How to Apply to the MD Program

Screening of Applicants

The process of screening applications for interview is holistic and selective. This approach emphasizes the importance of balancing traditional metrics with experiences and attributes. It considers earnestly the varied ways each applicant may contribute to a diverse educational environment within the context of the college’s goals for classroom learning, clinical practice, and medical research and/or innovation. It is critical for the admissions committee to understand the circumstances of applicants and give careful consideration to their history of academic and MCAT performance.It is just as important to carefully scrutinize the characteristics, backgrounds and situations that reflect a meaningful record of accomplishment and experience. However, it must be understood that not all of the applications under review will result in either an interview or an offer of admission.

In keeping with holistic review principles and practices, applicants are screened for interview on academic performance and intellectual capacity, dedication to service, and capacity for effective interactions, special life circumstances, and other compelling factors, such as, but not limited to, the following:

• involvement in community (non-health care related) service activities
• leadership in school organizations or community projects
• clinical or health care related experiences
• quality of personal statement
• motivation for medicine as a career
• supportive letters of evaluation from faculty and mentors
• areas of interest in medicine
• circumstances indicative of some hardship or adversity
• socioeconomic background
• race and ethnicity
• first generation to attend or graduate from a college or university
• parents having high school or less education
• need to work while attending high school and/or college
• responsible for the care of others or the rearing of children
• region in which applicant resides
• region in which applicant's high school district is located
• comparative availability of physicians in the applicant's region of residence (underserved or health professions shortage area)
• evidence of experience of other cultures and the human condition, including multilingual proficiency
• automatic admissions to one of the state's public undergraduate institutions

Personal Interview

Scheduling and Format

Applicants are invited for personal interviews based upon their competitiveness in the screening process. Ordinarily, interview sessions are typically scheduled from July to December and follow an all-day, on-campus format at one of three campuses (BCS, Temple or Houston). However, for 2020-21 because of COVID-19, the admissions committee will conduct virtual interviews via the zoom conference platform from July 2020 to February 2021.

Applicants selected for interview will be assigned two individual 30-minute zoom interviews conducted by a combination of faculty admissions committee members, student admissions committee members, and faculty or administrator guest interviewers. In addition to the two 30-minute virtual interviews, applicants will also be required to undergo two brief interactive encounters with our standardized patients via our telehealth platform.

The interview day will also include a virtual tour of the college’s four campus communities and presentations of the college’s many resources, opportunities, learning environment and curriculum. Medical students will also participate by sharing their experiences of medical student life at their respective campuses.

Evaluation

Personal interviews at the College of Medicine are a two-way exchange. Applicants are encouraged to use this experience to inquire and form opinions about the strengths and opportunities available at the College of Medicine. Although intellectual ability and record of achievement are important factors, the personal interview gives the admissions committee another measure to evaluate and understand other traits necessary to foster the development of a competent, compassionate and responsible physician. Ability to communicate and interact, social consciousness, maturity, personal integrity, tolerance and motivation for a career in medicine are among the characteristics sought.

Notification of Acceptance

Formal offers of acceptance to all applicants may be extended anytime on or after Oct. 15. Offers are made on a rolling basis to fill any remaining positions until January 29. A match through the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) will be conducted on March 5 to fill any remaining positions.

For more information on the TMDSAS medical schools acceptance policy and procedures for applicants, refer to the TMDSAS Application Handbook.

Criminal Background Check

All applicants accepted to the College of Medicine must submit to, and satisfactorily complete a background check review as a condition of matriculation. An offer of admission will not be final until the completion of the background check with results deemed favorable. Admission may be denied based on the review of the background check.

Health care providers are entrusted with the health, safety and welfare of patients, have access to controlled substances and confidential information, and operate in settings that require exercising good judgment and ethical behavior. Thus, an assessment of a student or applicant’s suitability to function in such a setting is imperative to promote the highest level of integrity in health care services.

Background check reports and other submitted information are confidential and may only be reviewed by College of Medicine officials and affiliated clinical facilities in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Please be advised that Texas A&M offers many programs that lead to an occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code 58.001. Licensing authorities may have guidelines concerning prior criminal convictions that would make an individual ineligible for issuance of a given license. Applicants are encouraged to review all eligibility requirements related to degrees resulting in a license. Note the following:

• An individual who has been convicted of an offense may be ineligible for issuance of an occupational license.
• Licensing authorities must establish and make available guidelines explaining why a particular offense is considered a basis for ineligibility for a particular license and other criterion that may affect the decision to grant or withhold a license.
• Local or county licensing authorities may establish additional guidelines related to criminal history. Applicants should contact their local or county licensing authority for more information.
• An individual has the right to request a criminal history evaluation letter regarding their eligibility for a license issued under Texas Occupations Code 53.102.

Questions related to eligibility requirements should be directed to the individual licensing authorities.