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 ask that you check your e-mail often and notify both AMCAS and us of any changes in your e-mail address.  Many applicants who report problems with receiving e-mail communications use programs such as Hotmail and Yahoo whose ‘spam filters’ intercept our communications.  It is imperative that you check your e-mail program to determine if you can override the spam filters and authorize all communications from “creighton.edu.”  If you cannot override the filter, you should look at your Spam folder to see if the e-mail host program has intercepted a Creighton communication.

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 information herein is intended to supplement the Creighton University Bulletin, 2006-2008 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 complete the AMCAS process by November 1, 2008, in order to be considered for admissions into Creighton University.  Due to the fact that Creighton has a rolling admissions policy, early application is highly recommended!

Once applicants complete the AMCAS process their information is forwarded to the medical schools they designate.  When Creighton University receives an applicant's verified AMCAS application, the applicant is invited by e-mail to complete Creighton's 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:

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

The Office of Medical Admissions is unable to assume responsibility of notifying applicants of missing credentials.  It is imperative applicants determine if the Office of Medical Admissions has received all necessary application materials.  Applicants are encouraged to contact the Office by e-mail to ascertain the status of their applications.  All application materials must be received by the Office of Medical Admissions by January 15, 2009, in order for applicants to be considered for admissions into the Fall 2009 entering class.

Recommendations may take the following form(s), and need to be submitted by January 15, 2009, to the Office of Medical Admissions through the AMCAS recommendation letter service.  The Office of Medical Admissions will accept hard copy recommendation letters ONLY if electronic transmission of letters is not available at your institution.  Hard copy letters must be sent directly from the recommender to the following address:

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

Please note: The Admissions Committee prefers letters of recommendation from full-time faculty members.  (**Please review the definition of a science recommendation letter 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 letter of recommendation requirements.

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 letter of recommendation requirement.

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** faculty 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 science professor
• One letter from a non-science professor 

Form 2:

• Two letters from science professors
• One letter from a non-science professor
  
  

 Non-Traditional Applicants:

If you have been away from university studies for three or more years 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

Recommendation letters from full-time faculty members from other departments will be considered Non-Science Recommendation letters.

Additional Recommendation Letters: If you desire, you may ask other persons, including Creighton Medical Alumni, 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 criminal 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, 2009, in order to ensure further consideration.

The Office of Medical Admissions reviews applications on a rolling admissions procedure.  Due to this fact students are encouraged to complete the application process as early as possible.

The Committee on Admissions encourages students to provide updates to their applications after their files are complete.  The Committee particularly appreciates receiving grade updates for coursework in progress during the time of application.  All updates must be e-mailed to the Office of Medical Admissions at: MedSchAdm@creighton.edu.  Please do not send books, tapes, or bulky objects.

Interviews are held on Fridays 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.

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

• Acceptance
• Placement on the Alternate List
• Rejection

Acceptance 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

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, 2009.

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, 2009.  

If transcripts are not received by July 15, 2009, 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.

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.