Submitting primary application by early September too late?

[Futuredocxx]

Wondering if this would be considered too late considering COVID-19 and the amount of time it would take to be verified? I did not want to submit an application without having an MCAT score.

Would it be best to apply next cycle? Would really appreciate the advice. @Goro

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[OXStrident]

Submit to one throwaway school now that you wouldn't otherwise apply to. That way you'll be verified when your MCAT score is out, and you can decide if you want to apply to all the schools you wanted to based on your score.

 

[Goro]

Submit to one throwaway school now that you wouldn't otherwise apply to. That way you'll be verified when your MCAT score is out, and you can decide if you want to apply to all the schools you wanted to based on your score.

This.
/thread

 

[subparman]

I submitted last week, taking MCAT 9/3. Expect letters to be complete around the time scores come out in mid-late Sept.
Some schools say they'll take MCATs as late as Oct. 31, so I'm applying to a "shortlist" of schools that if I get in, I would 100% go. No safeties (I would say no reach schools either, but I'm quite middle of the road so everywhere seems like a reach).

 

[Futuredocxx]

Thanks to all who have replied.

Could someone please clarify what is meant about the Labor Day deadline? Is that the deadline to submit a primary application? Is this the deadline to submit secondaries?

 

[KnightDoc]

Thanks to all who have replied.

Could someone please clarify what is meant about the Labor Day deadline? Is that the deadline to submit a primary application? Is this the deadline to submit secondaries?

It's not real. It's a SDN rough rule of thumb, relating to being complete (verified, secondaries, LORs, MCAT, everything). To the extent it ever applied at all (which is very school specific as well as to how strong a candidate you are as compared to the rest of the pool), it is probably pushed back a few weeks this year due to COVID.

Since you started the thread a few weeks ago, have you done anything yet? If not, labor Day doesn't mean anything to you, since you won't be verified until sometime in October, and won't be complete until at least mid-October, which sure isn't early for MD, even this year, although you might get away with it this year. Or not.

Stats? You would still be good for DO, which has a later cycle.

 

[Futuredocxx]

It's not real. It's a SDN rough rule of thumb, relating to being complete (verified, secondaries, LORs, MCAT, everything). To the extent it ever applied at all (which is very school specific as well as to how strong a candidate you are as compared to the rest of the pool), it is probably pushed back a few weeks this year due to COVID.

Since you started the thread a few weeks ago, have you done anything yet? If not, labor Day doesn't mean anything to you, since you won't be verified until sometime in October, and won't be complete until at least mid-October, which sure isn't early for MD, even this year, although you might get away with it this year. Or not.

Stats? You would still be good for DO, which has a later cycle.

I have not submitted anything yet. I have been working on writing out the application and feel like I’ll be complete by next week.

I do not have high stats though. 3.8 GPA and 504 mcat.
I’m FL resident and would really like to stay. I am URM. Genuine take on my current situation?

 

[KnightDoc]

I have not submitted anything yet. I have been working on writing out the application and feel like I’ll be complete by next week.

I do not have high stats though. 3.8 GPA and 504 mcat.
I’m FL resident and would really like to stay. I am URM. Genuine take on my current situation?

Hard to say. What kind of URM? I ask not to pry or pass judgment, but just the other day a Cuban claimed URM and it turns out that's not URM for med school. If not URM, I'd advise waiting unless you are willing to go DO, but acceptable stats are lower for URM. You don't need me to tell you that the 3.8 is great!! You're definitely going to be on the late side, but probably not fatal this year due to COVID delays.

I will share some depressing FL stats after I dig them up!

 

[subparman]

I submitted 8/20, and took the MCAT on 9/3...have been hoping to get verified and get some secondaries to work on while I wait for my score to come back on 9/22, but seeing as they're still verifying apps submitted at the end of July, that's looking unlikely.

I've been seeing some posts about people getting rejections and all whereas I'm still waiting for my app to be verified. Beginning to wonder if this is just an exercise in futility since I'll be in so late

 

[KnightDoc]

I submitted 8/20, and took the MCAT on 9/3...have been hoping to get verified and get some secondaries to work on while I wait for my score to come back on 9/22, but seeing as they're still verifying apps submitted at the end of July, that's looking unlikely.

I've been seeing some posts about people getting rejections and all whereas I'm still waiting for my app to be verified. Beginning to wonder if this is just an exercise in futility since I'll be in so late

You're certainly not early, but you're not "so late." You had to know on 8/20 that you wouldn't be verified until late September (you might get lucky and beat that by a week or two, since the backlog seems to be lifting), so just try not to let what's happening on SDN freak you out. At least you haven't received any Rs yet!

People receiving Rs now are people they know they don't want. There are literally THOUSANDS of people, at every school, both those complete who haven't yet been reviewed as well as people like you, who they actually want to review before making final decisions. That's why most IIs have not yet gone out. In the end, maybe this cycle will have been futile for you, maybe not. Statistically there is a 60% chance, but it's not going to be because you aren't complete on 9/8. Yes, it would have been better to have been complete on 7/31, but, at this point, it is what it is, and it's definitely not fatal.