Is June 20th MCAT too late?

[doctora92]

Hey everyone, I would really appreciate feedback. I am curently signed up for the May 30th, 2013 MCAT, but am struggling with ec's and orgo II and physiology classes and studying for the mcat.

I really want to apply this year, and my pre-med advisor said she would not write a committee letter until they recieve my mcat grade which would be July 23rd. My complete application would be in by end of august most likely. DOes this put me at a great disadvantage?

Would you submit primaries in june to get verified and apply to one school, and if you do well on mcat then apply to more to save money and time? Please any answers recommended. Thanks!!!

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[d12]

I took the June 21st MCAT and that's precisely what I did. You won't be the earliest of applicants, but as long as you are efficient with your time you shouldn't be that late. Pre-write your secondaries while you're waiting for your MCAT score and you'll be able to submit them as soon as you receive them. Just make sure your pre-med advisor is on top of your letter, because you won't want to be delayed that much more. For what it's worth, I got into one of my top choices this year doing this. It's not ideal and I probably would have gotten a few more interviews if I had everything good to go by June 1st, but I only had a few weeks to study for the MCAT anyways and didn't want to rush it even more. Good luck!

 

[def1]

I took MCAT around the same date. I actually didn't even began my application til the last week of July, though I didn't use AMCAS which I think takes longer to get verified. However as long as you are verified by late july/early august, imo, that is early enough.

 

[BABSstudent]

I took that MCAT and did fine this cycle. However, I submitted the primary for verification on the first day without the MCAT score or my committee letter. The committee letter was updated shortly after and when I got my score I added more schools.

 

[uw0tm8]

LOL. I took the MCAT at that same time give or take a few days and got 8 interviews. As long as your app is verified around your mcat score release date, you'll be fine (if you get a decent score).

 

[JBOB]

I took the June 21st MCAT and that's precisely what I did. You won't be the earliest of applicants, but as long as you are efficient with your time you shouldn't be that late. Pre-write your secondaries while you're waiting for your MCAT score and you'll be able to submit them as soon as you receive them. Just make sure your pre-med advisor is on top of your letter, because you won't want to be delayed that much more. For what it's worth, I got into one of my top choices this year doing this. It's not ideal and I probably would have gotten a few more interviews if I had everything good to go by June 1st, but I only had a few weeks to study for the MCAT anyways and didn't want to rush it even more. Good luck!

+1

This is exactly what I did. I ended up being complete in late September/early October, though, because it took a while for my adviser to get the letter together after I got my MCAT scores. In my experience, the extra time to study helps more than being a little late hurts.

 

[MedPR]

Hey everyone, I would really appreciate feedback. I am curently signed up for the May 30th, 2013 MCAT, but am struggling with ec's and orgo II and physiology classes and studying for the mcat.

I really want to apply this year, and my pre-med advisor said she would not write a committee letter until they recieve my mcat grade which would be July 23rd. My complete application would be in by end of august most likely. DOes this put me at a great disadvantage?

Would you submit primaries in june to get verified and apply to one school, and if you do well on mcat then apply to more to save money and time? Please any answers recommended. Thanks!!!

Considering how long it takes some pre-health committees to get letters together and actually send them, you might be looking at a late September/October completion date. That would be pretty late.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Considering how long it takes some pre-health committees to get letters together and actually send them, you might be looking at a late September/October completion date. That would be pretty late.

Yeah, I wonder how badly these late committees hurt applicants. The committee at my state school does this super late thing and I wasn't about to wait that long so I just didn't do the committee process. It honestly isn't necessary at all and the hoops you have to jump through for it aren't even worth it. To top it off they make you pay $50 for the actual letter writing at the end of all the hoop jumping. I said f that and got my own letters, which worked out for me.

But to address OP, I would say take it earlier if you can. Applying early has to be the easiest and most effective thing you can do to increase your odds of being given an interview. I mean look at the data. The application numbers and processing time are like exponential over time, where as the rate of interviews given out is constant. I personally think you have a better shot of getting an interview if you apply early.

 

[MedPR]

Yeah, I wonder how badly these late committees hurt applicants. The committee at my state school does this super late thing and I wasn't about to wait that long so I just didn't do the committee process. It honestly isn't necessary at all and the hoops you have to jump through for it aren't even worth it. To top it off they make you pay $50 for the actual letter writing at the end of all the hoop jumping. I said f that and got my own letters, which worked out for me.

Yup!

 

[qwe7791]

how long does it take FAP to process...?

 

[Arbor Vitae]

how long does it take FAP to process...?

Like a week if you do it soon.

 

[Shenanigan]

You'd be fine. I took mine June 21st last year because I couldn't handle graduating then immediately taking the MCAT. FWIW I got 4 interviews, one acceptance and I'm waiting on the other 3 decisions. Just submit your application as soon after the MCAT as possible. Don't wait for the score to come out unless you absolutely have to. I submitted my primary July 14th but it wasn't verified until the middle of August.

 

[lovesfall]

I was in that boat too - signed up for May but rescheduled to June. I waited to get scores before submitting primary (didn't think it went well) but I still got accepted at my top two (not top 20) picks. If you submit primary early you should be in good shape. I thought it was helpful to have more study time.

 

[BabyDoc86]

I retook the MCAT last (late) July, so I already had a score when I submitted my app on the first day, but as soon as I got my updated scores I called/emailed my schools to make sure they had the new scores. I already had three interviews lined up before that, though. You should be fine.

 

[DrSolus]

If you feel like your app is strong, you can afford to apply late (better to apply early, but everyone has different circumstances). I had to wait until the end of my AmeriCorps service (end of July) to really knuckle down and study, so I took my MCAT only once: on August 3rd, for this year's cycle.

Since you're positive about not wanting to wait another year (like many of us were), submit the AMCAS primary app before you get your score.

PS I would say submitting the primary to one school for verification would be a good idea. It took AMCAS more than a month to process my app, which finally verified in early September. Then there was the fiasco with one prof with a missing letter...

So as others have said, just make sure youve got everything in order by early August and have your secondaries pre-written and submitted by mid September for the best shot. This last part is KEY. Verification means nothing if you stall at writing the secondaries. All in all it took me till early October to submit my last secondary . it takes a lot more willpower to write those than you think!

 

[nabilesmail]

Submit first day and you should be fine. Do med schools give secondaries w/o MCAT score?

BUT, seriously, make sure you submit your app atleast around your MCAT no matter what. Also pre-write secondaries. If you can be complete by Mid-late July (Mcat+primary verified+ secondary completed), you'll be fine.

If you procrastinate, it can kill you and you'll end up like me, dying everyday that goes by because I have 0 acceptances

 

[DrSolus]

Submit first day and you should be fine. Do med schools give secondaries w/o MCAT score?

BUT, seriously, make sure you submit your app atleast around your MCAT no matter what. Also pre-write secondaries. If you can be complete by Mid-late July (Mcat+primary verified+ secondary completed), you'll be fine.

If you procrastinate, it can kill you and you'll end up like me, dying everyday that goes by because I have 0 acceptances

OP said his committee letter wouldnt be ready until August and the primary isnt complete until all letters of rec are received. Complete in September or even October is fine and many people on this forum will attest to that.

Get everything in as soon as you feasibly can and don't sweat it too much. Make sure your file is entirely complete by December 1st (the most common secondary app deadline at most med schools) and you'll be fine.

 

[MedPR]

OP said his committee letter wouldnt be ready until August and the primary isnt complete until all letters of rec are received. Complete in September or even October is fine and many people on this forum will attest to that.

Get everything in as soon as you feasibly can and don't sweat it too much. Make sure your file is entirely complete by December 1st (the most common secondary app deadline at most med schools) and you'll be fine.

Primary completion is independent of LORs.

And no, being complete December 1 is very late. Get out of here with your terrible advice.

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[DrSolus]

Primary completion is independent of LORs.

And no, being complete December 1 is very late. Get out of here with your terrible advice.

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Fine, sorry I misspoke - your AMCAS primary can be verified without LORs, but regardless - your app will not even be looked at at most schools until everything is in - including letters.

And having your file marked as complete by admissions by Dec 1 is fine.

 

[MedPR]

Fine, sorry I misspoke - your AMCAS primary can be verified without LORs, but regardless - your app will not even be looked at at most schools until everything is in - including letters.

And having your file marked as complete by admissions by Dec 1 is fine.

It's not fine to be marked complete after maybe the middle/end of October. At that point your application is late.



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[Shinobiz11]

Hmm.. I a confused now. I plan to take the MCAT in mid/end of July, so I probably won't get my scores until August or later. I plan to have primaries submitted on the first day (June 5th) and then I would just be waiting for the score. Will my AMCAS not be verified until I get my MCAT score? Will schools even look at my app without it? Someone else was telling me that they will hold my app until they see the score and even send secondaries while they're waiting, then decide on an interview or not when the score comes in.

 

[DrSolus]

Someone else was telling me that they will hold my app until they see the score and even send secondaries while they're waiting, then decide on an interview or not when the score comes in.

Correct. Yes, most schools will send you a secondary soon after your primary gets verified by AMCAS - even if it's missing scores, LORs, and such. At that point though, they will not look at your application at all until you your secondary, MCAT score, LORs, and app fee are in.

Some schools screen before sending out secondaries, in this case they'll wait until you receive your score before sending you one.

Sending your primary in June is fine and your AMCAS will be verified despite the missing MCAT score, but again - they won't look at it until everything is in.

 

[DrEnderW]

Fine, sorry I misspoke - your AMCAS primary can be verified without LORs, but regardless - your app will not even be looked at at most schools until everything is in - including letters.

And having your file marked as complete by admissions by Dec 1 is fine.

I second MedPR. Do NOT listen to this advice. Getting your materials in just before or around the deadline is months too late.

Do not give people advice like that. That would be severely detrimental unless you're coming in hot with a 4.0 and 39 or something ridiculous.

 

[BABSstudent]

I second MedPR. Do NOT listen to this advice. Getting your materials in just before or around the deadline is months too late.

Do not give people advice like that. That would be severely detrimental unless you're coming in hot with a 4.0 and 39 or something ridiculous.

I know someone with a 38 and 4.0 that was complete by mid December at most schools. His interviews (he got two) were both in mid-late March. He got waitlisted at both schools and eventually got off it in June to one of them. That was his only acceptance. Just shows that even being late with high stats can hurt you.

 

[DrEnderW]

I know someone with a 38 and 4.0 that was complete by mid December at most schools. His interviews (he got two) were both in mid-late March. He got waitlisted at both schools and eventually got off it in June to one of them. That was his only acceptance. Just shows that even being late with high stats can hurt you.

That's exactly my point. Being complete is never a good idea or reasonable advice to give someone.

 

[DrSolus]

For what it's worth, my file was marked complete at most schools between Mid October and Early November. I've had 3 interview invites in December, 1 in January, 3 in February, and 1 in early March, but the bulk of them were state schools. Admittedly, the early March is probably a waitlist interview.

I'll preface my timeline with a big disclaimer then: If you really want to go to medical school this year and can't be complete until Oct/Nov, it's not a death sentence, but make sure you're comfortable with having fewer choices and greater risk of being waitlist/having to re-apply.

Bringing this back to the OP: Complete by end of August is NOT a major disadvantage. You'll be in the middle of the app season as opposed to my timeline (Oct/Nov), which was right on the fence of the end.

Edit: I don't understand why everyone has to take my words and twist em completely out of shape: I said by December 1st. That means your secondary should've been done way BEFORE December 1st. I'm reading examples of "i knew so and so who was complete mid December...." well, according to my advice - that's also considered late. So I don't see the point of this.

DrEnderW - I agree with you though, giving people advice using complete dates is probably not the best way of doing it since people tend to procrastinate. Just get your secondaries in asap, end of story.

 

[MedPR]

For what it's worth, my file was marked complete at most schools between Mid October and Early November. I've had 3 interview invites in December, 1 in January, 3 in February, and 1 in early March, but the bulk of them were state schools. Admittedly, the early March is probably a waitlist interview.

I'll preface my timeline with a big disclaimer then: If you really want to go to medical school this year and can't be complete until Oct/Nov, it's not a death sentence, but make sure you're comfortable with having fewer choices and greater risk of being waitlist/having to re-apply.

Bringing this back to the OP: Complete by end of August is NOT a major disadvantage. You'll be in the middle of the app season as opposed to my timeline (Oct/Nov), which was right on the fence of the end.

Edit: I don't understand why everyone has to take my words and twist em completely out of shape: I said by December 1st. That means your secondary should've been done way BEFORE December 1st. I'm reading examples of "i knew so and so who was complete mid December...." well, according to my advice - that's also considered late. So I don't see the point of this.

DrEnderW - I agree with you though, giving people advice using complete dates is probably not the best way of doing it since people tend to procrastinate. Just get your secondaries in asap, end of story.

You're singing quite a different tune in this post than you were before. Nobody is twisting your words. You said being complete by Dec 1 is no big deal. That's simply inaccurate. Yes, it matters when you send in your secondary, but it also matters when you are actually marked complete. As an extreme example, if one student sends in their secondary on October 20 and another student sends theirs in on November 20, but for some reason both are marked complete on December 1, the Oct 20 student no longer has any advantage. The date that the school (internally) marks you as complete is what really matters.

In reality, the earlier you submit the earlier you'll be complete. If you are not complete before October, you are late. I understand that "by Dec 1" means anytime before Dec 1, but if you aren't complete months before that, you're in trouble.

 

[sazerac]

Fine, sorry I misspoke - your AMCAS primary can be verified without LORs, but regardless - your app will not even be looked at at most schools until everything is in - including letters.

And having your file marked as complete by admissions by Dec 1 is fine.

Being complete on Dec 1 would be eighteen weeks after August 1st, and at the rate of one LizzyM point lost per every three weeks (beginning August 1st), you've just lost 6 LizzyM points due to lateness alone.

A hard-earned 34 MCAT just became a 28. Good luck with that.

 

[SaintJude]

Yeah, I wonder how badly these late committees hurt applicants. The committee at my state school does this super late thing and I wasn't about to wait that long so I just didn't do the committee process. It honestly isn't necessary at all and the hoops you have to jump through for it aren't even worth it. To top it off they make you pay $50 for the actual letter writing at the end of all the hoop jumping. I said f that and got my own letters, which worked out for me.

THIS. More important than the date of your MCAT, I'd be concerned about the date of the committee letter. Ppl interview in August and you'll maybe not even complete until Sept--that ain't fair.

In the words of Michael Jackson--"All I wanna say is they don't really care about us."

+ AND wait up Sazerac above me said it beautifully. Didn't even see that comment before. HEED our words, OP!!

P.s. : You gotta love MedPR for keeping it real. haha--that Dec tidbit was terrible advice--Just smile at ppl who say stuff like that & then proceed to ask any SDNer with +1000 posts, OP. Good luck!

 

[sazerac]

Yeah, I wonder how badly these late committees hurt applicants. The committee at my state school does this super late thing and I wasn't about to wait that long so I just didn't do the committee process. It honestly isn't necessary at all and the hoops you have to jump through for it aren't even worth it. To top it off they make you pay $50 for the actual letter writing at the end of all the hoop jumping. I said f that and got my own letters, which worked out for me.

Since many secondaries ask why you didn't use the committee letter service if one exists at your school, can we ask how you politely answered that? Also, don't some schools require you to use the committee letter service if it exists at your school?

 

[DrSolus]

let me reiterate that I would not encourage anyone to be complete on or anywhere near Dec 1.

Being complete on Dec 1 would be eighteen weeks after August 1st, and at the rate of one LizzyM point lost per every three weeks (beginning August 1st), you've just lost 6 LizzyM points due to lateness alone.

A hard-earned 34 MCAT just became a 28. Good luck with that.

I dispute this "rule of thumb." Gross over simplification and needlessly scaring people who apply late in the cycle.

 

[doctora92]

Thank you all for your advice,I feel your pain, first time using the forum and honestly this should be the pre-med committee not the one I have here at my school, they are the only thing holding me back from taking June test date. Im taking orgo II, physiology, and work so I would have a whole month to really improve my score by taking the June one.
But yes, the committee letter takes about a month or two regardless and they say they can only write it if mcat grade is available. If everything for the primary is complete by late august early september, and secondaries the latest october would that put applicant as a disadvantage.

Also if you get application verified with one school listed and then wait until mcat grade and add other schools if you did well, does that take processing time as well or these new schools would see your application right away since it has been verified?Thanks so much you guys ))

 

[doctora92]

Yeah, I wonder how badly these late committees hurt applicants. The committee at my state school does this super late thing and I wasn't about to wait that long so I just didn't do the committee process. It honestly isn't necessary at all and the hoops you have to jump through for it aren't even worth it. To top it off they make you pay $50 for the actual letter writing at the end of all the hoop jumping. I said f that and got my own letters, which worked out for me.

But to address OP, I would say take it earlier if you can. Applying early has to be the easiest and most effective thing you can do to increase your odds of being given an interview. I mean look at the data. The application numbers and processing time are like exponential over time, where as the rate of interviews given out is constant. I personally think you have a better shot of getting an interview if you apply early.

Thanks you're right about early, but by not writing the committee letter did you get asked why you did not opt for using it since I believe it is favored over any other type of LOR?

 

[doctora92]

Submit first day and you should be fine. Do med schools give secondaries w/o MCAT score?

BUT, seriously, make sure you submit your app atleast around your MCAT no matter what. Also pre-write secondaries. If you can be complete by Mid-late July (Mcat+primary verified+ secondary completed), you'll be fine.

If you procrastinate, it can kill you and you'll end up like me, dying everyday that goes by because I have 0 acceptances

Hey, sorry to be all up in you business, I hope you do well if you plan to reapply. But do you think the main reason you did not get in was because of applying late or just stats?? because if its late that changes a lot, Thanks.

 

[doctora92]

I took the June 21st MCAT and that's precisely what I did. You won't be the earliest of applicants, but as long as you are efficient with your time you shouldn't be that late. Pre-write your secondaries while you're waiting for your MCAT score and you'll be able to submit them as soon as you receive them. Just make sure your pre-med advisor is on top of your letter, because you won't want to be delayed that much more. For what it's worth, I got into one of my top choices this year doing this. It's not ideal and I probably would have gotten a few more interviews if I had everything good to go by June 1st, but I only had a few weeks to study for the MCAT anyways and didn't want to rush it even more. Good luck!

Hey so was the only thing holding you back the committee letter, did it take more than a month for committee to write. No matter what i cannot convince them. The head of the committee who was my teacher last semester did not hand in final grades for september semester until this month, even for seniors who needed grades for schools that were interviewing them, which says a lot about how much they care!

 

[EarthtoneJon]

OP,

I don't think that's too late. I took mine in August, and got 5 interview invites and 2 acceptances. I may have been an exception to the rule, but provided the rest of your application is strong, you should be OK.

 

[IniestaDeMiVida]

I took the mid July MCAT and I did fine!

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Thanks you're right about early, but by not writing the committee letter did you get asked why you did not opt for using it since I believe it is favored over any other type of LOR?

I was not once asked why I didn't go through committee. Maybe there is verbage somewhere on a website saying a committee letter is favored, but it isn't necessary. Individual letters are just as good. If they asked, my reasoning would be paying $50 for a letter from somebody who doesn't know me doesn't seem in my best interest. Letters from advisors and mentors I actually worked with in lab are in my best interest and are paid for with the time I put in to them and my reputation. Pre-med committees are a joke. Do not waste your time with them.

 

[Docility]

I was not once asked why I didn't go through committee. Maybe there is verbage somewhere on a website saying a committee letter is favored, but it isn't necessary. Individual letters are just as good. If they asked, my reasoning would be paying $50 for a letter from somebody who doesn't know me doesn't seem in my best interest. Letters from advisors and mentors I actually worked with in lab are in my best interest and are paid for with the time I put in to them and my reputation. Pre-med committees are a joke. Do not waste your time with them.

Only $50?! The fee at my alma mater is $200.

Once someone is 2+ years out of undergrad, does forgoing the premed committee letter raise red flags?

 

[BABSstudent]

Committee letters are free at my school. We don't even have to pay for the mailing of the letter. Sucks to be you guys.

 

[DrSolus]

I'd definitely tread carefully when bypassing your school's premed committee letter. Some schools really want to see that you went through your school's process, even if you think (or know) that the committee letter is going to be of little value.

Plus, you can always supplement the committee letter with individual letters of rec. (I ended up submitting 4 letters to schools in some cases - 1 committee letter, 3 individual letters), they were fine with this as long as you inform them of the reasoning).

 

[MedPR]

Only $50?! The fee at my alma mater is $200.

Once someone is 2+ years out of undergrad, does forgoing the premed committee letter raise red flags?

It didn't for me.

 

[Docility]

Committee letters are free at my school. We don't even have to pay for the mailing of the letter. Sucks to be you guys.

Indeed, it does.

I'd definitely tread carefully when bypassing your school's premed committee letter. Some schools really want to see that you went through your school's process, even if you think (or know) that the committee letter is going to be of little value.

Plus, you can always supplement the committee letter with individual letters of rec. (I ended up submitting 4 letters to schools in some cases - 1 committee letter, 3 individual letters), they were fine with this as long as you inform them of the reasoning).

Would med schools really not interview applicants because they don't have a premed committee letter despite the fact that they have the required individual LORs? Aren't premed committees a fairly recent thing? If not, please excuse my ignorance.

It didn't for me.

Did you have to get a letter from your committee explaining that you chose to opt out? I've heard that some med schools require this.

 

[DrSolus]

Some med schools will be aware of the fact that your undergrad has a pre-health committee. If you decide to submit without one, this can raise a red flag - and it's always best to avoid red flags UNLESS you know what you're doing.

It may be a recent thing, but regardless, if your school WANTS you to do it - then it's a necessary step.

I'm aware that some undergrad campuses provide it as an "option," but my school made it mandatory.

 

[Docility]

Some med schools will be aware of the fact that your undergrad has a pre-health committee. If you decide to submit without one, this can raise a red flag - and it's always best to avoid red flags UNLESS you know what you're doing.

It may be a recent thing, but regardless, if your school WANTS you to do it - then it's a necessary step.

I'm aware that some undergrad campuses provide it as an "option," but my school made it mandatory.

Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying. To be quite honest, I'm not so sure I know what I'm doing.

At my alma mater, using the premed committee is optional for both current students and alumni. There is no fixed GPA/MCAT requirement to participate, so I'm not sure how much their endorsement is weighed in the application process. I honestly don't know if it's worth jumping through all of their hoops (i.e. additional essays, ridiculous fee) to have them submit my LORs bundled with their evaluation letter late when I could have just my LORs submitted early for free.

 

[DrSolus]

Sounds to me like you'll be fine without the committee letter. Honestly I don't think any school's committee is gonna give you bad advice. I would call em up and ask if they think its necessary. I have a feeling they provide the letter as an option for those who are having difficulty getting regular letters from profs. In the event that they tell you to go through the process anyway though, I'd love to hear their reasons why. (Please post em back here!)

 

[doctora92]

I took the mid July MCAT and I did fine!

Was the committee letter submitted after the mcat grade came in or was everything in and only mcat was missing, if everyting except committee letter is missing until sept is that making you really late?

 

[MedPR]

Indeed, it does.



Would med schools really not interview applicants because they don't have a premed committee letter despite the fact that they have the required individual LORs? Aren't premed committees a fairly recent thing? If not, please excuse my ignorance.



Did you have to get a letter from your committee explaining that you chose to opt out? I've heard that some med schools require this.

None of the schools I applied to required it.

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[Docility]

Sounds to me like you'll be fine without the committee letter. Honestly I don't think any school's committee is gonna give you bad advice. I would call em up and ask if they think its necessary. I have a feeling they provide the letter as an option for those who are having difficulty getting regular letters from profs. In the event that they tell you to go through the process anyway though, I'd love to hear their reasons why. (Please post em back here!)

I might contact them to see what they say. Though, in fear of becoming obsolete, they probably don't tell students to opt out of their service. Plus, they want my $200.

None of the schools I applied to required it.

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Ah, gotcha.

 

[SnoopyMD]

My in-state school doesn't review apps until December, so I think my June 20th MCAT should be fine. There are a handful of other schools I'm applying to, but I really have my eye on the state school anyway.