Creighton University

 

The Committee on Medical Admissions knows that you have worked very hard to reach this stage in the cycle of application to medical school.  As we proceed together, our goal is to make the adventure as pleasant as possible.

 

The Office of Medical Admissions uses e-mail as its primary source of communication with applicants.  This includes communications about missing information, interview invitations and confirmations.  We request that you check your e-mail often and notify both Creighton and AMCAS of any changes in your e-mail address.  Many applicants who report problems receiving Creighton e-mail communications use programs such as Hotmail and Yahoo that intercept our communications in their spam filters.  It is imperative that you check your e-mail to determine if you can override the spam filters and authorize all communications from “creighton.edu.”  If you cannot override the filter, we encourage you to review your Spam folder to see if the e-mail host program has intercepted any Creighton communications.

Please note: Creighton's application procedures and deadlines comply with the "Traffic Rules" known as "AAMC Recommendations for Medical School Admissions Officers".  Applicants are advised to consult and follow "AAMC Recommendations for Medical School Applicants".

The following information is intended to supplement the Creighton University Bulletin, 2008-2010 Edition, as well as our brochure and web site.  Please feel free to contact the Office of Medical Admissions at MedSchAdm@creighton.edu and let us know if we can clarify any issues or answer any questions that you may have.

 

Creighton University participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).  AMCAS is a centralized, web-based, application service that allows applicants to complete and submit one primary application to multiple schools.  Applicants are asked to meet the following AMCAS deadlines in order to be considered for admissions into Creighton University.

• Submission of AMCAS Application:  November 1, 2009
• Submission of transcripts to AMCAS:  November 15, 2009

Applicants who do not meet the above deadlines will not be considered for admissions into the Fall 2010 M1 Class.  In addition, due to the fact that Creighton University has a rolling admissions policy, early application is highly recommended!

 

AMCAS forwards all verified applications to the medical schools applicants designate.  All applicants who submit a verified AMCAS application to Creighton are sent an e-mail invitation to complete the Creighton Supplemental Application Process.  This process includes submission of the following materials:

• Supplemental Application Form
• Letters of Recommendations
• $95 Application Fee
• Recent Digital Photograph

The $95 application fee is non-refundable.  Fee waivers may be granted to applicants who participate in the AAMC fee assistance program (FAP).

An application will not be evaluated for interview purposes until it is complete and includes the following credentials:

• Verified AMCAS Application
• MCAT Scores
• Supplemental Application
• Letters of Recommendation
• Photograph
• Application Fee

The Office of Medical Admissions will notify you by email when we have received all credentials required to complete your file.  However, the Office of Medical Admissions is unable to assume responsibility of notifying applicants of missing credentials.  If you do not receive a confirmation email after submitting all credentials please contact the Office of Medical Admissions to ascertain your application status.  All application credentials must be received by the Office of Medical Admissions by January 15, 2010.

 

Recommendations may take the following form(s), and need to be submitted by January 15, 2010, to the Office of Medical Admissions through AMCAS.  Please review pages 76-81 of the AMCAS 2010 Instructions for complete details.

**Please note: Please review the Creighton definitions of a science and non-science recommendation letters below.

Pre-Health Committee (Option A):

If your institution has a Pre-Health Committee, please ask the pre-medical advisor to submit a "Committee Letter" of recommendation on your behalf.  This letter will fulfill your letters of recommendation requirement.

If your institution submits a packet of individual letters on your behalf, the packet is considered equivalent to a "Committee Letter," and will fulfill your letters of recommendation requirement.  However, the letters within the packet must comply with the requirements listed under Option B below.

Three Letters of Recommendation (Option B):

If your institution does not have a Pre-Health Committee, please have three letters of recommendation from faculty submitted on your behalf.  We ask that two of the letters be submitted by science professors and one from a non-science professor.  Recommenders are asked to disclose in which of their course(s) you were enrolled.

These letters may be submitted in one of the following forms:

Form 1:

• One letter from your pre-medical or pre-health advisor
• One letter from a professor whose science course you completed for academic credit, and/or a professor who directed your science research for academic credit
• One letter from a professor whose non-science course you completed for academic credit

Form 2:

• Two letters from science professors from courses you completed for academic credit, and/or science professors who directed your research for academic credit
• One letter from a professor whose non-science course you completed for academic credit

Non-Traditional Applicants:

If you have been away from university studies since September 2007 please have three letters of recommendation sent from persons familiar with your recent scientific work or study experience.

**Science Recommendation letters are accepted from full-time faculty from the following departments:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Engineering
• Exercise Science

**Non-science Recommendation letters are expected from full-time faculty from any department not listed above.  This may include, but is not limited to:

• Accounting
• Economics
• English
• Foreign Languages
• History
• Sociology
• Theology

Please Note:

• Letters of Recommendation from athletic coaches may not be used to fulfill any part of the requirements.
• Letters of Recommendation from Graduate Teaching Assistants will be accepted, however, the letter must be signed by both the TA and the faculty member responsible for the course.
• Letters of Recommendation will be accepted from retired faculty members you completed courses from for academic credit during your college career.

 

Additional Recommendation Letters:

If you desire, you may ask other persons, including Creighton Medical Alumni and physicians you have shadowed, to write letters of recommendation on your behalf.  Please understand that additional letters may not be used as substitutes for the above-required letters.

 

Please review the Creighton University School of Medicine Technical Standards Policy.  Read the Policy carefully and consult the Office of Medical Admissions if you have any questions.  When answering the supplemental application question that alludes to "reasonable accommodations," do not at this time disclose any request for accommodations if any are needed.  Requests for accommodations can be made after acceptance.  If you answer that you cannot complete the curriculum, this effectively withdraws your application.  If you have questions about these standards; please contact the Office of Medical Admissions.

 

Please review the CUSOM Background Check Policy.  Read the policy carefully and consult the Office of Medical Admissions if you have any questions.  If you have been convicted of, or pled no contest to, a felony and/or misdemeanor please list them on the Supplementary Application Form.  You may also provide explanations for any entries.

 

You will be notified by e-mail when your file is complete.

If a completion notification is not received within 30 days after you feel your application should have been complete, please contact the Office of Medical Admissions at: MedSchAdm@creighton.edu to ascertain what items have not yet been received.

Time is of the essence!  Your file cannot receive consideration by the Committee on Admissions until it is complete.  Files must be completed by January 15, 2010, in order to ensure further consideration.  However, early application is encouraged due to the fact the Office of Medical Admissions reviews applications on a rolling admissions procedure.

 

The Committee on Admissions encourages students to provide updates to their applications after their files are complete.  The Committee particularly appreciates receiving the following updates:

• Grade updates for coursework in progress during the time of application
• Shadowing experiences
• Clinical experiences
• Non-medical service experiences

All updates must be e-mailed to the Office of Medical Admissions at: MedSchAdm@creighton.edu.  The Office does not accept books, tapes, or bulky objects.

 

Interviews are held on Fridays and Saturdays from September through March, and require a full day’s commitment on the part of the candidate.  Applicants selected to receive an interview will be notified through e-mail.  Details about the interview will be explained within the e-mail.

Creighton hosts "open" interviews which allows evaluators to review each applicant's total file: AMCAS application, Supplemental application, letters of recommendation, etc.

  

 

After the completion of an interview applicants will receive notification of:

• Acceptance
• Placement on the Alternate List
• Rejection

Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis.  Applicants who complete the application process early have a better chance for receiving both an interview and acceptance into Creighton University.

Please note that the Alternate List is a "pool" of applicants and is not ranked.  Applicants who are on the Alternate List will be reviewed for acceptance purposes after the May 15th deposit deadline.

 

If you are currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, you must complete that degree prior to matriculation at Creighton University School of Medicine.  This includes all students enrolled in one of the following programs:

• Bachelor's Program
• Master's Program
• Ph.D. Program
• Certificate Program

Please review the following section on transcripts for important requirements in this regard.

 

It is essential that all accepted applicants arrange for an official transcript from each post-secondary institution previously and/or currently attended to arrive at the Office of Medical Admissions no later than July 15, 2010.

If you have earned a degree from an institution, the transcript must reflect that status.  If you are currently enrolled in an academic program please submit a transcript to the Office of Medical Admissions after the posting of your final grades/degree, but no later than July 15, 2010.  

If transcripts are not received by July 15, 2010, and you have not contacted the Office of Medical Admissions to obtain an extension, we reserve the right to withdraw your acceptance and award your seat to an alternate.

Transcripts should be mailed to:

Office of Medical Admissions
Creighton University School of Medicine
Criss III, Room 574
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE  68178

 

Creighton University admits qualified students and hires qualified employees without unlawful regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, handicap, sex, age, religion or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era.  Its education and employment policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other programs and activities are administered without any such discrimination.  The University will not use the information contained in, or submitted with, this application for admission for any discriminatory purpose.