In business school admissions, we've heard some talk about significant increases in application volume at several top schools this fall and winter. We haven't seen firm figures for Round I and II application volume yet, but we wouldn't be surprised if the rumors turn out to be true. There were sizeable increases in application numbers to the top schools and in GMAT registrations last year; this may mean exceptionally competitive Round III admissions at several schools this spring.

In college admissions, the big news dominating the headlines is all about financial aid and the cost of college today. Both Harvard and Yale have announced huge plans to provide assistance to lower- and middle-class families that look to send their children to these prestigious universities. Related to that is how Early Decision may affect financial aid options; '09 applicants should check out Senior Consultant Deb Schmidt's thoughts in this month's College Admissions news about an often-overlooked connection between early applications and financial aid. 

You can keep up with admissions news and developments throughout the year by checking our College, Graduate School, Law School, Medical School, and MBA Admissions blogs.

In news closer to home, a number of our consultants are still working at their full client capacities following a busy fall. (We observe these limits because we are committed to honoring our promise of a maximum 72-hour turnaround time on client feedback. That means that even our full-time consultants work with a relatively small number of applicants at any one time.) But, of course, whatever goes up must also come down, and consultants will become available again as they complete their work with individual clients. Call us at 703.242.5885 to learn what our consultants can offer you and their availability.

Look through this month's Insider Edge and see what information is of interest to you. If you don't find what you're looking for, by all means contact us. We'll be happy to try to help you – after all, our favorite activity is helping applicants gain admission to the schools and programs of their choice.

"Remember, the person you will be interviewing with will have formed a mental picture of you largely on the basis of the essays you submitted. Although you certainly want to highlight any accomplishments that you've achieved since you submitted your application, you must also be consistent with your original positioning. Any disconnects can become 'red flags' for the Admissions Committee."

Nicole is a Cornell MBA who also worked on the Johnson School admissions committee.

Although the 2008 admissions season is not yet over, it's by no means too early for 2009 applicants to begin planning their b-school applications. Here's a list of tasks that you'll want to consider over the coming months.

Take the GMAT – The sooner you get this test out of the way, the better. Having your score in hand will let you compare yourself against recent admits to your target schools and devise an appropriate application strategy. You'll also leave yourself ample time to re-take the test if you feel you need to – but make that decision carefully; it's not always the best use of your time or resources. (For more information on this topic, see last month's David's Corner on 'Handling a Low GMAT Score.')

That said, we have seen an upward trend in the average scores for admitted students to the top b-schools in recent years. That means it's more important than ever that you make the effort to prepare yourself for the test and to get a score that reflects your abilities. For information and advice on how to prepare yourself for the GMAT, see our GMAT Test Review section.

Focus on School Selection – School selection is an often-overlooked component in successful b-school admissions. Admissions committees are looking for applicants who have not only the right qualifications but also the right 'fit' for their institution. You'll need to tailor your applications for the schools you are applying to. More importantly, you want to make sure that you're applying to the schools that are the right choice for your interests, goals, and learning and life styles. 

Select Your Recommenders – Effective letters of recommendation reflect the applicant's wise choice of recommenders and their efforts to inform those people of their b-school interests. Approach your recommenders months before you will need them to submit letters. Tell them about your MBA plans and school choices and why you would value their recommendation. Think about what your recommenders can say that will boost the overall impact of your application.

Plan Your Finances – There's no getting around the fact that attending a top b-school is an expensive proposition. Happily, that investment pays off handsomely for most people in greatly improved career prospects and greater career satisfaction. You can make the expense of your b-school investment more palatable by starting to plan how you're going to pay for b-school now. Come up with a realistic budget, including items like books, a computer, and an interview suit. Look into scholarships and fellowships. Research your loan options, too. That includes checking your credit record ahead of time and repairing any problems you find. And don't forget to start economizing now. Save what money you can and accustom yourself to a less expensive lifestyle. Even small economies can add up and make a significant difference in the amount of money you need to borrow.

Plan Your Applications – The top business schools have several admissions 'rounds' for each class. Although most schools will not publish deadlines for 2009 admissions until late spring or early summer, it's safe to use this year's deadlines as a rough guide of when they will fall. As a general rule, you should submit your top-priority applications first, and try to spread your work out over the first two rounds. Save Round 3 as a fall-back in case your applications are interrupted by work or family demands, or in case you are not admitted to your preferred schools but are still committed to beginning an MBA program next fall.

Check our MBA Admissions Timeline throughout the year to keep on track with your b-school planning and applications.

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In 2006, both Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management quietly announced they would accept the GRE in lieu of the GMAT. However, according to some officials at both schools, the GMAC is pressuring them to keep such acceptance quiet, due to the contracts between the GMAC and the b-school.

Some schools do accept the GRE in place of the GMAT, but only on a case-by-case basis. Chicago GSB is one such b-school, where the GRE has been accepted if the applicant is located nowhere near a GMAT testing facility. All of these exceptions involve international applicants.

ETS has begun placing advertisements claiming that "MBA" can also mean "more business-school applicants," with the selling point being that a larger number of students are available in the GRE pool who are weighing grad school options. Many of these students would apply to business school if a separate test isn't required.

For the time being, ETS officials are working with schools such as Stanford to track the performances and successes of GRE-admitted students, in order to gauge the test's effectiveness in identifying promising applicants.

• Drink more water
• Laugh
• Sleep more (at least 7-8 hours a night)
• Set a schedule for yourself and start the day unrushed
• Learn to say "No" to projects or social engagements that won't fit into your time schedule
• Exercise

Test Prep New York (TM) is the first and only educational company to fuse academic and strategy-based learning with holistic human potential training. The Full Potential (TM) method ensures that students reach their most relaxed, effective mental state while preparing for and taking tests, easing their experience and increasing their scores by targeting the most pivotal traits of peak performance to give them a critical edge.

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Making the headlines now are new guidelines being made public to help students and families with the increasing costs associated with going to college. Harvard made their announcement this past December, Yale just made theirs recently. Other schools are following suit, with more expected to make announcements in the coming months.

Also still making noise in the headlines is 'fallout' from the much-publicized decisions by Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia to end their early admissions programs last year. So, with the changing face of financial aid, will EA / ED continue to be popular options for applicants to many selective colleges and universities? Should applicants disregard EA / ED as viable options in their application process?

Senior Consultant Deb Schmidt recommends applicants at least keep EA / ED in mind. Many applicants like knowing at least one of their application outcomes by the middle of their senior year. Moreover, at a number of schools with binding programs, the ED acceptance rate is significantly higher than the regular admissions acceptance rate.

Deb cautions 2009 applicants, however, not to overlook an important aspect of college planning when they decide whether to use early admissions: financial aid.

"Schools will tell you they treat everyone the same, but I suspect that on occasion there are some regular decision applicants who might get a 'sweeter package' of financial aid – meaning 'more grant and less loan,' for example," says Deb.

This is especially true of schools with binding early decision programs. Students accepted under binding ED programs can't receive or compare competing aid offers. They're not even supposed to continue pursuing admission to other schools.

The situation is less daunting at schools that have non-binding Early Action programs. Students accepted under a non-binding EA program can still apply to other schools under regular admissions deadlines and then compare financial aid packages. "By far, though, the majority of early admission programs are binding ED programs," Deb says. Applicants should make absolutely sure that they understand what kind of program they are applying through.

"The bottom line on early decision and financial aid is this: if finances are the primary concern in the college admission process, students should apply regular decision to a variety of schools so that they can compare aid packages," Deb advises.

"However, if their primary concern is that they want to go to 'College X' no matter what, then they should apply ED and do whatever it takes to enroll if admitted."

Deb has worked in admissions for over 20 years, with affiliations including Carleton College and Cornell University.

Your College Application Choices Can Be Confusing! To apply under the early or the regular admissions deadline, to use the Common Application or a school-specific application, to use the same basic essay for different schools or to write completely different essays... Our consultants can help you understand the choices you face and help you make the decisions that are right for you. Call us at 703.242.5885 or email us to learn more.

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This month is when college application plans suddenly become 'real' for many high school juniors. College planning is no longer a matter of browsing through guides and websites. There are concrete steps that need to be planned and taken over the coming year.

The sooner you understand what these steps are, the sooner you can plan the coming year – and planning ahead is one of the best ways for students and their families to manage the stress of the college admissions process.

Here's a list of the major application tasks that you should pencil into your calendar now:

The SAT and ACT: The spring of your junior year is an excellent time to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT. You'll get your scores in plenty of time to use them in your college selection. If your scores match those of students who were recently admitted to your target schools, you can rest easy and turn your attention to other application tasks. If your scores fall below that mark, you've left yourself plenty of time to take the test a second time.

SAT Subject Tests: A number of selective schools either require or encourage applicants to submit scores from 2 or 3 SAT Subject Tests (formerly known as SAT IIs) in addition to their SAT or ACT score. Look into the requirements for your target schools now, so you'll know what tests you need to take, and then visit the ETS website to find out what dates you can take the tests on. SAT Subject Tests are given on most, but not all, of the same test dates that the SAT Reasoning Test is given on. Not all Subject Tests are available on all test dates.

Each SAT Subject Test is one hour long. Although you can take multiple tests on a single day, you might find it less stressful to take just one or two tests at a time. If you can, it's a good idea to take at least some of your Subject Tests this spring. The material you're being tested on should be fresh in your mind from your classes, and you'll leave your summer and fall weekends free to work on other parts of your applications.

Class Selection: It's not too early to start thinking about what classes you'll take in your senior year. Your first-semester classes are especially important because they will be listed on your transcripts and mid-year reports. Of course, admissions committees like to see high grades – but they also like to see proof that a student is curious and has sought out challenging courses. That doesn't mean that you have to load up on every AP or IB class that's available to you. On the contrary, there's a good argument to be made for deciding how much time you want to put into AP and IB coursework and then taking only as many classes as you feel comfortable with. For more information on the role of AP and IB courses in college admissions, see our College Admissions Blog entry on why "It Takes More Than AP Credit to Make Your App Stand Out."

School Selection & Visits: You've probably been researching schools for some time now, at least informally. Now is the time to get serious. You want to come up with a list of 8 to 12 schools that you would be happy to enroll at, including 'stretch' and 'safety' schools.

If you can, use this spring or summer to visit your top-priority schools. There's nothing like a campus visit to give you a better idea of what it might be like to actually attend a particular school. Let the admissions office know you're coming, especially if you're visiting a smaller school. Having a record of your visit could help you when admissions decisions are made. Schools prefer to admit students who show strong interest in them, and a campus visit is one way of showing your interest in a school.

Essays: All selective schools require applicants to submit one or more essays as part of the application package. Look at the requirements for your target schools. Start thinking about topics for your essays and jotting down your ideas months before your application deadlines. Essays can be the most time-consuming part of preparing a college application – but good ones can pay off by setting you apart from the many other applicants with grades and test scores similar to yours, and by convincing an admissions committee that you are someone they want as a student at their school.

Application Deadlines: Start thinking now about what schools you want to apply to, when. Most Early Action and Early Decision deadlines fall on November 1. Regular admissions deadlines often fall on or around January 1. Although public universities with rolling admissions continue accepting applications into the spring months, it's advisable to submit your applications well before that. With today's large and well-qualified applicant pools, many state schools fill all of the available spaces in their freshman classes long before their final deadlines. This past year, several of the more selective state universities (including Penn State) advised high school students to submit their applications by the school's priority deadline (which is November 30 in Penn State's case).

Check our College Admissions Timeline throughout the year to keep on track with your college planning and applications.

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School selection can be an overwhelming task for college-bound high school juniors. There are literally thousands of colleges and universities to choose from in the United States.

Although every educational institution is unique, it is possible to place most colleges and universities into one of several broad categories. A helpful first choice in school selection is to understand what these types of institution are and how good a fit they are for your personal preferences and learning style.

Liberal Arts Colleges – Liberal arts colleges are 4-year institutions committed to providing a broad undergraduate education. Students are required to take a range of courses in the arts, humanities, and sciences outside of their major. Most liberal arts colleges are small, with total enrollment of 1,500 to 8,000. Many are located in rural areas, small towns, or suburbs. Carleton, Hamilton, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Amherst, Haverford, Mount Holyoke, Claremont McKenna, Swarthmore, Williams, Smith, Bowdoin, Bates, Reed, Colby, and Middlebury are just a few of the many excellent liberal arts colleges in the U.S.

The Ivy League – This term has long been used as shorthand for a group of some of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in the U.S. The 8 Ivy League member schools are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Columbia University, and Cornell. Each Ivy League school is a unique institution with its own institutional culture, offering a distinctive educational experience. Prospective applicants should take care to research each school separately. For more on this topic, see our College Admissions Blog post on why "Specifics Make a College Application Stronger."

Residential Colleges – A residential college is much more than just a university with campus housing. It's a college where students' day-to-day living is part of their educational experience. The colleges (sometimes called 'halls' or 'houses') where students reside organize lectures and other learning experiences in addition to social events. This style of living is meant to provide students with a strong sense of community, a chance to interact with a wide range of other students, and the opportunity to develop close relationships with faculty. Only a small number of U.S. colleges offer a true residential option. They include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Middlebury, the University of Virginia, Rice University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University.

Honors Programs – Many large colleges and universities give high-achieving students the option of enrolling in an honors program. Honors students take small, seminar-style classes that are more challenging than regular classes on the same topics are and that give them close contact with faculty. They may be asked to complete a senior thesis or project. At some schools, honors students live in designated housing and have access to special scholarships and internships. Honors programs at public universities often represent an exceptionally good educational value for state residents.

Research Universities – These are comprehensive universities where faculty and graduate students focus on original research. The top U.S. research universities draw talent from across the country and around the world. A partial list of top U.S. research universities includes Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke, MIT, Johns Hopkins, the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Pennsylvania State University, UCLA, UC - Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology, the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and the University of Michigan.

Community Colleges and Junior Colleges – These are two-year institutions that offer Associate of Arts (A.A.) degrees. Most are non-residential 'commuter' schools. Community colleges typically practice open admissions, meaning that anyone who meets their minimum standards is guaranteed enrollment. Some offer smaller classes and a more supportive learning environment than large 4-year institutions do. A growing number of college-bound high school graduates opt to save money by completing 2 years of degree study at a community college and then transferring to a 4-year institution for their junior and senior years.

For a more detailed version of this article, including notes on the pluses and minuses of applying to and attending these different types of school, see our webpage on Your College Choices.

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Undergraduate transcripts are a fundamental part of any graduate school application – and many grad school applicants have something on their transcripts that worries or embarrasses them, such as a poor or failing grade for a particular class or an 'incomplete' that was never resolved.

"The best way to address these grade concerns is to make sure you follow any specific instructions from the school you're applying to," says Senior Consultant Heather Macneill. "Many schools include a section in their application to provide additional information or an optional essay that will allow you to address this subject.

"The best way to present information about a problem in your transcript is to be honest. Don't make excuses for the grades. Take responsibility for your performance and make sure to convey confidence in your ability to succeed academically at the graduate level.

"If you can honestly do so, tell the admissions committee about the positive things that resulted from your experience – for example, did you develop better time management skills or study methods?

"Keep in mind that your grades and GRE scores alone are not what will not get you admitted to a graduate program. Your overall application needs to show your motivation and preparation for graduate study and to tell the admissions committee how your past experience has prepared you for a graduate program and how you discovered the passion for your area of focus. The essay, especially, should tell your story and detail your qualifications and unique qualities.

"Provided you include these elements in your application and are honest about the blemish on your academic record, you shouldn't have to worry about past minor failings keeping you from gaining admission to graduate school."

Heather is former Assistant Director of Graduate Admission at Pacific University.

The Duke approach differs from those of the traditional doctoral degrees in nursing, the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing and the Doctor of Nursing Science, which prepare nurse scientists for careers in research and academia.

The University of Notre Dame has established a doctoral program in peace studies in its Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. One of the few of its kind in the world, the program is a partnership between the institute and the departments of history, political science, psychology and sociology. It will admit its first students in the fall of 2008.

Among peace and conflict doctoral programs worldwide, the Kroc Institute program is unique for two reasons. First, it integrates "discipline-based" knowledge – such as history, political science, psychology, and sociology – with interdisciplinary learning and research in peace studies. Second, it is intended to produce scholars who not only deepen understanding of the causes of war, genocide, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, religious conflict, gross violations of human rights, and other forms of violence, but who also generate and contribute to new ways to build a just and sustainable peace. 

"Typically, most applicants begin the financial aid application process in January or February," she says.

"It's difficult to begin earlier than that because you will want your 2007 tax information to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Even if you don't plan to ask for financial aid, the FAFSA is what is used to determine your eligibility for federal loans."

Most law students use a combination of federal, institutional, and private loans to pay for their education.

Federal loans are administered through law schools, with each school deciding how much money an applicant is eligible to borrow. The amounts of money you qualify for will vary from school to school.

As Heike noted, the first step in determining your eligibility for federal loans is to complete a FAFSA. Many law schools also use the FAFSA to help decide how much aid to offer students in the form of institutional scholarships and grants.

The FAFSA is available online at the official website, www.fafsa.ed.gov. (The FAFSA website should not be confused with commercial websites that use similar URLs and charge users a fee to complete financial aid documentation. The official FAFSA website and application are free to all users.)

Heike notes that, although the FAFSA is often the first step in the financial aid process, many institutions have additional forms which must be completed before the school will determine your eligibility. "For example, over 20 schools require their students to complete Need Access," she says. "Be sure to check each school's financial aid policies and procedures to make sure you are completing all of the required paperwork." (Need Access is available online at www.needaccess.org.)

Federal loans are attractive to students because they carry lower interest rates than private loans do. However, the amount of money that can be borrowed under federal loan programs is often not enough to cover full tuition and living expenses at a top law school.

For 2007, most students could borrow a maximum of $20,500 in subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford and Ford Loans. Students applying to participating school qualified for up to an additional $6,000 in Federal Perkins Loans, depending in part on the availability of funds. By contrast, tuition at a number of law schools is $30,000 per year or more. The figures may increase for 2008 but applicants should check with their target school for exact details.

Many law students take out private educational loans from banks and other lenders to cover the gap.

"If you anticipate securing private loans (in addition to federal loans) to fund your legal education, I highly recommend obtaining a copy of your credit report now," Heike says. Applicants should act immediately, regardless of whether they know their admissions outcomes. The extra time they gain by doing so can be used to improve their credit worthiness and qualify for more favorable loan rates.

"The sooner you receive your credit report, the sooner you can clean up any credit problems" you might find there, says Heike. "There is often inaccurate information contained in credit reports. If you get a copy of your report now, you should have plenty of time to correct any mistakes you find. I recommend making sure you have good credit prior to applying for a private loan."

Heike adds that applicants can request a free credit report every 12 months from www.annualcreditreport.com.

– Senior Consultant Heike Spahn served as Associate Director of Admissions and Assistant Dean of Financial Aid at the University of Chicago Law School. She holds her J.D. from the Valparaiso University School of Law, where she later served as Assistant Dean of Admissions.

Does Your Law School Application Plan Cover All the Bases? Our consultants can explain the entire process of law school admissions and help you avoid inadvertent mistakes that could reduce your admissions chances or limit your school options. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our law school admissions consulting services.

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Does that mean that you should give up all hopes of entering a J.D. program this fall if you haven't already sent in your applications?

Not necessarily – although, if you've waited this long to submit applications, you will certainly be facing an uphill battle.

You should probably cross the very top law schools off your list. February 1 marks the final application deadlines for Fall 2008 admissions to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Columbia, Chicago, Georgetown, and other schools. Unless your application genuinely needs just one more spit-and-polish before it's ready to submit, it's too late in this year's application cycle for you to have much hope of compiling a successful application.

(If you do have an application that's almost ready to submit, wrap it up and submit it immediately. The only thing you should even think about taking any additional time to do at this point is to add a brief explanation of why you were unable to submit your application sooner.)

If you're truly committed to the idea of beginning a J.D. program this fall, however, and you've already completed major parts of the application process (including taking the LSAT, as deadline for registration for the last test on Feb 2 has already passed), not all hope is lost.

March 1 is the final application deadline at a number of excellent law schools, including Boston University, Fordham, Baylor, George Washington University, William and Mary, and the University of Connecticut. March 15 is the final deadline for Vanderbilt. Several law schools have even later deadlines.

You will have put yourself at a serious disadvantage in the competition for admission to any competitive law school by waiting until the final weeks of the application season to submit your applications. However, depending on the number and the quality of applicants that a school has received this year, you may be competitive for one of the remaining seats in this fall's class -- if you are a strong enough applicant and if you submit a focused and compelling application. As a general rule, the longer you wait to submit a law school application, the stronger your application has to be in order to win the admissions committee's approval.

One question you should ask yourself before deciding whether to proceed with an application at this point in the admissions cycle is whether you truly want to attend the school in question. You shouldn't apply to any law school on the basis of its application deadline alone. Being admitted to the wrong law school may be a worse admissions outcome than not being admitted anywhere at all. Your most likely choices would be either to continue a program you don't like or to abandon your law studies, as second-year transfers from one law school to another are possible but very rare.

Your remaining option, of course, is to put your law school plans on hold for another year. That option may not be as painful as it sounds. The top law schools will start taking Fall 2009 applications this September. You can use the months between now and then to research your school choices, talk to your recommenders, polish your personal statement, and perhaps to re-take the LSATs. The pay-off for your patience and hard work could be winning admission to your top-choice law school – which is a reward you would benefit from not only through the three years of your J.D. program, but throughout your career as well.

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It's high time for 2009 law school applicants to start thinking seriously about when they will take the LSAT.

The LSAC has announced its test dates for the 2008-2009 application season.

The LSAT is scheduled be given on:

• Monday, June 16, 2008
• Saturday, October 4, 2008 (or Monday, October 6, for Saturday Sabbath observers)
• Saturday, December 6, 2008 (or Monday, December 8, for Saturday Sabbath observers)
• Saturday, February 7, 2009 (or Monday, February 9, for Saturday Sabbath observers)

Whenever you plan to take the test, make sure you give yourself enough time for test preparation "Proper preparation is the key to success on the LSAT," says Jeff Glazer, president of Griffon Preparation Services.

Glazer reminds applicants that, unlike many other standardized tests, the LSAT is not knowledge-based. "Instead, the exam is designed to test a pattern of critical reading and thinking," Glazer says. "That means that studying for the LSAT must be approached differently than other tests. Simply taking many timed tests will not usually improve one's score. You'll need to sit down with a few real LSAT tests and work out how to derive the correct answer from the information you are given."

"The answer I always give is – yes, to some degree, it will be a factor. AdComms are like anybody else. If they've heard of a school – for example, it's one with a well-recognized name, prominent national profile, or even one that has a great football team – they're probably going to think it's a good school.

"There won't be an AdComm out there who will have experience or knowledge of every college/university in this country – there's just way too many of them. So, like anybody else, the perceived reputation of an institution is often all AdComms have to go on.

"But even a small school might have established a regional reputation amongst AdComms. In that case, size will be less of a factor.

"The bottom line is that if the perceived rigor of your undergraduate or premedical college is high, then you'll come across as a better candidate."

– Tim served on the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine admissions committee and he has been assisting medical school applicants for many years.

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Are you considering applying to medical school? Call to speak with one of our consultants today. Our consultants can give you the insight and advice you need to make informed choices about your growing medical school options and how to best position yourself for admissions success. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to find out more about our services.

MCAT 2008 test dates are as follows:

• Saturday, April 5 (AM)
• Friday, April 18 (AM)
• Saturday, April 19 (PM)
• Saturday, May 10 (AM)
• Friday, May 23 (AM)
• Tuesday, May 27 (PM)
• Saturday, May 31 (AM)
• Friday, June 13 (AM/PM)
• Tuesday, July 8 (AM)
• Thursday, July 10 (AM)
• Friday, July 18 (AM)
• Tuesday, August 5 (AM)
• Thursday, August 7 (AM)
• Friday, August 15 (AM/PM)
• Friday, August 22 (PM)
• Tuesday, August 26 (PM)
• Wednesday, September 3 (AM)
• Friday, September 5 (AM)
• Saturday, September 6 (AM)
• Friday, September 12 (PM)
• Saturday, September 13 (AM)

The 2008 MCAT Essentials (required reading for all MCAT takers) is now available online as a PDF file. For more information and registration deadlines, visit the AAMC webpage.

Dr. Brett Ferdinand, Chief Instructor for MCAT-prep.com, urges 2009 applicants to start thinking about 2008 MCAT timing and preparation now. Above all, he says, "Make sure you schedule adequate time to plan and prepare for the MCAT. Conduct a focused MCAT review that covers what you personally need to improve in order to do well on the test. And be sure you take realistic practice tests. Use one of the full-length practice MCAT tests available from the AAMC, and take it under realistic test conditions."