Should everyone apply early no matter what their GPA or competitiveness?

[BlueScar]

I heard that if you have a somewhat low GPA and you apply early, you won't stand out infront of the thousands of other early applications with high GPA's.

Same with those with high GPA's: if they apply later, they will stand out in front of everyone else who applied late. How true is this? I heard this through an interview from Med school Headquarters. Dr. Rivera started talking about this at 19:30, and specifically goes into it at 20:20.

What do you guys think? Here is the link:

I would really like to know if I should apply right when applications open, since I am not as competitive (needed a DIY post bacc of 4.0 to boost by GPA of 3.19 up to a 3.44).

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[LizzyM]

Frankly, these days the electronic MCAT makes it possible to sort by GPA, MCAT, URM, etc and "skim the cream", rinse and repeat. I do not believe that there is any strategy regarding the timing of the application that can help the less stellar candidate to stand out. Earlier means you are competing for 100% of the interview seats (because no invitations have been issued) versus applying late when some interview invites have already been made.

 

[medicalchimp]

LizzyM nailed it. They can likely sort through GPA’s with a computer, but by applying early you are making yourself eligible for all the seats - rather than limiting your choices by applying late.

 

[KnightDoc]

LizzyM nailed it. They can likely sort through GPA’s with a computer, but by applying early you are making yourself eligible for all the seats - rather than limiting your choices by applying late.

Except, if you listen to Dean Rivera in the interview posted above, you are NOT competing for all of the spots, because he is holding some back, and arguing that there is actually less competition for them later in the cycle! @LizzyM's point that timing an application submission is unlikely to yield an II for a less than stellar candidate makes perfect sense, but Dean Rivera is saying that timing a submission could help a stellar candidate who might otherwise be lost in the crowd stand out. I guess it depends on whether you believe that schools really do hold back IIs for later submissions.

 

[LizzyM]

Yeah, we might be holding some back but that's for the really strong (often non-trad and somewhat clueless) applicants who arrive late. Keep in mind, we have the "pool to date" before us at all time and we can continually screen and skim the best to date. This is why many schools won't send you a rejection early in the cycle but will string you along on the chance that you start to look beetter closer to the end of the cycle.

Edit: I reject the notion that reviewers are comparing applicants in a small pool against one another thus making it wise to apply later when you'll be in a small pool of weaker applicants. I have never reviewed more than 2 applicants in a sitting and I always used an assessment that compared each applicant to an ideal, not to others in a small pool. If we are, let's say, working on a 1000 point scale and 850 might land you an interview but there are a ton of people with 900s, they'll get interviewed first and then, maybe, and regardless of when they submitted the application, we might get to the 850s. It is my stair analogy again, new folks can arrive and take a step higher than the one you are on, applying early or late is not going to change which step you are assigned based on a reading of your application.

 

[MisterMukwa]

Does NYU admit anybody with a “low” gpa?

 

[LizzyM]

Does NYU admit anybody with a “low” gpa?

They might... if the person is a 28 year old with a 3.60 undergrad GPA and a PhD in genetics with three publications and a 8 year history of helping out in a soup kitchen every wednesday night. (Hypothetical applicant, not meant to represent any current or former NYU matriculant but just to show how other factors might outweigh a "low" GPA)

 

[medicalchimp]

They might... if the person is a 28 year old with a 3.60 undergrad GPA and a PhD in genetics with three publications and a 8 year history of helping out in a soup kitchen every wednesday night. (Hypothetical applicant, not meant to represent any current or former NYU matriculant but just to show how other factors might outweigh a "low" GPA)

Is 3.6 low for NYU standards or low in general?

 

[Talldoctor96]

Is 3.6 low for NYU standards or low in general?

Check MSAR. Not low in general. Anything above 3.5 is not "low"

 

[LizzyM]

Check MSAR. Not low in general. Anything above 3.5 is not "low"

But might certainly be low for NYU.

 

[Talldoctor96]

But might certainly be low for NYU.

For sure hahaha

 

[MisterMukwa]

Is 3.6 low for NYU standards or low in general?

The 10th percentile GPA for NYU is over 3.7 on MSAR. My original point was I don’t think NYU will care when you submit if you don’t have a very high gpa. They’ve made it fairly obvious they’re all about the stats.

 

[Talldoctor96]

I've been going back and forth about taking off NYU from my school list. I have 3.6, URM, 524, 4 pubs and career switcher. I'm leaning towards nixing based on my GPA and LizzyM's description haha

Lol idk if i would take any school off your list LOL

 

[MisterMukwa]

I've been going back and forth about taking off NYU from my school list. I have 3.6, URM, 524, 4 pubs and career switcher. I'm leaning towards nixing based on my GPA and LizzyM's description haha

That’s a tough call. Would definitely be a reach by virtue of gpa but if you have the funds for it, by all means. I think you may have better luck at other top schools fwiw. Then again, I’m just some internet stranger.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

From the original post:

I heard that if you have a somewhat low GPA and you apply early, you won't stand out infront of the thousands of other early applications with high GPA's.

Same with those with high GPA's: if they apply later, they will stand out in front of everyone else who applied late. How true is this? I heard this through an interview from Med school Headquarters. Dr. Rivera started talking about this at 19:30, and specifically goes into it at 20:20.

What do you guys think?

I would really like to know if I should apply right when applications open, since I am not as competitive (needed a DIY post bacc of 4.0 to boost by GPA of 3.19 up to a 3.44).

As @LizzyM has noted, electronic applications make it easy to sort and slice an application any which way we want to. So many people on SDN have constructed sorting formula that can rank you on a weighted basis of GPA, MCAT, and activities.

@Goro mentions that applications are like the Olympics. So to extend that analogy, this is the prelim rounds, with the highest ranked competitors going first to establish the scoring range for everyone who comes afterwards (which isn't really how the Olympics should do it, but you can get my point). We can triage applications and place the ones that are deemed highly desirable as the ones we focus a lot of attention on, based on the feedback from our faculty from past cycles. I never hear about "reserving seats" for later on in the cycle unless they are for guaranteed admission students and deferrals whose seats must be set aside. We want to be done with interviewing as soon as we can; many of the faculty have much more on their plate.

 

[Goro]

I heard that if you have a somewhat low GPA and you apply early, you won't stand out infront of the thousands of other early applications with high GPA's.

Same with those with high GPA's: if they apply later, they will stand out in front of everyone else who applied late. How true is this? I heard this through an interview from Med school Headquarters. Dr. Rivera started talking about this at 19:30, and specifically goes into it at 20:20.

What do you guys think? Here is the link:

I would really like to know if I should apply right when applications open, since I am not as competitive (needed a DIY post bacc of 4.0 to boost by GPA of 3.19 up to a 3.44).

Apps are not processed in order of receipt.

Weaker candidates applying when they are not ready are simply making donations. Schools don't need them. Take your parents out for Mother's or Father's day once the world returns to normal.

 

[Goro]

I've been going back and forth about taking off NYU from my school list. I have 3.6, URM, 524, 4 pubs and career switcher. I'm leaning towards nixing based on my GPA and LizzyM's description haha

URMs are a totally different pool!

 

[LizzyM]

I've been going back and forth about taking off NYU from my school list. I have 3.6, URM, 524, 4 pubs and career switcher. I'm leaning towards nixing based on my GPA and LizzyM's description haha

You are a unicorn. You should put any school you want -- including NYU-- on your list. Start with WashU in St. Louis. They will pay handsomely for your MCAT.

 

[Talldoctor96]

Yes, that is what I have heard. I wish there was more data out there as it makes it a bit difficult to understand where to reach!


Thanks for the feedback, LizzyM

As a URM with a 524 you can literally apply anywhere. It doesn't mean youll get in everywhere but the world is your oyster.