Submitting secondaries in September?

[medgirl25]

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Hi all,

My AMCAS application was verified on Aug.27th, since then I've completed the vast majority of the secondaries I've received.

I have my last four I'm hoping to submit this week, but I've heard that my chances of an interview are slim this late in the game. Should I go ahead and spend money with the rest of my secondaries? Also two of the last four schools I'm applying to have over 12K applications a year -- so I'm not sure if it's entirely worth it


Side note: my ugpa is below a 3.5

 

[KnightDoc]

Honestly, there is no magic cutoff between the day before Labor Day and the day after. Labor Day is nothing more than a SDN rule of thumb.

If you were always planning on applying to these schools, there is no reason not to because it is 9/7 instead of 8/28. You are only a little over a week behind where you would have been at the earliest point possible.

That said, I'm sure you know a cGPA<3.5 puts you at a disadvantage everywhere, and schools with more than 12K applications are low yield by definition.

Everyone's chances of receiving an II, anywhere, are slim, just by the numbers. They are more slim for someone with a <3.5 GPA at a low yield school. If you don't apply, your odds will definitely be zero.

Whether or not to spend the money is entirely up to you, but it's not like a light switch was flipped yesterday, and you suddenly went from having a good chance to having a slim chance. Your odds really are the same today as this time last week. Good luck!!

 

[Goro]

It's not worth it, unless any of the four are your state schools.

 

[coramDeo]

Hi all,

My AMCAS application was verified on Aug.27th, since then I've completed the vast majority of the secondaries I've received.

I have my last four I'm hoping to submit this week, but I've heard that my chances of an interview are slim this late in the game. Should I go ahead and spend money with the rest of my secondaries? Also two of the last four schools I'm applying to have over 12K applications a year -- so I'm not sure if it's entirely worth it


Side note: my ugpa is below a 3.5

What is your MCAT? Is it significantly higher than the median of the 4 remaining schools? How are your EC's?
I think it really depends on how competitive your application is.

 

[Goro]

Is this true universally @Goro

I was thinking about sending secondaries to case western and temple but don’t know if it’s worth it anymore.
Well, let's do a poll of Adcoms
@gyngyn
@LizzyM
@LunaOri
@Mr.Smile12
@lord999
@Moko
@Doctor-S
@Catalystik

What say you?

 

[gyngyn]

This would not be the time for Hail Mary's.
Additional target schools with well-written essays might bear fruit.

 

[Catalystik]

My AMCAS application was verified on Aug.27th, since then I've completed the vast majority of the secondaries I've received.

I have my last four I'm hoping to submit this week, but I've heard that my chances of an interview are slim this late in the game. Should I go ahead and spend money with the rest of my secondaries? Also two of the last four schools I'm applying to have over 12K applications a year -- so I'm not sure if it's entirely worth it


Side note: my ugpa is below a 3.5

Do you represent a rare demographic? Do you have a higher MCAT score and BCPM GPA to compensate for the lower cGPA? The answer to your question for MD med schools is, "It depends."

For DO med schools, you're not late at all.

 

[KnightDoc]

How long does it take to get verified for DO?

also is there a DO MSAR? Wouldn’t want to apply anywhere that only accepts IS for the most part

Are you sure you don't mean Caribbean?

I know DO has lower stats, but I never heard they are more lenient with red flags than MD. @Goro?

 

[KnightDoc]

I wouldn’t expect more leniency but maybe get a few more chances to convert

Seriously, I am BEGGING you to try to relax. You have some MD chances, and the odds are high you are going to have more. I happen to think a last minute desperation DO application is going to look exactly like what it is, and the schools won't be flattered. Maybe I'm wrong.

I think you should 1,000% listen to @Goro on this one, assuming he is willing to weigh in. I certainly don't speak for him, but I've been here long enough to know he is going to be insulted that anyone would think DO schools need to go where MD schools won't with respect to red flags.

That's why I made the Caribbean joke. THEY are infamous for taking anyone with a pulse and an ability to finance the cost. DOs are, out of necessity, more permissive when it comes to stats, but are otherwise every bit as demanding as MD schools. You'd have the same luck at DO schools as lower tier MDs. They'd either resource protect you out based on your stats, or give you the cold shoulder for the same reason MD schools are.

I think you should sit tight. You have a very real shot of success based on the early returns, without desperately flailing about out of a misplaced need to constantly be doing something.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

In my opinion, unless your application shows a very strong match with a school's mission, I would question a submission in September.

 

[LunaOri]

Since it’s secondaries, you have nothing to lose but your $$$