Application Timeline Confusion

[EasternMer]

Because I wasn't able to secure any May MCAT spots, and don't want to flub it by rushing into an April Exam, I'm going to be taking the exam on the June dates. This is what I think will happen, if it's incorrect, please let me know because I'm confused about the whole timeline

Submit - June 1 (You can submit a primary w/o an MCAT score, I'm told) I plan to only submit to 1 school so I can add others when I see what the score is.

MCAT - June 18 - I take the MCAT on this date

MCAT Release - July 21 - This is the date that AMCAS had said my scores will be released, and automatically put into my AMCAS application

AMCAS Verification: June 20 - I'm expecting to be verified around the 4th week of June. You can be verified w/o an MCAT score I am told.

AMCAS Completion: July 22 - I have a question about this which I've asked below

Secondaries: I plan to pre-write most of my secondaries and get those back last week of July/first week of August

Questions
1) Is there a delay between being complete with AMCAS, and being complete at schools? For instance, if I do complete by the last week of July, will there be another waiting period where individual schools need to assess my completion?

2) Do secondaries get automatically sent out? Or will I have to wait 2-3 weeks for that?

3) Does it look I will be hindered *significantly* because I'm applying late-ish?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Your timeline seems correct and your plan is good. You will still be early enough if you prewrite/turn around your secondaries quickly after they flow in. Usually secondaries are automatically sent within a few days of your AMCAS primary arriving at the school. Some schools take a little longer to send the secondary because they screen for it. Either way you will be early enough.

 

[GomersGoToGround]

1) AMCAS releases your primary to schools on a specific date (around very late June), so even if you submit early, your app will be sitting there, waiting for release. HOWEVER, still submit early, because submitting later results in longer processing times (up to weeks). Now, "complete" is when they have everything (MCAT, primary, LORs, and secondaries). Thus, figure out what you rate limiting step is. It looks like it will be your MCAT (late July), but if a school sends you a secondary even alter, the the RLS would be secondary completion.

And if I'm not mistaken, last cycle, applicants that submitted on the first day or two had their apps verified either on the same day, or within a couple of days.

2) Secondaries are sent out at different times for schools. Most schools usually send them out in batches (some people receive them a week later than others), and it's usually computer controlled, which means as soon as your primary is processed by them and/or the school is ready to release them to everybody. Some schools require MCAT scores because they do screenings. Look at each individual school for more details. Look to pre-write secondaries at your top choices in order to get them in ASAP. Also, keep a cold beer flowing through your veins in the event that they change the secondary, and you're forced to angrily rewrite a completely new version.

3) No. Having everything in by late July is not "hinder"- late. It's not crazy early, and everybody has a different opinion on this, but I know of numerous individuals that have been "complete" by late July and perhaps even early August, and they received plenty of interviews invites. Again, it depends on the strength of your app, the time required to actually find your app and mark it "complete" (varies, and can take weeks, at times), the person reading your app, the order in which your application is examined (although many schools just use points to avoid biases as much as possible), etc..