Application submitting in mid-August?

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stardust379

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Hi all,

First of all, I apologize in advance if there are several other threads similar to this one. I wasn't able to browse around too much and I really just wanted an answer to my question ASAP. Kind of freaking out.

Currently I'm doing a post-bacc through UCLA Extension - basically retaking a bunch of pre-reqs that I didn't do well in as an undergrad. I'm planning on being done by Summer 2015 (Sept. 11, 2015 is the last day of class, to be exact) and I'm taking the MCAT this May. I was planning on submitting my application the first day it opens for submission, I believe around June 1st. However, this means that AACOMAS would NOT be getting my summer grades if I apply that early and that they do not consider classes as in progress unless it officially says so on your transcript.

I figured if I submitted my application mid-August, my application would get verified by mid-September, since it takes about a month or so for the verification process to complete (not sure of this though). My grades would be in by mid-September and my application would thus officially be complete. I was wondering if this is a good move on my part? Should I submit mid-August? I'm still unfamiliar with all the rules D.O. schools have since I am a first-time applicant. I would have loved to send in my apps June 1st, but my GPA just would not be strong enough without my summer courses included. Would submitting mid-August be drastic, or is that a reasonably okay time to submit them? Would I be able to update my grades during that month-long verification process with my summer grades, or would that not be possible? I know interviews and secondaries basically come in at a first-come-first-serve basis, so in my situation, would I be too late?

Freaking out a little here, so please let me know what my best bet is and what my options are.

Thank you!

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It depends on your current stats and how much the classes would raise your GPA. This would show whether the move is worth it. In most cases, I would say no. It would usually be better to submit day one with the most current grades.
 
Also depends on how you do on your MCAT. You could end up bombing that and end up having to study for that along with your retakes which would suck. Not saying you will but ain't no tellin'.
 
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Yes. Unless we have an idea of your stats... it's kinda hard to give better advice. But I also submitted my primary around late August and had my sec + complete application by late September. I had 4 DO school interviews and 2 acceptances, out of 6 DO schools I applied to.

I think it's still ok for mid-August, just prepare your application way in advance and once you receive that transcript enter everything in soon as you can. But it would really depend on your final stats to hold off on even applying for the upcoming cycle.
 
If you're GPA's aren't exceptionally terrible, like below accepted values, then I would apply day 1 and update grades later. Just put your courses in the 'planned/in progress' section so they know to expect improvement. And as long as I was averaging >28 on practice exams, I wouldn't worry too much about receiving your score before verifying your AACOMAS. Good Luck!
 
It depends on your current stats and how much the classes would raise your GPA. This would show whether the move is worth it. In most cases, I would say no. It would usually be better to submit day one with the most current grades.
Thanks so much for the advice. My undergrad GPA is terrible, but with the retakes (and factoring in the AACOMAS grade replacement), my cumulative (with the retakes) and my AACOMAS GPA should be fine. But that's with all the classes I have yet to retake, and only if I get A's in the rest of them.
It depends on your current stats and how much the classes would raise your GPA. This would show whether the move is worth it. In most cases, I would say no. It would usually be better to submit day one with the most current grades.

Thank you! Current stats aren't great without the retakes, so I guess my best bet would be to apply August and update my grades during the verification process once the second half of my summer grades roll in.
 
Also depends on how you do on your MCAT. You could end up bombing that and end up having to study for that along with your retakes which would suck. Not saying you will but ain't no tellin'.
Very true. I'm hoping to get a 28+. For DO schools, I hear that's good enough. Wish me luck!
 
Yes. Unless we have an idea of your stats... it's kinda hard to give better advice. But I also submitted my primary around late August and had my sec + complete application by late September. I had 4 DO school interviews and 2 acceptances, out of 6 DO schools I applied to.

I think it's still ok for mid-August, just prepare your application way in advance and once you receive that transcript enter everything in soon as you can. But it would really depend on your final stats to hold off on even applying for the upcoming cycle.
Wow, that's amazing! Gives me some hope. Apologies for not posting my current stats. I didn't see any reason to since they aren't great right now, without all of my retaken classes. My projected AACOMAS GPA with the retakes, however, will be a 3.5-3.6, but that is only after I've received my grades in September.

So actually, here's my question: I'll be getting the last chunk of my retake grades (since I will be retaking some classes over the summer), around mid-September. Since the verification process takes about a month, I am assuming applying mid-August will be just the right amount of time for me to be able to update those last grades. Am I right in assuming that?
 
If you're GPA's aren't exceptionally terrible, like below accepted values, then I would apply day 1 and update grades later. Just put your courses in the 'planned/in progress' section so they know to expect improvement. And as long as I was averaging >28 on practice exams, I wouldn't worry too much about receiving your score before verifying your AACOMAS. Good Luck!
Hi MedNation907,

By GPAs, are you referring to my AACOMAS or undergrad? My undergrad GPA is terrible (below 3.0), but with the retakes, my AACOMAS GPA should be decent. I've been doing well so far, so I believe it should be around a 3.5 or 3.6, which isn't bad. I understand the "planned/in progress" option, but I read somewhere that schools only take into consideration the grades that you have solidly put down on your application and that they don't take into account in progress grades when making decisions. I know we can update grades... but if I apply June 1, I won't be able to get ahold of the rest of my summer grades until mid-September. Since apparently the first round of interviews tend to come out in September and since I will have applied so early, wouldn't they base interview decisions solely based on the grades I have so far and NOT including the in progress grades? I am so sorry if this doesn't make any sense, I'm not sure how to put it more coherently.
 
The only thing I would worry about is being screened from consideration if your GPA is truly that low, otherwise I still think an early app is best. All DO schools operate on a rolling admissions, so it's not like they will take one look at your app and discard it for good. They will review it a number of times before they offer you an interview.

The only school I can think of off the top of my head is CCOM who has a minimum total sciGPA of 2.75, but I would check to make sure each school you're applying to has a lower cut-off than what you're initially applying with.
 
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The only thing I would worry about is being screened from consideration if your GPA is truly that low, otherwise I still think an early app is best. All DO schools operate on a rolling admissions, so it's not like they will take one look at your app and discard it for good. They will review it a number of times before they offer you an interview.

The only school I can think of off the top of my head is CCOM who has a minimum total sciGPA of 2.75, but I would check to make sure each school you're applying to has a lower cut-off than what you're initially applying with.

Oh! See, I didn't know that. I'm a first-time applicant and basically a baby to this whole process, so please bear with me. So they basically just do a computerized screen the first time reviewing the application, to screen off low GPAs and such? Do DO schools do that based on the AACOMAS GPA? If they do, then I shouldn't be in too much trouble - by June, I'll have enough retakes under my belt to get my GPA > 3.0. As long as they don't screen solely based on undergrad grades without any retakes, that should be my case. So I should still apply early?
 
You definitely shouldn't feel stupid for asking, these are legitimate questions cause applying can be pretty confusing. But yeah basically they use stats as a loose filter for secondaries, because they simply don't have time to sift through everyones PS, ECs, grade trend, etc. They would use the AACOMAS GPA as the indicator, so yeah you will be okay especially if it's above 3.0. Some schools may hold their secondaries until they receive your MCAT, but at least you can have your primary app completed and have some secondaries to work on while you wait for your final grades. If you stick with your May MCAT date this shouldn't even be an issue though.

I don't see any gain from applying later when your grades are complete, I would apply in June.
 
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If ones gpa is above 3.3 but has less than a 23 mcat score should they still apply day 1 and state their intent to retake the mcat or wait until they receieve their New score before applying to all of their target schools?
 
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You definitely shouldn't feel stupid for asking, these are legitimate questions cause applying can be pretty confusing. But yeah basically they use stats as a loose filter for secondaries, because they simply don't have time to sift through everyones PS, ECs, grade trend, etc. They would use the AACOMAS GPA as the indicator, so yeah you will be okay especially if it's above 3.0. Some schools may hold their secondaries until they receive your MCAT, but at least you can have your primary app completed and have some secondaries to work on while you wait for your final grades. If you stick with your May MCAT date this shouldn't even be an issue though.

I don't see any gain from applying later when your grades are complete, I would apply in June.

Okay, thanks so much. Sorry if I am repeating myself, but I just want to make sure I have this on the clear: basically, schools screen out applicants based on their primary application GPA/MCAT scores at first. Then, they hand out secondaries after a more thorough investigation? So, they'll dig deeper into GPA and MCAT scores (instead of a first glance at those for the screening out process) as well as other factors like extracurriculars? Yeah, my MCAT results should be out by June 30th, so it shouldn't be an issue.
 
^^^ Lolz. Not to jack your thread but can someone look at my thread please that ima post a link to in this thread? lolz Ima check it out now jus cause you got ballz man!
 
Okay, thanks so much. Sorry if I am repeating myself, but I just want to make sure I have this on the clear: basically, schools screen out applicants based on their primary application GPA/MCAT scores at first. Then, they hand out secondaries after a more thorough investigation? So, they'll dig deeper into GPA and MCAT scores (instead of a first glance at those for the screening out process) as well as other factors like extracurriculars? Yeah, my MCAT results should be out by June 30th, so it shouldn't be an issue.

Yes. And I would just investigate the schools you are submitting your primary to, I don't know if they technically have hardcore cutoffs per se but I would at least make sure it's above whatever they label as 'minimum' on their website. Which most schools do, not all. Because I'm sure applicants are indeed screened pre-secondary, my assumption is that their stats would have to be very very low for it to happen.

If you find yourself cutting it close to some of the more established/competitive programs, then you could always push your primary through to your 'safety' schools. That way you are still clearing the lengthy AACOMAS processing stage early, and you wouldn't have to worry about being screened from your 'reach' schools.

I really think you will be fine. You mentioned your GPA is already >3.0, so that's good. As long as that's the case I wouldn't sweat it too much, but again do some research beforehand. And of course, make sure you MCAT is strong before applying too!
 
Yes. And I would just investigate the schools you are submitting your primary to, I don't know if they technically have hardcore cutoffs per se but I would at least make sure it's above whatever they label as 'minimum' on their website. Which most schools do, not all. Because I'm sure applicants are indeed screened pre-secondary, my assumption is that their stats would have to be very very low for it to happen.

If you find yourself cutting it close to some of the more established/competitive programs, then you could always push your primary through to your 'safety' schools. That way you are still clearing the lengthy AACOMAS processing stage early, and you wouldn't have to worry about being screened from your 'reach' schools.

I really think you will be fine. You mentioned your GPA is already >3.0, so that's good. As long as that's the case I wouldn't sweat it too much, but again do some research beforehand. And of course, make sure you MCAT is strong before applying too!

Ahh, thanks so much! My retake grades slipped a little this quarter (straight B's, ugh) so my AACOMAS GPA would be 3.375 if I were to apply this June. A little on the low end for me, but I guess you're right - I should at least apply to my safety schools and get that out of the way.

I think I'll wait for the schools I really want to get into, as you suggested. I might wait until late July to apply to those... and of course yes, the MCAT. Going to really bust my butt for that exam.

Thanks so much for the advice.
 
Make sure to know exactly what your cGPA and sGPA is before deciding to apply (which duh, I just have to say it)

This can be a major help to you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/cutoffs-not-like-tobias-but-gpa-mcat.567224/
The thread is a little outdated but the provided links will direct you to the website to-date.

An example of a close call is KCUMB (min cGPA and sGPA of 3.25) most others either don't have a cutoff or are very low (2.8)

Good luck on the MCAT!


EDIT: That list does not include newer programs (ex. CUSOM has a 3.2 cutoff)
 
Make sure to know exactly what your cGPA and sGPA is before deciding to apply (which duh, I just have to say it)

This can be a major help to you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/cutoffs-not-like-tobias-but-gpa-mcat.567224/
The thread is a little outdated but the provided links will direct you to the website to-date.

An example of a close call is KCUMB (min cGPA and sGPA of 3.25) most others either don't have a cutoff or are very low (2.8)

Good luck on the MCAT!


EDIT: That list does not include newer programs (ex. CUSOM has a 3.2 cutoff)

Thank you so much for that thread! I'll definitely look at it soon.

Thanks so much. I'll definitely need the luck for the MCAT, especially since I'd be taking the new version.

I was wondering for DO schools specifically, they base their cutoffs on the AACOMAS GPA right?

Also, for DO schools, do they incorporate the retaken grades in the cGPA? Or is the cGPA equivalent to ones undergraduate GPA? Because my undergrad GPA definitely sucks, haha.

Thank you for answering my questions!
 
for DO schools specifically, they base their cutoffs on the AACOMAS GPA right?

Correct.

Also, for DO schools, do they incorporate the retaken grades in the cGPA?

Yes, both cumulative and science GPA's on AACOMAS will improve upon retakes because the system allows grade replacements without drowning in credits (like the UG GPA's). The instructions specify which classes are considered science vs non-science but I would assume both would improve, but not necessarily by the same amount. Hope that makes sense. Someone here will correct me if I'm wrong, @IslandStyle808
 
Correct.



Yes, both cumulative and science GPA's on AACOMAS will improve upon retakes because the system allows grade replacements without drowning in credits (like the UG GPA's). The instructions specify which classes are considered science vs non-science but I would assume both would improve, but not necessarily by the same amount. Hope that makes sense. Someone here will correct me if I'm wrong, @IslandStyle808

Okay, gotcha. That's what I assumed too, but I couldn't find anything online that backed me up. Thanks a bunch.
 
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