Boston University Medical Campus
Admissions

FAQs for Current Applicant

This section of the Admissions website is intended to assist current applicants: individuals who are in the process of submitting an application for entry in the fall of 2012 to the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM).

Below are some of the services provided by our online application system:

Message Center for communicating directly with the Office of Admissions staff

Up to date status information regarding the progress of your application

Upload Documents section for adding additional information directly to your file

If invited, an online interview scheduling tool

Ability to update your contact information

General Questions on Requirements

1. What is your minimum required GPA and/or MCAT score?

   Boston University School of Medicine does not have a minimum requirement for either GPA or MCAT score.  All applicants will receive a supplemental application from the Office of Admissions once AMCAS notifies us of your interest.

2. Can I use _________ course for your Humanities requirement?

   Humanities covers a broad spectrum of courses for Boston University School of Medicine. Acceptable courses to fulfill our Humanities requirement include, but are not limited to: History, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Art, Religious Studies and Foreign Language.

3. Can I use _________ course for your English requirement?

   We can accept any course at any lever under your school’s English department for our English requirement. We can also accept any English language writing intensive course as a substitute, so long as you explain the substitution in your BUSM secondary application. Acceptable courses include, but are not limited to: History, Sociology, Psychology, and Philosophy. Please note that any course used to fulfill the English requirement cannot also be used to fulfill the Humanities prerequisite.

4. Can I use upper lever courses for your Biology requirement?

   We can accept any level course that your school defines as Biology so long as you have one year of lecture and one year of lab.

5. I do not have all of your prerequisites, but am planning to take them during the application cycle.  Can I still apply?

   Yes.  We do not require that our prerequisites be met by the time an applicant applies to our school, but by the time they would matriculate.  If you are planning on taking any courses during the application cycle, please note those courses in your supplemental application and keep us apprised of your grades.

6. Are Canadian students considered International students? How many slots are there for Canadian students?

   Residency is not a requirement for Boston University School of Medicine.  All applicants must meet our stated requirements and we expect that prerequisites will be fulfilled through course work completed at any accredited 4 year US or Canadian College.  BUSM has no limitation on consideration of out-of-state or international students. Please note that Canadian applicants, should they be accepted, would be considered international applicants in terms of financial aid.  For questions regarding financial aid, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services.

Logging Into the Supplemental Application

1. When can I expect to hear from Boston University School of Medicine after I indicate on my AMCAS application that I intend to apply?

   After AMCAS notifies us that you intend to apply to BUSM, you will receive an email from our Admissions Office providing you with a web address and instructions for establishing user ID and password to access our supplemental application. It is not required that you be verified by AMCAS in order to receive a secondary application from BUSM but you must be verified in order to submit your BUSM application.

2. What do I use to login to the supplemental application?

   You should receive an initial email notice from Boston University (BU) with information on setting up a BU web login account.  If you did not, please contact medadms@bu.edu with the subject line: “No Initial Contact Email”.

3. I listed Boston University School of Medicine on  my AMCAS application but have not received an initial pre-registration email, or any other response from BUSM.

   If you did not get the pre-registration email, there are a couple of possible reasons:

   A. The email was sent to you, but your SPAM filter diverted it to your junk email folder.  Please check your SPAM/junk mail folder.  If still do not have the email, and have waited at least 3 hours after getting the first email, contact medadms@bu.edu.

   B. You previously applied to BUSM and already have a BU web account.  If you recall the email address you previously used, you can use it again with MyApplication.  If you want to change your email address/login or password, please go to: https://weblogin.bu.edu/buweb/resetpw to change your login data.  If you have further questions about your web account, please contact the BU Web Account group at web-account-manager@bu.edu or call them at 617/358-4020.

4. What is my BUSM login name?

   Your email address as you provided it to AMCAS is your login name. (See next question if you already have an @bu.edu email address)

5. What if I already have a BU account?

   If you have an @bu.edu account, you should login with your username (without the @bu.edu) and your Kerberos password.

6. I have forgotten my password to the BUSM Supplemental Application.  What should I do?

   You may reset your password at: https://weblogin.bu.edu/buweb/resetpw.

Completing the Supplemental Application

1. I have questions. How do I communicate with the Office of Admissions regarding the supplemental application?

   The Message Center located in MyApplication is the preferred method of contact for the Office of Admissions regarding questions during the application process.  Your questions will be answered by members of our staff in a timely matter.  We are also available by email at medadms@bu.edu as well as by phone at 617/638-4630.

2. I don’t see my  letters of recommendation listed in MyApplication, but I have assigned them to BUSM on AMCAS.  What should I do?
   

   AMCAS does not release letter information until after your academic record has been verified in their office.  Your letters should appear on your BUSM supplemental application within 24 hours of AMCAS verifying your initial application.  If your initial application has been verified and you still do not see your letters, please go back to your AMCAS application and double check that your letters have been assigned to BUSM in the letters section. If they are assigned to our school, please go back to the AMCAS Main Menu and hit the Submit button again.  This will trigger AMCAS to send us your letter information.

3. What are the letter of recommendation requirements?

   One (1) Committee Letter or three (3) individual letters, two (2) of which must be from science professors who have taught you in Biology, Chemistry or Physics.  We can accept letters from research professors if you have received course credit for that research.  If you did not, the letter would be considered an additional letter, rather than a science letter.

   Applicants in a graduate degree program must submit a letter from their graduate thesis advisor in addition to the undergraduate letter requirements stated above. Applicants who are in a non-thesis graduate degree program can submit a letter from any of their graduate professors in lieu of a thesis advis0r letter.

   Note: All letters must be on official institutional letterhead and signed by the author. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure these two elements are on their letters.

4. May I submit additional letters of recommendation?  Is there a maximum number of letters I can submit?
   

   You may submit more than the minimum number of recommendations.  While we have no official maximum, the committee generally prefers no more than about five or six letter listings. Please note that it is our policy not to pass an application on to review until all listed letters are received.

5. I can view my MCAT scores on the AMCAS website, but not in MyApplication. Why are my scores not listed?

   AMCAS does not release MCAT scores to individual schools until after the academic record has been verified in their office.  As a result, you may see your MCAT scores on the AMCAS site, but not in MyApplication.  You need not be concerned about this, as the scores will be added to your database within 24 hours of their release from AMCAS.

6. I plan to retake the MCAT. Can I defer review of my application until after the new scores are released?

   Yes, you can.  However, you must notify us by selecting the defer option in Section IV. MCAT Status in MyApplication.  If we are notified, your application will go into review once the new scores are released and we have determined that all other required materials are present.  If you do not notify us that you are retaking the MCAT, we will process your application with your current MCAT scores.

7. I am having difficulty completing the Prerequisite Grid.  What is the best way to approach it?

   We recommend you use your transcript(s) as a guide for completing the grid. Use your university’s course classifications to fill in the grid as best you can.  Do not count courses in more than one category.  If you are unsure of where to place a class, use the box below the grid to explain.  If you have further questions, please contact the Office of Admissions through the Message Center in MyApplication.

8. What is a Preferred Institution?

   A Preferred Institution is a four year accredited US or Canadian college or university.  Community colleges and junior colleges are not considered preferred institutions, nor are AP credits considered as being taken at a preferred institution even if you received credit at your college.

9. According to my prerequisite grid, I have not met all the requirements for BUSM. Will I be automatically rejected?

   No, prerequisites must be met by the time you would matriculate not by the time you would apply.  Be sure to include an explanation in the box below the grid, as to why you have not met all requirements to date, and how you plan to meet them prior to matriculation. If you have coursework that you feel could substitute as a prerequisite, you may explain this in the box below the grid also and the Committee on Admissions will take this into account.

10. I have paid my application fee, but my status still says incomplete. What happened?

    Please note that payment of the application fee does not constitute submission of the secondary application. Please go back to Section IX. Submit Supplemental Application.  Please make sure that you have clicked the Submit button on this page.

11. How will I know if you received my completed supplemental application?

    You will receive a confirmation email when you have submitted your secondary application.  Once the office verifies that we have received all required application materials including letters of recommendation and MCAT score(s), you will receive another email explaining that your application is complete and under review by the Committee on Admissions.  Your status will also automatically update on your Application Status page.