MPH SOPHAS Verification Timeline

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medception

medception

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Hi everyone,

I am a bit confused about the school-specific SOPHAS application deadlines - does your SOPHAS application have to have been verified by the school-specific deadline (i.e. December 1, 2016 for Hopkins), or does it just have to have been E-Submitted by that date?

Also will getting verified in December hurt admission chances? Or do AdComs start to review applications around that time anyway?

Any and all responses appreciated.
 
medception said:
I am a bit confused about the school-specific SOPHAS application deadlines - does your SOPHAS application have to have been verified by the school-specific deadline (i.e. December 1, 2016 for Hopkins), or does it just have to have been E-Submitted by that date?
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Pudu2009 said:
This seems to be a very common concern. The answer to this question is really that it depends on the school. Some will view your application as soon as it is completed, others will refuse to view it until it is verified. Because the majority of applicants are submitting around the same time to make the priority deadline, it may take four to six weeks for SOPHAS to verify your app. This means that you have to plan accordingly. Start writing your SoP in August, and studying for the GRE so that you can take it by early October, giving you a couple weeks to get your score reports in. If you must, submit only one designation first; once your application is verified, your other designations will be ready as soon as you submit them.
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You may want to start wrapping up your application and submitting about now.

medception said:
Also will getting verified in December hurt admission chances? Or do AdComs start to review applications around that time anyway?
Click to expand...

I don't see why as long as you're verified by the deadline.
 
I just did some digging into the SOPHAS Instructions (which, by the way, are incredibly vague), as well as the specific schools to which I'm applying, and it looks like I'll be okay?

I submitted SOPHAS on 10/05, with all transcripts (using the professional entry service) and GRE scores received. Just waiting on the 2nd of 5 LOR's to be submitted by 10/21/2016, at which point I guess SOPHAS will begin the professional transcript entry (up to 10 business days), which will take me to 11/04/2016. Then verification - which would take me to 12/02/2016 (website states up to 4 weeks. The other three LOR's should be submitted by 11/25/2016. Hopkins, UCLA, and Columbia (all with 12/01/2016 deadlines) go by the E-Submit date, rather than verification date, as meeting their deadlines. I have a GRE test date coming up on 10/29/2016, but I'm not sure I'll be submitting the official scores.

Assuming everything goes smoothly, I should be complete everywhere by 12/02/2016.
 
Any chance you can get that second LOR sooner? I'm sure you'll be fine, but it would be more reassuring if you can be complete within the next few days, so you have six weeks before your first deadline. Don't worry about the GRE; as long as you submitted your previous scores you'll be fine. If you do get a higher score the second time around, you can always e-mail the schools you applied to and send your new scores to them.
 
Pudu2009 said:
Any chance you can get that second LOR sooner? I'm sure you'll be fine, but it would be more reassuring if you can be complete within the next few days, so you have six weeks before your first deadline. Don't worry about the GRE; as long as you submitted your previous scores you'll be fine. If you do get a higher score the second time around, you can always e-mail the schools you applied to and send your new scores to them.
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Where in the SOPHAS app does it say 6 weeks? Hope I didn't miss it! From what I've read, according to SOPHAS it should take no longer than 4-- "IT MAY TAKE UP TO FOUR WEEKS FROM YOUR COMPLETE DATE FOR YOUR APPLICATION TO BE VERIFIED. "
https://portal.sophas.org/sophasHel...he-application-process/verificatio/index.html
 
Pudu2009 said:
Experience with friends who have told me it took 5-6 weeks for their app to be verified.
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Oh also, I feel horrible if you think I obnoxiously put that statement in bold and in all caps. SOPHAS formatted it that way and it just transferred when I C&Ped. You've been so helpful!!
 
eek_ said:
Oh also, I feel horrible if you think I obnoxiously put that statement in bold and in all caps. SOPHAS formatted it that way and it just transferred when I C&Ped. You've been so helpful!!
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:laugh: No problem! I figured as much.
 
medception said:
I just did some digging into the SOPHAS Instructions (which, by the way, are incredibly vague), as well as the specific schools to which I'm applying, and it looks like I'll be okay?

I submitted SOPHAS on 10/05, with all transcripts (using the professional entry service) and GRE scores received. Just waiting on the 2nd of 5 LOR's to be submitted by 10/21/2016, at which point I guess SOPHAS will begin the professional transcript entry (up to 10 business days), which will take me to 11/04/2016. Then verification - which would take me to 12/02/2016 (website states up to 4 weeks. The other three LOR's should be submitted by 11/25/2016. Hopkins, UCLA, and Columbia (all with 12/01/2016 deadlines) go by the E-Submit date, rather than verification date, as meeting their deadlines. I have a GRE test date coming up on 10/29/2016, but I'm not sure I'll be submitting the official scores.

Assuming everything goes smoothly, I should be complete everywhere by 12/02/2016.
Click to expand...
Just wanted to confirm as I am applying to Columbia as well- I should be ok with submitting in mid november for Columbia. Right? thank you so much for starting this thread- has been super helpful 🙂
 
Pudu2009 said:
Any chance you can get that second LOR sooner? I'm sure you'll be fine, but it would be more reassuring if you can be complete within the next few days, so you have six weeks before your first deadline. Don't worry about the GRE; as long as you submitted your previous scores you'll be fine. If you do get a higher score the second time around, you can always e-mail the schools you applied to and send your new scores to them.
Click to expand...

My second recommender just emailed me back this morning saying that he will be able to submit by this Friday, 10/21. I'll post back here when he has submitted. I'm getting a bit nervous, but hopefully I'll be fine as you said. We should start a sticky on this forum the lists SPH's and whether they go by the E-Submit or by the Verification date as their deadlines!
 
I'm a little wary of the e-submit deadline. I would call the schools just to make sure that they will look at your app before it's verified. If they say yes, then mid-November is plenty early. If they say no, then you might want to think about submitting sometime between now and early November.
 
medception said:
My second recommender just emailed me back this morning saying that he will be able to submit by this Friday, 10/21. I'll post back here when he has submitted. I'm getting a bit nervous, but hopefully I'll be fine as you said. We should start a sticky on this forum the lists SPH's and whether they go by the E-Submit or by the Verification date as their deadlines!
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I wish I could like that post a million times! yes we should definitely start that thread!

I did ask the school and they confirmed the e-submit date. I'm just a very anxious person and wanted to double check with someone else who is applying haha anyways, thank you both!!
 
LDK92 said:
I wish I could like that post a million times! yes we should definitely start that thread!

I did ask the school and they confirmed the e-submit date. I'm just a very anxious person and wanted to double check with someone else who is applying haha anyways, thank you both!!
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Just figured out that Vanderbilt and Michigan both want a verified application by 12/15, and GW has rolling admissions eventhough they have a "deadline" posted on SOPHAS.
 
Last edited:
As an FYI to anybody applying to Harvard, they had a live Q&A via Facebook where they said you just need to press "submit" on SOPHAS by December 1st. The full video is on the Harvard Chan School's Facebook page.
 
Just for reference, I submitted my first few apps on Sunday night (10/30) and already had all of my transcripts and LOR's in, and I just got verified today afternoon (11/1). So it only took about a day and a half.
 
I wonder if it's because you've all submitted early. I'll bet November is the high-traffic time when everyone is trying to submit exactly four weeks before the priority deadlines.
 
What all needs to be submitted to get my application started on verification? I have all of my transcripts in and one LOR.
 
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