Difficulty with secondary timing--working full time

[cjcarolina]

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I was verified at the very end of July. I've been working on my secondaries but I also just recently started a new very demanding full time job. I'm trying to get them done as fast as possible but I'm concerned that I will be at a disadvantage if I don't get them all in before the beginning of September. It's also difficult having to pay all of the fees in such a short amount of time. Any advice, input?

 

[Irish Football]

Only advice I can give is that if you are a border-line applicant, try and get the low-tier schools in first to give yourself a good chance at those schools. If you're a higher-stat applicant then maybe try and get the schools that you really would like to attend in first. Also try looking through the secondaries and choose ones with similar/overlapping questions and do those first so you can copy+paste as much as you can (assuming one answer answers both questions of course).

 

[PreMedOrDead]

Get them in as quickly and as high quality as possible.

Yup.

 

[ChartaBona]

I dropped down to 32 hrs/wk once I submitted my application to AMCAS. I'm going to stay there until I'm done with interviews.

 

[polynopaedia]

I had a similar situation coming back from a volunteer commitment to two part-time jobs, a summer school class and twenty secondaries. Hearing that you're doing full-time work is admirable and respectable, but it also sounds daunting once you add secondary applications and fees that follow.

While initially stressful, prioritizing your secondaries and spending daily time completing them will ensure that you are doing everything right. The perception of being at a disadvantage is just that: a perception. If you cannot finish some secondaries, you can't, and part of being a mature applicant and future physician involves minimizing the stress that circumstances beyond your control attempt to impose upon you. Finishing them well to the best of your ability is best.

 

[Dires]

I was verified at the very end of July. I've been working on my secondaries but I also just recently started a new very demanding full time job. I'm trying to get them done as fast as possible but I'm concerned that I will be at a disadvantage if I don't get them all in before the beginning of September. It's also difficult having to pay all of the fees in such a short amount of time. Any advice, input?

Rofl. Dude there are plenty of us in your shoes. Im working 60 hour weeks and I only have 14 out of my 22 secondaries submitted. SDN breeds neuroticism. Make sure they are quality submissions and get them in as soon as you can. That is all. The dead lines are in december and January so you have time Other than that relax! No since in getting stressed over something we can't control 🙂

 

[TheShaker]

I don't want to make a new thread for my question and I feel like this might be relevant to the OP as well. How long do schools tend to take to make you complete after turning in your secondary (assuming everything else is already taken care of)? I know it varies among schools but is there a trend/average amount of time it takes?

 

[PreMedOrDead]

I don't want to make a new thread for my question and I feel like this might be relevant to the OP as well. How long do schools tend to take to make you complete after turning in your secondary (assuming everything else is already taken care of)? I know it varies among schools but is there a trend/average amount of time it takes?

Varies a HUGE amount depending on school. For example:

Pitt: submitted mid-July, complete next day, II the day after that.
Creighton: submitted mid-July, complete this week, no II yet
Johns Hopkins: submitted mid-July, still not complete