Advice on really late application

[capthunterdude]

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I visited with the pre-med adviser at my school the other day. I informed him of the progress I have made the past year in my preparation for applying to med school. My original goal for application was 2013. He brought up the possibility of still being able to apply for 2012. I thought this was an impossibility.

Here is where I stand:

English teacher going back to school and will become a doctor.

I am currently taking Org. Chem.1, and I will be taking Org. 2 and Physics 2 the second part of the summer.

I have been the top student in all of the prereq. classes. All A's so far. All prereqs. have been taken in the past year.

He said I could take the MCAT on Sept. 11th. and still apply for 2012. I will have 1 month to study for the test after summer end. My plan is to study for 4 hrs. a day during the week and 10-12 hrs. a day on the weekend. I will also be working as a teacher.

I still have the rest of the application to fill out in that time. I have lots and lots of volunteer hours, but still have shadowing to do. I have plans to do the shadowing in September and October.

The deadline for Texas applicants is Oct. 1st. Acceptance would be a long shot, but I like the fact that it could cut a year off of this process.

My greatest fear is taking the MCAT in September and not meeting my goal score. He seemed to have great faith that I would do a great job on the test though.

What are your thoughts?

 

[thlaxer]

He said I could take the MCAT on Sept. 11th. and still apply for 2012. I will have 1 month to study for the test after summer end. My plan is to study for 4 hrs. a day during the week and 10-12 hrs. a day on the weekend. I will also be working as a teacher.
...
My greatest fear is taking the MCAT in September and not meeting my goal score. He seemed to have great faith that I would do a great job on the test though.

Congrats on your pre-req grades! What's your cumulative GPA?

Personally, I wouldn't try to rush and apply in this cycle. Your MCAT score and the quality of your application will likely suffer as a result. For most people, one month isn't enough time to prepare and do their best on the MCAT. Without having taken't a practice test yet, it's hard to guess how you'll do on the actual thing since doing well on the pre-reqs doesn't necessarily mean you'll do well on the MCAT as well. Taking the test on Sept 11 will also mean that you won't get your score back until mid-October at the earliest (the exam takes 1 month to score).

You'll also have to rush to get your primary filled out and your LORs in after you take your MCAT (unless you're somehow able to fit in essay-writing in your already-condensed MCAT study schedule). Your primary application (if submitted in mid- to late-September) likely won't be verified until late-October at the earliest.. Factoring in the time it takes to write secondaries, you won't be complete until November, which is late in the application cycle.. If you have a very competitive application, you still can get interviews and ultimately get into a school through this route. These schools may not necessarily be the most competitive ones you could've gotten into if you had more time to write and prepare though. If your GPA/MCAT isn't as high, your chances will really be hurt.. Anecdotally, there are many people on here who didn't get in simply because they applied late.

I would wait a year in your position so you can do your best on the MCAT and have a well-polished application when you do apply. Just my thoughts.

 

[MedPR]

Unless you have a stellar application (3.8/35/great ECs) don't bother applying that late.

 

[DrMidlife]

He said I could take the MCAT on Sept. 11th. and still apply for 2012.

This is complete BS and your adviser's other advice should be considered questionable.

Unbelievable.

It's true you can apply in the literal sense. There's no truth in it being a good idea to to apply that late.