I'll hopefully be taking my MCAT this March and getting my applications in by May or early June. I'm from Texas and want to go visit my boyfriend in California sometime between April and September for about two weeks. When would be the best time to do this? Would April or June (after I complete apps) be best? I'm not sure if I have to be home to receive secondaries or do they inform you about everything through email. How early do interviews start?
Traveling during the application cycle
- Thread starter rubisco88
- Start date
I would say do it right after submitting your app in June. Secondaries probably wouldn't even roll out until Julyish. You could also do it before submitting your app in April, but you might want to spend that time actually filling out the app. But yeah, going earlier is better than later. Interviews probably won't go out until August at the earliest.
The best time I find is sometime in June and here's why:
1) You can submit your AMCAS June 1 or 2nd and have it verified but it won't be sent to medical schools until the first batch is transmitted sometime in mid to late june. This year was around June 15 or 17th I think. So there's a period of about 2 weeks where you literally have nothing to do.
2) Most medical school secondaries don't become available until late June or early July anyway, shortly after the first batch of primaries are transmitted
3) Applications probably won't get reviewed until mid-July at most places
4) Because of #3, the earliest you can usually expect interview invites will probably be mid-late July with the actual interviews starting mid-late august.
So if you submit your AMCAS super early (in the first week or so), I'd go travel immediately after that in June, you'll have at least a 2 week window. If you submit a bit later (mid June onwards), the delay for verification (and hence most secondaries) will be anywhere from 2-4 weeks which is the window I'd aim for. Finally, you could also go during May when you can't submit your application. But you probably will want that time to focus on editing your essays and putting the finishing touches on your application.
1) You can submit your AMCAS June 1 or 2nd and have it verified but it won't be sent to medical schools until the first batch is transmitted sometime in mid to late june. This year was around June 15 or 17th I think. So there's a period of about 2 weeks where you literally have nothing to do.
2) Most medical school secondaries don't become available until late June or early July anyway, shortly after the first batch of primaries are transmitted
3) Applications probably won't get reviewed until mid-July at most places
4) Because of #3, the earliest you can usually expect interview invites will probably be mid-late July with the actual interviews starting mid-late august.
So if you submit your AMCAS super early (in the first week or so), I'd go travel immediately after that in June, you'll have at least a 2 week window. If you submit a bit later (mid June onwards), the delay for verification (and hence most secondaries) will be anywhere from 2-4 weeks which is the window I'd aim for. Finally, you could also go during May when you can't submit your application. But you probably will want that time to focus on editing your essays and putting the finishing touches on your application.
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Messages
- 511
- Reaction score
- 57
OP is from Texas...don't Texas schools run on a bit of an earlier schedule?
If that's the case, then I'd still say sometime in June after she completes the TMDSAS but before the interview invites start rolling in July/August.
