Forgiveness on Late Secondaries

[RaaMD]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Do schools penalize an applicant for a secondary that is late. Where do schools draw a line between dates that are acceptable and those that truly hurt the applicant. Thanks.

 

[jlee9531]

well was there a deadline? if you missed the deadline...like northwestern, then its not gonna be good.

but there are other schools that are not as hard with their deadlines just as long as you have a good reason for an extension.

 

[Code Brown]

Do schools penalize an applicant for a secondary that is late. Where do schools draw a line between dates that are acceptable and those that truly hurt the applicant. Thanks.

If you let them know that you will be late before the date passes, they are usually more lenient.

 

[Mumpu]

Many schools keep track of turn-around time on your secondaries as a measure of your interest in their programs. Late secondaries do not look good and will count against you. Remember, there are many more applications than open spots, which means programs will use any and all opportunities to weed people out.

 

[Fed Meat]

Many schools keep track of turn-around time on your secondaries as a measure of your interest in their programs. Late secondaries do not look good and will count against you.

[Student goes on vacation. Is screwed.]

Idiots. If this is true, schools need to be burned.

 

[uclabruin2003]

i turned in two secondaries late (like 3-5 days). i did not call them before hand to let them know....bc well when youre applying to 38 schools...you get mixed up....plus some schools dont make their deadline so apparent....VCU i could have sworn said something about 30 days...after revisiting their website and downloading the instructions...did it say 2 weeks....

needless to say both VCU and Howard were fine. they told me that it was acceptable to turn them in just a few days late and that it was normal. when asked of any reprucssions...they said there would not be any...

i suppose it really depends on the school. good luck all.

 

[j0ker918]

The best thing to do is to always call them and just ask. The only strict school I know is Northwestern. All the other ones with deadlines (for regular MD) are more lenient and usually say "we highly recommend submitting within insert time here)". So that means they just don't want truckloads of applications to pour in all at the same time. For example, I thought I wasn't going to make the UC Irvine month deadline because I didn't even know they had one and waited three and a half weeks later to complete it. I called the office and said that I mailed it but it might get there the day after it is due, and they said it doesn't matter and to just send it in when I can. So don't feel bad! Common knowledge is to submit your secondary ASAP or within 48 hours. Do that, and you'll have nothing to worry about.

 

[Freakingzooming]

yeah j0ker918- i did that too for uci. It wasn't so clear to me that it was a month deadline cuz I kept getting bombarded with emails about secondaries.

i turned ucdavis 2 days late. well technically, 1 day and 1 hour late.. I hit the submission button a little too late... but i called and they said the deadline was more so that people wouldn't drag their feets and wait 2 months to complete the secondary.

Rush is I think the most stringent deadline ever. If you don't meet the 30 days thing, they cut you off the application and you need to beg for their forgiveness and then get an extension.

 

[leechy]

[Student goes on vacation. Is screwed.]

Idiots. If this is true, schools need to be burned.

My gosh, I hope this isn't true. I've been taking my time - not outrageous time, but 2-4 weeks - with my secondaries, mostly because I'm trying to do a really good job on them and have been busy with other things. I'd hate for that to be interpreted as a lack of interest.

I turned in one secondary a bit late - I mailed it so close to the deadline that it probably arrived slightly after the deadline. I'm hoping that schools aren't going to make a big deal out of being a day or two late.

 

[uclabruin2003]

My gosh, I hope this isn't true. I've been taking my time - not outrageous time, but 2-4 weeks - with my secondaries, mostly because I'm trying to do a really good job on them and have been busy with other things. I'd hate for that to be interpreted as a lack of interest.

I turned in one secondary a bit late - I mailed it so close to the deadline that it probably arrived slightly after the deadline. I'm hoping that schools aren't going to make a big deal out of being a day or two late.

i think you will be fine...you just have to get in gear....im not sure whats worse....turning it in late or turning in a great but not outstanding secondary? what makes more of a difference?

i was out of commission for two weeks because of moving and lack of internet access at home. in any case...i am trying to get everything completed soon...and soon the interviews will pour in! 😳