Is there an advantage to submitting your CAS application early?

[KBerg21]

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I remember when applying to medical schools, I was always told that there was a distinct advantage to submitting your application early because of the rolling nature of interviews, etc. While I know that every program only has a handful of pre-determined interview dates, I was wondering if there is any advantage to submitting your application in advance of the September 6th target date?

Do program directors begin looking at applications as they come in or do most wait until they have received them all?

Does anyone think that their application was helped or harmed by sending in the application before/on/after the target date?

 

[4424]

I remember when applying to medical schools, I was always told that there was a distinct advantage to submitting your application early because of the rolling nature of interviews, etc. While I know that every program only has a handful of pre-determined interview dates, I was wondering if there is any advantage to submitting your application in advance of the September 6th target date?

Do program directors begin looking at applications as they come in or do most wait until they have received them all?

Does anyone think that their application was helped or harmed by sending in the application before/on/after the target date?

your application is sent in "batches". if your application is ready, you might as well send it in, there isn't any harm in trying to be in the first batch (that i know of)

 

[speyeder]

I remember when applying to medical schools, I was always told that there was a distinct advantage to submitting your application early because of the rolling nature of interviews, etc. While I know that every program only has a handful of pre-determined interview dates, I was wondering if there is any advantage to submitting your application in advance of the September 6th target date?

Do program directors begin looking at applications as they come in or do most wait until they have received them all?

Does anyone think that their application was helped or harmed by sending in the application before/on/after the target date?

Yes, there are advantages to sending your app before the target date. Although programs vary in how they review applications, I think most review them roughly in the order they are received. Early apps may mean better chances at an interview. They also mean earlier interviews, which are key when you're trying to squeeze in as many as you can. Ophtho programs basically interview from late October to early January, with most interviews falling between the last 2 weeks of November to the first 2 weeks of December. You will probably run into many scheduling conflicts during peak interview season. If you get early interviews you can possibly lessen these conflicts & end up attending more interviews just by having your application in early.

 

[Spyder007]

Yes, there are advantages to sending your app before the target date. Although programs vary in how they review applications, I think most review them roughly in the order they are received. Early apps may mean better chances at an interview. They also mean earlier interviews, which are key when you're trying to squeeze in as many as you can. Ophtho programs basically interview from late October to early January, with most interviews falling between the last 2 weeks of November to the first 2 weeks of December. You will probably run into many scheduling conflicts during peak interview season. If you get early interviews you can possibly lessen these conflicts & end up attending more interviews just by having your application in early.

This advice is dead on. The earlier the better:

1. A greater chance at obtaining an interview.

2. More choices for interview dates, because believe me, it will get very difficult arranging to criss cross the country.

Ofcourse, not all schools do a rolling application screening.

Good luck.

 

[xaelia]

Raise your hand if your third-year grades still aren't back. And it's been >2 months since you requested letters of recommendation, and they're still not finished. !@#$%*

 

[jbloggs]

does anyone know when the first batch of cas apps is mailed out? Has anyone starting turning their app in already? I thought i read on here once (but can't find the post) that although turning it in early may be good, there is no advantage to turning it in more than a week or two before the target deadline because that's when the first batch goes out. any thoughts?

 

[xaelia]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=283706

...and mine's in the mail today! Woo!

 

[demspawn]

per the new website and the new way of appling (you can now actually do the entire thing through the internet without haveing to send anything in via snail-mail) i just got my letter confirming tha my app has been received and is complete and processed.

I was also notified that it would be sent out to programs closet to the target date of Sept 06.

Since the are chaning alot of things (including making apps cheaper!) I would think that they may be doing a one batch only policy (kind of hard considering the volume of applications) or at least not as many...
I would also think that they may be sending apps electronically now instead of paper...

D

 

[xaelia]

I would also think that they may be sending apps electronically now instead of paper...

That's an awful lot of paper to scan in; of course, they can do whatever they like as long as it gets where it needs to go....

 

[demspawn]

That's an awful lot of paper to scan in; of course, they can do whatever they like as long as it gets where it needs to go....

It is definetely scanned, since they keep returning applicant materials for at least 2-3 years. I am sure they do not just keep real paper lying around...

D

 

[DiveMD]

If you “snail” mail your paper application, they will scan it, save it (PDF format) and e-mail it to the programs you are applying to. If you fill the CAS right out of the website it is already a PDF file. It’s cost-effective and easier…

 

[Oceandust]

let me get this straight:

after completing CAS, you can "EMAIL" it to SF Match, without having to print it out, and sending it by snail mail? you can do the same for the 'distribution list'?

but you need to send your USMLE step 1, college, med school transcripts and LORs by snail mail to the addresses specified on the instruction sheet?

is this correct, I'm missing the part on the CAS instruction sheet that says you can electronically submit the PDF application and snail mail the rest?

thanks!

 

[DiveMD]

let me get this straight:

after completing CAS, you can "EMAIL" it to SF Match, without having to print it out, and sending it by snail mail? you can do the same for the 'distribution list'?

but you need to send your USMLE step 1, college, med school transcripts and LORs by snail mail to the addresses specified on the instruction sheet?

is this correct, I'm missing the part on the CAS instruction sheet that says you can electronically submit the PDF application and snail mail the rest?

thanks!

You are 100% correct. When you submit the CAS electronically it is already a PDF file.... and the LOR's can be e-mailed or snailed mailed....

 

[Mustafa]

Are most people submitting photos as part of the CAS package they send?

 

[DiveMD]

Are most people submitting photos as part of the CAS package they send?

I submitted a whole body shot wearing just a thong….

 

[xaelia]

I did not submit a photograph.

 

[7ontheline]

I did not submit a photograph.

This is a mistake. Bring a photo to your interview day. It's much easier for the people going over applications to remember who you are that way when they sit down to hash out the applications. Otherwise you get lost in the stacks of high-quality candidates.

 

[xaelia]

This is a mistake. Bring a photo to your interview day. It's much easier for the people going over applications to remember who you are that way when they sit down to hash out the applications. Otherwise you get lost in the stacks of high-quality candidates.

The instructions don't list a photograph as an extra document to supply. I was planning on taking photographs with me to the interviews.

Besides, I'm ugly; a photo would only decrease my chances of an interview. A bad photograph seems like it would only hurt you, whereas no photograph or a normal-looking photograph would be equally likely to receive interviews.

 

[DiveMD]

The instructions don't list a photograph as an extra document to supply. I was planning on taking photographs with me to the interviews.

Besides, I'm ugly; a photo would only decrease my chances of an interview.

HAHA..that is funny but I am sure your are not ugly...