VMCAS Questions and Rants c/o 2030

[supershorty]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I had a very similar experience - and you are handling it much better than I am lol! I am livid, honestly. VMCAS has created a very unfair situation that has advantaged some applicants over others.

I worked in community organizing for 12 years before deciding to become a vet. A former Speaker of the Colorado State House of Representatives was going to write me an LOR, but of course he's incredibly busy and that delayed him. I had the same thought that you did - that an incomplete LOR request would look bad so I deleted mine right before submitting my application at 5:52 pm yesterday. At 6:01 pm my recommender forwarded me the email that VMCAS sent him at 5:30 pm about the extension, but of course it was too late by that point. I called VMCAS customer support today to ask if they were going to do anything to rectify what seemed like essentially favoritism toward the people who waited until the literal last minute and they told me to pound dirt.

So, I'm working with attorneys to file a court order to halt the entire VMCAS process and force the administrators to grant all applicants the same extension. If they're going to charge us hundreds of dollars to apply to one school, then VMCAS should be expected to follow the same standards of accountability and timeliness as the applicants upon which they enforce their rules.

I am astounded that VMCAS is comfortable moving forward in such a shortsighted and unprofessional manner, and I hope that other students affected by this will speak out as well. This is a profoundly high-stakes process for the people engaged in it. We are in an incredibly competitive environment and trying to navigate incredibly high expectations to achieve our lifelong dreams. We deserve SO much better than this BS.

With all due respect, this is exactly why deadlines exist - because they are an equalizer. As bats said, extensions are for extenuating circumstances - not for situations like this. The VMCAS application opens many months before it is due. It is your responsibility, as the applicant, to ensure that you have your ducks in a row and to be reminding your letter writers of the deadline to ensure they submit. It is not VMCAS's responsibility to make an exception for you for an excuse of "my letter writer was busy." It does not matter who your letter is coming from. Throwing what appears to be a tantrum about it is not going to help you in the current or future cycles - but it may cause extensions to be discontinued for everyone.

I suggest that if you apply in future cycles, you take the initiative that many people take (for general deadlines, not specifically referring to VMCAS) and tell their references an earlier deadline than the true one in order to give yourself a buffer in the event that one of them falls behind. I personally liked to have a week or 2 of buffer time. You can also consider having more letters than the minimum so that if one falls through, you're not caught high and dry.

Best of luck with your applications.

 

[PixelInDenver]

With all due respect, this is exactly why deadlines exist - because they are an equalizer. As bats said, extensions are for extenuating circumstances - not for situations like this. The VMCAS application opens many months before it is due. It is your responsibility, as the applicant, to ensure that you have your ducks in a row and to be reminding your letter writers of the deadline to ensure they submit. It is not VMCAS's responsibility to make an exception for you for an excuse of "my letter writer was busy." It does not matter who your letter is coming from. Throwing what appears to be a tantrum about it is not going to help you in the current or future cycles - but it may cause extensions to be discontinued for everyone.

I suggest that if you apply in future cycles, you take the initiative that many people take (for general deadlines, not specifically referring to VMCAS) and tell their references an earlier deadline than the true one in order to give yourself a buffer in the event that one of them falls behind. I personally liked to have a week or 2 of buffer time. You can also consider having more letters than the minimum so that if one falls through, you're not caught high and dry.

Best of luck with your applications.

Haha ok well the CSU DVM Director of Admissions agreed this was totally unfair so they'll be accepting LORs outside of the VMCAS. So, presh your input!

 

[_rae_]

Haha ok well the CSU DVM Director of Admissions agreed this was totally unfair so they'll be accepting LORs outside of the VMCAS. So, presh your input!

The attitude and arrogance you're exhibiting on a forum meant to seek advice from professionals and current professional students is not doing you any favors.

I made a grave error that should not have affected my overall eligibility for school on my first application, but ultimately meant I missed the deadline and was denied. This is a learning opportunity. I would suggest taking it.

 

[pp9]

So, I'm working with attorneys to file a court order to halt the entire VMCAS process and force the administrators to grant all applicants the same extension. If they're going to charge us hundreds of dollars to apply to one school, then VMCAS should be expected to follow the same standards of accountability and timeliness as the applicants upon which they enforce their rules.

I am astounded that VMCAS is comfortable moving forward in such a shortsighted and unprofessional manner, and I hope that other students affected by this will speak out as well. This is a profoundly high-stakes process for the people engaged in it. We are in an incredibly competitive environment and trying to navigate incredibly high expectations to achieve our lifelong dreams. We deserve SO much better than this BS.

I don't intend to derail this thread (even though I always derail), I'm just utterly confused why we are now threatening VMCAS for your writer's inability to adhere to a deadline/your choice to delete them. At the end of the day, that is the issue here. It's not VMCAS's fault that your writer didn't get it in on time and it's not their fault you chose to delete them 6 hours before the deadline (and I'm assuming you did this before talking to your writer). You wouldn't be in this situation had they just met the deadline. VMCAS is not to blame here, the fact is that you weren't getting that letter (had they not granted an extension) either way.

People lose money to VMCAS thanks to letter writers missing their deadlines every year and applicants not getting the final third letter they need. This is actually the first year I've ever head anecdotes of VMCAS granting extensions, which shows they are throwing the screwed-over applicants a bone. You also got the extension so you were going to benefit, and you have no idea that VMCAS didn't offer this same extension to every single overdue letter in the system. Not sure accusing a program of playing 'favorites' when you yourself received the benefit is the way to go.

 

[CeeGee14]

I don't intend to derail this thread (even though I always derail), I'm just utterly confused why we are now threatening VMCAS for your writer's inability to adhere to a deadline/your choice to delete them. At the end of the day, that is the issue here. It's not VMCAS's fault that your writer didn't get it in on time and it's not their fault you chose to delete them 6 hours before the deadline (and I'm assuming you did this before talking to your writer). You wouldn't be in this situation had they just met the deadline. VMCAS is not to blame here, the fact is that you weren't getting that letter (had they not granted an extension) either way.

People lose money to VMCAS thanks to letter writers missing their deadlines every year and applicants not getting the final third letter they need. This is actually the first year I've ever head anecdotes of VMCAS granting extensions, which shows they are throwing the screwed-over applicants a bone. You also got the extension so you were going to benefit, and you have no idea that VMCAS didn't offer this same extension to every single overdue letter in the system. Not sure accusing a program of playing 'favorites' when you yourself received the benefit is the way to go.

Yeah, I was kind confused on what they were upset about in the first place. Were they upset that VMCAS didn't tell them earlier that they got an extension?

 

[CeeGee14]

I mean, this could have been solved if they contacted their recommender before deleting them. Their recommender got the extension email before they were deleted. I don't know if this is worth raising a lawsuit and potentially getting VMCAS to withdraw extensions for everyone.

In any case, it looks like they did get CSU to accept their letter, so that's good for them.

 

[supershorty]

Keep things civil or there will be consequences. Posts not adhering to community guidelines of treating others with kindness and respect have been removed.

 

[pp9]

Haha ok well the CSU DVM Director of Admissions agreed this was totally unfair so they'll be accepting LORs outside of the VMCAS. So, presh your input!

Perhaps if you're all so deeply opposed to individuals advocating for themselves the medical field isn't for you?

I mean we're just pointing out that you are trying to hold VMCAS accountable for your choices/your writer's choices. There's nothing to really self-advocate for here.

Honestly I am more surprised at CSU offering to accept your letter than VMCAS telling you that you're now SOL. If anyone is being unfair in this situation, it's CSU. In order to be fair now, CSU absolutely should send out an email blast to all applicants saying they will accept overdue/deleted letters directly because they are accepting yours and you put it out there for public knowledge (and yeah I'm hoping CSU reads this and takes that into consideration, because wtf?). It was absolutely worth thinking twice before you blasted the special treatment you just got from CSU on the internet.

I'm not saying CSU shouldn't, I really don't care, but they have to grant that same chance to everyone or no one.

 

[supershorty]

For what it's worth, @PixelInDenver, general life advice that if you are pursuing legal action in any aspect of your life, posting about it publicly is not a good idea, as it can compromise the process.

I think you will have many opportunities for growth in these next stages of your career. I hope you take them and make the most of them 😊

 

[FLBuckeye]

Kindness and civility always matter. Good luck everyone!

 

[TheShepherdGirl]

It was not at all my intention to cause this kind of response, I am so sorry you guys 😭

 

[supershorty]

It was not at all my intention to cause this kind of response, I am so sorry you guys 😭

You did nothing wrong and there's no need for you to apologize!

 

[graceless27]

Also I know for a fact VMCAS had an extension for all letter writers last year because they sent it out in an email to all applicants

 

[TheShepherdGirl]

Also I know for a fact VMCAS had an extension for all letter writers last year because they sent it out in an email to all applicants

That makes me even more confused as to why they didn't send an email to applicants this year. I wonder if the circumstances surrounding the reason for the extensions are different, and perhaps that dictates how they notify?

 

[battie]

Also I know for a fact VMCAS had an extension for all letter writers last year because they sent it out in an email to all applicants

That makes me even more confused as to why they didn't send an email to applicants this year. I wonder if the circumstances surrounding the reason for the extensions are different, and perhaps that dictates how they notify?

I believe last year there was an IT issue on the part of VMCAS

 

[_rae_]

I believe last year there was an IT issue on the part of VMCAS

I think that was my cycle, which would have been two years ago.

 

[indysadventures]

Haha ok well the CSU DVM Director of Admissions agreed this was totally unfair so they'll be accepting LORs outside of the VMCAS. So, presh your input!

Vet med is a small community. Best to treat those how you wish to be treated and such. Best of luck with your application cycle.

 

[JaynaAli]

I think that was my cycle, which would have been two years ago.

The years begin to blur together very quickly…

 

[vampyrica]

I believe last year there was an IT issue on the part of VMCAS

there was a payment portal issue the year before that aswell (2023-2024 cycle) the payment system crapped out like halfway during the day and prevented many people from paying

 

[_rae_]

there was a payment portal issue the year before that aswell (2023-2024 cycle) the payment system crapped out like halfway during the day and prevented many people from paying

Yeah, I think this is what I remember.

 

[vampyrica]

Yeah, I think this is what I remember.

that was your cycle! apps were due like monday the 15th but were extended 24 hours after the payment system was back up and running so people got to pay and submit PLUS pay supplementals because some schools needed the VMCAS ID in order to confirm payment was made

(this should be enough reason to always try to submit before the deadline because each year in the past few cycles something has happened haha)

 

[_rae_]

that was your cycle! apps were due like monday the 15th but were extended 24 hours after the payment system was back up and running so people got to pay and submit PLUS pay supplementals because some schools needed the VMCAS ID in order to confirm payment was made

(this should be enough reason to always try to submit before the deadline because each year in the past few cycles something has happened haha)

Yup. I know the server crashed real bad a year or two before me.

 

[_rae_]

The years begin to blur together very quickly…

People say numbers and I just nod and smile

 

[vampyrica]

Yup. I know the server crashed real bad a year or two before me.

i remember reading that on the reddit while i was researching the application process in 2023, i wonder if it just happens because of an overload of app, LOR and transcript submissions on the final day

 

[PawPrint_Doc]

I had a very similar experience - and you are handling it much better than I am lol! I am livid, honestly. VMCAS has created a very unfair situation that has advantaged some applicants over others.

I worked in community organizing for 12 years before deciding to become a vet. A former Speaker of the Colorado State House of Representatives was going to write me an LOR, but of course he's incredibly busy and that delayed him. I had the same thought that you did - that an incomplete LOR request would look bad so I deleted mine right before submitting my application at 5:52 pm yesterday. At 6:01 pm my recommender forwarded me the email that VMCAS sent him at 5:30 pm about the extension, but of course it was too late by that point. I called VMCAS customer support today to ask if they were going to do anything to rectify what seemed like essentially favoritism toward the people who waited until the literal last minute and they told me to pound dirt.

So, I'm working with attorneys to file a court order to halt the entire VMCAS process and force the administrators to grant all applicants the same extension. If they're going to charge us hundreds of dollars to apply to one school, then VMCAS should be expected to follow the same standards of accountability and timeliness as the applicants upon which they enforce their rules.

I am astounded that VMCAS is comfortable moving forward in such a shortsighted and unprofessional manner, and I hope that other students affected by this will speak out as well. This is a profoundly high-stakes process for the people engaged in it. We are in an incredibly competitive environment and trying to navigate incredibly high expectations to achieve our lifelong dreams. We deserve SO much better than this BS.

VMCAS Extension:
True part: VMCAS did send out an extension email to recommenders very close to the deadline. This happens occasionally when technical issues or recommender delays are common. The extension usually only applies to letters of recommendation already requested before the deadline — not new ones added after submission.

Key detail: Applicants cannot add or swap recommenders after they submit. Deleting yours at 5:52 pm meant that recommender slot was gone, and the extension email he got at 5:30 no longer applied to your account. That part tracks with the official rules.

"Favoritism":
It isn’t favoritism. VMCAS extends deadlines for all recommenders across the board to allow more time for them to upload letters. It’s not about rewarding “last-minute” applicants, it’s about making sure LORs don’t sink applications because of recommender timing.

The extension doesn’t create new opportunities for some applicants. It only gives existing recommenders a little longer to submit. If anything trying to halt the VMCAS process would be unfair, many of us were on top of our recommenders to have letters into the system with our verified application well before the due date.

Legality:
Very unlikely to succeed. VMCAS is run by AAVMC and has strict published terms of service. When you submit, you agree to those terms — which include that they can modify administrative deadlines for recommenders. Courts usually don’t intervene in private application services like this.

Threatening legal action is a way of venting frustration, but realistically, no judge is going to halt the entire cycle of thousands of applicants over one person deleting a recommender slot and not being on top of their own application.

 

[Kirb]

It was definitely one of those perfect storm situations. It might be worth a shot, but I completely understand why schools will more than likely not allow it. I am trying to stay in the mindset of whatever happens, happens, and that's okay! ☀️

Personally I would ask. A friend of mine is a co-author on a paper that got published on the 16th. Since it was one day after the deadline, she emailed the schools if they could consider it in her application. Most of the schools actually said yes.

 

[PawPrint_Doc]

Personally I would ask. A friend of mine is a co-author on a paper that got published on the 16th. Since it was one day after the deadline, she emailed the schools if they could consider it in her application. Most of the schools actually said yes.

Updating your application with experiences is different than a letter of recommendation. Updating experiences is allowed until October timeframe.

 

[Kirb]

Updating your application with experiences is different than a letter of recommendation. Updating experiences is allowed until October timeframe.

Thank you for the information! I wasn't aware of that October timeframe for updating the application.

 

[PawPrint_Doc]

Thank you for the information! I wasn't aware of that October timeframe for updating the application.

You’re very welcome! Good luck! 😄🤗

 

[DressageEnthusiast]

Hello everyoneee! I just need a quick rant because I had the most stressful night with applications, and I ended up withdrawing an LOR request because it was ten minutes before the deadline, and it still wasn't completed. I thought that a pending LOR request would either look poorly on my application or render it incomplete in some circumstances, so despite her being one of my strongest ones, I felt like I had to withdraw. I only found out after the deadline that she had been given an extension to submit on the 18th 😭 I didn't know that was possible because when I read about recommendations on the VMCAS site, it stated there were no extensions given beyond the application deadline. I am also to blame, as I did not reach out to her due to a lot of tragic circumstances happening in her life, and I didn't want her to think I was being pushy or ungrateful when she was going through something far more important. I just feel like applicants should have also been notified of this, as I would have never withdrawn her recommendation request had I known. Is anybody else in a similar boat? Or any words of advice? I have enough other LORs, but I know that because of her position, she would have been a very strong one to have. I just can't help feeling dejected and frustrated with the situation and with myself.

Sorry I'm late to this, but would it have been possible to re-request the letter before the 15th? Or was the number of rec letters set in stone after you submitted your first app?

Also, I found out today that another (non-SDN) person applying this cycle had a LOR writer receive an extension until the 18th. Does anyone know if this was granted to all LOR writers? All my letters are in, but I'm curious as to why they sent this extension out so late, especially since it seemed to have been sent to multiple LOR writers. (I know for a fact this writer did not have any extenuating circumstances)

 

[meowgnificent]

Hey y'all! Does anyone know if you're able to change where you take an upcoming course, after VMCAS is submitted? I submitted with taking my last class, microbiology with a lab in winter 2026, at UNE but it is miles more expensive, so I'm thinking of signing up for it at one of the other schools that I took my pre reqs at (none are community college, fyi). Does anyone know what the process for this is? Like do I have to inform all of the schools in advance, or just tell them if/when I get interview or acceptance offers?

 

[JaynaAli]

Hey y'all! Does anyone know if you're able to change where you take an upcoming course, after VMCAS is submitted? I submitted with taking my last class, microbiology with a lab in winter 2026, at UNE but it is miles more expensive, so I'm thinking of signing up for it at one of the other schools that I took my pre reqs at (none are community college, fyi). Does anyone know what the process for this is? Like do I have to inform all of the schools in advance, or just tell them if/when I get interview or acceptance offers?

They won’t care about the location you plan to take an upcoming course.

The points that matter is that you know it’s outstanding and that you do take it before matriculation. As long as it gets done, if required, they won’t care.

 

[pp9]

Sorry I'm late to this, but would it have been possible to re-request the letter before the 15th? Or was the number of rec letters set in stone after you submitted your first app?

Also, I found out today that another (non-SDN) person applying this cycle had a LOR writer receive an extension until the 18th. Does anyone know if this was granted to all LOR writers? All my letters are in, but I'm curious as to why they sent this extension out so late, especially since it seemed to have been sent to multiple LOR writers. (I know for a fact this writer did not have any extenuating circumstances)

It may have been sent to all writers en masse. I have no inside knowledge but I have to wonder if there is an unusually high number or writers that didn't meet the deadline this year, which prompted this? It's also possible they experienced another technical glitch that prevented submission, so they are granting an extension across the board. Who knows.

 

[TheShepherdGirl]

Sorry I'm late to this, but would it have been possible to re-request the letter before the 15th? Or was the number of rec letters set in stone after you submitted your first app?

Also, I found out today that another (non-SDN) person applying this cycle had a LOR writer receive an extension until the 18th. Does anyone know if this was granted to all LOR writers? All my letters are in, but I'm curious as to why they sent this extension out so late, especially since it seemed to have been sent to multiple LOR writers. (I know for a fact this writer did not have any extenuating circumstances)

I checked with VMCAS, and yes, the letters are essentially set in stone after submission, so there is no way to change them. Had I left the request as "pending" at submission, my LOR writer would have been able to submit it due to the extension. If the extension had not been granted, then I believe it would have shown that I had a pending LOR request that was never fulfilled to the schools I applied to.

I believe this extension was sent out to all LOR writers who had not yet submitted! Perhaps they had a lot of pending requests, and that prompted this?

At the end of the day, I personally can't be all that upset with VMCAS for not communicating with us applicants about this when I hadn't properly communicated with my LOR writer. It was definitely a learning experience for me, and hopefully it will help others as well!

 

[TheShepherdGirl]

It may have been sent to all writers en masse. I have no inside knowledge but I have to wonder if there is an unusually high number or writers that didn't meet the deadline this year, which prompted this? It's also possible they experienced another technical glitch that prevented submission, so they are granting an extension across the board. Who knows.

I didn't see this until after I replied. I thought the same thing! From the email that my writer showed me, it doesn't sound like they gave any details about the extension circumstances, so I think all of that could be plausible.

 

[pp9]

Putting this out there: I personally don't think that a school would ding you for having a pending LOR on your application, fwiw. I am not certain that they do actually see that (maybe someone can confirm this with VMCAS at some point), but if they do, the schools would probably readily assume the writer dropped the ball because it happens fairly often. I just can't really imagine a scenario where an adcom would think poorly on the applicant in that situation, so long as the minimum letter requirements were still met.

If your pending letter results in you failing to qualify for consideration, yeah that completely sucks and is a stopping point. Just as if you missed a pre-req, your GPA didn't qualify, etc. In the context of a letter, it still isn't necessarily a reflection on the applicant, though. You can hound a writer all day but if they don't write it, they don't write it. having that fourth letter (or more) is a great insurance policy, though some schools will only read a max of three letters.

 

[TheShepherdGirl]

Putting this out there: I personally don't think that a school would ding you for having a pending LOR on your application, fwiw. I am not certain that they do actually see that (maybe someone can confirm this with VMCAS at some point), but if they do, the schools would probably readily assume the writer dropped the ball because it happens fairly often. I just can't really imagine a scenario where an adcom would think poorly on the applicant in that situation, so long as the minimum letter requirements were still met.

If your pending letter results in you failing to qualify for consideration, yeah that completely sucks and is a stopping point. Just as if you missed a pre-req, your GPA didn't qualify, etc. In the context of a letter, it still isn't necessarily a reflection on the applicant, though. You can hound a writer all day but if they don't write it, they don't write it. having that fourth letter (or more) is a great insurance policy, though some schools will only read a max of three letters.

That is a relief to hear!! I think I put myself in a panic when I was trying to figure it out, and what I was finding was saying that it would cause uncertainty regarding the applicant, but it was also just a lot of people's opinions on the matter.

I agree though, I think it would be really unfortunate to ding the applicant for that, since they could be helpless and have done everything but that doesn't matter if the deadline isn't met on the writer's end. I am relieved I had more than I needed so I didn't fall below the minimum requirement, I know there are people who are far worse off in similar situations and my heart goes out to them. This process is brutal for sure!

 

[pp9]

That is a relief to hear!! I think I put myself in a panic when I was trying to figure it out, and what I was finding was saying that it would cause uncertainty regarding the applicant, but it was also just a lot of people's opinions on the matter.

I agree though, I think it would be really unfortunate to ding the applicant for that, since they could be helpless and have done everything but that doesn't matter if the deadline isn't met on the writer's end. I am relieved I had more than I needed so I didn't fall below the minimum requirement, I know there are people who are far worse off in similar situations and my heart goes out to them. This process is brutal for sure!

In the heat of applying, it feels like every small thing will have big consequences so I totally get it. Just coming from someone who is on the other side and my POV though - I'm not on an adcom. I think multiple missing letters might be a bit weirder, but hopefully wouldn't happen.

 

[bashfulbigfoot563]

hi everyone, i am posting this because i had an issue with vmcas this cycle and i want to see if anyone else has dealt with something similar or has advice.

on september 15 my application was fully ready with transcripts, essays, recommendations, and program materials. the only step left was payment. i waited until that evening because after working on this for months i wanted the option to make final improvements if i caught anything. around 20ish minutes before the deadline i went to pay. this step should have taken five minutes at most since i familiarized myself with what was needed, but the page froze after i entered my fee waiver. i tried again without the waiver and it still failed. when i opened another browser it told me to continue in the “original session,” but that session was already closed. waiting for this to fix led to the deadline passing. within 30 minutes i was checking my bank, emailing vmcas, and calling to leave a voicemail. i followed up again first thing the next morning.

after that i received conflicting information. in some emails i was told flatly that nothing could be done, while in others i was told in writing that if a program/school granted an extension, they could move my file forward. i relied on that direction because it came directly from their staff, but later i was told that process never existed. i spent days chasing a fix that was not real, which made the situation even more disheartning.

i kept records of what happened since that way the only way to keep up. i saved a screenshot showing the “continue in the previous session” message from the next day, this time lasting about 5 or so minutes. i have chat logs where a rep admitted the system was running slow near my attempts. i have emails confirming the extension process i was told to follow. i also saw other applicants mention similar payment problems during that same time.

in my final email i provided all of this documentation, but the response i received reduced everything to a “missed deadline” and added that this would be "this would be their final correspondence on the matter". it was extremely discouraging to see the technical stalls, conflicting directions, and proof from their own staff dismissed so completely.

i know deadlines are important, but it is hard to accept that a finished application could be stopped at the last step by system issues and then worsened by the instructions given out.

i honestly cannot afford or have the luxury to lose an entire year over this. i have been preparing for months and really years to reach this point, and it has been crushing to see it dismissed so quickly.

has anyone else dealt with technical issues close to the deadline or gotten conflicting instructions from vmcas reps that were later denied. i would really appreciate advice or just to hear if others have been in the same position. : (

 

[battie]

has anyone else dealt with technical issues close to the deadline

Purely from the perspective of being here for about a decade, every year I applied, VMCAS specifically recommended not submitting last minute for this very reason. And as far as I'm aware, that's been a generally unwritten rule. The system gets overloaded, actually similarly to what happened to ticket master and the Eras tour for TS. Too many people in the system at once and it simply can't handle it.

In your case, it doesn't hurt to keep trying. Contacting schools about the situation to see if they will take information directly, as an example. Continuing to contact VMCAS about the situation.

But keep in mind, they (schools and VMCAS) aren't obligated to take your materials. The application window is many months long with zero incentive for applicants to keep their material in limbo except for self-imposed parameters. From the perspective of VMCAS and the schools, there's plenty of time to appropriately compile and submit applications with weeks to spare. They feel this way because thousands of applicants do it every year and have done so for years. To them, this situation would have been avoided sooner had you submitted sooner.

It sucks, to two shakes about it.

 

[bashfulbigfoot563]

thanks for your insight. this was my first time applying, so i did not know about that unwritten rule of avoiding the final day. i understand what you mean now. i just felt that if the deadline is set at 11:59 pm et, it should be reliable right up until that time.

Purely from the perspective of being here for about a decade, every year I applied, VMCAS specifically recommended not submitting last minute for this very reason. And as far as I'm aware, that's been a generally unwritten rule. The system gets overloaded, actually similarly to what happened to ticket master and the Eras tour for TS. Too many people in the system at once and it simply can't handle it.

In your case, it doesn't hurt to keep trying. Contacting schools about the situation to see if they will take information directly, as an example. Continuing to contact VMCAS about the situation.

But keep in mind, they (schools and VMCAS) aren't obligated to take your materials. The application window is many months long with zero incentive for applicants to keep their material in limbo except for self-imposed parameters. From the perspective of VMCAS and the schools, there's plenty of time to appropriately compile and submit applications with weeks to spare. They feel this way because thousands of applicants do it every year and have done so for years. To them, this situation would have been avoided sooner had you submitted sooner.

It sucks, to two shakes about it.

thank you for responding! this was my first time with the ability to apply, so i did not know about that unwritten rule of avoiding the final day. i definitely get the memo now. i just felt that if the deadline is set at 11:59 pm et, it should be reliable right up until that time. i believe the program vmcas uses is also behind the cal state university application, which has far more applicants but still manages the traffic. that is why i did not expect this to happen. ticketmaster running into issues for ts made sense, like its ts! this situation though was difficult to process due to the previously mentioned information.

for me, i was just being really careful and nitpicky because i wanted to submit the best version of myself. i knew that if i submitted too early, i would probably want to go back and make changes or remove information. i thought waiting until the end would give me the most complete and polished application. unfortunately, it did not work out the way i planned.

i did reach out to the schools after, and they seemed like they genuinely wanted to help me. they were very sweet and understanding about my situation (angels). the only issue was that since vmcas has to verify the application and assign the gpa, they could not accept it directly. i completely understand that part and why it has to be that way. again thank you for responding and giving insight into this i truly appreciate it!

 

[JaynaAli]

Getting different answers from VMCAS must be to prep you to deal with the student loan servicers who give you different info every time you call once you hit loan repayment, haha.

All joking aside, it’s definitely a frustrating situation and I am sorry you’re going through this experience. I can definitely see the point of view that you should have submitted before the literal very last hour of a months long application period. I mean, it’s extra frustrating that the issue was slowness on the website and not something within your control, but waiting to the last minute is a risk in itself…you could have had a freak storm and lost power or internet, gotten stuck in traffic unable to access the computer, or any thousands of other situations that could have delayed submission. Hopefully future applicants can read this and learn from your misfortune and not make a similar mistake in future years.

The different answers is definitely extra frustrating, but ultimately, people make mistakes and just because someone gave you bad info doesn’t mean they can change their policies. Hopefully you have correct info now. I do hope things work out for you and they can find a solution for you. It would suck for this to delay you a year, but a year is short in the grand scheme of life and maybe you can find some neat experiences to fill the year if the situation doesn’t get sorted out in your favor. Good luck.

 

[_rae_]

ETA: I could have sworn I saw a post someone made about a college course not being reported correctly and that’s more what I was responding to but now I can’t find it. If someone knows where it is, let me know!

If schools are willing to work with you, you’re very lucky and you should take that opportunity and run with it. I did almost this exact same thing in 2020/2021 cycle except it was a pre-calculus high school dual enrollment course. VMCAS would not verify me. One school took the transcript, the other two told me it was past the deadline and there was nothing they could do.

It’s a hard lesson to learn, and one I try to yell about in the yearly VMCAS thread to try to save people from making the same mistake I did.

Five years later, I’m in my second year of vet school and was very successful my second cycle. It’s easy to beat yourself up, but I promise you it’s not the end of the world.

 

[vampyrica]

has anyone else dealt with technical issues close to the deadline or gotten conflicting instructions from vmcas reps that were later denied. i would really appreciate advice or just to hear if others have been in the same position. : (

This happened to me during the 2023-2024 cycle when the payment servers crashed the day they were due. Fortunately, they extended the deadline because it happened so early in the day and it affected many people from submitting, however what I came to comment is that you need to take some accountability for this situation and you cannot put the entire blame on the VMCAS system.

It is a well-known trend that the days leading up to the deadline are extremely chaotic with the systems being overloaded with applications since many applicants will submit the week of (for whatever reason that may be, its not relevant.) Waiting until 20 minutes before the deadline, knowing there is potential for error is on you as the applicant especially since you did state that everything was ready to go. You didn't have to wait until the last possible minute to submit. I would like to ask this: when you have an exam due, and its online, do you wait to open the exam at 11:00pm knowing it closes at 11:59pm? What if you have to email the professor with questions? What if your Wi-Fi or laptop decides to die? Same applies to VMCAS. It was well after business hours and you run the risk that the chat box might not connect you with anyone. If it was submitted during business hours, you would have been able to call VMCAS with this issue and they would have been able to resolve it.

Unfortunately, I do not believe anything can be done for this particular situation despite what the VMCAS reps have told you and you will just have to make sure to submit early next cycle to guarantee no issue with submission. I sympathize with your situation because the same thing happened to me, but in my situation, I do recognize that it was my fault for waiting so late to submit and pay for my final three applications and I had a good cry, tried to contact VMCAS and the schools and the following day they told me nothing could be done. Then the extension came in because it happened so early and to so many people.

 

[vampyrica]

I'm seeing alot of responses say that schools might be willing to work with you- however, if that is the case, then the same courtesy would have to be applied to every single applicant who has asked to be considered past the deadline for XYZ reason, which wouldn't seem fair to others who may have been told "no" by those schools. My IS told me flat out no, that everything needed to be submitted by the deadline and to try again next year even when I explained it was a payment issue. Other OOS schools also told me flat out no. I hope they are able to grant you some grace, but given what happened in 2023-2024, it didn't seem like a widespread outage so that could also be helpful for a case-by-case basis? but again, I don't know, just sharing my experience from the same thing happening to me in 2023

 

[bashfulbigfoot563]

Getting different answers from VMCAS must be to prep you to deal with the student loan servicers who give you different info every time you call once you hit loan repayment, haha.

All joking aside, it’s definitely a frustrating situation and I am sorry you’re going through this experience. I can definitely see the point of view that you should have submitted before the literal very last hour of a months long application period. I mean, it’s extra frustrating that the issue was slowness on the website and not something within your control, but waiting to the last minute is a risk in itself…you could have had a freak storm and lost power or internet, gotten stuck in traffic unable to access the computer, or any thousands of other situations that could have delayed submission. Hopefully future applicants can read this and learn from your misfortune and not make a similar mistake in future years.

The different answers is definitely extra frustrating, but ultimately, people make mistakes and just because someone gave you bad info doesn’t mean they can change their policies. Hopefully you have correct info now. I do hope things work out for you and they can find a solution for you. It would suck for this to delay you a year, but a year is short in the grand scheme of life and maybe you can find some neat experiences to fill the year if the situation doesn’t get sorted out in your favor. Good luck.

thank you for replying and making me laugh! i know waiting near the end was not the best, but what made it hard was getting different answers from the people representing vmcas. hearing “no” was one thing, but being told a solution made it even more stressful and gave me hope that it could be fixed. i understand the policies, but i also feel it is fair to expect/abide by consistent guidance from the system itself. i really appreciate your encouragement and thoughtful words. it helps more than you know!

 

[bashfulbigfoot563]

ETA: I could have sworn I saw a post someone made about a college course not being reported correctly and that’s more what I was responding to but now I can’t find it. If someone knows where it is, let me know!

If schools are willing to work with you, you’re very lucky and you should take that opportunity and run with it. I did almost this exact same thing in 2020/2021 cycle except it was a pre-calculus high school dual enrollment course. VMCAS would not verify me. One school took the transcript, the other two told me it was past the deadline and there was nothing they could do.

It’s a hard lesson to learn, and one I try to yell about in the yearly VMCAS thread to try to save people from making the same mistake I did.

Five years later, I’m in my second year of vet school and was very successful my second cycle. It’s easy to beat yourself up, but I promise you it’s not the end of the world.

thank you for sharing your experience, it really means a lot. the schools i reached out to did attempt to help, but i think at the end of the day they cannot push past vmcas, which i understand. with this situation, get me on the big screen, i will gladly be the advocate in the future so hopefully others do not have to do what i have done! congratulations on your second year of vet school, that is such an awesome accomplishment. i truly hope everything continues to go well for you. thank you again for taking the time to respond, i really appreciate it.

 

[bashfulbigfoot563]

I'm seeing alot of responses say that schools might be willing to work with you- however, if that is the case, then the same courtesy would have to be applied to every single applicant who has asked to be considered past the deadline for XYZ reason, which wouldn't seem fair to others who may have been told "no" by those schools. My IS told me flat out no, that everything needed to be submitted by the deadline and to try again next year even when I explained it was a payment issue. Other OOS schools also told me flat out no. I hope they are able to grant you some grace, but given what happened in 2023-2024, it didn't seem like a widespread outage so that could also be helpful for a case-by-case basis? but again, I don't know, just sharing my experience from the same thing happening to me in 2023

thank you for sharing your experience, it really helps me see the bigger picture! when i reached out, the schools were very kind and seemed like they genuinely wanted to help, but they explained that since vmcas has to do everything it does, they could not move forward without that step. i do think case-by-case review should be the standard, especially when applicants have receipts to back what happened/what followed. at the same time, i understand that if someone simply misses the deadline for reasons fully in their control, that is different, and fairness for everyone should still be upheld 100%. i want to thank you again for sharing this information!

 

[bashfulbigfoot563]

This happened to me during the 2023-2024 cycle when the payment servers crashed the day they were due. Fortunately, they extended the deadline because it happened so early in the day and it affected many people from submitting, however what I came to comment is that you need to take some accountability for this situation and you cannot put the entire blame on the VMCAS system.

It is a well-known trend that the days leading up to the deadline are extremely chaotic with the systems being overloaded with applications since many applicants will submit the week of (for whatever reason that may be, its not relevant.) Waiting until 20 minutes before the deadline, knowing there is potential for error is on you as the applicant especially since you did state that everything was ready to go. You didn't have to wait until the last possible minute to submit. I would like to ask this: when you have an exam due, and its online, do you wait to open the exam at 11:00pm knowing it closes at 11:59pm? What if you have to email the professor with questions? What if your Wi-Fi or laptop decides to die? Same applies to VMCAS. It was well after business hours and you run the risk that the chat box might not connect you with anyone. If it was submitted during business hours, you would have been able to call VMCAS with this issue and they would have been able to resolve it.

Unfortunately, I do not believe anything can be done for this particular situation despite what the VMCAS reps have told you and you will just have to make sure to submit early next cycle to guarantee no issue with submission. I sympathize with your situation because the same thing happened to me, but in my situation, I do recognize that it was my fault for waiting so late to submit and pay for my final three applications and I had a good cry, tried to contact VMCAS and the schools and the following day they told me nothing could be done. Then the extension came in because it happened so early and to so many people.

cont... thank you for sharing your perspective and for being honest about your own experience. i want to be clear that i am not placing all the blame on the system. i know waiting until the very end carried its risks, and i take responsibility for that. at the same time, my thinking was that if the deadline is officially 11:59 pm et, it should be reliable right up until then.

understand the exam analogy you mentioned, and it does make a lot of sense. the way i looked at it was more like having a very short quiz that only takes about five minutes to complete. starting it at 11:00 pm would definitely be risky, but starting it at 11:54 pm should still feel safe since it is designed to close at 11:59. before that night i had already familiarized myself with the final step and knew it should not have taken long, but unfortunately that was not how it played out.

what made it harder was the conflicting information i received after. hearing “no” was one thing, but hearing possibilities from representatives gave me hope and added to the stress. still, i really do appreciate your sympathy and the way you laid everything out!

 

[vampyrica]

thank you for sharing your experience, it really helps me see the bigger picture! when i reached out, the schools were very kind and seemed like they genuinely wanted to help, but they explained that since vmcas has to do everything it does, they could not move forward without that step. i do think case-by-case review should be the standard, especially when applicants have receipts to back what happened/what followed. at the same time, i understand that if someone simply misses the deadline for reasons fully in their control, that is different, and fairness for everyone should still be upheld 100%. i want to thank you again for sharing this information!

Right! VMCAS would have to grant you the exception, and then schools would have to consider if they want to add you to the pool. So even if you did advocate strongly enough for your case to VMCAS and they granted an exception, the schools would not be obligated to accept it or consider it. Schools have already began looking at the applicant pool and some have already began sending rejections, interview invites etc.

I understand your frustration, truly. I remember where I was and how I reacted, who I called and what I said the night it happened. In the moment it was so incredibly daunting and frustrating, but now 2 years later, I am able to laugh at it and heed warning to other applicants to not make the same mistake I did. Ultimately I was not accepted that cycle and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I felt bad about the money at first but, I’ve made that money back and spent it on another cycle and got in.

If nothing comes of you advocating your case, I want you to know that you will be okay. You have two stories in this thread from both rae and I who can attest to that. It is so frustrating being told one thing, having the support from schools and ultimately being told nothing can be done. I am 100% with you on that, and yes, I agree the system should be reliable until the exact deadline (however, computers and servers are not perfect, even the most secure ones fail when put under immense pressure which in this case would be 300+ credit card information submitted within a short time frame). It’s difficult to do anything to change that due to timezones. You will be okay. You can take time to feel all the feels and then come back even stronger next year if you must. I am rooting for you