Ok, How does AMCAS decide in what order and NEW-PLUS AMCAS UPDATE on page two

[Amy B]

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I really can't figure out just how AMCAS is handling applications.

Maybe someone can address this. Does AMCAS do applications as first in, first worked on, or is it done by zip codes, or GPA (higher ones done first), or by undergraduate schools, or how many schools you apply to, or, or, or etc,,,,,,,,?????????????????????

There have been numerous people on this message board that are getting secondaries and a few with interview offers. These people have submitted after me (I submitted June27 and nothing has been done to my appl), but have somwhow had their applications processed and sent off to their schools? What is the scoop? Does anyone know how they handle applications?

The lady I talked to at AMCAS on friday said they are not done first come first serve, but she didn't know how they decieded in what order things are processed.

 

[jordews]

well amy, do you know for sure that they have your transcript and all? i bet that has something to do with it. Not only when you submit, but when you have a complete application for them. just a thought.

 

[Amy B]

Yes they have all my transcripts. I verified that last week (they have had them for two months), so I just don't know what is going on.

A friend of mine from here in Richmond also has had nothing done to her appl, which made me wonder if it is done by zip code.

 

[SMW]

Apparently applications from those whose schools are on the quarter system are being held up because of the calendar/academic year glitch. If there is any discrepancy between your transcript and your app, that could slow things down. I haven't heard any official word on what order they use for processing. That is really disturbing if it isn't first-come-first-served!

 

[Amy B]

no errors and we are on the semester system. It does seem so frustrating. Oh well, life goes on. sigh

 

[rxfudd]

I am not fully convinced that AMCAS is using any rigorous method to determine who gets processed first. I submitted June 23, had my transcripts in by march, yet have had nothing verified. I would just sit back and wait. If you see a heavy increase in the number of people processed but have not yet been processed yourself, I would begin questioning their methods.

 

[Denilson]

I think second time applicants take a little longer to verify past info with the current...

 

[C U in MD school]

Here is my $0.02. i have called amcas several times and each time I have requested to speak with Ronda. she's great! trust me on this one. anyway, she told me that since all the stuff is missed up, they are picking and chosing which application to do. i know, i know this does not sound fair and if you bring it up to her, she will deny it, but trust me, she told me this on a down low. since all the med schools are on them, they are going to submit the easy ones first. now this is not official but think about the situation at AMCAS. you got these people who have no idea what they are doing since they were just hired to take care of this problem (let me remind you that they laid people off because they thought that this web base application would save them time and money), you got med schools going behind amcas and then you got us. each person at amcas must work on certain number of application per day. it does not matter who they are, when they submit, etc. what matters is if they are easy to do for that person. this is what i know. im sorry, but its the truth. i suggest you call ronda, tell what is up, be really nice to her, and see what she can do for you.

 

[Rudboy3]

I am in the same boat....submitted June 23rd and still nothing....hopefully things get rolling soon. We will see if I pull out all my hair or get processed first....it is going to be a tight race.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

I was under the impression that the people getting interviews right now are Earley Decision candidates. Yes? No?

Homer J.

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[SMW]

No.

 

[lamyers]

I'm EDP, nothing yet. Submitted July 5. Bleeechhh!

 

[BlackPuma]

they throw all the names in a hat, and the ones that they pick at random, then they start working on that application..... 😀

with this logic, it makes sense that pple who submitted late, would be on top of the pile in the hat....go figure... 😕 😱 😉 😀 🙁

 

[saffron]

so get this...a couple weeks ago, i was very excited that my mcat scores appeared on the print-out, like i thought, finally my app. is slowly beginning to get processed. well, i checked my app today, and my MCAT scores have disappeared!! what the f**k is going on?? instead of improving, AMCAS is regressing. looks like we're back to square one... 😡

 

[redowa]

Originally posted by saffron:
•so get this...a couple weeks ago, i was very excited that my mcat scores appeared on the print-out, like i thought, finally my app. is slowly beginning to get processed. well, i checked my app today, and my MCAT scores have disappeared!! what the f**k is going on?? instead of improving, AMCAS is regressing. looks like we're back to square one... 😡•

well at least your college coursework wasn't deleted as mine was. AMCAS just doesn't know when to quit...

😡

 

[md2be06]

According to the MCAT department at AMCAS, our MCAT scores are not supposed to appear on our web application at all, something about security reasons. They said that the fact that scores showed up a couple of weeks ago was a technical glitch which they're working on. That would explain why people's scores are being removed. So, I guess if your scores were there and now have been removed, that's how it should be. Counterintuitive, I know. As long as our scores are in their database and have been released, then the schools will receive them. Ah, this process ceases to amaze me.

 

[SMW]

md2b06, that's a REALLY important piece of information! It almost needs its own thread, so everyone who's wondering what the heck is going on with their scores appearing and disappearing will get the news.

 

[Amy B]

Actually that doesn't make any sense to me. Security reasons?? Our applications have our Social security #'s, our name and birth place, address, every school we ever attended, every grade we have ever earned, etc.... I would be more concerned about the security of those things than I would my MCAT scores.

Do they mean security for them? If I am being dense on this security I apologize but I just don't get it.

 

[rxfudd]

I don't buy the security excuse either. It's like when the gov't doesn't want to tell us something and cites security as a reason. I'm starting to think that Nixon founded AMCAS...

 

[md2be06]

I don't really buy it either, but I'm just the messenger. I wish I could see what was going on inside the minds of the AMCAS programmers when they designed this system.

 

[Amy B]

And the saga continues......

I called AMCAS today, tried to talk to Mr. Thompson, had his assistant call me back to tell me why I wasn't being processed. Here is what they said....

"This week is when they have bypassed the verification process and are sending paper copies of all applications from June. A lot of schools can not receive electronic appl at this time so the paper unverified applications may be the only ones they have for quite sometime.

As to the order in which they are processed.... There is no order. We have no idea how the order is handled. They just hand the workers a huge batch of applications and those get worked on. The reason we are having problems with the order is that the system they set up to handle transcripts and applications is not working.

It was suppossed to have the appls appear on a computer screen. Then we were suppossed to switch screens and see the transcripts and be able to verify these at once and then process on the spot. This is not how we have to do it now due to the system failure. Now we have to physically verify trancsripts from another location and try to find the applications they go with or vice versa. It is a long and tedious process that is changing the order of people who applied first or three weeks later.

All the emails that people are getting for no reason is because there is no filtering being done. The computer is sitting them out randomly to any person it wants to."

This is what he told me today. It is really encouraging to know that they have no known order of processing and we all busted our butts to get our applications done early for nothing. Sarcasm.

Oh well, that is what was told to me, for what it's worth. Oh I only waited on hold for 8 minutes, although I did call back twice cause the first guy I talked to (Mark) was rude and making all kinds of negative comments about pre-meds. the next person was much nicer like most of the people at AMCAS we've talked to.

 

[Amy B]

Oh I forgot to mention. AMCAS also hopes to delete the 2001 check status online and replace it with 2002 applicants check status. It should be changed in a month. Just thought I would pass it along.

 

[Hopkins2010]

Originally posted by Amy Beth:
•Oh I forgot to mention. AMCAS also hopes to delete the 2001 check status online and replace it with 2002 applicants check status. It should be changed in a month. Just thought I would pass it along.•

Great, it should be ready just about the time I dont really need it anymore. 🙄

Needless to say, I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

I'm betting that at this exact time, exactly one month from now there will still be no updated status check.

 

[md2be06]

"In a month" huh? Let me translate. To them, that means, if all of your transcripts have been received and your application has not only been processed but also electronically transmitted to medical schools, with, we hope, your actual MCAT scores, not someone else's, then we envision being able to turn our attention to providing a service where you, our cherished consumer, are able to check, with precious little effort, the status of your application for admission into medical school.