Ran out of money for secondaries

[yuio]

I work full time currently so I am able to pay for all my applications. I had some emergencies a month or so ago after submitting the primary that cost quite a bit and between that, primary, and secondaries I've emptied my savings and still have several more to submit. I can pay for them with my next paycheck but that means submitting almost a month after receiving the initial invite.

I've read many previous threads about secondary timing and most seem to say it's not a big deal but I've noticed on some previous threads adcoms have mentioned they do in fact notice submission times and early shows interest in the school and it looks bad to take a long time..

My last letter won't even be in until after I submit all of them anyway.. but anyone have some advice or ideas? Like call schools to tell them or just let it go and deal with it?

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[TaupePremed]

but I've noticed on some previous threads adcoms have mentioned they do in fact notice submission times and early shows interest in the school and it looks bad to take a long time..

I have literally never seen that on SDN. Citation needed? I have only seen the exact opposite.

I definitely wouldn't tell med schools that you ran out of money. Lots of people run out of money sometimes so I don't personally think it is a big deal, but you don't really want to say anything negative about yourself to med schools.

You said your next paycheck will literally cover the fees, so this actually might be a good time to use a credit card. Some people will be horrified at my suggestion, but even if you pay one month of credit card interest, I think that is a worthwhile investment in your future.

You should never carry a balance on your credit card for more than a few months, but I think carrying a balance for two months under these circumstances is very reasonable. If you make the minimum payment it will not hurt your credit score (it may help your credit score, having 0% utilization of credit is actually bad, but you may already have a car loan or student debt in which it won't help). Credit card interest rates are very high, but if you only carry the balance for a few months then the extra money spent on interest can be thought of as a convenience fee. It would have taken many hours to get a lower interest loan or find the money somewhere else, so you spent maybe $100 to save yourself a ton of hours. Do a cost-benefit analysis, doctors do them all the time.

"Credit card debt is like chemotherapy, you have to do a careful cost-benefit analysis, but sometimes it is necessary." - Taupe, 2016

 

[Shirafune]

Given how much time and money you've already invested into the app cycle, you should identify target schools based on stats and ECs/mission and focus on those. I personally don't think end of July (or even end of August) to be that late and you can certainly still show interest in schools without being the first one in. People (like yourself) are in different circumstances which may or may not allow them to submit super early. I think answering the secondaries is infinitely more important. And obviously, while you're waiting for your paycheck, write everything so that you only need to submit.