Applying this Cycle

Fall before Application Cycle

• Schedule your Pre-Applicant Meeting with HPA in the fall to discuss the timeline for applying to professional school and review key items to consider throughout the year.
• Develop a study plan and timeline to prepare for your entrance exam with guidance from HPA. NOTE: If you plan to apply this cycle to medical or dental school, you should complete your entrance exam by the end of May.
• Attend our fall application support workshop series or watch the recordings in Box.
   

Winter Break before Application Cycle

• Begin preparing financially for the costs associated with the application process.
• Determine your letter writers.
• Develop a school spreadsheet. Review the prerequisite courses and application opening dates. Research average GPA, test score, shadowing, and volunteering requirements to help you reflect on your school list.
• Do brainstorming and reflection activities for your personal statement and experiences.
   

Spring before Application Cycle

January

• Write 1-3 experiences in paragraph form. Submit your 1-3 experiences to your HPA advisor and schedule a meeting to review them together.
• Reach out to your desired letter writers (faculty, clinical practitioners) to learn if they would be open to writing a strong letter of evaluation for you.
• Search school websites for upcoming information sessions. 

February 

• Write five experiences in paragraph form.

March

• Write ten experiences in paragraph form.
• Write a first draft of your personal statement. Note: Watch our Personal Statement Workshop before writing your first draft.

April

• Have all of your experiences written in paragraph form. Note: Except if you are still participating or it is a planned experience that will occur before applying.
• Write a second draft of your personal statement. If you are a current student, consider scheduling an appointment with the Writing Center to get feedback.

May

• Write a first draft of additional essays, such as Other Impactful Experiences or potential secondary essay topics.
• Take your entrance exam by May 31st. (Depends on the Health Profession)
• You can begin submitting your final draft of your Personal Statement and Experiences for an HPA staff member to review beginning on May 1. Please note that it can take us up to 2-3 weeks to review, depending on the volume of requests.
  • Email to HPAAssist@rhodes.edu as an attached Word document.
  • Before submitting your Personal Statement, please be sure to review the Personal Statement Workshop in the Applicant Folder.
  • HPA will work on personal statements/experience review on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to submit these items as early as possible to help you stay on track with your application timeline.
  • The priority time period for your personal statement to be submitted to us is May 1-15. We will continue to accept personal statements and experiences after May 15. Please note that this could impact your submission timeline. 
     

Summer and Fall of your Application Cycle

• Carefully follow instructions for applications.
• Consider attending HPA's Applicant Drop-In Advising in May or June with your application questions.
• Submit your primary application. (April-September - Varies by Health Program)
• Complete secondary applications promptly and be mindful of deadlines. Submit secondary essays within two weeks of receiving them.
• Watch the Interview Prep Recording in Box.
• Participate in a mock interview with HPA, as you are invited to interview with health programs.
• Interview with the schools to which you have applied, if offered.

December-April

• Research school programs. Create a spreadsheet of schools you will apply to, noting their deadlines, required courses, grades, and minimum hours of recommended experience. Ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
• Attend HPA's Letter Collection Process Meeting in February. Watch the recording in Box if you are unavailable. Review letter packet tasks.
• Confirm what letter of evaluation requirements are for each school you are considering.
• Begin contacting those you will ask for letters of evaluation. Request letters be submitted between May 1 and June 1.
• Draft your personal statement.
• Confirm whether you will need CASPer. Schedule it as needed.

May

• Take your DAT by the end of May.
• Finalize your school list.
• Finalize your personal statement.
• Begin your AADSAS application when it becomes available in mid-May. If you are applying to Texas schools, also begin your Texas application (TMDSAS) when it opens in early May.
• Send a final transcript to AADSAS/TMDSAS once your final spring grades are posted. Use the instructions in Box.
• Upload the Letter Writer Form and complete your Pre-Application Form. Review letter packet tasks.

June-July

• Submit your primary application in early June.
• Complete any additional assessments such as CASPer.
• Complete secondary applications within two weeks of receiving them.
• Complete the letter packet request in each application server and send your final letter packet email to HPAAssist@rhodes.edu.

August-March 

• Prepare for your interview with our resources in Box. When you have an interview invitation, schedule a Mock interview.
• Update your application as appropriate. Follow the directions from the schools to which you apply regarding updates. If you are considering sending updates to schools that you have not heard from, we suggest waiting until late October to send them.
• Receive acceptances or waitlist notices from December to April. Review the Traffic Rules for AADSAS.

Schedule a meeting with your HPA advisor to discuss any components of this process as they occur.   

December-April

• Research school programs. Create a spreadsheet of schools you will apply to, noting their deadlines, required courses, grades, and minimum hours of experience. Ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
• Confirm what letter of evaluation requirements are for each school you are considering.
• Attend HPA's Letter Collection Process Meeting in February. Watch the recording in Box if you are unavailable. Review letter packet tasks.
• Begin contacting those you will ask for letters of evaluation. Request letters be submitted between May 1 and June 1.
• Draft your personal statement.
• Evaluate if you need to take the PREview and/or CASPer and sign up to take it between March and July.

May

• Take your MCAT by early May.
• Finalize your school list.
• Finalize your personal statement.
• Send a final transcript to AMCAS or AACOMAS once your final spring grades are posted. Use the instructions in Box.
• Start your primary applications. AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS open in early May.
• Complete your application for TMDSAS when it opens for submission in mid-May.
• Upload Letter Writer Form and complete your Pre-Application Form. Review letter packet tasks.

June-July

• Complete your primary applications for AMCAS and AACOMAS in late May or early June when submission opens.
• Complete any additional assessments such as CASPer & PREview.
• Complete secondary applications within two weeks of receiving them. Your application is not considered fully complete until the secondary application and fee have been received. You cannot receive interview invitations until your application is complete.

August-June

• Prepare for your interview with our resources in Box. When you have an interview invitation, schedule a Mock interview.
• Update your application as appropriate. Follow the directions from the schools to which you apply regarding updates. If you are considering sending updates to schools that you have not heard from, we suggest waiting until late October to send them.
• Receive acceptances or waitlist notices from October to July. Review Traffic Rules for AMCAS, AACOMAS, & TMDSAS.
• The Choose Your Medical School Tool becomes available in mid-February for AMCAS applicants. You do not need to make any decisions at this early stage.
• Review school policies on updates and continue to update your application as appropriate throughout the spring if something "new" or "significant" has happened. Consider a letter of interest or intent when appropriate.
• Pay attention to the medical school you are choosing to attend’s acceptance policy. Follow the Commit to Enroll deadline outlined by your school. 

Schedule a meeting with your HPA advisor to discuss any components of this process as they occur.  

December-April

• Research school programs. Create a spreadsheet of schools you will apply to, noting their deadlines, required courses, grades, and minimum hours of recommended experience. Ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
• Begin contacting those you will ask for letters of evaluation. Request letters be submitted by July 1.
• Draft your personal statement.
• Note: If you plan to apply for the UTHSC PEP program to the accelerated BSN program, you must complete the Intent to Enroll form before the spring semester of your senior year. This is a different form from the inquiry form on their website.  

May-July

• Send a final transcript to NursingCAS after spring grades are posted.

August

• Submit primary application to NursingCAS in August. NursingCAS will verify your application.
• Begin working on school-specific supplemental applications and essays.
• Ensure all letters of recommendation are submitted to NursingCAS.

September-April

• Complete and submit supplemental applications for individual nursing programs. Deadlines vary significantly by program, ranging from as early as September to as late as January.
• Prepare for your interview using our resources in the Box folder. When you have an interview invitation, schedule a Mock Interview.
• See individual school websites for their interview and decision timelines.  
• Receive decision of acceptance, waitlist, or rejection by April.

Schedule a meeting with your HPA advisor to discuss any components of this process as they occur.   

December-June 

• Research school programs. Create a spreadsheet of schools you will apply to, noting their deadlines, required courses, grades, and minimum hours of recommended experience. Ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
• Begin contacting those you will ask for letters of evaluation. Review individual program deadlines to provide letter writers with an appropriate submission deadline.
• Draft your personal statement.

July 

• Submit primary application to PharmCAS.
• Send your final transcript to PharmCAS after spring grades are posted. Once PharmCAS verifies your courses and grades, the system will release your application to schools.

August-June

• In August, you may be invited to complete supplemental applications or obtain supplemental applications on the PharmD program website.
• Prepare for your interview with our resources in Box. When you have an interview invitation, schedule a Mock interview.
• In December-January, complete the required Academic Update in PharmCAS.
• Send official summer/fall transcripts to PharmCAS if appropriate.
• Acceptances may be received from August through June. On March 1, you may hold only one acceptance in a pharmacy school on this date; offers from waitlists may be extended up to the first day of classes.
• In May-June, complete the required Academic Update in PharmCAS. Send official spring transcripts to the individual schools to which you have been accepted.

Schedule a meeting with your HPA advisor to discuss any components of this process as they occur.  

December-April 

• Gather your experiences in one place, using CASPA's directions to begin to categorize your activities.
• Research school programs. Create a spreadsheet of schools you will apply to, noting their deadlines, required courses, grades, and minimum hours of recommended experience. Ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
• Begin contacting those you will ask for letters of evaluation. Review individual program deadlines to provide letter writers with an appropriate submission deadline.
• Draft your personal statement.
• The CASPA application cycle opens in April. Create an account, complete the 'Colleges Attended' and 'Evaluation' sections.
• Complete the GRE or PA-CAT.

April-May

• Have your official transcript sent after spring grades are posted.
• Begin entering coursework into your application.
• Confirm that your letter writers have received a request from CASPA.

June

• Submit and complete your application; CASPA will then verify your courses and grades and transmit data to your selected schools; schools will begin to screen applicants and send secondary applications.

August-April

• Complete secondary applications.
• Prepare for your interview using resources in our Box folder. Schedule a Mock Interview as you receive interview invitations.
• Accept admission offers from fall to spring; CASPA closes in early April, but some applicants may be accepted off the waitlist from March to July.

Schedule a meeting with your HPA advisor to discuss any components of this process as they occur.  

December-April

• Research school programs. Create a spreadsheet of schools you will apply to, noting their deadlines, required courses, grades, and minimum hours of recommended experience. Ensure that all requirements are fulfilled.
• Begin contacting those you will ask for letters of evaluation. Request letters be submitted by August 1.
• Draft your personal statement.
• VMCAS is open in January for applicants to work on personal information, academic history, and supporting Information sections. 

May

• VMCAS Program Materials/School pages open in early May. Begin working on your school-specific items, including supplemental essays.
• Send a final transcript to VMCAS after spring grades are posted.

July  

• Submit primary application to VMCAS in July. VMCAS will verify your courses and grades and then release applications to veterinary schools.   

August-April

• In August through October, complete and submit supplemental applications if not included in the VMCAS primary application.
• Prepare for your interview using our resources in the Box folder. When you have an interview invitation, schedule a Mock Interview.
• See individual school websites for their interview and decision timelines.  
• Receive decision of acceptance, waitlist, or rejection by mid-March.
• On April 15, you can hold only one acceptance in a veterinary school. 

Schedule a meeting with your HPA advisor to discuss any components of this process as they occur.