Time sensitive advice needed!

[cyclingmo]

I need some advice/reassurance. I just got my Aug 6th MCAT Scores back: 31P. I also graduated last spring (2006) with a double in Physics and Math and a 3.8ish GPA (both Science and non). I have submitted the TMDSAS and am working on the secondaries for Tech, SW, and A&M. My AMCAS is also filled up and ready to go, and I WILL submit it, but I dont know how many schools I should apply to.

I was reading some other threads and it freaked me out because some people were saying how Aug 20th was already too late to apply and that since it's already so late anyone applying now should submit their apps to as many school as possible. It gave me that horrible and uneasy feeling in my gut. Can somebody give me some advice as to how true that is and convince me that it's not over yet.

Thanks in advance,

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[cyclingmo]

Nobody want's to lay some wisdom on me?

 

[Blade28]

Don't forget, it's 2:47 am Eastern time, 11:47 pm Pacific time. Most people are asleep now!

 

[JaggerPlate]

I don't really know what advice you are looking for (not trying to sound harsh). Your numbers are good ... and the advice of the SDNers can't change a calender date. If we say its too late, or it's fine ... it's not going to change what med schools think. If you are looking to save money by not applying now ... then that is a good question (and one which I unforunately do not have a definite answer for). If you want to apply now, apply now. There is nothing we can say to change time (yet)

 

[rickthetwinkie]

I need some advice/reassurance. I just got my Aug 6th MCAT Scores back: 31P. I also graduated last spring (2006) with a double in Physics and Math and a 3.8ish GPA (both Science and non). I have submitted the TMDSAS and am working on the secondaries for Tech, SW, and A&M. My AMCAS is also filled up and ready to go, and I WILL submit it, but I dont know how many schools I should apply to.

I was reading some other threads and it freaked me out because some people were saying how Aug 20th was already too late to apply and that since it's already so late anyone applying now should submit their apps to as many school as possible. It gave me that horrible and uneasy feeling in my gut. Can somebody give me some advice as to how true that is and convince me that it's not over yet.

Thanks in advance,

Apply to as many as you can afford (and actually willing to go to) while still having enough money lying around to pay for secondaries. I don't think there's a hard and fast rule, but the more the better.

e.g. don't be like me and only apply to 8... most of them reach schools.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

You can always add on more schools after you apply on the AMCAS. Just pick the ones you know you want to apply to, then add more later when you have the money or the desire to. You just want to get your application in so it's queued up to be reviewed. Once it's reviewed, adding schools instantaneously sends the already reviewed app to them.

 

[cyclingmo]

You can always add on more schools after you apply on the AMCAS. Just pick the ones you know you want to apply to, then add more later when you have the money or the desire to. You just want to get your application in so it's queued up to be reviewed. Once it's reviewed, adding schools instantaneously sends the already reviewed app to them.

Best advice. Thanks for all the tips guys, I know you guys can't change time (yet, haha), but just want to make sure it's not a lost cause.

Also, when you say don't be like me and apply to more than 8, exactly how many do you consider "many"? 20+?

 

[Haemulon]

You can always add on more schools after you apply on the AMCAS. Just pick the ones you know you want to apply to, then add more later when you have the money or the desire to. You just want to get your application in so it's queued up to be reviewed. Once it's reviewed, adding schools instantaneously sends the already reviewed app to them.

This is good advice. Also keep in mind that the cost of AMCAS will likely be a lot less than the cost of secondaries. For me, the secondary fees are what really added up. But you can decide about them as you get them (I dropped two of my schools post-primary).

 

[cyclingmo]

Yeah, I figured seeing how the AMCAS schools cost $30 for each additional school but the secondaries vary from around $45 to $135 per school. Than plus the cost of the interviews (if I get any) and the no-pay for days missed from work ... oh boy!

 

[BoilerWolverine]

I would say that 20 is a good number, if you can afford it. Personally, I'm applying to over 40, but my numbers aren't as good as yours.

 

[cyclingmo]

I would say that 20 is a good number, if you can afford it. Personally, I'm applying to over 40, but my numbers aren't as good as yours.

Does it look bad when other schools see a person is applying to so many schools?

 

[inaminute]

they don't necessarily see how many you are applying to

 

[TheRealMD]

The biggest problem is always getting LORs ready in a timely fashion. It's the only part of your application that you can't really plan to finish when you like.

Just know that around this time is when most med school applications are being submitted. You may not here from Texas schools until November about an interview invite and other schools in the US until much later.

Just get everything done ASAP. That's all I can really say.

 

[cyclingmo]

they don't necessarily see how many you are applying to

Thanks for the tip TheRealMD. I am doing my best and being as polite a bastard to my LOR writes as possible to get them out ASAP.

But what about TMDSAS, they ask you to list all other schools applying to? Will it look bad when I update my TMDSAS with like 20 school as opposed to the 2 i put before?

 

[alwaysaangel]

If you have the time and money go for it. You're late but its not impossible to be accepted when applying this late.

I personally wouldn't do it if I were you, but I waited to apply until my app was at its strongest and timed everything so it would be most advantageous for me. But thats just because I was only applying once.

Give it a shot, I'd say you have a really decent chance of being accepted somewhere this year. If you want more choices or don't want to have to reapply under any circumstances then it may be worth it to wait.

Ultimately, its a personal choice on how soon you feel you need to be in medical school and how risky you want your application cycle to be.

 

[almo88]

I need some advice/reassurance. I just got my Aug 6th MCAT Scores back: 31P. I also graduated last spring (2006) with a double in Physics and Math and a 3.8ish GPA (both Science and non). I have submitted the TMDSAS and am working on the secondaries for Tech, SW, and A&M. My AMCAS is also filled up and ready to go, and I WILL submit it, but I dont know how many schools I should apply to.

I was reading some other threads and it freaked me out because some people were saying how Aug 20th was already too late to apply and that since it's already so late anyone applying now should submit their apps to as many school as possible. It gave me that horrible and uneasy feeling in my gut. Can somebody give me some advice as to how true that is and convince me that it's not over yet.

Thanks in advance,

Your stats look great! How are your EC's? Med schools are interested in the entire "package." Also, it is a bit late, and to make up for that I would apply to even more schools than you had originally planed. Best of luck!

 

[cyclingmo]

Your stats look great! How are your EC's? Med schools are interested in the entire "package." Also, it is a bit late, and to make up for that I would apply to even more schools than you had originally planed. Best of luck!

Thanks for all the tips guys. I already submitted my apps for verification on the 30th of August, so it is being processed. I have about 16 schools on list right now, but apparantly I need to add even more schools to the list.

TMDSAS (texas common app) asks that you list all schools that you are applying to, so before I had only 2-3 schools listed there, since I didn't think it was that late, but would it look horribly bad if I update it from 3 schools to say 23?

As for the EC's, I did a bunch of stuff as undergrad, envir. club, cycling club, geo club, etc. And I am still active as lumni in a lot of stuff and I also do few things not related to school at all. So I do have descent EC's, and good LOR's, with descent scores. Just hope time is not what kills me.

I applied last year as well, but I was an int'l student and most schools didn't even review my apps, they flat out said that "Your application was not reviewed ... ". This year I really want to get it, I've already been sitting around taking extra PB classes and I am REALLY REALLY ready to start school. I've even been going on "unofficial" interviews and getting tours of different schools here in Texas. I want this BAAAAD!

 

[armybound]

just apply. you have nothing to lose.

 

[pittnative]

Thanks for the tip TheRealMD. I am doing my best and being as polite a bastard to my LOR writes as possible to get them out ASAP.

But what about TMDSAS, they ask you to list all other schools applying to? Will it look bad when I update my TMDSAS with like 20 school as opposed to the 2 i put before?

To be honest, you sound a lot like I did last year. Good GPA, decent MCAT (though took in August and waited to submit until I got the score), and applied late.

I made the mistake of only applying to top schools that I may have been competitive at early in the application cycle. As the application process goes on I feel like the Adcoms get more selective. I was actually told this when I asked for feedback from a couple of the schools I applied to last year.

Does your school have a virtualeval system or are you having individual letter writers send them to each school? If they haven't finished the letters already and you're having them send them individually that could delay even more. Also you should've submitted your AMCAS the second you were done, even if you had 1 med school cause it will take 4-6 weeks to be verified, so in that respect most med schools won't get it until mid-october. Then you can add as many schools as you want, so go SUBMIT RIGHT NOW!!!

If you don't have your heart set on any of the TMDSAS schools than who cares what it looks like if you add 20 schools. I doubt any admissions officers would really take that into consideration at all anyways. If anything it shows you're determined to get in and willing to put in the effort to have the best opportunity.

This year I submitted the AMCAS to 26/27 schools and submitted 2ndaries at 20 and I was as early as possible. Yeah, my credit card is now at ~$4,000, but I could care less about that and I personally don't think this should be a factor. The way I choose schools was like the 25/50/25%, or I applied to 5/6 schools I considered reach, 10/11 schools I felt I was competitive, and 4/5 schools I felt very competitive at.

You might want to shift that range a little, or make it 10 schools that you really feel like you have a shot at. I notice GW, NYMC, VCU standing out on the interview invite threads off the top of my head.

These are all just thoughts from my personal experience and I may have rambled, if you want some more info please PM me cause I feel like you're exactly where I was last year, and I could probably offer some better advice.

 

[cyclingmo]

To be honest, you sound a lot like I did last year. Good GPA, decent MCAT (though took in August and waited to submit until I got the score), and applied late.

I made the mistake of only applying to top schools that I may have been competitive at early in the application cycle. As the application process goes on I feel like the Adcoms get more selective. I was actually told this when I asked for feedback from a couple of the schools I applied to last year.

Does your school have a virtualeval system or are you having individual letter writers send them to each school? If they haven't finished the letters already and you're having them send them individually that could delay even more. Also you should've submitted your AMCAS the second you were done, even if you had 1 med school cause it will take 4-6 weeks to be verified, so in that respect most med schools won't get it until mid-october. Then you can add as many schools as you want, so go SUBMIT RIGHT NOW!!!

If you don't have your heart set on any of the TMDSAS schools than who cares what it looks like if you add 20 schools. I doubt any admissions officers would really take that into consideration at all anyways. If anything it shows you're determined to get in and willing to put in the effort to have the best opportunity.

This year I submitted the AMCAS to 26/27 schools and submitted 2ndaries at 20 and I was as early as possible. Yeah, my credit card is now at ~$4,000, but I could care less about that and I personally don't think this should be a factor. The way I choose schools was like the 25/50/25%, or I applied to 5/6 schools I considered reach, 10/11 schools I felt I was competitive, and 4/5 schools I felt very competitive at.

You might want to shift that range a little, or make it 10 schools that you really feel like you have a shot at. I notice GW, NYMC, VCU standing out on the interview invite threads off the top of my head.

These are all just thoughts from my personal experience and I may have rambled, if you want some more info please PM me cause I feel like you're exactly where I was last year, and I could probably offer some better advice.

Thanks so much for the advice. I do feel very lost and anxious. I submitted my TMDSAS on the 31st and my AMCAS yesterday morning (first thing). I did not know that it would take this long to process, and honestly I was so busy that I didn't even have time to do it. I wish I would've atlease submitted my AMCAS so that by now it would've been ready. I really hope I get atleast a few interviews. I don't care about the CC bill, this is my future.

Like I said before, I'm actually flying to schools for unofficial interviews hoping to get it. Pittnative, if you have any techniques or golden nuggest I'd love to hear them. I am doing all that I can, such as emailing the admission people so they'll know me as more than just an application, sending the secondaries ASAP, calling and chasing my secondaries down to make sure they're complete and correct, etc. But at the end there only so much I can do to make sure things are okay on my part, the rest is out of my control. I think i'll kick up the number of school I had selected to 25-30 so I can get in somewhere, ANYWHERE.

 

[cyclingmo]

Does anyone know of some schools with relatively easy secondaries that can be filled out quickyly that I can pile onto my list? These long secondaries are killing me here!

 

[154241]

Does anyone know of some schools with relatively easy secondaries that can be filled out quickyly that I can pile onto my list? These long secondaries are killing me here!

from my list, Boston University was pretty quick--just prereqs and a very optional "additional info" space. They get >10K applicants a year, though. Also, Albert Einstein just had a list of questions that you only had to answer if they applied to you (and a lot of them were kind of out there "have you ever been convicted of murdering someone" type questions). Then Tulane had a few questions that require some thinking, but you get so little space to put them in that you can't write that much. They get a whole bunch of applications too though.

 

[pittnative]

Does anyone know of some schools with relatively easy secondaries that can be filled out quickyly that I can pile onto my list? These long secondaries are killing me here!

Drexel, Penn, Thomas Jefferson, either don't have any essays or I think TJ asks for one if you're not in school for the year (Graduated).

That's off the top of my head. Have you started getting secondary invites? If you haven't I'd recommend finding the secondary essay prompts thread so you can get a head start on the writing. I had worked a lot on these last year, so I had good bits and pieces within all the apps that I kinda compiled into a few categorical essays. Like why I'd add to diversity, why I want to go to your school, what's the biggest problem/hardship I faced...

 

[howdy2u]

Albert Einstein just had a list of questions that you only had to answer if they applied to you (and a lot of them were kind of out there "have you ever been convicted of murdering someone" type questions).

LMAO

 

[cyclingmo]

Drexel, Penn, Thomas Jefferson, either don't have any essays or I think TJ asks for one if you're not in school for the year (Graduated).

That's off the top of my head. Have you started getting secondary invites? If you haven't I'd recommend finding the secondary essay prompts thread so you can get a head start on the writing. I had worked a lot on these last year, so I had good bits and pieces within all the apps that I kinda compiled into a few categorical essays. Like why I'd add to diversity, why I want to go to your school, what's the biggest problem/hardship I faced...

I guess a secondary essay prompt thread is where I can pull up the app and get all the info ready so that when I get my own link and ID/PW I can just fill in and submit right away?

Any idea where I can find that? Also, i'm working on the one's that don't need an invite, the minute i'm done with those i'll hop on that thread. I'm averaging about 3 secondaries a day, while at work! lol It's gonna take forever to get these damn 16 apps out, and then I gotta applyl to another 10-15 because i'm so frikkin late!

 

[blargh]

aww, i saw the thread title and was hoping to see something cool like "this message will self-destruct in..."

 

[cyclingmo]

aww, i saw the thread title and was hoping to see something cool like "this message will self-destruct in..."

haha, why hoping? Don't like your laptop no more?