Unique situation: When should I submit?

[kaj]

Hi all

I have a bit of a different situation. I'm applying this cycle and was planning to submit in mid-June. But I recently got into an internship program in Africa which will last 3-4 months (ending in late October/early November).

My question is, when do people normally get interviews if they submit in mid-June? My GPA is 3.4 and my MCAT is 28 but I think I have strong ECs, rec letters, and hopefully a strong PS. So the only weak part of my app is my MCAT really.

Will the fact that I have low numbers affect my chances at getting an interview? Like, will I get a later interview because I have low numbers?
Should I anticipate getting interviews in October/November? Should I submit LATE because I will be in Africa during that time? Will submitting late hinder my chances of getting an interview at all?

I need to figure out the perfect time to apply so I can adjust my internship accordingly.

Thanks for answering all my questions!

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[snowflakes]

Submit early, and then let admissions offices know you'll be out of the country till after October. If a school decides to interview you, they'll be able to reschedule your interview until later in the interview process. This won't be a problem. Some secondaries even explicitly ask when you'll be out of the country.

 

[kmp0410]

Submit early. Will you still be able to submit secondaries on time? Or will you be out of the country and away from a computer?

 

[mdeast]

I would submit early. DO NOT SUBMIT LATE. You can always schedule interviews for later given your circumstances. I'd make sure you have some sort of internet access in Africa as you may be filling out secondary applications at this point (some might require 2-week turn-arounds). Your GPA and MCAT are both going to limit your options. Make sure you apply widely and you may want to consider DO schools.

 

[aspirantmed]

Agreed with @mdeast; your time of application should be as early as possible given your borderline numbers. At the earliest, a few schools finish interviewing in December, so you shouldn't have any problems provided that you notify schools of your schedule where given the opportunity (usually, on secondaries or in a separate letter to the admissions office).

You should also make sure that you have fairly frequent access to a computer. Some schools will require you to respond to interview offers, even to select or reschedule dates, within a 3-4 day window.

 

[candbgirl]

Are you applying DO or MD? Your stats are below average for MD so take that into consideration. But whatever you do apply early. If you get selected for an II let the school know you are on a special project until November. shouldn't be a huge problem IF you are selected.

 

[lmn]

Definitely do not delay, inform schools and have someone watching your email while you are away if you cannot. Your gpa and MCAT are both very low for MD programs, so you absolutely do not want to apply late if you are planning to go ahead and apply to MD.

 

[kaj]

Thanks for all your replies! So the consensus seems to be to submit early since my stats are low and deal with the interview dates later since admissions offices can be flexible and understanding. Is that right?

Should I mention my special project in my primary application or wait for secondaries?

Submit early, and then let admissions offices know you'll be out of the country till after October. If a school decides to interview you, they'll be able to reschedule your interview until later in the interview process. This won't be a problem. Some secondaries even explicitly ask when you'll be out of the country.

Do you think it won't be a problem? I was just worried that the admissions office would think that this student isn't available for interview and move on. Also, wouldn't rescheduling my interview for a later date reduce my chances?

Submit early. Will you still be able to submit secondaries on time? Or will you be out of the country and away from a computer?

I will have access to a computer (they've promised me that so hopefully they follow through) so I plan to fill out secondaries during my time abroad.

Are you applying DO or MD? Your stats are below average for MD so take that into consideration. But whatever you do apply early. If you get selected for an II let the school know you are on a special project until November. shouldn't be a huge problem IF you are selected.

I'm applying to both DO and MD, taking my chances with both of them.

 

[snowflakes]

Schools can be more inflexible about granting you an earlier interview (just because of logistics), but granting you a later one should not be a problem. I know someone who studied abroad in the fall she applied, and then either interviewed in August or after January. List your project in your primary as an experience, but wait until secondaries to say the dates you will be out of the country. Since you'll have internet access, you can also wait and see if you are offered an interview, and then contact the admissions office and explain you'll need to schedule after October. Normally, when you get an interview, you'll be given a calender of dates over the next few weeks to select from. I personally have called multiple admissions offices if the dates listed online didn't work for me, and they've always been flexible, as long as it worked for them logistically.

Interviewing later can reduce your chances, especially if schools give out decisions in a rolling manner. But a November/December interview isn't too terribly late, so you should be okay. Also, schools that are non-rolling will give out interviews in a rolling manner, so that's why an early application is still important, even if you can't interview until later.