Application Help Please

I second...

jarrod_dale said:

Unfortunately I will be taking the August MCAT. I understand the importance of submitting my application early, and I am just wondering how to go about this. I will be applying to both aamc school and TMDSAS schools.

Here is my plan. Please let me know if i am correct.

First, I will fill out and submit the application, transcripts, and letters of recommendation. This will be done before July 1st.

I will write the MCAT August 14th

During the summer I will fill out secondaries and I will have them submitted prior to September 20th.

When my MCAT score is sumbitted I should have everything complete.

If this is correct please let me know.

Thanks,
Jarrod

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i didn't take the august mcat, but i'm pretty sure you can't hit the "submit" button on your amcas until you write in an mcat score. therefore, you won't be able ot submit till october. and then won't have your secondaries in till november.

its not the end of the world, you just won't get as many interviews or acceptances, and all the rolling schools you like will be stringing you a long for a while, as people get many acceptances before jan from them. You'll be ok for non rolling schools like columbia and penn.

its sucks, but many people get through it.

Bad thing is, it sounds like they won't even see your PRIMARY until you not only get your MCAT score, but have waited for AMCAS to "confirm" your app after submission.
That is, if they don't let you submit until after you enter an MCAT score.

Is that the case?

It's not quite so bad as that...

You can submit and should submit your AMCAS without your August MCAT score, otherwise you could miss alot of deadlines. After you submit your AMCAS, it could be about six weeks before you're verified so do it as early as possible. I took the August MCAT last year, for which scores were released around October 15th if I remember correctly, but submitted in the beginning of September (I would have submitted earlier, but it took them about five or six weeks to acknowledge one of my transcripts).

The schools that don't screen applications will send you secondaries once they become aware that you applied there. Screening schools will probably wait for your MCAT score. You can then submit these secondaries ahead of MCAT scores so that when schools download the scores, your application will be complete. Last year most schools downloaded my scores at the end of October, a couple weeks after they were released.

Hope this makes sense, it's getting late and I've been filling my brain with info for an exam tomorrow...

-Lion

You dont send your LORs with AMCAS, you send them "with" the secondary to the individual schools. By you, I mean your pre-med committe, letter service, or professors. Also, get your AMCAS sent and verified in the summer and secondaries sent then they will just fill in your MCAT in Oct and you will be set. You can submit AMCAS because you will indicate you are taking it in Aug. Hope that helps.

I am in a similar position. However, as I understand from my pre-med advisor, we can submit the AMCAS as early as we want to (without the benefit of our scores). Most schools will send the secondaries before they receive our MCAT scores because it is automatic.

jarrod_dale said:

What's the deal with LOR's? As far as I knew, I send them to AMCAS, not the indvidual schools. It doesn't make sense to make the teacher send out twenty copies.

Do you send your LORs to the application service or to the individual schools sepertely?

Thanks

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the individual schools get your letter(s). some schools require slightly different LORs than others...AMCAS does not accept LORs.
i didn't have a committee letter (postbac w/o a program) so i had to make up envelopes with labels and stamps for each of my recommenders and each of the schools that sent me secondary apps (luckily only 9). be sure to check your app status regularly at each school, especially if you have multiple letters.
they get thousands of letters and often lose them (if the potal service doesn't do it first). you don't want to hold up your application because one letter is missing. in fact, i sent two envelopes to each recommender for each school and let them know i might have them send a second if the first was lost. this only happened in one instance for me, but you can never be too careful!

and to reiterate: SUBMIT AMCAS ASAP. do not wait for august MCAT scores to come out in october or you will be in serious trouble. take your time and put effort into your personal statement, but submit as soon as possible! and keep checking to make sure your transcripts go through too--i had transcripts from seven different schools and it was a complete pain in the a$$.

good luck!!!

im just going to repaste the post i had in the allo section of the forums

good plan that you have

Though I would modify it slightly.

1. start / continue working on your personal statement as this can delay your process if you haven't finished it.

2. print out the transcript request forms and submit them to the school(s) and continue working on the rest of your application

3. submit ASAP after that (after that, its just waiting for processing and until the schools receive it)

4. Also, get some of those passport style pictures taken (some applications ask for them)

5. Within 2days of receiving your secondary, send them back out. (they'll just come at different times so instead of waiting, just get them out before you get bogged down with them). On some applications, make sure to let them know to count ur august score (or wait for it before reviewing) if you arent satisfied with ur June one.

6. take your test in august and then just keep working on the secondaries as they come

7. This might be premature but just make sure you have the proper clothes for your interview if you dont have anything - white shirt, suit, dress shoes, etc etc

8. Keep up to date with current issues in healthcare for upcoming interviews

9. HAVE FUN. sure it can be stressful going through the process but dont forget to have a life too

oh also, one more thing....

not all schools use the AMCAS so if you are planning to apply for them, keep in mind they will be more detailed and ask a lot more questions. So plan extra time to work on those applications.

So you had people writing 18 LOR's for the 9 schools you sent secondaries to?
Are they generally letters printed out and signed by hand? Thanks.

noami said:

the individual schools get your letter(s). some schools require slightly different LORs than others...AMCAS does not accept LORs.
i didn't have a committee letter (postbac w/o a program) so i had to make up envelopes with labels and stamps for each of my recommenders and each of the schools that sent me secondary apps (luckily only 9). be sure to check your app status regularly at each school, especially if you have multiple letters.
they get thousands of letters and often lose them (if the potal service doesn't do it first). you don't want to hold up your application because one letter is missing. in fact, i sent two envelopes to each recommender for each school and let them know i might have them send a second if the first was lost. this only happened in one instance for me, but you can never be too careful!

and to reiterate: SUBMIT AMCAS ASAP. do not wait for august MCAT scores to come out in october or you will be in serious trouble. take your time and put effort into your personal statement, but submit as soon as possible! and keep checking to make sure your transcripts go through too--i had transcripts from seven different schools and it was a complete pain in the a$$.

good luck!!!

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recoome said:

So you had people writing 18 LOR's for the 9 schools you sent secondaries to?
Are they generally letters printed out and signed by hand? Thanks.

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um...let's see. i had people write one letter, which i asked them to make 9 copies of and be prepared to make more if necessary. i sent each person 18 stamped, addressed envelopes. only one person had to send the 2nd (which was pretty funny because he was actually a prof at the institution that lost the letter...a certain boston school that shall remain nameless )

as far as i know all of my letters were signed personally. i didn't see them (except when shown during an interview), but i'm 95% sure they were. i had four main recommenders and then one extra from undergrad humanities course who only did 5 of my 9 schools.