Do I wait until after MCATs to apply?

[reese07]

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I plan to take my MCAT on July 30. Do I have to wait to apply until after I take it? I hear about applicants applying as early as June/July and also that the earlier the better chances of getting accepted. So the fact that my scores wont get in until I think August 7 kinda makes me nervous if I'm one of those "late" applicants.

 

[cardiackid88]

I think you can submit your primary application to AACOMAS, but it won't be complete until your MCAT scores get in, and it will take another few weeks for the complete primary application to be verified. That August primary application verification waiting game this cycle was pretty interesting - lots of people inquiring and anxious to get verified. It took about two months for those who applied August/September if you see the official verification thread for the 2009-10 cycle.

 

[jm192]

I plan to take my MCAT on July 30. Do I have to wait to apply until after I take it? I hear about applicants applying as early as June/July and also that the earlier the better chances of getting accepted. So the fact that my scores wont get in until I think August 7 kinda makes me nervous if I'm one of those "late" applicants.

I sent mine in like October of 2009, took about 8 weeks to be verified. I received secondaries and one interview in December--that one interview led to an acceptance. I think you'll be just fine if you end up submitting in early August. Actually, I submitted my AMCAS during early August, I ended up with December interviews as well (I tell you this because my MCAT was pretty average--so assuming you do average to good, you'll be just fine)

Make sure everything else is ready to go. Have your application to where all you have to do is send the MCAT scores and click submit.

 

[reese07]

Is it true that you can send in your primary and get it verified all before having MCAT scores? If so, will submitting my primary all before July allow me to be considered early? Also, what exactly are in a primary application?

 

[jm192]

Is it true that you can send in your primary and get it verified all before having MCAT scores? If so, will submitting my primary all before July allow me to be considered early? Also, what exactly are in a primary application?

I actually don't think so.

I think you can take it, submit, get verified, and then forward more scores if you take it later.

As far as what's on it:

Biography section--Personal Info/where you went to school type stuff
Family info--parents education/what they do
Personal info: Name/demographic
Personal Statement
Work experience
Extracurricular/volunteer/Service
Discipline questions/osteopathic background
Awards/honors/scholarships
MCAT Info
Colleges/Coursework
Choose Med schools

Most of just involves clicking drop down menus/boxes, maybe type in your personal info/name of EC's.

The personal statement and the coursework take the most time. I spent 6 weeks brainstorming, writing, editing, e-mailing my personal statement to professors for suggestions.

The coursework: you have to enter every course # and name, when you took it, what grade you got--it's a nightmare. You can do it in an hour or 2 though--but it's like a straight hour of nothing but clicking and typing, you don't realize how boring/tedious that gets until you do it.

 

[reese07]

I read and confirmed that I can get my primary verified with my MCATs pending. So if I get everything verified by July and my July 30th MCAT scores in on Aug 31 would I still be considered somewhat early?

 

[jm192]

I read and confirmed that I can get my primary verified with my MCATs pending. So if I get everything verified by July and my July 30th MCAT scores in on Aug 31 would I still be considered somewhat early?

I think that's plenty early. Not to beat the horse to death, but again, I applied in October with a less than stellar score, and it worked out. You'd be about 4-6 weeks ahead of that pace.


If you really wanted to be one of the earliest applicants, you'd have to move the MCAT up. Schools won't decide on an interview until having seen that. However, don't move it up and hurt your score for the sake of being done early. A more quality application submitted in August>>>lower quality in April.

 

[medschoolfamily]

I read and confirmed that I can get my primary verified with my MCATs pending. So if I get everything verified by July and my July 30th MCAT scores in on Aug 31 would I still be considered somewhat early?

Yerah that is pretty early still. I wasn't verified until November, even though I submitted in September and I got an interview and acceptance by Dec 11th. So if you're verified by July 31st you'll be just fine. Remember that even though the earlier the better, most DO schools don't have primary deadlines until after the new year, and they have these deadlines for a reason. So, get it in and verified by July 31st and you'll be ahead of the majority.

 

[Boiler up]

You can submit your primary without your MCAT score. Some schools will send secondaries without MCAT scores, and you can go ahead and send them out, they will just not be completed until your MCAT scores are received.

 

[FuSoYa]

bottom line: send in your applications as early as possible. No one's going to throw your app into the trash just b/c the MCAT score is missing.

 

[rmandy]

MCAT Score taken in Jan2010 is 39.

How soon we should be applying for admissions?

Am I eligible for 2010 admission or 2011 admission?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ben9o6]

Am I eligible for 2010 admission or 2011 admission?

Thanks in advance.

You would be eligible for 2011 admission which starts in June 2010