Class of 2020 Applicants

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crazii4animals99 said:
My application has been 100% complete from August 26th. I called them last week asking for my status and they said that the people at the Transcript Entry Service department don't provide them with such information. So, now I feel everything is up in the air.
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VMCAS :yeahright:

Keep calling. Ask if you can be forwarded to the Entry Service department or something. You have a right to know what your status is.
 
crazii4animals99 said:
My application has been 100% complete from August 26th. I called them last week asking for my status and they said that the people at the Transcript Entry Service department don't provide them with such information. So, now I feel everything is up in the air.
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Ouch, that's tough. Definitely give VMCAS a call (don't email; it's a waste of time and they take forever to respond and even when they do, they usually just copy and paste an unhelpful answer from the FAQ).

To be honest, there's been a massive amount of issues with the Professional Transcript Entry service in general this cycle, along with everything else. I'd like to think that if your application has been complete and submitted since August 26th, the you SHOULD be in the clear. At the same time, though, you've already surpassed the turnaround date with what seems to be nary a word as to your status, which is very concerning to me. Like @pinkpuppy9 said, contact them tomorrow (I doubt they're open today) and see if they can provide any sort of update. You're paying massive amounts of money to apply; you at least deserve to know where your application stands.

I hope that this all works out for you! :xf: It'll be absolute bullcrap if it doesn't, though with how VMCAS has been this entire cycle, I can't say I'd be surprised... as sad as that is.
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
This whole service legit worries me. The fact that they're already passing 10 days for people who submitted two weeks ago is not a good sign for those who just submitted on the 5th. Especially since they say "it make take up to 10 days" as opposed to 'it may take at least 10 days.'
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Yeah, I know. If people who've submitted a good 3+ weeks prior to the deadline are having issues, I shudder to think what will happen to all of the ones who submitted on the 5th thinking that they'd make it through on time (let's be honest, most applicants hit 'Submit' at the last second that they can get away with it). They SHOULD make it through, because that's VMCAS's "guarantee" with this service, but who knows at this rate?

I am really quite nervous to see how this cycle is going to turn out. I've heard of multiple people now who have been told to cancel their applications entirely because there is just no way they'll be ready for the 15th, at least according to VMCAS. Which is BS. I hope VMCAS intends to refund or otherwise compensate those whose applications are deemed "late" due to this stupid service because -- provided that everything was submitted by the 5th -- it is 100% out of the applicants' hands, but I know they won't. Which makes me mad because from what it sounds like a huge amount of applicants are having this problem.

I feel like I dodged a bullet by doing my own coursework entry, seriously.
 
ketoone said:
Yeah, I know. If people who've submitted a good 3+ weeks prior to the deadline are having issues, I shudder to think what will happen to all of the ones who submitted on the 5th thinking that they'd make it through on time (let's be honest, most applicants hit 'Submit' at the last second that they can get away with it). They SHOULD make it through, because that's VMCAS's "guarantee" with this service, but who knows at this rate?

I honestly wonder how this cycle is going to turn out at this rate. I've heard of multiple people now who have been told to cancel their applications entirely because there is just no way they'll be ready for the 15th, at least according to VMCAS. Which is BS. I hope VMCAS intends to refund or otherwise compensate those whose applications are deemed "late" due to this stupid service because -- provided that everything was submitted by the 5th -- it is 100% out of the applicants' hands, but I know they won't. Which makes me mad because from what it sounds like a huge amount of applicants are having this problem.

I feel like I dodged a bullet by doing my own coursework entry, seriously.
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Do they actually guarantee that 10 day turnaround? I don't think they do. They do guarantee that there are NO refunds whatsoever. They'd probably just say the typical "This is why we recommend submitting as early as possible."
 
ketoone said:
Ouch, that's tough. Definitely give VMCAS a call (don't email; it's a waste of time and they take forever to respond and even when they do, they usually just copy and paste an unhelpful answer from the FAQ).

To be honest, there's been a massive amount of issues with the Professional Transcript Entry service in general this cycle, along with everything else. I'd like to think that if your application has been complete and submitted since August 26th, the you SHOULD be in the clear. At the same time, though, you've already surpassed the turnaround date with what seems to be nary a word as to your status, which is very concerning to me. Like @pinkpuppy9 said, contact them tomorrow (I doubt they're open today) and see if they can provide any sort of update. You're paying massive amounts of money to apply; you at least deserve to know where your application stands.

I hope that this all works out for you! :xf: It'll be absolute bullcrap if it doesn't, though with how VMCAS has been this entire cycle, I can't say I'd be surprised... as sad as that is.
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Thank you for your input!
With the amount of time I put in worrying about this, I feel like I could have just used that time typing in everything myself and be done haha
Cross your fingers for me! at this point I could use all the luck I can get
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
Do they actually guarantee that 10 day turnaround? I don't think they do. They do guarantee that there are NO refunds whatsoever. They'd probably just say the typical "This is why we recommend submitting as early as possible."
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🙁
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
Do they actually guarantee that 10 day turnaround? I don't think they do. They do guarantee that there are NO refunds whatsoever. They'd probably just say the typical "This is why we recommend submitting as early as possible."
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https://portal.vmcas.org/vmcasHelpP...demic-history/vmcas-coursework-entry-service/

You appear to be correct; they do not. I honestly never looked at it, so I wasn't sure if it was a stated guarantee or not.

But at the same time, it frustrates me greatly that this is even happening. Yes, early is always better, but if VMCAS tells applicants that the turnaround date is 7-10 days for coursework entry, they should probably expect that a lot of applicants using the service are going to wait as long as possible to submit everything.

People who submit VMCAS 3+ weeks prior to the deadline when the stated turnaround is 7-10 days should not be left in the dark as to whether or not their application is going to make the cut.

This whole service is an absolute mess and I really hope that they either drop or tweak it for future cycles because ~85% of the problems I've seen applicants having with VMCAS this cycle pertain to the Professional Transcript Entry. It seems that something is fundamentally wrong.
 
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Oh, and don't misunderstand me: I'm not directing my frustration towards you; I just really worry for a lot of applicants this cycle who decided to pay for the service and are now in panic mode wondering if they're actually going to be able to have coursework entered by the 15th.
 
crazii4animals99 said:
🙁
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The thing with VMCAS is that they have serious, super annoying issues every single year. Go look up last year's thread (or the year before?). I think that's when Mr. VMCAS jumped in on the thread we were using to complain about them and tried to save face. He also tried to get into a debate with DVMD and LIS, which was pretty entertaining. He's been noticeably absent this year, though.

They are careful to not guarantee any of their responsibilities. They pressure applicants to submit super early so it makes their lives easier. They focus on developing their application in ways to increase their revenue/profit instead of ways that will prove more beneficial to the applicant (*coughcough* GRE scores). I'm not trying to turn this into a bashing session, but DVMD is right when she says that they have no competition and really, really need some.
 
pinkpuppy9 said:
Go look up last year's thread (or the year before?). I think that's when Mr. VMCAS jumped in on the thread we were using to complain about them and tried to save face. He also tried to get into a debate with DVMD and LIS, which was pretty entertaining. He's been noticeably absent this year, though.
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Yeah, it seems that the official VMCAS Staff account hasn't posted since December 2014.

Here's a couple of older threads with lots of VMCAS funny time humor!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/are-guys-more-likely-to-get-accepted-to-vet-school.1097016
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/vmcas-2014-questions.1076674
 
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heyyimhayley said:
DID VMCAS STAFF REALLY SAY "Um. ok" WHEN SOMEONE LITERALLY PROVED THEM WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING?!?
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yep. And we (at least those who have been around for a while) know exactly who runs that screenname. There's a whole bunch of things VMCAS has said/pulled/done that really irritate me, and I've only been around here for 2-3 years. It sounds like this cycle is the worst one yet, though.
 
I'm almost wondering that if things do go wrong and applications aren't completed/refunded if there would be basis for a lawsuit. Previous years were icky, but nothing on this scale.
 
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Gwenevre said:
I'm almost wondering that if things do go wrong and applications aren't completed/refunded if there would be basis for a lawsuit. Previous years were icky, but nothing on this scale.
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If they piss enough people off, it could happen. Businesses often call advance fees "non-refundable" because they hope that their customers are naive enough to believe that and won't try to recover their monies if services are not rendered.


FYI: I only skimmed the previous discussion about PTE, but I don't believe anyone seemed to catch that the 10 day turnaround is in BUSINESS days, so weekends and Labor Day don't count toward that time. That's also true for the 7-10 day processing for transcripts which is something I had to call about last year.
 
Jess Monster said:
FYI: I only skimmed the previous discussion about PTE, but I don't believe anyone seemed to catch that the 10 day turnaround is in BUSINESS days, so weekends and Labor Day don't count toward that time. That's also true for the 7-10 day processing for transcripts which is something I had to call about last year.
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This is a good point, and admittedly is something that just didn't cross my mind for whatever reason.

That being said, like @WildZoo stated, that would put the date to aim for at September 1st. But there are still many people using PTE who submitted at least a week or two prior to that who have still heard nary a word as to whether or not their coursework has actually been entered or even where their application currently stands. That's what concerns me.
 
ketoone said:
This is a good point, and admittedly is something that just didn't cross my mind for whatever reason.

That being said, like @WildZoo stated, that would put the date to aim for at September 1st. But there are still many people using PTE who submitted at least a week or two prior to that who have still heard nary a word as to whether or not their coursework has actually been entered or even where their application currently stands. That's what concerns me.
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I would say anyone who submitted (including eLORs and all that) before the 24th and hasn't heard back should contact VMCAS, but otherwise we're still in the 10 business day window
 
ketoone said:
This is a good point, and admittedly is something that just didn't cross my mind for whatever reason.

That being said, like @WildZoo stated, that would put the date to aim for at September 1st. But there are still many people using PTE who submitted at least a week or two prior to that who have still heard nary a word as to whether or not their coursework has actually been entered or even where their application currently stands. That's what concerns me.
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That is concerning. I am in that group, maybe, depending on what I'm told by VMCAS when I call tomorrow.
 
ketoone said:
This is a good point, and admittedly is something that just didn't cross my mind for whatever reason.

That being said, like @WildZoo stated, that would put the date to aim for at September 1st. But there are still many people using PTE who submitted at least a week or two prior to that who have still heard nary a word as to whether or not their coursework has actually been entered or even where their application currently stands. That's what concerns me.
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The further implication that if it's taking them >10 days for people who submitted weeks ago it may take even longer for people who submitted later...yeah, that would be very concerning.
 
WildZoo said:
I would say anyone who submitted (including eLORs and all that) before the 24th and hasn't heard back should contact VMCAS, but otherwise we're still in the 10 business day window
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👍 That's definitely the best course of action for the time being, methinks. I just really, really hope things work out for everyone by the 15th, especially for those applicants using PTE. If not, I can only imagine the sh*tstorm that VMCAS will have on their hands.

Sigh. I suppose I should probably get back to studying for immunology now... 😍
 
Yikes. Sorry to everyone who is dealing with transcript entry service craziness. Stressed out on your behalf. 😵
 
ketoone said:
👍 That's definitely the best course of action for the time being, methinks. I just really, really hope things work out for everyone by the 15th, especially for those applicants using PTE.

Sigh. I suppose I should probably get back to studying for immunology now... 😍
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Immunology is the best! Or at least that's what @SummerTheLynx always says...
 
Wait so clarification on this 7 to 10 business days thing... basically this means your transcripts need to be received by the 1st or 2nd and not the 15th if it takes that long to "process"? Or does this only apply to PTE... ?
 
heyyimhayley said:
Wait so clarification on this 7 to 10 business days thing... basically this means your transcripts need to be received by the 1st or 2nd and not the 15th if it takes that long to "process"?
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Only if you're doing the professional transcript entry service. If you entered your coursework on your application yourself, you're fine as long as everything is in by the 15th.
 
WildZoo said:
Only if you're doing the professional transcript entry service. If you entered your coursework on your application yourself, you're fine as long as everything is in by the 15th.
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Okay, good... I'm still waiting to see if they received my updated transcript. I got 9 credits worth of 4.0 over the summer, and I reaaaally want that on my application. Plus I already filled it in to my coursework and submitted VMCAS watch they'll tell me they can't verify me because the courses will still say in progress on my old transcript.

Ugh I'm calling them tomorrow, but I'm still stressing about it.
 
heyyimhayley said:
Okay, good... I'm still waiting to see if they received my updated transcript. I got 9 credits worth of 4.0 over the summer, and I reaaaally want that on my application. Plus I already filled it in to my coursework and submitted VMCAS watch they'll tell me they can't verify me because the courses will still say in progress on my old transcript.

Ugh I'm calling them tomorrow, but I'm still stressing about it.
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Fingers crossed that your transcripts make it on time (which i would think wouldn't be a problem, we're still a week out from the deadline). Probably a good idea to call to check, with the long weekend it might just be that they received them and haven't updated your app yet to show it.
 
heyyimhayley said:
Wait so clarification on this 7 to 10 business days thing... basically this means your transcripts need to be received by the 1st or 2nd and not the 15th if it takes that long to "process"? Or does this only apply to PTE... ?
Click to expand...

From what I understood last year, it will take them 7-10 business days to link your transcript to your account (process it) but as long as it's at least sitting in their mail room or in their PO box by the deadline, it's considered received. The downside is that you, the applicant, aren't going to know that it was received until some point after the deadline which could make for some tense waiting.

Last year it took three weeks for one transcript to get linked to my account. It took two days for the school to process it and mail it. It took who knows how long for USPS to deliver it and then, you know, VMCAS.
 
Jess Monster said:
From what I understood last year, it will take them 7-10 business days to link your transcript to your account (process it) but as long as it's at least sitting in their mail room or in their PO box by the deadline, it's considered received. The downside is that you, the applicant, aren't going to know that it was received until some point after the deadline which could make for some tense waiting.

Last year it took three weeks for one transcript to get linked to my account. It took two days for the school to process it and mail it. It took who knows how long for USPS to deliver it and then, you know, VMCAS.
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Oh good!! That makes me stress less... well I'm sure it's at their office by now because like I said before, it's only coming from Boston.
 
Ugh, I hope everything turns out okay for people doing PTE! That all sounds so stressful.
 
Caiter92 said:
Ugh, I hope everything turns out okay for people doing PTE! That all sounds so stressful.
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I know, it's stressing me out. It makes me angry, tbh. There is no reason for things to be this complicated, unclear, and stressful.


Everyone apply through my application service next year! You can pay me in Taco Bell :hungry:
 
Getting ready to submit and trying to see if I can work around some of the glitches I'm still having. I'm planning on calling VMCAS tomorrow morning but wanted to see if anyone else has had to deal with these particular issues.

I still can't get the application to accept my phone number in the profile page, so I can't complete the personal information section. My work number is the only number the f-ing thing will accept, but even when I try that plus my actual phone number in the alternate box, it won't accept my number in the alternate box, either, and everything gets deleted again. It is driving me absolutely batty. Worst case scenario, I guess I'll use my work number, but this is absurd.

The other section I can't complete is the program materials one. I had set up a test account when VMCAS was open in April for us to get a sneak peek, and they had made a test organization for you to select so you could see the whole application. Well, the test organization isn't showing up on the page where you select your programs, but it won't go away from the program selection totals. So it says I've selected 4 programs when I'm applying to 3 schools, and there's no way to delete the test organization because it's gone from that initial page. That wouldn't bother me so much except it's also showing up under Program Materials, too, so that section is also incomplete. I might try filling in the test program materials section with the gibberish they asked for, but why in the hell is it still there and why can't I get rid of it?

This is honestly more frustrating than Windows 98.
 
missdarjeeling said:
The other section I can't complete is the program materials one. I had set up a test account when VMCAS was open in April for us to get a sneak peek, and they had made a test organization for you to select so you could see the whole application. Well, the test organization isn't showing up on the page where you select your programs, but it won't go away from the program selection totals. So it says I've selected 4 programs when I'm applying to 3 schools, and there's no way to delete the test organization because it's gone from that initial page. That wouldn't bother me so much except it's also showing up under Program Materials, too, so that section is also incomplete. I might try filling in the test program materials section with the gibberish they asked for, but why in the hell is it still there and why can't I get rid of it?
Click to expand...
I never had the phone number glitch out on me, but I did have the same issue regarding the Test Organization. I contacted VMCAS about it at the very beginning of the cycle because I wanted to be sure it wasn't going to impact my application in any way (it also took them about two months to get back to me regarding the problem, but that is beside the point).

Basically, they told me to go ahead and fill out the Test Organization's Program Materials with gibberish and just submit it along with everything else; apparently there is no way for even VMCAS themselves to delete it from the application entirely. I submitted my VMCAS about a month ago, and it was verified just about 48 hours afterward... doesn't seem to have caused any issues so far.

Yeah, it's dumb. Yeah, they should have fixed it. But rest assured that you can still pay and submit with it there -- it won't affect anything.
 
Ha! It's 9:06am EDT and VMCAS already has their "high call volume, please call back" message up and running.
 
This may help some people:
I'm one of those people who submitted 2-3 weeks ago and am still waiting on PTE. I just got off the phone with VMCAS and was told no matter what, because I paid, my application will be verified and that schools (who are starting to look at applicants now) can see that its out of your control regarding PTE. Whether this is true or not is questionable because all of VMCAS is questionable lol.
 
emilygee said:
This may help some people:
I'm one of those people who submitted 2-3 weeks ago and am still waiting on PTE. I just got off the phone with VMCAS and was told no matter what, because I paid, my application will be verified and that schools (who are starting to look at applicants now) can see that its out of your control regarding PTE. Whether this is true or not is questionable because all of VMCAS is questionable lol.
Click to expand...

Hopefully, if that is the case, VMCAS will issue a statement in writing somewhere.
 
emilygee said:
This may help some people:
I'm one of those people who submitted 2-3 weeks ago and am still waiting on PTE. I just got off the phone with VMCAS and was told no matter what, because I paid, my application will be verified and that schools (who are starting to look at applicants now) can see that its out of your control regarding PTE. Whether this is true or not is questionable because all of VMCAS is questionable lol.
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oh and they said they dont have phones where the PTE is going on...so...there's that
 
emilygee said:
This may help some people:
I'm one of those people who submitted 2-3 weeks ago and am still waiting on PTE. I just got off the phone with VMCAS and was told no matter what, because I paid, my application will be verified and that schools (who are starting to look at applicants now) can see that its out of your control regarding PTE. Whether this is true or not is questionable because all of VMCAS is questionable lol.
Click to expand...

I was just fed the same line. I'm going to verify this with the school I'm applying to, but the VMCAS had better hope that I'm not kept out of consideration because of this mess. I will definitely pursue legal action if that does happen. Ugh. Really wishing I had just entered the stupid transcripts myself.
 
I just got off the phone and was told again that recommendations don't need to be completed before PTE begins, just requested. Also, the guy I spoke with said that from what he was noticing, it was taking most people 10 days to get their transcripts entered and ready for review.
 
Okay, definitely verify VMCAS's claim that your schools will 'understand' the late transcript entry. I just got off the phone with LSU, and they said that they will not, in fact, be fine with late transcript entry. So I'll be calling VMCAS back now...
 
I gotta say .... I feel for all y'all. This year's go-around with VMCAS just sounds painful.

(It also sounds kinda slightly sketchy: Step 1) Make it a pain in the rear to type in all your transcript info and consistently fail to improve that process, Step 2) Offer a transcription entry fee for a cost...... Hmmm.......)
 
WardenN7 said:
Okay, definitely verify VMCAS's claim that your schools will 'understand' the late transcript entry. I just got off the phone with LSU, and they said that they will not, in fact, be fine with late transcript entry. So I'll be calling VMCAS back now...
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Let us know how that goes . I tried calling and couldn't get through because of the high call volume 🙁
 
WardenN7 said:
Okay, definitely verify VMCAS's claim that your schools will 'understand' the late transcript entry. I just got off the phone with LSU, and they said that they will not, in fact, be fine with late transcript entry. So I'll be calling VMCAS back now...
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I am so, so sorry that you are having to deal with that. I understand that LSU has deadlines, and that's fine, but you'd think that they would have at least be given word about the current mess with VMCAS and maybe take that into consideration. Is LSU the only school you applied to?

Really hoping for things to work out for you this cycle. This is such a bum deal... 🙁
 
Does anyone know if your application is returned to you for issues with your transcript entry (I know vcmas will correct 5(?) mistakes for you), and you don't get your app back till after the deadline if you're still able to resubmit? It turned in my app over ten business days ago, and at the time everyone turning in was having their apps verified after 3-5 business days but mine still isn't. My IS has received my VCMAS app, and did a day after I submitted, but I still haven't been verified. I was only worried about two or three things on my transcript entry, so it should be fine. With all the issues/delays VCMAS is having though I'm starting to get worried.

Sorry I know this is super minor compared to the issues other people are having :/
 
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Okay, I managed to work something out, I think. Not getting my hopes up until it actually happens, but there it is... Fingers crossed. I'm kind of in a bind now because I promised the really sweet lady helping me I wouldn't disclose the details of what she's doing, but there is a way for them to help you out, and you just kind of have to get aggressive (not mean, just insistent) to get there. So other people going through this, I guess just contact your schools and see if they take late transcript entry. If not, keep calling VMCAS.
 
Caiter92 said:
Does anyone know if your application is returned to you for issues with your transcript entry (I know vcmas will correct 5(?) mistakes for you), and you don't get your app back till after the deadline if you're still able to resubmit? It turned in my app over ten business days ago, and at the time everyone turning in was having their apps verified after 3-5 business days but mine still isn't. My IS has received my VCMAS app, and did a day after I submitted, but I still haven't been verified. I was only worried about two or three things on my transcript entry, so it should be fine. With all the issues/delays VCMAS is having though I'm starting to get worried.

Sorry I know this is super minor compared to the issues other people are having :/
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I'm in the same situation. I submitted August 20th and still haven't been verified. People submitting just a few days before me were verified in 3-5 days as well, but its been 18 for me (but who is counting??). I am under the impression that if there is an issue and it is PAST the date, you cannot resubmit. Which is why they want to you to do it 4 weeks ahead of time since that's how long it could possibly take. So I'm just praying it will be verified with no issues or they get back to me in the next 6.5 days if there's something I need to fix!
 
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