviser.
• May-July: Take the MCAT or DAT. Most students will have this completed by June. You can absolutely submit AMCAS, AADSAS and AACOMAS without an MCAT score – we promise!
• Early to mid-June: You should have your entire primary application submitted via AMCAS, AACOMAS or AADSAS. We strongly recommended that you do not submit later than the last week of June.
• July: Letter packets are typically uploaded from our service in late July and early August. Letters are due by July 15 from recommenders to the CHS Center for Pre-health Advising (SC 244). We work very closely with admissions offices, and we upload our letter packets very early. You may receive an email stating that your application is complete except for the letter packet, and that is fine. As long as your packet is submitted by late July, you are still quite early in the process!
• July-August:
• Pre-medical students: Work on and complete secondary applications that are sent to you by individual medical schools. These applications will usually have additional essay questions and there will be secondary application fees. Once this is submitted, medical schools will begin the process of evaluating your completed application (fees, verified AMCAS/AACOMAS application, recommendation letters, MCAT scores and secondary applications).
• Pre-dental students: After you submit the centralized AADSAS application, you should review the Dental School Supplemental Information file on the AADSAS we site. These school-specific supplemental applications will often have additional essay questions and request an additional fee. Dental schools will review your application only after they have received all documentation: your verified AADSAS application, DAT scores, supplemental applications and fees, and recommendation letters). Again, you may receive an email stating that they are waiting for your letters, and that’s ok! As long as your letters are uploaded by the end of July, you are still quite early in the application process. We upload your letters within 2-3 days of when they are all arrive.
• August-March: Interview at medical and dental schools. Schools with a rolling admission process will send out acceptances as early as mid-October.