Still a Shot?

[BuckeyeForBass]

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Hey All,
I was just informed that AACOMAS hasnt recieved my transcripts yet ... meaning that it will probbably be ~december before I can get my primary DO apps out. Even though this is before the Feb 1 deadlines, do you think I will only be interviewing for WL spots (provided that i get interviews)?
Thanks

 

[Hexanol]

Hey All,
I was just informed that AACOMAS hasnt recieved my transcripts yet ... meaning that it will probbably be ~december before I can get my primary DO apps out. Even though this is before the Feb 1 deadlines, do you think I will only be interviewing for WL spots (provided that i get interviews)?
Thanks

that's kinda late. HOWEVER, your grades and MCAT scores are competitive. Its all a shot in the dark. I'd say go for it and see what happens. you never know. but that's up to you. consider this though, if you apply this cycle and don't get in, you're considered a reapplicant.

 

[rub1003]

i think your stats are very competitive. keep applying. make sure your secondaries are sent way ahead of time. while you wait for them, check out the thread that lists all the questions of each school. write those essays so when they come, they'll be ready to be sent as soon as 3 days after receiving them. just make sure that you do your secondaries in good time and i'll think you'll be fine. best of luck to you!

 

[scpod]

Even though this is before the Feb 1 deadlines, do you think I will only be interviewing for WL spots (provided that i get interviews)?
Thanks

No. Schools have rolling admissions. They almost all save spots for good applicants late in the process, often until March and April. They don't want to have all of their seats filled when a string of 4.0 GPA/45MCAT people decide to apply late. Quite a few schools have just barely started interviewing right now.

 

[Mr_Bihari]

I have the same question for you all. Also, I wanted to know what the time period for verification is right now and what you think are competitve stats. If would awesome if you guys could provide some consolation, I am also worried that I might be too late! 🙁

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

I have the same question for you all. Also, I wanted to know what the time period for verification is right now and what you think are competitve stats. If would awesome if you guys could provide some consolation, I am also worried that I might be too late! 🙁

Four to six weeks. May be a little shorter, but I think you'd still be catching the tail end of applicants who decided to apply after getting their August MCAT scores. Best of luck.

 

[Mr_Bihari]

Four to six weeks. May be a little shorter, but I think you'd still be catching the tail end of applicants who decided to apply after getting their August MCAT scores. Best of luck.

Thanks HemaOncoDoc.....does anybody else have any input????

 

[scpod]

...but I think you'd still be catching the tail end of applicants who decided to apply after getting their August MCAT scores.

That's a pretty big misconception among all pre-meds. There are quite a lot of people who don't even apply until December, January, or later. And, for a lot more reasons than just the August MCAT. Half of my class didn't even interview until after January 1st.

Yes, it is better to apply early, but if your scores are at least equal to or higher than the average for the school, then you still have plenty of time to apply. They save seats for people like you. IF, however, your scores are less than average, then you have a long, uphill battle ahead of you. You can still get an interview, get on the waitlist, and get accepted right up til next August.

Even though this application process starts in June or July, it really lasts for more than a year. It is not even close to being over when January rolls around. People have had it drummed into their heads so much that they need to apply early and often, that they seem to have forgotten that the process doesn't end when the leaves start to fall. It lasts through the winter, the spring, and summer of next year too.

Every school out there will tell you to, "Hurry up because our class is almost full," but that's rarely the truth. It's a rolling admissions process. They don't just pick 150 good people that applied early and stop. Some schools might even tell you that they only have waitlist spots open, but they always seem to find a spot open up for good candidates.

Yes, the best idea is to apply early...but...IMO, it's still early. There are some people on this board right now who won't get there acceptances till August of next year-- 10 months from now!!! They'll still be in the class of 2011. There's just no reason at all to give up now. Late...you're not even close to late yet.

 

[It'sElectric]

That's a pretty big misconception among all pre-meds. There are quite a lot of people who don't even apply until December, January, or later. And, for a lot more reasons than just the August MCAT. Half of my class didn't even interview until after January 1st.

Yes, it is better to apply early, but if your scores are at least equal to or higher than the average for the school, then you still have plenty of time to apply. They save seats for people like you. IF, however, your scores are less than average, then you have a long, uphill battle ahead of you. You can still get an interview, get on the waitlist, and get accepted right up til next August.

Even though this application process starts in June or July, it really lasts for more than a year. It is not even close to being over when January rolls around. People have had it drummed into their heads so much that they need to apply early and often, that they seem to have forgotten that the process doesn't end when the leaves start to fall. It lasts through the winter, the spring, and summer of next year too.

Every school out there will tell you to, "Hurry up because our class is almost full," but that's rarely the truth. It's a rolling admissions process. They don't just pick 150 good people that applied early and stop. Some schools might even tell you that they only have waitlist spots open, but they always seem to find a spot open up for good candidates.

Yes, the best idea is to apply early...but...IMO, it's still early. There are some people on this board right now who won't get there acceptances till August of next year-- 10 months from now!!! They'll still be in the class of 2011. There's just no reason at all to give up now. Late...you're not even close to late yet.

The definition for rolling admissions does seem to imply that those who apply later are at a slight disadvantage:

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/commonadmissionsterms/g/rollingad.htm

 

[scpod]

The definition for rolling admissions does seem to imply that those who apply later are at a slight disadvantage:

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/commonadmissionsterms/g/rollingad.htm

It seems to be on the surface because you might say that you are competing for 150 open seats in September against fewer applicants, but by January you are competeing for 75 seats and more applicants are involved. Yet, you are not really applying for ALL 150 seats in September or ALL 75 seats in January. You are applying for the number of acceptances they plan to give out at the next meeting of the admissions committee. They know that people apply late and they will give them out in little doses because they don't want to have to turn great applicants down in March because they accepted a bunch of 23 MCATers in November.

These schools are really good about working the alternate (or wait) list. They put people on it who are acceptable, as a kind of backup plan, and wait for better applicants to interview. They review these lists periodically, but most of the moivement from them really takes place in the last month before schools starts because they are constantly getting good quality applicants to interview right up until the deadline. It is pure fantasy to believe that all the good applicants interview early. There are many, many reasons why people wait until after the new year to interview and it isn't just low MCAT and GPA people.

I would agree that the best idea is to apply early because you have more time to make decisions and more time to apply to other schools if you are turned down. However, the application process if FAR from over at this point. Good applicants still have loads of time to apply, interview and be accepted. Marginal applicants have a chance, but are fighting an uphill battle. If you are a marginal applicant and are palced on the waitlist now, then you have lots of time to improve your chances. You can get more LORs, improve your GPA, win a few new awards, etc. You can even retake the MCAT again beginning in January.

However, if you choose to believe that your odds are low and don't apply...well you'll never get there, will you?

 

[Mr_Bihari]

It seems to be on the surface because you might say that you are competing for 150 open seats in September against fewer applicants, but by January you are competeing for 75 seats and more applicants are involved. Yet, you are not really applying for ALL 150 seats in September or ALL 75 seats in January. You are applying for the number of acceptances they plan to give out at the next meeting of the admissions committee. They know that people apply late and they will give them out in little doses because they don't want to have to turn great applicants down in March because they accepted a bunch of 23 MCATers in November.

These schools are really good about working the alternate (or wait) list. They put people on it who are acceptable, as a kind of backup plan, and wait for better applicants to interview. They review these lists periodically, but most of the moivement from them really takes place in the last month before schools starts because they are constantly getting good quality applicants to interview right up until the deadline. It is pure fantasy to believe that all the good applicants interview early. There are many, many reasons why people wait until after the new year to interview and it isn't just low MCAT and GPA people.

I would agree that the best idea is to apply early because you have more time to make decisions and more time to apply to other schools if you are turned down. However, the application process if FAR from over at this point. Good applicants still have loads of time to apply, interview and be accepted. Marginal applicants have a chance, but are fighting an uphill battle. If you are a marginal applicant and are palced on the waitlist now, then you have lots of time to improve your chances. You can get more LORs, improve your GPA, win a few new awards, etc. You can even retake the MCAT again beginning in January.

However, if you choose to believe that your odds are low and don't apply...well you'll never get there, will you?

Can I say that I love you???? U have made my day so much better 😍

 

[It'sElectric]

It seems to be on the surface because you might say that you are competing for 150 open seats in September against fewer applicants, but by January you are competeing for 75 seats and more applicants are involved. Yet, you are not really applying for ALL 150 seats in September or ALL 75 seats in January. You are applying for the number of acceptances they plan to give out at the next meeting of the admissions committee. They know that people apply late and they will give them out in little doses because they don't want to have to turn great applicants down in March because they accepted a bunch of 23 MCATers in November.

These schools are really good about working the alternate (or wait) list. They put people on it who are acceptable, as a kind of backup plan, and wait for better applicants to interview. They review these lists periodically, but most of the moivement from them really takes place in the last month before schools starts because they are constantly getting good quality applicants to interview right up until the deadline. It is pure fantasy to believe that all the good applicants interview early. There are many, many reasons why people wait until after the new year to interview and it isn't just low MCAT and GPA people.

I would agree that the best idea is to apply early because you have more time to make decisions and more time to apply to other schools if you are turned down. However, the application process if FAR from over at this point. Good applicants still have loads of time to apply, interview and be accepted. Marginal applicants have a chance, but are fighting an uphill battle. If you are a marginal applicant and are palced on the waitlist now, then you have lots of time to improve your chances. You can get more LORs, improve your GPA, win a few new awards, etc. You can even retake the MCAT again beginning in January.

However, if you choose to believe that your odds are low and don't apply...well you'll never get there, will you?

I definitely don't disagree with you in the sense that if you don't at least try, then how will you ever know. People that apply early are 100% at an advantage over late applicants. Obviously lots of late applicants are still accepted.

Also, I wouldn't automatically assume that adcoms accepted a bunch of 23 MCATs in November, considering that many DO schools have MCAT averages around 26-27, but there's no use arguing over that.

I definitely don't disagree with you, however.