How bad is it to apply late?

[Handsome88]

Ok so I have a really bad GPA (3.5) so I keep getting the advise "APPLY EARLY!". Now I did not know that applying early increases my chance of getting acceptances in the US, since I am from Canada and there is no such thing.

The thing is that I cannot apply early as I still have no idea who to ask for LOR's, I have not started my personal statements, I have not enrolled in my 4th year courses (which if are included in my first transcript will make my application go smoother as it would include some prereq courses), about to start shadowing a family doctor and increase EC's, and most importantly I have not yet written the MCAT (will recieve results in September).

I am therefore going to most probably submit my application in mid August. And then send my MCAT scores in early or mid September. I don't know when the cycles end/start.

So how bad are my chances going to get? Is it really that bad to apply late, am I throwing away a huge chunk of opportunities (25-50% of them)? Or do my chances of getting admissions drop by 5-10%? Just to get an idea about the magnitude of this problem.

(If this question has been asked several times before forgive me, and link me to the the correct thread)

Thank you.

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[Excelsius]

Ok so I have a really bad GPA (3.5) so I keep getting the advise "APPLY EARLY!". Now I did not know that applying early increases my chance of getting acceptances in the US, since I am from Canada and there is no such thing.

The thing is that I cannot apply early as I still have no idea who to ask for LOR's, I have not started my personal statements, I have not enrolled in my 4th year courses (which if are included in my first transcript will make my application go smoother as it would include some prereq courses), about to start shadowing a family doctor and increase EC's, and most importantly I have not yet written the MCAT (will recieve results in September).

I am therefore going to most probably submit my application in mid August. And then send my MCAT scores in early or mid September. I don't know when the cycles end/start.

So how bad are my chances going to get? Is it really that bad to apply late, am I throwing away a huge chunk of opportunities (25-50% of them)? Or do my chances of getting admissions drop by 5-10%?

(If this question has been asked several times before forgive me, and link me to the the correct thread)

Thank you.

Here is the thing; Applying early definitely helps. I have seen a couple of SDNers apply late and not get into a single school, not even an interview, and then they apply the next cycle with little improvements and apply really early. The difference is several interviews and at least one admission.

Anyway, you already know applying early is important. In your case it really doesn't matter as you have already chosen to apply late. If your essays aren't ready, LORs unprepared, etc, you obviously can't apply anytime soon. Finally, your MCAT won't be ready until September, so anything else you do makes little difference.

At this point just hope for the best. I know you're asking for advice about applying early, but you have already made the decision to apply late by your actions. I don't know if there is any way around this, at least as far as US schools are concerned. I think that you might be in more or less better shape at the top schools where rolling admission is not practiced, but the interviews there are still rolling...

 

[Handsome88]

Here is the thing; Applying early definitely helps. I have seen a couple of SDNers apply late and not get into a single school, not even an interview, and then they apply the next cycle with little improvements and apply really early. The difference is several interviews and at least one admission.

Anyway, you already know applying early is important. In your case it really doesn't matter as you have already chosen to apply late. If your essays aren't ready, LORs unprepared, etc, you obviously can't apply anytime soon. Finally, your MCAT won't be ready until September, so anything else you do makes little difference.

At this point just hope for the best. I know you're asking for advice about applying early, but you have already made the decision to apply late by your actions. I don't know if there is any way around this, at least as far as US schools are concerned. I think that you might be in more or less better shape at the top schools where rolling admission is not practiced, but the interviews there are still rolling...

Wow, so it is really that bad. It may lead to me not getting any interviews. Should I apply early next year when I am ready or do I still have a chance applying late (while being an International applicant with a low gpa). I know it also depends on my MCAT score, but I cant tell if it will be high or low until too late in the application process.

 

[SirGecko]

Its hard to give exact numbers on this but if you aren't going to have your primaries in till September make sure that you do your secondaries very quickly. It really does make a big difference to get the application in early.

 

[Excelsius]

Wow, so it is really that bad. It may lead to me not getting any interviews. Should I apply early next year when I am ready or do I still have a chance applying late (while being an International applicant with a low gpa). I know it also depends on my MCAT score, but I cant tell if it will be high or low until too late in the application process.

No one can predict what will happen. The main point is that your chances will be definitely lower, especially if you have a low GPA. And what happens if your MCAT doesn't turn out that well either? In that case you'd have to retake the MCAT...

I also don't know anything about your ECs, but it seemed to be that you are trying to cram some last minute shadowing. All this information should tell you that you are just not prepared. I guess if you have something standing out in your application you might still have a shot.

 

[Law2Doc]

Wow, so it is really that bad. It may lead to me not getting any interviews. Should I apply early next year when I am ready or do I still have a chance applying late (while being an International applicant with a low gpa). I know it also depends on my MCAT score, but I cant tell if it will be high or low until too late in the application process.

This process rewards those who get all their ducks in a row before pulling the trigger. Since interviews and slots are given our on a rolling basis, there are fewer available seats the later you wait. This won't make a difference to the strongest applicants, but if you are likely on the cusp, it generally pays to wait until the next cycle and apply early. Nobody can tell you your chances before you even have an MCAT score, but if your ECs, GPA, etc are not to your liking, it pays to fix them first and only then apply.