Earliest Date for Secondaries

[oneirologist]

Hi all,

Assuming an applicant is verified within the first few days of June, when is the earliest he or she will receive a secondary invite? I am aware that the initial AMCAS data transmission to medical schools is July 1st this year, but I know some schools send out auto secondaries prior to verification. Is it therefore possible to receive secondaries in early June, or do all schools have a set date for sending out their first batch of secondaries (which is either on or after receiving the applications from AMCAS on July 1st)?

Just wanted to know how much time I have to pre-write prompts and when my professors should ideally get their letters in by.

Thank you

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[miamiheatfan]

Some schools will send you secondaries as soon as they notification that you sent a primary to them (GW, NYMC for example). The majority will send it to you once your AMCAS is verified (so July 1st/2nd). Some screen and you will have to wait days to weeks after you're verified.

 

[miamiheatfan]

While this seems to be repeated in multiple places in SDN, Internet, Even USNWR, I am unsure how accurate this is. From a processing standpoint, it makes no sense for a school to send out a secondary until an application is verified and transmitted from AMCAS to the school. At transmissions, schools now have information to create a file and populate it with data. Certainly as more schools move to a fully automated and integrated intake system, much of it provided by AMCAS (https://www.aamc.org/admissions/processingtools/) it would seem a waste of resources to take in secondaries until the school has some student data. Indeed, there is a published policy on transmission from AMCAS and legally to prevent any sort of claim of manipulating the system or making an unfair playing field, I wouldnt think AMCAS would risk this. Does anyone have a verifiable link or document, something other than "I heard this", where a school has this policy?

Just from personal experience, I submitted my primary at the end of June this past cycle, and the next day I received a secondary from a school. I mean for schools that don't screen, I'm guessing they wouldn't care when they send it out because uninformed applicants will take a prematurely received secondary as "a sign" and would lead to getting more money. Maybe a lot of schools have screens that aren't published, and once student info is received they start screening like that.

 

[miamiheatfan]

I wonder if AMCAS was doing the processing for them and that was part of the agreement. Hmm

I'm not sure, but I assume that if every school wanted to send secondaries before applicants were verified, they could. Maybe it speeds up the process of deciding who gets interview invites.

 

[oneirologist]

Just from personal experience, I submitted my primary at the end of June this past cycle, and the next day I received a secondary from a school.

Do you know if applicants who were verified at the beginning of June (prior to AMCAS data transmission) also received secondaries that early?

 

[miamiheatfan]

Do you know if applicants who were verified at the beginning of June (prior to AMCAS data transmission) also received secondaries that early?

I'm not sure, but I'd assume so. Even if you're able to submit a secondary early, school definitely will not look at you until you're verified

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

I know Dartmouth also sends secondaries as soon as they receive notice from AMCAS that you are applying even if you aren't verified yet. OP, I would try to have the majority of your secondaries prewritten by the beginning of July in the best case scenario.

 

[oneirologist]

I know Dartmouth also sends secondaries as soon as they receive notice from AMCAS that you are applying even if you aren't verified yet. OP, I would try to have the majority of your secondaries prewritten by the beginning of July in the best case scenario.

Thanks, that's the plan! I was just wondering if I needed to have them pre-written by the beginning of June if there are schools that send out secondaries immediately after verification, even if it's before the AMCAS data transmission.

 

[miamiheatfan]

Thanks, that's the plan! I was just wondering if I needed to have them pre-written by the beginning of June if there are schools that send out secondaries immediately after verification, even if it's before the AMCAS data transmission.

No, not by June

 

[oneirologist]

No, not by June

Thanks for your help!