Is this really that bad for my application?

[bluepeach9]

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[Hopeful_vet]

Submitting your primary in late August is pretty late.. If you wait to submit until then it will take a month to get verified. That means schools won't see your app until the end of September.


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[bluepeach9]

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[chibaddie]

There is no significant difference, but it will make a difference if you get back a score you're not happy with. Also, why haven't you submitted your primary for verification as of yet?

 

[ChrisMack390]

I'm not going to submit my primary in August. If I take the July 22nd MCAT, I will be complete at most schools late August, early Sept. (for those that pre-screen for secondaries). Regardless of whether I take the July 9 or 22 MCAT, my primary would be submitted mid-July and then, I will pre-write all secondaries until I get my score.

These are two bad options. If your question is whether one is worse, no probably not.

 

[Goro]

No, it won't matter. Adcoms don't get busy until after Labor Day.

Is there really that significant of a difference btwn. taking the July 9 or July 22nd MCAT for the first time as an applicant that is applying this cycle?

July 9 would leave me complete mid-August, and July 22, late August.

 

[bluepeach9]

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[Mansamusa]

Then, why do so many people with great stats who were complete later post on SDN complaining of no acceptances? This is what scares me...do you feel I should shoot for the July 9 MCAT if at all possible?

It could be that they had good stats, but not a good school list because they had no idea what their stat was for one of the most important parts of the application before making a school list

 

[mimelim]

Then, why do so many people with great stats who were complete later post on SDN complaining of no acceptances? This is what scares me...do you feel I should shoot for the July 9 MCAT if at all possible?

Great stats is not the same as great applicant. Applying late is bad, but there are plenty of other things that can sink applications.

 

[Psai]

No, it won't matter. Adcoms don't get busy until after Labor Day.

I got the majority of my invites in August.

 

[bluepeach9]

I got the majority of my invites in August.

So I guess that means being complete late August is pretty bad...

 

[Goro]

Applying after Labor Day cuts your chances, in addition to the excellent explanations above

Then, why do so many people with great stats who were complete later post on SDN complaining of no acceptances? This is what scares me...do you feel I should shoot for the July 9 MCAT if at all possible?

 

[bluepeach9]

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[halodos]

No, not applying after labor day. I will submit AMCAS in a couple weeks (mid-July). I'm worried about being complete by Labor Day with a late July MCAT instead of being complete by mid-August with a early July test and how much this will hurt me. I've heard that a late app = 2-3 MCAT points. So, by this logic would it mean a 510 MCAT and app complete by mid-August is better than a 512 MCAT and app complete late August?

Most schools won't even consider your primary until your MCAT is submitted. So you can submit July, but schools won't see it until mid Aug, essentially meaning that you submitted in August.

 

[Affiche]

The majority of invites came for me in August as well. A few in July and a few in September, but most were out by Labor Day. That said, there were a few schools who has my complete application by the first week of August and I didn't receive IIs from them until after Thanksgiving, so who the **** knows.

 

[anonymoose1640]

I will stray from the pack here and say that I had my application in "late" last year. I was marked complete by most of my schools around the end of August (Labor day-ish) and then I added 5 more schools in mid-September. By complete I mean I had also finished and submitted my secondary as well. I think this put me at a bit of a disadvantage (but not a huge disadvantage).

I ended up having a very successful application cycle, HOWEVER, it was incredibly stressful because those IIs and offers were about 2 months behind the crowd, so I didn't get my first II until September, didn't go to my first interview until mid-October (when most people are getting accepted from at least 1 school!), didn't get my first acceptance until the end of December, and I didn't stop receiving IIs until the end of March. Instead of receiving a wave of II in August/September like many of my peers, I got about 1 II every 2-3 weeks or so.

Long story short...if I could go back, I absolutely would have applied earlier, if only to save myself the stress of slowly waiting for the trickle of IIs. All that said - if you think you will be more prepared for the later MCAT, then take that one and crush it. But you should absolutely submit your AMCAS primary before mid-July. Good luck! PM if you want any more advice

 

[7331poas]

No, not applying after labor day. I will submit AMCAS in a couple weeks (mid-July). I'm worried about being complete by Labor Day with a late July MCAT instead of being complete by mid-August with a early July test and how much this will hurt me. I've heard that a late app = 2-3 MCAT points. So, by this logic would it mean a 510 MCAT and app complete by mid-August is better than a 512 MCAT and app complete late August?

It doesnt matter when you submit. If you dont have an MCAT the schools arent going to look at you.

 

[bluepeach9]

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[ChrisMack390]

Okay, wow. I just saw your MDapps and I'm actually having a hard time believing your success (sorry!) it's just that you're ORM with average stats who submitted late, and everything on SDN says that's a recipe for disaster. What's your secret?? Do you have some extraordinary EC's?

Either way, this gives me a little hope, but I'm probably not going to be the exception like you were. I just want to get into my state school

As a screening test for likelihood of getting into medical school, SDN has great sensitivity but poor specificity. If SDN says someone will get in, they probably will, but I think we are also quick to dismiss candidates that actually did have a shot. A lot of this is probably because we only get the stats and other objective measures and never see personalities, letters, and other intangible factors.

 

[bluepeach9]

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[halodos]

I know, but if schools see everything complete end of August (MCAT, secondary, primary, LORs, transcripts etc.) I still have hope right?

The LizzyM guidelines:

Independence Day (4th of July): AMCAS application
Labor Day (first Monday in September): LORs and Secondaries

If you don't have an interview invite by Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November) start thinking about what you'll do if you need to reapply

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...dered-early-submission.1200646/#post-17761131

You should be ok, as long as your grade and mcat score are above average. Which basically means you need to submit your secondaries immediately after receiving them.

 

[y123]

I got the majority of my invites in August.

Same here.

 

[anonymoose1640]

Okay, wow. I just saw your MDapps and I'm actually having a hard time believing your success (sorry!) it's just that you're ORM with average stats who submitted late, and everything on SDN says that's a recipe for disaster. What's your secret?? Do you have some extraordinary EC's?

Either way, this gives me a little hope, but I'm probably not going to be the exception like you were. I just want to get into my state school

Edit: Hmm...I see that you received Mayo LORs fairly quickly. Were you really complete in August? Or was it July?

Lol it's all true, I promise! But yes, I would put my ECs in the "extraordinary" category. I had 3,000+ hrs of research, 2,000+ of clinical volunteering, 750+ of non-clinical volunteering, and a ton of shadowing. I'm also SES disadvantaged, first generation, and I worked 3+ jobs in college to help support my family. Plus I wouldn't say I submitted "late." I consider late to be end of September/October. I was complete at all of my schools at the end of August. I submitted my primary at the beginning of June, was verified by 7/1, completed all my secondaries by August, but my LORs weren't received by any school until the end of August. Therefore, I wasn't "complete" until the end of August.

Mayo requested my LORs on 7/9 but they didn't receive them until the end of August. The reason I wasn't complete anywhere until the end of August was because my undergrad took forever to release my committee letter to my schools.

And to second @ChrisMack390, the SDN community told me I was completely throwing away my money by applying to top schools. I decided it was worth the gamble and it ended up being completely worth it.

The advice you get on SDN is good advice, but always take it with a grain of salt. Either way, good luck!!

 

[Donald Juan]

I submitted late...some very questionable stats on my app. I still was successful, although I didn't get an invite until December.

I think that submitting as early as possible is important, but I don't think it's as overblown as some people here make it out to be. If it was July vs. October, then yes, you need to try hard to not submit in October. July vs. August, do what you need to do. Those two weeks will not be what sinks you or elevates you.