Submitting App on Sept. 30

[exoticsmed]

So I don't know if I'm doing this right but I've looked everywhere and I'm slightly freaking out. I've applied before but have always been able to submit early. This year I'm working at a position where I get paid once a month at the end of the month which means I have to submit my app on Sept. 30. I'm really nervous that something will be wrong with my app and they will send it back during verification. If I get the app in before the deadline, will it still be verified even if there are mistakes I have to fix? Is there any real great benefit to submitting early? For example, do the schools care? Could they possibly see when the app was submitted and think that I procrastinated? Just nervous I guess. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Fly Racing]

It is fine. I remember reading on the VMCAS site a couple of years ago that some large percentage of applicants submit in the last 24 hours. There won't be anything wrong with your application that VMCAS will allow you to correct regardless of when you submit. Also, the schools won't know you submitted at 4:45 on 9/30. The applications are sent to the schools in bundles and it is unlikely the schools attempt to sort and track the applications by the submission date. When I was applying, it seemed not procrastinating on the supplementals and GRE scores is what allows your app to be complete earlier. However, I got accepted at a school where I half heartedly drafted responses to the questions (including a list...) before I decided not to pursue that school, that auto submitted when it was due. So, I know I was the very last person to have a 'complete' file and I was still accepted.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

Thanks for the comments, however as of last year there were numerous changes. For instance, applications are accessed electronically by schools and we don't bundle mailings anymore. Delivery of your application is driven by the applicant now. Schools can see your data as soon as you hit submit. They also now know the date and time you've submitted your application.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

So long as you hot submit and have all your evals and transcripts in before deadline, you're fine.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Thanks for the comments, however as of last year there were numerous changes. For instance, applications are accessed electronically by schools and we don't bundle mailings anymore. Delivery of your application is driven by the applicant now. Schools can see your data as soon as you hit submit. They also now know the date and time you've submitted your application.

Why would a school want immediate access to our data if it hasn't been verified yet? Seems like a waste of time. For all they know, our app is completely different from the transcripts.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

The schools tell us how they want vmcas to run. Vmcas is governed by the schools. They wanted access as soon as an application is submitted.

 

[LyraGardenia]

I sure hope schools wouldn't judge you for submitting later (especially since I'm planning on submitting tonight!). I'm sure they know that not everyone who submits later procrastinated -- sometimes things come up that prevented you from working on/submitting it earlier, maybe you wanted to include more experience hours, or maybe you were saving up money/waiting on payday like you. Also, I don't think that there's much value to getting your data to schools right away, as long as you submit everything on time, unless you're applying to one of the few schools that does rolling admissions. For most schools, they send out all the interview invites/decision letters at roughly the same time, so it doesn't matter when exactly they first looked at your application. Maybe schools want to see it right away just so they can get the ball rolling on their end, but it won't get you a decision any sooner (again, unless they do rolling admissions). VMCAS seems to be rather contradictory and vague this year, on one hand saying "submit early!!!!" but then "actually, as long as you get everything in on time you'll be fine." To me it seems obvious that they just don't want to have to deal with a huge rush of people submitting last-minute.

Why would a school want immediate access to our data if it hasn't been verified yet? Seems like a waste of time. For all they know, our app is completely different from the transcripts.

I would think/hope the number of applicants with serious discrepancies between their application and transcripts (e.g. someone saying they took a class they didn't, not just a slightly off course title or number of credit hours) would be minor, and I'm guessing schools are notified if anything has changed following verification.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

Schools have always asked VMCAS to recommended submitting early. It saves the schools backlog. Ultimately, it's not a vmcas backlog were talking about since it's all automated.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Schools have always asked VMCAS to recommended submitting early. It saves the schools backlog. Ultimately, it's not a vmcas backlog were talking about since it's all automated.

Verification isn't automated, though, is it? In the VMCAS questions thread you (or whoever was posting under the VMCAS staff account) said that verification was taking longer this year than last because more people are submitting later.

But since submitting earlier is apparently the schools' recommendation, does that mean that in a perfect world where everyone submitted by the recommended September 1st deadline, schools would be able to get interview invites/decision letters out sooner? If that's something schools want to do, why not just open the application a month earlier and make the official deadline September 1st? If schools are going to take the same amount of time to get back to us regardless of how many people wait until near October 2nd to submit, then I still don't see the point to submitting early.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Schools have always asked VMCAS to recommended submitting early. It saves the schools backlog. Ultimately, it's not a vmcas backlog were talking about since it's all automated.

I hate to pester, really, I do. But I'm not sure that any school says ANYWHERE that they prefer us to submit earlier, even those with rolling admissions. We just want to know why VMCAS is pushing us so hard to submit by September 2nd only to say "but you'll be fine if you don't submit early." We're being told two different stories.

 

[exoticsmed]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it and honestly feel better about it now. I have everything else in, eLORs, scores, transcripts and my supplemental app. It was just the cost delaying everything this year and I'm only applying to 4 schools. I have no idea how anyone who applies to more than that can afford it. I retook the GRE this year and that has gone up to almost $200. Honestly, I'm amazed anyone can afford to apply to vet school anymore. But I suppose I shouldn't complain too hard as I have a good friend who's applying to med school and apparently the cost of the mcat is atrocious.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it and honestly feel better about it now. I have everything else in, eLORs, scores, transcripts and my supplemental app. It was just the cost delaying everything this year and I'm only applying to 4 schools. I have no idea how anyone who applies to more than that can afford it. I retook the GRE this year and that has gone up to almost $200. Honestly, I'm amazed anyone can afford to apply to vet school anymore. But I suppose I shouldn't complain too hard as I have a good friend who's applying to med school and apparently the cost of the mcat is atrocious.

It's to prepare us for the even more outrageous cost of attending vet school.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it and honestly feel better about it now. I have everything else in, eLORs, scores, transcripts and my supplemental app. It was just the cost delaying everything this year and I'm only applying to 4 schools. I have no idea how anyone who applies to more than that can afford it. I retook the GRE this year and that has gone up to almost $200. Honestly, I'm amazed anyone can afford to apply to vet school anymore. But I suppose I shouldn't complain too hard as I have a good friend who's applying to med school and apparently the cost of the mcat is atrocious.

The only way I could do 5 last year was because I had a very specific plan that I created my freshmen year of college that allowed me to save up the money. Ended up being a bust, so had to cut back to three and be frugal, to say the least.

 

[VMCASSTAFF]

You're not pestering
I'm just hoping to clarify. We recommend submitting early, but the deadline is strict. As long as you get all your docs in by deadline verification will continue until complete. That said, we ate also working on a possible common offer date in the future so you may have all your offer letters sent on the same day.

 

[Jess Monster]

I also submitted later than recommended this year - partly due to my own indecisiveness about applying and mostly due to one of my schools taking weeks to mail a damn transcript. Last year I followed the recommendations on submitting by Sept 1st. While it made certain aspects of applying much less stressful, it made the wait for recommendations all the more painful since the money had already been paid. I had one person wait til the day of the deadline to submit so I didn't have a "complete" profile until the end anyway.

 

[dirtanddog]

I see VMCAS commenting here and all I think is.... "one of us! one of us!"