How many schools did you have on your AMCaS when you initially submitted your primary?

[radioactive15]

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When you submit your primary to get verified, how many schools did you initially list?

I'm deciding whether to submit my primary next week for verification with only my state schools added and then add additionals later or if I should just submit all 25 on the first day

An advantage of not rushing to all would be more filtering after submission but I don't want it to delay any transmission

 

[MaxPlancker]

Just put one school that you consider a high reach or one that you don't care about…e.g. Ross. Add the schools you really want to apply to later. Your state school & safety schools are actually more valuable than a reach or obviously some school you'd never attend.

 

[MaxPlancker]

@MaxPlancker Ross isnt on AMCAS you are gonna confuse these kids.

Oops! Haha!

 

[ChrisMack390]

I'm listing all of them. I am not waiting for anything though, it would be different (probably) if I had a pending MCAT or something.

 

[Espressso]

Just put one school that you consider a high reach or one that you don't care about…e.g. Ross. Add the schools you really want to apply to later. Your state school & safety schools are actually more valuable than a reach or obviously some school you'd never attend.

I'm sort of confused by this. Wouldn't you want to apply to the schools you really want to apply to, asap?

 

[partypantss]

I'm sort of confused by this. Wouldn't you want to apply to the schools you really want to apply to, asap?

Yeah, that comment made no sense. If you know you are for sure going to apply to the school then jut put it on the app. Delaying doesn't help anything...

 

[radioactive15]

Having a single school is to get verified while waiting for, usually, MCAT score. Once the score comes back you can adjust and add your school list. Adding schools after verification will get the application transmitted in one business day. So the question is, what school do you choose, either a high reach or a throwaway that you wont get into anyway. I personally suggest the high reach, the one you might have a shot with if that MCAT score comes back really good. BTW, you dont have submit secondaries to either of them (or pay the fee)

I already have my MCAT score and will not be re-taking. Should I still add a high reach as my 1 school for verification or add a more realistic target school?

 

[ChrisMack390]

I already have my MCAT score and will not be re-taking. Should I still add a high reach as my 1 school for verification or add a more realistic target school?

What is the reason you don't want to just put in your entire school list?

 

[Govols22]

I already have my MCAT score and will not be re-taking. Should I still add a high reach as my 1 school for verification or add a more realistic target school?

If you have your GPA and MCAT scores ready and are content with them, there is no reason to postpone your application. Apply to all the schools that you feel would be a good fit for you. Adding one school for verification is mainly for people who wish to be verified, but do not wish to apply to schools without knowledge of their MCAT scores. This "apply to one school to get verified" does not apply to you. If you have done your research on which schools you should apply too, then apply to them all as early as you can.

 

[MaxPlancker]

I'm sort of confused by this. Wouldn't you want to apply to the schools you really want to apply to, asap?

Depends on your circumstances. If you're waiting for a MCAT score, unsure whether you can meet certain requirements for a school, on the fence about a LOR, etc, delaying is an option. In the case that something unintended happens (e.g. a bad MCAT that you don't want sent to the school automatically or something else that makes it so that you can't apply this year), it's better to use guinea pig schools rather than the ones you care about. It could also save you from being a reapplicant in certain extreme cases.

The reason I suggested delaying was because I got the impression that OP doesn't know for certain whether he wants to apply to certain schools ("more filtering").

 

[premedprincess26]

Once you are verified, any more schools added will get transmitted in a single day.

And if anyone thinks any school is doing almost anything with these applications until after July 4 weekend, will be very disappointed

what do you mean by this? I am taking my MCAT on June 18th and i was planning on submitting my application earlier and then adding in the MCAT scores once i get them so that the application can at least be processed. Is this not good?

 

[wagonwheel23]

When will your MCAT score be released? It might be best to wait until you have that to designate schools other than your state schools.

I took the first sitting of the new MCAT (April 2015) and sent my application before my official scores were released. My estimated percentile rank was 89-99%, and I made the mistake of putting schools that would still be a reach if I scored 95%+. I scored between the 90th and 95th percentile, so I had over $150 go down the drain.

Do not make my mistake!!

 

[raiderette]

I didn't have my MCAT so I applied to one school (a reach that I wouldn't expect to attend and one that I would not reapply to later if I was a reapplicant). Once my score came in, I did the rest. If you have your score and you have a good list, do them all.

 

[premedprincess26]

that is my plan, but is it ok to apply to late I mean? If i'm taking it June 18th the scores get released july 19th.

 

[raiderette]

Then definitely submit to one school (and make it one that you don't care about). During that time, work on secondaries like it is your job and have everything else completed (letters, etc). You won't be early, but you won't be late, especially if you can turn those secondaries around quickly.

 

[premedprincess26]

"Is this not good?"

I consider submitting an application without knowing your MCAT score one of the top 10 mistakes a premed can make.

1) How can you intelligently select a list of schools without knowing your MCAT scores
2) If your score is significantly higher than expected, you may not have those dream, reach schools on your list.
3) If your score is significantly lower, you may get screened out of all the schools on your list.
4) If you need to take the MCAT, you should be prepping for that and not using valuable time to prepare a full AMCAS
5) How can you speculatively pre-write secondary applications if you are not sure what your school list should be.

The tactic that some students use, and I am not overly fond of, is the "submit with 1 school" method. Here you prepare AMCAS as usual, but instead of all your schools, you list a single school. This allows your application to be processed and verified. When you get your MCAT score back, you can quickly add more schools and AMCAS will transmit a previously verified application in one business day. Which "1" school you should pick is a matter of opinion. You can pick a "throwaway" school, such as an out of state with low OOS rates. Or you could be pick a "high reach" school, one that you might have an outside chance with if you got a super MCAT score. In either case, you do not have to fill out the secondary (and pay the secondary fee) for this school, thus your application will effectively die. You should at some point in the cycle inform the "throwaway" or "high reach" school you are withdrawing your application.

I am not fond of this method as you should be spending time prepping for the all-important MCAT and not preparing a full AMCAS primary, which takes as much time for 1 school as it does for 25. So if you are in need of a good MCAT and are taking one later in the cycle (from June on), you should prep for the exam and once you have taken it, but before the score in returned, you then can work on AMCAS and pre-write secondaries.

Applying without knowing all your MCAT scores is a mistake that all applicants should avoid

My plan was to withdraw my app if I didn't like my MCAT score. My pre med advisor said that this is not a problem at all and wouldn't really be looked down upon. That is why I thought I could try this cycle since I have been prepping for it, and worst come worst i can apply again later. I guess after discussing with my advisor I just didn't see a harm in "trying" to apply.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Gonnif's point is that filling out the AMCAS is quite a lot of effort to throw away. Effort that could have been spent re-studying for the MCAT.

Honestly, my opinion is that taking the MCAT this late in the cycle is terrible planning anyway. Would be much better to get your MCAT, get in another whole year of volunteering/work/research/whatever, and then apply to your whole list week 1 next year.

 

[premedprincess26]

Gonnif's point is that filling out the AMCAS is quite a lot of effort to throw away. Effort that could have been spent re-studying for the MCAT.

Honestly, my opinion is that taking the MCAT this late in the cycle is terrible planning anyway. Would be much better to get your MCAT, get in another whole year of volunteering/work/research/whatever, and then apply to your whole list week 1 next year.

But I guess I'm not seeing what the harm in trying this cycle is? Sure the application will be a lot of effort, but I would still have plenty of time to study for the MCAT again if it came down to it.

 

[MaxPlancker]

My plan was to withdraw my app if I didn't like my MCAT score. My pre med advisor said that this is not a problem at all and wouldn't really be looked down upon. That is why I thought I could try this cycle since I have been prepping for it, and worst come worst i can apply again later. I guess after discussing with my advisor I just didn't see a harm in "trying" to apply.

You will be a reapplicant if you withdraw after AMCAS has transmitted to your list of schools.

 

[MaxPlancker]

My cursing and screaming here will not translate well to the written word, so let me just say, AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

1) Your MCAT score will be added automatically
2) if your application is submitted earlier it will still be processed , verified and transmitted to the schools without MCAT
3) As was just said, once it is transmitted, you will have been considered applied to those schools, you can take it back
4) I will try to be nice here: this is a real bone head move and I blame your advisor.

To be fair, a lot of advisors are clueless hahaha. Sad how someone with so much influence and "power" gets chosen with no qualifications...