AMCAS from down under

[Mistress S]

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I am thinking about participating in a study abroad program in Australia that would go from Feb '03- mid-July '03. I also have been planning to apply to med school next year (I will take the MCAT this August) and from everything I have heard it is best to apply early, so I wanted to turn my AMCAS application in during June '03. My question is, since the AMCAS application is now online, how feasible is it to apply from Australia? I should have internet access to do this, and I plan to have my personal statement written and all LOR's turned in to my pre-med committee before I leave, so theoretically all I would have to do is fill out the application and pay my fee. Is it really that simple though? Would being gone until mid-July possibly be an issue as far as schools needing to contact me, secondaries, etc.? I know last year was obviously a huge hassle with AMCAS, so that makes me a little sketchy too, but I'm hoping by next year they will have worked out most of the bugs. Does this sound like a reasonable plan, or will it overly complicate an already complicated process?

 

[Trek]

I think next year should be totally fine. Just plan well and your plan sounds easily accomplishable. --Trek

 

[CalBear]

not be a downer, but the only problem i see is if you decide to take the mcat again. can you take it in australia?

 

[11000]

hi!

i submitted my AMCAS from a small village in india (i was at the only internet connection)... it was a bit slow and extremely nerve-wracking, but it actually turned out to be an advantage b/c i was submitting my app when people in the US were asleep (so the servers were not busy!)...

definitely do everything possible before you leave (including typing in all of your transcript, etc. information into amcas), and then just leave the actual submitting for australia...!

best of luck,
swaroop

 

[Mistress S]

Calbear,
I know, I thought of that too. Hopefully I will do well enough this August, I have the summer to review and I am taking o-chem and physics now, so they should be fairly fresh in my mind. In any case, I will have my MCAT scores well in advance of the program, so if I really bomb it I will have time to decide if I can still go or if I need to stay and re-take it, or put off my application another year (which I would much rather not do). You actually can take the MCAT in Australia (I checked, and they offer it in Sydney, which is where I'll be staying), but I don't know how well I would be able to prepare for it if I'm in a foreign country and taking classes there. It's a valid point, I hope it doesn't become an issue! 🙁
So you can type info into AMCAS beforehand, and then just submit later? I didn't know that! That would make things even easier.

 

[CalBear]

the actual app probably won't be on-line till may, but you can just do everything in australia. b/f leaving the country i would get all my letters of recs ready and figure out some way to send your transcrits to amcas cause you can't submit it till the app is available.