How do secondary applications become available?

[chemsmith]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I applied this cycle, and my application was verified. I was wondering exactly how I can expect the secondary applications to become available to me. Do I receive an email from the school inviting me to access the secondary, or is the process mediated by AMCAS?

Additionally, is it true that I should not expect to get any secondary applications until the beginning of July?

Advanced apologies if this post contains widely available information that I overlooked. Thanks.

 

[thlaxer]

I applied this cycle, and my application was verified. I was wondering exactly how I can expect the secondary applications to become available to me. Do I receive an email from the school inviting me to access the secondary, or is the process mediated by AMCAS?

Additionally, is it true that I should not expect to get any secondary applications until the beginning of July?

Advanced apologies if this post contains widely available information that I overlooked. Thanks.

Schools will email you about their secondary. Last year, most of the secondaries started coming in in late June / early July; however, some of them didn't become available until late July.

 

[ronathan]

I applied this cycle, and my application was verified. I was wondering exactly how I can expect the secondary applications to become available to me. Do I receive an email from the school inviting me to access the secondary, or is the process mediated by AMCAS?

Additionally, is it true that I should not expect to get any secondary applications until the beginning of July?

Advanced apologies if this post contains widely available information that I overlooked. Thanks.

These days, the vast majority of schools have their secondary apps available through a website (although there are a couple of exceptions). The primary form of communication will be through e-mail. You'll eventually start getting them in rapid succession with instructions on how to access the site, what passwords to use, etc. So make sure that whatever e-mail address you listed in AMCAS gets checked often. Also be sure to check the junk mail/spam folder often in case any letters from schools get thrown in there by mistake.

I would also recommend making a list or spreadsheet of all the schools that you applied to, when you got their secondary apps, and when they are due just so you can keep track of everything. It might also be helpful to you to keep track of the cost of each secondary and whether or not you've paid it (I did this to keep track of expenses throughout my app cycle). Keep in mind also that some schools will automatically send you a secondary, and some will only send you a secondary if you pass their initial round of screening.

 

[dadaism]

Even if you're verified right now, AMCAS doesn't submit the primary application to your selected schools until June 29th. Once that date arrives, schools will see your application and send you instructions via email or snail mail on how to complete their secondary.