Getting Started
The majority of Dartmouth students plan to apply to medical school, therefore, most of the information in this section will be focused on the medical school application process. However, a lot of this information will still apply to dental and veterinary schools.
Along with the information in this section, we highly encourage Dartmouth undergraduates and alumni to work with the Pre-Health Assistant Deans for personalized pre-health advising and application assessment. This is a complex, multifaceted, and rewarding journey, and we are here to assist you every step of the way!
Understand the Entire Application Process
Applying to medical, dental, or veterinary school is a multi-faceted process. It is crucial the you understand the timeline - both for the application itself and Dartmouth's Composite Letter of Evaluation process - as well as the many components involved in order to set yourself for success. Make sure to:
- Review the Application Timeline and Composite Letter Timeline.
- Familiarize yourself with our Resources, Newsletters, and Forms.
- Review recordings of our Application Workshops and Admissions Webinars with medical schools.
- Learn more about the MCAT, SAT, and Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs).
- Prepare for your Primary and Secondary Essays.
- Learn more about letters of recommendation and Dartmouth's Composite Letter of Evaluation Process.
- Understand the costs and fees associated with applying to medical or dental school.
- Get advice on how to choose your schools.
- Prepare for the interview.
- Learn about Combined Degrees.
- If you are a Dartmouth Junior interested in attending the Geisel School of Medicine, learn more about Geisel's Early Assurance Program!
Information About Dental, Veterinary, and Texas Medical Schools
Dental and veterinary schools have a similar application timeline to medical schools. However, they will use different application services and standardized tests. Learn more about how to apply to dental school and how to apply to veterinary school. We also assist and support students who wish to apply to other graduate, health profession schools!
Additionally, Texas medical and dental schools have their own application process, as well as prerequisite requirements. Texas has its own application service called TMDSAS, while most other medical schools use AMCAS with the exception of Osteopathic (DO) schools which have their own application service called AACOMAS.
This means that if a student applies to both TMDSAS and AMCAS, they will need to prepare TWO applications (potentially three if they also decide to apply to AACOMAS). The same is true if a student applies to TMDSAS and AADSAS for dental school. Note that TMDSAS has distinct application essays.