This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

explorer012

Full Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Messages
14
Reaction score
1
Hi all,
Is submitting a primary application at the end of September too late?
The deadlines for schools are November/ December. I know the verification process takes ~6wks at this time. If a deadline is December 1st. Does that mean I have to submit by AT LEAST October 15th to get the application verified and sent in on time?
Thank you so much.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Is submitting a primary application at the end of September too late?
The deadlines for schools are November/ December. I know the verification process takes ~6wks at this time. If a deadline is December 1st. Does that mean I have to submit by AT LEAST October 15th to get the application verified and sent in on time?
Most would agree that applying late in the cycle is not ideal for you to have the best chance of an acceptance. Whether you might fall outside of the usual expectations for an application submitted so late depends on multiple factors. You will get the best answer to your query by providing more detail and answering these questions (taken from the WAMC forum sticky):

Suggested information to include when creating a WAMC thread are as follows:
  1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS
  2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown
  3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)
  4. Ethnicity and/or race
  5. Undergraduate institution or category
  6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
  7. Research experience and productivity
  8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented
  9. Non-clinical volunteering
  10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
  11. Relevant honors or awards
  12. Anything else not listed you think might be important
Most importantly, please include a list of schools you are interested in applying to. It is much easier for users to help you when you have taken the time to construct your own school list first!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I'm....I'm....speechless........

Submitting a primary after AUGUST 1st is in reality late

********AMCAS 2019 Timeline Summary (post count #028)************
-AMCAS May 2, 2018, Primary application opens up. Can send formal requests for transcripts from your schools and letter requests to your letter writers.
-AMCAS May 31, 2018, Completed primary applications with all ECs, PS, and course information can be submitted. You enter the verification queue only when both completed primary application and all transcripts have been received.
-AMCAS does not, repeat, does not verify LOR or MCAT score. Your primary application will be verified regardless of LOR or MCAT score status
-AMCAS June 29, 2018, begins transmission verified applications (though some schools have secondaries sent to contact info upon submission to AMCAS)
-Verification peak is about August 1st and takes 20 days
-Most Primary Apps are transmitted early July thru early September
-Secondaries timelines can vary widely as to when to they are sent out from almost immediately upon submissions to 3 months, though most are in the range 1-3 weeks after transmission.
-Letters via AMCAS are processed/transmitted separately from primary
-Letters can be added after primary has been submitted and transmitted and are mostly not needed until secondary reviews at the earliest.
-There are usually 3 main phases in processing application
----1) Initial Screening/Evaluation: A hybrid of automatic GPA/MCAT screen plus human for "quick review" of application. Used to for general priority and, in some cases, which team/subcommittee gets application. In some cases preset criteria can lead to II.
----2)Full Evaluation: This is where evaluator/reader/team/subcommittee will fully evaluate all sections of primary, secondary, and LOR and generally summarize in broad categories or point system. This essentially becomes your priority for adcom review and II. This function may be split up among several evaluators and may go to a team or subcommittee for II decision. Application are not typically evaluated until complete with Primary, Secondary, MCAT, and LOR
----3) Full adcom: this is where your fully evaluated application is reviewed and voted on by adcom for II on later on for acceptance/WL/rejection
-Application and candidate evaluations timeline varies widely by school may not done in a linear, chronological order. EDP, High achievers, URM, family of alumni, feeder schools, associated UG programs, linked postbaccs, and other factor may push an app forward in the process.
-Most adcoms dont start meeting for review of evaluated applicants until at least mid-August, more likely September, though some reviews may be done earlier for groups mentioned above. Evaluation may start almost immediately at schools.
-Schools receive 5,000-10,000 application but can only evaluate several hundred applications a week. Therefore, it can take 12 weeks or more to be evaluated, reviewed and invited for interview.
-Schools must reduce several thousand applications to several hundred interviews. Therefore 80% of applicants at any individual school must be rejected pre-interview.
-Submitting Primary Application June is Early, July Medium, August Late
-Having Primary verified and transmitted to school by end of August is normal speed
-Having Secondary and all LORs complete to school by Labor Day is early/ontime. By late or end of September is about middle/normal speed, by end of October is about late.
--After that point you will generally start getting impacted by the number of applications submitted, the finite number of interview slots, and seats given by rolling admissions. These aren’t absolute dates nor is it a fixed timeline. It should be used as a guideline

Haha it's okay I'm speechless too. All of the above was originally my plan, but my MCAT scores did not turn out too well. So I retook the exam the last possible date on september 1st. I was told it's not good to submit applications without knowing your score so I will find out on Oct.2nd. I'm not interested in extremely competitive schools as I'm just an average applicant. I do have 4 years of working as a vet tech so I'm hoping that might make me stand out a little more. If i do not make it in this cycle, I will have almost a 2 year gap year. That's why I just wanna try and see if it'll work out but I also know it's not ideal to apply many times. I don't know what to do at the moment since the-premed advisor at my university just quit. They haven't hired anyone new. Talk about bad timing haha.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Haha it's okay I'm speechless too. All of the above was originally my plan, but my MCAT scores did not turn out too well. So I retook the exam the last possible date on september 1st. I was told it's not good to submit applications without knowing your score so I will find out on Oct.2nd. I'm not interested in extremely competitive schools as I'm just an average applicant. I do have 4 years of working as a vet tech so I'm hoping that might make me stand out a little more. If i do not make it in this cycle, I will have almost a 2 year gap year. That's why I just wanna try and see if it'll work out but I also know it's not ideal to apply many times. I don't know what to do at the moment since the-premed advisor at my university just quit. They haven't hired anyone new. Talk about bad timing haha.

I strongly recommend waiting until next June. Having taken the MCAT twice is already one strike against you (compared with the applicant who took it once and got a score as good as the better of your two attempt). Don't compound that by being an average, but late, applicant. Schools will save a few interview slots for amazing applicants who were late applicants due to circumstances such as being on an overseas military assignment but for the most part, you are supposed to know the timeline and have your ducks in a row in late Spring/early Summer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Why don’t you answr Catalystick’s questions and let us see your school list. If not, spend some time reading the forums and finding out that many applicants have already had interviews. Did you know that the first wave of acceptances are made around October 15? That’s about when your primary might be verified.
 
Right now I an assisting applicants from outstanding to weak who will complete all their secondaries by rule of thumb date of Sept 15th as early/ontime cut off and the start of being late. By the time your primary first gets transmitted to schools will be at least Oct 15th. This is wholly a waste of time, money, and effort AND will make you a reapplicant next cycle which is already a red flag to adcoms. I cannot stress enough just how bad this idea is. applying this cycle will lessen your chances of ever being a doctor

Do you mean some of your advising students outside of SDN are still submitting secondaries? Is this for MD, DO or both and could you share the stats/LizzyM range of the weaker candidates you have?
 
Okay, so I had planned to apply to schools in the DC/MD/VA area. I am not planning on applying to any dream schools bc I know that's really unrealistic because of the time frame. I think if I could have applied on time, I would make a good applicant. I have a GPA of 3.6. sGPA 3.3. First MCAT score was 502 but I did really bad on the bio section so I had to retake the whole thing. (C: 127 CARS:125 BIO:123 PSYCH:127 ). If I apply to Howard located in DC I think I would normally have a fair chance. Median GPA: 3.5 Median MCAT: 502.
If I only apply to that ONE school this cycle I don't think it would be too damaging, right? At least I would have tried something before taking such a long gap. My top schools would be VCU, UMD, GW...Georgetown if we're really dreaming :)
 
You have almost zero chance of getting accepted to a MD school applying this late and assuming your MCAT doesn't improve by at least 10 points.
 
Are you URM? Howard has a very specific mission and focus. Do you fit that focus? Your GPAs are below average, especially your sGPA for MD school (average about 3.7). You are probably competitive for DO schools and their cycle runs longer than MD. How are your ECs?
 
Not an applications genius by far but plenty of schools ask "have you applied to medical school previously" on secondaries, not just have you applied to us previously. Honestly, a gap year isn't that bad. I didn't want to take one, but I think it can often be quite productive. I know one girl who took 2 years off and now is at a T10 school.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Not an applications genius by far but plenty of schools ask "have you applied to medical school previously" on secondaries, not just have you applied to us previously. Honestly, a gap year isn't that bad. I didn't want to take one, but I think it can often be quite productive. I know one girl who took 2 years off and now is at a T10 school.

That's a great point. Okay so I won't apply to even one med school this year. I'll focus on making my application stronger and more competitive during my gap year, try out scribing or mission trips etc. Thanks, everyone for all your advice and help. I really really appreciate it. Wishing you all the best!
 
That's a great point. Okay so I won't apply to even one med school this year. I'll focus on making my application stronger and more competitive during my gap year, try out scribing or mission trips etc. Thanks, everyone for all your advice and help. I really really appreciate it. Wishing you all the best!
Mission trips likely won't help you much. Do you volunteering here at home! There are many in need of assistance in your own community.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I'd suggest finding an organization or two at home and stick to those consistently. Schools like to see commitment over longer periods of time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
That's a great point. Okay so I won't apply to even one med school this year. I'll focus on making my application stronger and more competitive during my gap year, try out scribing or mission trips etc. Thanks, everyone for all your advice and help. I really really appreciate it. Wishing you all the best!

And retaking the MCAT, yes? A 502 isn't going to cut it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
That's a great point. Okay so I won't apply to even one med school this year. I'll focus on making my application stronger and more competitive during my gap year, try out scribing or mission trips etc. Thanks, everyone for all your advice and help. I really really appreciate it. Wishing you all the best!

Don’t do mission trips. There are thousands of people right here at home that need help. And many ADCOMS look at mission trips as voluntourism. And that’s not a good thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Top