application question!

[ekhong87]

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hello!
i have been a reader of this forum for a quiet some time, and i finally register and became a proud member!

first of all, i know this question may have been asked a few times, i know med school application is rolling application, so we can start applying on june 1st, but i read that "data transferred on june 17th", so does this mean our MCAT scores won't be transferred to medical schools til 17th? i'm wondering because i'll be taking my MCAT on may 12th, i wanted to register for april of even march test dates, but i couldnt, and earliest date i got was the may 12th, and im afraid that my application will be put aside because i'm missing my MCAT scores. but if the data arent sent til the 17th, my MCAT score will be transferred along with my application, right?

thank you!

 

[pdxjazz]

Here is a good link that covers allot of information for future reference- http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=814264


In general, the earlier you apply the faster you will be "verified" which is when AMCAS compares your official trascripts against the grades you entered on the AMCAS application. Nothing happens until that verification process is complete. Once you are verified, your application is then sent out to the medical schools you have selected.


You also don't need an MCAT score to submit the AMCAS application. You do have to select at least one medical school however. Thus you have some options.


1. Submit on June 1st (w/out your MCAT score) so your application gets verified as quickly as possible, then the MCAT score is added automatically to your application when it is released. You must choose one medical school in order to submit and can add more when your MCAT comes back, or you add them all before you submit. It's probably smarter to just add one school then wait for the MCAT in case you don't do well. When you add more schools later on it only takes a day for AMCAS to send out your application to those schools as it is all done electronically.


2. Wait for your MCAT scores to come back before submitting the AMCAS application. This will delay your application as the later you submit the longer it takes to get verified. It can take anywhere from a few hours if you submit on June 1st, to several weeks if you submit during the peak time others are submitting. That link will help you see when those peak times are.


The reason you might wait is if you really bomb the MCAT and decide to retake the MCAT at a later date and apply the following year. You will not have been verified by AMCAS, and thus not considered a reapplicant. Being a reapplicant is not a death sentence, it just looks better to have applied once with a strong application.


As for the June 17th release date, AMCAS holds up sending out all verified applications to the schools until that date (not reallly sure why). After that date applications are sent out as soon as each application is verified.