Timeline hearing back from schools?

[lesil]

I just submitted my AMCAS application. When should I expect to hear back from medical schools regarding secondary applications? Also, when should I expect to hear back after submitting secondary applications for interviews? When should I expect to hear back after interviews whether or not I got in?

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[gyngyn]

Some schools send them out as soon as you indicate you are applying to them.

 

[nwts]

As far as secondaries, it depends on whether the schools you applied to send secondaries to all applicants or if they only send them to people who they intend to interview. Most schools fall into the former category, and a lot of these schools will probably start sending out their secondaries in early to mid July. A few stragglers may come in during August. As far as the interviews, there is really no way to tell. A lot of schools will continuously review your application throughout the cycle, so you could get an interview invitation very early (my first was July 10th) or you could get an interview later in the cycle after they've read your application multiple times or you might not get an interview at all. If you don't get an interview, it varies by school when you will find out. Some schools review an application once and make a decision, so those types of schools might tell you in August or September that you won't be getting an interview. The ones that continuously reread applications throughout the cycle probably won't tell you that you're not getting an interview until very late in the cycle. As far as hearing whether or not you got in after you've attended an interview, that varies by school, and most schools will tell you when you can expect to hear at some point during your interview day.

 

[ERDOC555]

I just submitted my AMCAS application. When should I expect to hear back from medical schools regarding secondary applications? Also, when should I expect to hear back after submitting secondary applications for interviews? When should I expect to hear back after interviews whether or not I got in?

Haha, this question makes me laugh simply because there isn't a set answer at all, as anyone who has been though the process can painfully tell you. Some schools will let you know about secondaries the week after you're verified and others will never get back to you period or tell you you're rejected pre-secondary in April. The whole process is a crapshoot.

Every school is different and the only thing you can count on is that you can't count on anything :/

 

[Goro]

For some schools, secondaries are a tax on the hopelessly naive, or pathologically optimistic.

 

[MaxPlancker]

Buckle down for a long ride my friend…buckle down.

 

[Cookiess]

The timeline is highly school dependent. For the current 2016-2017 application cycle, the first AMCAS primary applications will be transmitted to medical schools at the end of June. Secondaries will likely start coming in at the beginning of July for the schools that send out automatic secondaries. The earliest interview invites come out in July but this is very school dependent. Some schools don't start sending out interview invites until August or even later.

The first day medical schools can offer acceptances is October 15th. After that, the post-interview decision timeline is also highly school dependent. Some schools notify students (1-2 weeks post-interview) while others don't notify applicants until much later in the cycle. I know some people who haven't heard back at all post-interview from UCLA and it's approaching mid-June.

 

[takeurmeds02]

For some schools, secondaries are a tax on the hopelessly naive, or pathologically optimistic.

This really resonates with my spirit, being on the other side....

Read: It's cool to have a few reach schools but please don't submit secondaries to a bunch of schools that you know you have no business doing so.

 

[radioactive15]

As far as secondaries, it depends on whether the schools you applied to send secondaries to all applicants

This sounds like a money grab.


And when is the ideal time to have all additional schools added? I already have my MCAT and submitted the AMcAS but only added one school. Would it matter when I add them as long as it's before the transmission date?

 

[takeurmeds02]

This sounds like a money grab.


And when is the ideal time to have all additional schools added? I already have my MCAT and submitted the AMcAS but only added one school. Would it matter when I add them as long as it's before the transmission date?

Add them today if you're comfortable with your MCAT score. Why wait?

And you're right, it is a money grab for schools that auto-send secondaries.

 

[radioactive15]

Add them today if you're comfortable with your MCAT score. Why wait?

I'd still like to revise my reach schools I want to apply to so I don't end up wasting money applying to the wrong ones.

Given that the transmisison date is June 24th, do you think having all my schools added by June 14th-15th would be early enough and would not delay me too much in receiving secondaries?

 

[takeurmeds02]

I'd still like to revise my reach schools I want to apply to so I don't end up wasting money applying to the wrong ones.

Given that the transmisison date is June 24th, do you think having all my schools added by June 14th-15th would be early enough and would not delay me too much in receiving secondaries?

Yea, should be. You will have already been verified which is the longest part of the process. It's my understanding that once you select schools after first transmission, it's virtually an instantaneous process so certainly giving yourself about 10 days beforehand should be fine. Your options will just sit there until first transmission.

 

[nwts]

This sounds like a money grab.


And when is the ideal time to have all additional schools added? I already have my MCAT and submitted the AMcAS but only added one school. Would it matter when I add them as long as it's before the transmission date?

It is totally fine to add schools after you've submitted the AMCAS and even after it has been verified and transmitted to schools. If you add schools while you're waiting to get verified, your application will get sent to those schools after you're verified, just the same as the one school you added when you initially submitted. If you add schools after you are verified and your application has been transmitted, your application will be sent immediately to the schools you add.

As far as the money grab thing, it does kind of suck to have to pay all of that money for the AMCAS and then pay a bunch more for secondaries with no guarantee that you'll get even one interview, but it's just part of the process.

 

[radioactive15]

It is totally fine to add schools after you've submitted the AMCAS and even after it has been verified and transmitted to schools. If you add schools while you're waiting to get verified, your application will get sent to those schools after you're verified, just the same as the one school you added when you initially submitted. If you add schools after you are verified and your application has been transmitted, your application will be sent immediately to the schools you add..

Will the application be sent after you are verified or will they wait until the transmission date?

 

[nwts]

Will the application be sent after you are verified or will they wait until the transmission date?

No applications go out until the first transmission date (I don't know what it is this year, but it'll be sometime in late June or early July). After that, applications go out once they're verified.

 

[Cotterpin]

First transmission date is June 24th this year.

The timing is weird this year, no? AMCAS opened for submission about a week later than usual and they're transmitting a bit earlier. Any theories on why they're doing that?

 

[aldol16]

The timing is weird this year, no? AMCAS opened for submission about a week later than usual and they're transmitting a bit earlier. Any theories on why they're doing that?

Maybe they took pity on neurotic pre-meds?

 

[Cotterpin]

Maybe they took pity on neurotic pre-meds?

I feel like there must be some reason on the administrative end. Last year they all seemed a bit overwhelmed with the huge number of early applications and the new MCAT and everything. They don't really care about the emotional state of the premed, lol. We should be able to handle whatever timeline they see fit to give us.

 

[aldol16]

I feel like there must be some reason on the administrative end. Last year they all seemed a bit overwhelmed with the huge number of early applications and the new MCAT and everything. They don't really care about the emotional state of the premed, lol. We should be able to handle whatever timeline they see fit to give us.

It was a joke. My guess is that they have an improved system that allows them to verify everything faster so that they can transmit earlier even though they opened for submissions later. Which also would explain why the original starting submission date was 06/01 and they changed it to 06/07 - perhaps something wrong with the system or the system wasn't yet ready.

 

[gyngyn]

This sounds like a money grab.

And you're right, it is a money grab for schools that auto-send secondaries.

I, for one, would be happy to send secondaries for free if there were a limit on the number of schools to which one could apply. As it stands, the fee (as stupid as it is) is the only thing that keeps every single applicant in America from applying to my school (however disinterested they are in attending).

BTW, the secondary fees may not even go to the medical school and they are never worth the inefficiency.

 

[takeurmeds02]

I, for one, would be happy to send secondaries for free if there were a limit on the number of schools to which one could apply. As it stands, the fee (as stupid as it is) is the only thing that keeps every single applicant in America from applying to my school (however disinterested they are in attending).

BTW, the secondary fees may not even go to the medical school and they are never worth the inefficiency.

May never go to the medschool, you say?

 

[gyngyn]

May never go to the medschool, you say?

You bet. Funds from application fees often go to an associated undergraduate, other graduate school or some other administrative silo.

 

[aldol16]

@gonnif , off the top of your head and from your experience, do you know which well-known (top 30, let's say) schools do (3), (4), and (5)? I know MSAR has this but it's all very decentralized.

 

[Cotterpin]

They have also shortened the verification window processing time as I believe they have now linked to the National Student Clearing House system which searches and/or store virtually all college catalogs in the country. Furthermore, making an educated guess on how they have implemented the system, each primary application runs thru software that compares all courses and titled listed to descriptions in the linked college catalogs. This likely has a rules-based/knowledge-based engine that "scores" each listed course at to BCPM or OA as a percentage of likelihood. This may check things like department, terms in the description, etc. It would have various levels of "flags" say score of 75% is automatically accepted, score of 74%-51% need human checking with course in question and its college catalog description popping up automatically for review and , scores of 50% or less gets automatically reclassified. We shall see how this new system works

They're definitely doing something different. My gpa went up from last cycle even though I didn't change any of my coursework. They counted things they didn't count last year. It's weird, but I'll take it!

Also, I'd like to know which schools send out secondaries as soon as you indicate you're applying.

 

[starspells]

I, for one, would be happy to send secondaries for free if there were a limit on the number of schools to which one could apply. As it stands, the fee (as stupid as it is) is the only thing that keeps every single applicant in America from applying to my school (however disinterested they are in attending).

BTW, the secondary fees may not even go to the medical school and they are never worth the inefficiency.

"This is America, we don't set limits..."

 

[gyngyn]

"This is America, we don't set limits..."

Especially on the well off!
That's what they tell me every time I bring up the waste and expense of the current "system."

 

[starspells]

Especially on the well off!
That's what they tell me every time I bring up the waste and expense of the current "system."

I know I was quoting that from an old thread! I see nothing wrong with applying broadly. I think a limit would be terrible, especially for people who might have a disparity in stats (either low GPA + high MCAT or high GPA + low MCAT). I suppose I will remain a huge proponent of applying extremely broadly because I have seen people apply broadly to a range of schools (30-40+ schools) and were lucky to net a few interviews and acceptances this way. They may not if they applied to the usual 15-20 schools.

I think most people save up for the process and many will delay applying until they have the necessary funds.

 

[youououa]

How do you know this? Considering the enrichment of physicians' children in medical school, I imagine that this is very rare.

I think most people save up for the process and many will delay applying until they have the necessary funds

 

[piii]

You're going to have a rough time if you expect anything during the cycle...

 

[gyngyn]

I know I was quoting that from an old thread! I see nothing wrong with applying broadly. I think a limit would be terrible, especially for people who might have a disparity in stats (either low GPA + high MCAT or high GPA + low MCAT). I suppose I will remain a huge proponent of applying extremely broadly because I have seen people apply broadly to a range of schools (30-40+ schools) and were lucky to net a few interviews and acceptances this way. They may not if they applied to the usual 15-20 schools.

I think most people save up for the process and many will delay applying until they have the necessary funds.

The need to apply broadly is because of the large number of applicants with the ability to apply "everywhere."

 

[Dr. Jan Itor]

Trump University Medical School and Resort

I kind of want this on a shirt.

 

[nwts]

Most official sources, such as AMCAS, medical school websites, and advisors, mostly discuss preparation and process to get in medical school . Few spend little, if any, time explaining the costs in applying to medical school. Therefore most applicants do not realize that the costs of applying and interview travels, can range $3,000-$5,000 dollars a cycle of actual money or credit card charges. While loans, grants, etc cover many student's tuition costs, others must work part or even full time to afford food, clothing, shelter, etc simply to live while going to school. This not only reduces their study time, thus likely impacting their performance and medical school chances, it makes the hurdle of money for applications a very difficult challenge.

I was very fortunate to have an advisor who made sure to tell pre-med students how expensive the application process would be, both with estimates of the total cost of applying and breakdowns of the costs of each individual component. I wish more advisors would share this information with their students. Many of my classmates seemed very surprised by how much their applications would cost them.