late AMCAS

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em31

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How much trouble am I in if I haven't submitted my primary application yet? I know it's really late to be submitting it now, but it's not as if the admissions people just stop reviewing applications weeks before the deadline, right? I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question, but I don't know that much about the admissions process. If any of you could offer any insights, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

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Keep in mind that us Aug MCATers have not receive our scores yet and we won't until mid-october. if you can submit your AMCAS this week and start your secondaries soon after, your application may be reviewed before ours.

Anyhow, I'd recommend that you wait until next year. Try to apply once and do it well.
 
em31 said:
How much trouble am I in if I haven't submitted my primary application yet? I know it's really late to be submitting it now, but it's not as if the admissions people just stop reviewing applications weeks before the deadline, right? I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question, but I don't know that much about the admissions process. If any of you could offer any insights, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

I wouldn't say you're totally screwed...but you are pretty behind in the process...just make sure you expedite the rest of the documents that come your way (make sure your recs are written and sent off, do secondaries AS SOON AS YOU GET THEM, send in any materials to schools NOW like payments, certification forms and the like)

Basically, do everything you can to get all your apps complete by mid-end of october and I think you'll be allright. There may be some places (like Columbia) where it might really be hard for you to make their deadlines (I think Columbia's deadline for their secondary is Oct. 15 and recs have to be in by Dec. 1)

good luck :thumbup:
 
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sdnstud said:
Anyhow, I'd recommend that you wait until next year. Try to apply once and do it well.

Why do you recommend that he wait until next year?
 
if the schools you apply to have online secondaries and don't screen, start them right now. Find out from other applicants what essay questions are asked on all the schools' secondaries and work on them now, so by the time you get the actual secondary, all you have to do is cut and paste and send
 
gobblety_gook said:
There may be some places (like Columbia) where it might really be hard for you to make their deadlines (I think Columbia's deadline for their secondary is Oct. 15 and recs have to be in by Dec. 1)

good luck :thumbup:

i thought oct 15 was the deadline for the primary app.
 
Because applying early would allow him to maximize the potential of his application. It's kinda like the mcat. you want to do it once...and you want to do it under the best optimal condition. Just my 2cent

b-real said:
Why do you recommend that he wait until next year?
 
I think that it depends on your stats because my Princeton Review bio guy took the August MCAT, waited until he got his scores, and then sent his primary. He majored in Art history at UCSD and he got a 39 on the MCAT.

He got into the MD, MBA program at UCSF.
 
sdnstud said:
Keep in mind that us Aug MCATers have not receive our scores yet and we won't until mid-october. if you can submit your AMCAS this week and start your secondaries soon after, your application may be reviewed before ours.

Is this strictly true? For schools that have rolling admission, is a number not assigned to your file when it was complete ("review pending MCAT" or something like that?). Since the April MCATers apply on a first-come-first-review basis, it does seems a tad unfair that an August MCATer who couldn't be bothered submitting their AMCAS form until the start of October could potentially be given the same priority of review as an August MCATer who diligently completed their primary and secondaries by mid-August.

Would someone please clarify this point?
 
sdnstud said:
Because applying early would allow him to maximize the potential of his application. It's kinda like the mcat. you want to do it once...and you want to do it under the best optimal condition. Just my 2cent

I think this is not good advice, you don't know what this guy's stats are. This is SDN, mostly full of people with spectacular stats who have sent in their applications very early. By SDN standards, you are late, but there are still a TON of people who have yet to submit primaries. You wouldn't recommend they ALL wait until next year.
 
what if my stats are: 3.6 GPA, 28 MCAT, great LOR, lots of research experience, but no clinical experience. (I didn't get a chance to retake the MCAT in August because I started a new job in London in July.)
 
Original poster, go ahead and do it. Your logic is correct, you will still get consideration. It's better than waiting a year by far. Just get it done ASAP now.
 
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