secondary applications

[nasdr]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm a little confused as to how and when we receive secondary applications. I have been processed by amcas (6/15), and I hear that most schools have online secondaries. Does that mean we can go to their website and start on them, or are we waiting for some correspondance (email/letter) from the respective medical school, stating that we should go ahead and start the secondary. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[efex101]

Some schools already have the secondaries online to be filled out even though they have not yet downloaded your amcas. Yale and Wash U come to mind from last year but most will send you notification usually by e-mail (the e-mail will contain a password and the web page link) that you can fill out the secondary.

 

[efex101]

Link for Yale https://medapps05.med.yale.edu/msa/msa_web.appindex

 

[nasdr]

Thanks for the info and link. I have heard that most schools start downloading apps around July 1. On the amcas 2005 application site, is there a way to find out which schools have downloaded my primary and when they did so?

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

As I understand, it will actually show up on the status screen of your amcas. I think it will say something like "transmitted".

 

[efex101]

Yup, once the schools have downloaded your AMCAS you will see the date next the school on the amcas screen.

 

[efex101]

The first page once you logon will look like this...as you can see there is no transmissiond date for Drexel they received AMCAS via snail mail.


Current Application Status: Processed

Your application has completed processing. To review any corrections made to your application during the verification process, use the print option provided at the left.

The following medical school designation list displays only submitted designations and program types. If you have recently added a new designation or changed a program type and the change does not appear, you must recertify and resubmit your application.

Medical School Application Type Transmission Date
Creighton University School of Medicine Regular M.D. 07/23/2003 10:21:59
Drexel University College of Medicine Regular M.D.

 

[efex101]

Hope this helps all you anal retentive folks like myself...he he

 

[Bendrix]

The best thing to do is just poke around the websites of all the schools to which you're applying. Each school does things in its own way, and most schools are pretty clear in their admissions sections about the details. It pays to be organized in your approach, and if secondaries are available, you might as well do what you can to get them out of the way. But remember, it's still early.

 

[efex101]

Yeah I had a huge excel file with all the details just to keep track...

 

[TRUE]

Schools last year didn't start receiving applications until July 14th, so you have a little while to relax. As for the secondaries, it varies by school. Some have online secondaries that are password locked so you can't see them unless you're invivted to fill it out. Some have pdf's just up there for the taking. Of course, you shouldn't send in any secondary you do complete until they ask you to fill out the secondary, but you can start early if you feel like it. Personally, I would enjoy the final few days before the madness begins in peace and quiet (ie: no secondaries), but that's up to you.

 

[efex101]

There are schools that you *can* submit secondaries now while things are slow...I suggest if you have nothing else to do and you applied via amcas already why not? the yale web page specifically says that yes, you can go ahead and submit the secondary now...

 

[Bendrix]

Personally, I would enjoy the final few days before the madness begins

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how little effort was required for the secondary stage. People's experiences vary, but I applied to 15 schools and was incredibly underwhelmed by the secondaries. With a few notable exceptions, secondaries just aren't that big a deal. I had to write very little beyond blurbs describing what I had done since graduating from college, what I was doing during the application year, and why I wanted to attend a particular med school.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

So when are the first wave of interviews?

 

[Shades McCool]

I am planning on interviewing late August or early September.

 

[TRUE]

I am planning on interviewing late August or early September.

How are you planning on applying in any one time period if you haven't even gotten an interview offer yet? Also, I'm not sure, but I don't think any school interviews in August at all. The first possible weekend for Einstein, for instance, was in October. I would think most interviews start in earnest in mid-Sept, but can continue well throughout feb. and march.

 

[Kazema]

He's doing ED.

 

[Shades McCool]

How are you planning on applying in any one time period if you haven't even gotten an interview offer yet? Also, I'm not sure, but I don't think any school interviews in August at all. The first possible weekend for Einstein, for instance, was in October. I would think most interviews start in earnest in mid-Sept, but can continue well throughout feb. and march.

ED at UAB starts late August early September.

 

[TRUE]

ED at UAB starts late August early September.

Gotcha. Good luck.

 

[Shades McCool]

Thanks!

 

[efex101]

Actually some interviews *can* be as early as August...just fyi.