AMCAS and transcript catastrophe

[tluedeke]

I found out today that disaster has struck - I'm an older non-trad, and had to chase down five transcripts from four different universities and colleges for AMCAS. I found out that one got rushed to the P.O. Box address for AMCAS rather than the mailing address, that they don't view that as submitted, and now I'm past all the medical school admission deadlines. The application, all my references, my essays, a cover letter, and four out of five transcripts arrived, and because of one transcript, I'm dead meat. I just didn't realize how dangerous transcripts could be for an applicant. Getting one is painful, but getting five is horrendous.

I'm not sure whether to cry or throw up....

Has anyone had to submit a transcript late and had the admissions offices of the schools accommodate them?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[BluMist]

Sorry to hear this. =/ So AMCAS never verified your initial application?
At this point, I'd just accept it and move onto the next cycle. Get everything ready by day 1.
Seems like you also took the MCAT the last day possible, which already resulted in a late completion. The silver lining might be that it will improve your chances for next cycle.

 

[DrMidlife]

dude it's December. you can't blame your blown app year on a transcript problem.

Next time order your transcripts in May and be complete in June.

note to the wise premed: order your own copies of your transcripts now as a dry run for next year. good money spent. that's how i knew to order one of mine 4 months early.

best of luck to you.

 

[esob]

sounds like all credential assembly services Ive seen so far. LSAC was a nightmare and TMDSAS has proved to be wholly incompetent regarding the information they post on their own website. I guess the mantra is, "if you can get past the credential assembly service, you'll just fine in med school." lol

 

[tluedeke]

dude it's December. you can't blame your blown app year on a transcript problem.

Next time order your transcripts in May and be complete in June.

note to the wise premed: order your own copies of your transcripts now as a dry run for next year. good money spent. that's how i knew to order one of mine 4 months early.

best of luck to you.

True, it was mostly due to a relocation from WA to NE in June/July, which pushed my MCATs to September 23, and my fear at pushing the apply button early (and at $100/school) without knowing what my MCAT score would be.

But that also wasn't the point of my post. The point was that obtaining multiple transcripts for older non-trads can be a lengthy process, requiring lots of babysitting, that can jeopardize an application due date.

 

[tluedeke]

sounds like all credential assembly services Ive seen so far. LSAC was a nightmare and TMDSAS has proved to be wholly incompetent regarding the information they post on their own website. I guess the mantra is, "if you can get past the credential assembly service, you'll just fine in med school." lol

I missed the TMDAS date altogether because of my late MCAT. Maybe it was just as well....

 

[tluedeke]

Sorry to hear this. =/ So AMCAS never verified your initial application?
At this point, I'd just accept it and move onto the next cycle. Get everything ready by day 1.
Seems like you also took the MCAT the last day possible, which already resulted in a late completion. The silver lining might be that it will improve your chances for next cycle.

In talking to AMCAS, they don't send any application to a school until each and every "T" is crossed and "i" is dotted. And if a school botches a transcript transmittal and AMCAS can't figure out how to accept it, tough luck, kid.

You're right about having everything ready early for the next election cycle. I'm worried, however, about how tough AMCAS and TMDAS will make it for me. For example, am I going to have to completely start over, chase down my references, and get them to submit them *again*? Or can I just roll them over from the 2016 application. It might be as bad as starting completely over....

 

[tluedeke]

sounds like all credential assembly services Ive seen so far. LSAC was a nightmare and TMDSAS has proved to be wholly incompetent regarding the information they post on their own website. I guess the mantra is, "if you can get past the credential assembly service, you'll just fine in med school." lol

AMCAS holds some blame, as well. They didn't make it very clear that transcripts delivered in an expedited fashion needed to go to a different address than non-rushed transcripts. So my transcript go to their P.O. Box address on time, but they registered it as "not accepted". That doesn't make me very happy....

 

[tluedeke]

In talking to AMCAS, they don't send any application to a school until each and every "T" is crossed and "i" is dotted. And if a school botches a transcript transmittal and AMCAS can't figure out how to accept it, tough luck, kid.

You're right about having everything ready early for the next election cycle. I'm worried, however, about how tough AMCAS and TMDAS will make it for me. For example, am I going to have to completely start over, chase down my references, and get them to submit them *again*? Or can I just roll them over from the 2016 application. Plus I'm a much older non-trad (in my 40s) - missing an election cycle is not something I can afford at my age...