App. ?

[JMD]

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Quick question. I am have been filling out AMCAS, and planned on sending it in ASAP. However, I am not taking the MCAT until August, and I am taking physics 1 and 2 this summer. Should I wait until August to send in my application with my physics grades (hopefully 2 A's!)? If I do well, it will help my BCPM. Schools will not be able to process my app. until they get my MCAT scores in October, so waiting on the app. shouldn't hold anything up, right?

 

[none]

Wellllll...it's true schools won't process your app until they have MCAT scores in front of them, but AMCAS might. Last year at least, the main delay wasn't in waiting for schools to process our apps, it was waiting for AMCAS to check our grades against transcripts.

 

[efex101]

Okay maybe I am ignorant or something but how do you plan on studying for the MCAT at the same time that you are taking Physics I and II and plan to get A's in those two classes? I am totally confused..Physics at my school was quite time consuming.

 

[relatively prime]

Hmm... exactly how much is it going to help your science gpa? If it's going to raise your science gpa by more than 0.2, then, yes, I think you should wait.

Otherwise... just submit it... they're going to look at your application in October anyway... so they will see the physics grades then.

This is kinda a bad situation to be in though... so I'm not sure if there's any right answer. I'm just giving you my opinion.

Why didn't you take the MCAT in April?

Good luck!

 

[SMW]

I took the August MCAT last year. I submitted my application on July25 (would have done so a couple weeks earlier but for last year's AMCAS problems). Let me tell you, it was close getting AMCAS to get my apps to the schools by the time the MCAT scores came out (I had to threaten them with legal action). And even that was a bit late -- my acceptances were from the schools that somehow managed to interview me relatively early, my waitlists were from my later interviews. I have to agree with efex, I don't know how you can possibly apply, take Physics I and II, keep track of your application processing, do secondaries, and study for the MCAT. But that's not what you asked. My advice is submit ASAP. You won't believe all the ways AMCAS can screw things up and delay things.

 

[JMD]

Relatively prime,
I did not take the MCAT in April because I still have to take Physics, which I am currently in the process of doing. You indicated that they "will see the physics grade" in October even if I submit my app. soon, but how will they see the grades if AMCAS never even gets them?

Efex,
yeah, I will probably go insane this summer, but I am taking physics and studying. I started studying a while ago though, and I figure I will not have to study physics much because it will be pretty fresh. The "2 A's" thing is just wishful thinking. Could end up 2 D's 🙁, who knows?

 

[relatively prime]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by JMD:
•Relatively prime,
I did not take the MCAT in April because I still have to take Physics, which I am currently in the process of doing. You indicated that they "will see the physics grade" in October even if I submit my app. soon, but how will they see the grades if AMCAS never even gets them?
•••••You would have your new transcript sent directly to the medical schools.
Look, I think you could go either way... but if you apply that late, you're going to be a "late applicant" and if your stats aren't that strong, you're going have a rough time.

I know it's took late now... but why did you wait so long to take physics... did you just recently decide you wanted to me a doctor?

 

[Mary Jane Watson]

I think if you really focus you can do it. Last summer I took Physics III, OChem III, the Kaplan MCAT review class, worked 20hours/wk, plus volunteered. I took the MCAT in August, submitted AMCAS after I got my final grades in August. I had a pretty successful application process, so the later MCAT didn't hurt me much. I'm one of those people who does much better the more I have to do - that's just me. Just focus, and you can do it! Good luck! 😀

 

[relatively prime]

Mary, did you have any other MCAT scores though? Or was the august one your first one?

 

[paean]

Submit asap. If you get good grades, update your schools at the end of the summer (not through AMCAS, but if they are considering you, they'll take the time to read your update letter telling them about the two A's). If you get bad grades, it didn't hurt your AMCAS GPA, and you can delay telling them until they really want you (after the interview, or at least after the interview invite). AMCAS is slow, if they have to wait until they get your transcript after summer grades are in, you will be like me, verified in January, which sucked.

 

[JMD]

Mary Jane,
Thanks for the encouragement. It was nice to hear that someone else has been in a similar situation and had a happy ending. 🙂

Bikini Princess,
Thank you for the PM.

 

[relatively prime]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by JMD:
•I don't know how my last post ended up on here 3X. If anyone knows how I can delete 2 of them, let me know!•••••Go to the posts and click on edit... it's the icon that looks like a piece of paper and a pencil... then at the top of the edit screen... you'll see a blue strip. In the blue scrip there's a "delete" option with a check box next to it. Check the delete box. Then, scroll all the way down till you fine the SECOND "edit" buttom. Click on the SECOND "edit" botton. There are two edit buttons, if you click on the first one (the top one) the post won't get deleted.

Hope that helps 🙂

 

[abefroman]

JMD: It can be done. Last summer, I took Orgo I and II and reviewed for the August MCAT. If you work hard on physics, you won't have too spend much time actually studying for physics for the MCAT. But you should still review lots of physics review questions because they will be different from your college questions.

Anyway, I submitted AMCAS in early August and then later sent AMCAS my summer grades. They updated it without much trouble. I would say do AMCAS as soon as you can even if it is incomplete. I got my first interview about a week after the MCAT score came in, so some schools must start screening even before the scores are available.

 

[Mary Jane Watson]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by relatively prime:
•Mary, did you have any other MCAT scores though? Or was the august one your first one?•••••Hey prime:

The august MCAT was my first one. One of the schools I applied to actually sent me an email saying they wanted to interview me, but were waiting on my scores. They said as soon as I got them, I could just send them or fax them. So, some schools look at your app before the scores come in.