All applications are screened by our Selection Committee utilizing a holistic review. This is a flexible, individualized way of assessing an applicant’s capabilities by which balanced consideration is given to experiences, attributes, and academic metrics, and when considered in combination, how the applicant might contribute to our program’s mission and as a future independently specialty practicing physician. This means that we take into account the entirety of students’ performance and background in determining who we offer interviews to. Thus, we do not have a minimum board score requirement (USMLE and/or COMLEX) —we only require that you have passed each step that you have taken. We review all applications that have passing scores, even if you failed on initial attempts. Students’ clinical performance and extracurricular activities (e.g. research, community engagement, volunteer work, leadership positions, life experience before medical school) are very important parts of our review. We value diversity in all its forms – socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and living with disability.
Signaling: While we preferentially review applications from those who signal our program, we also consider applicants who do not signal us. But due to a high volume of applications, a signal may make it more likely for us to extend interview offers to applicants who have signaled our program if we are choosing between applicants.
We generally review applications as soon as they are released on July 16th for scheduling purposes. Due to the time required to do a thorough holistic review, and the fact that we do not usually extend interview offers until all applications are reviewed, our interview invites usually do not come out until the second week of August. We only send out all invites using the Thalamus program scheduling tool. We do not extend more invites than interview slots. Once all our interview slots are filled (approximately one week after the initial invites go out), we notify the remaining applicants if they have been selected to be our waitlist (should some interviewees cancel their interviews). Mid September we we notify applicants if they are not chosen to interview, and wait list applicants stay on the waitlist until the interview season ends, and are notified if there will not be a spot available.