Wait till MCAT or suck it up and pay for secondaries?

[lady in red]

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Well, I am just trying to decide whether or not to complete a few very expensive secondaries; you guys think I should wait for my MCAT (the first I ever took) and see what my chances are at those schools before throwing money away? I got fee waivers for most and really struggling with paying those that don't have fee waivers or have huge fees. NYU is the only school I saw that had a "clear warning" that read basically read "don't apply if you have less than 10 in any category".

 

[gmendese]

lady in red,

DEFINITELY FILL OUT YOUR SECONDARIES! First off, you don't want to delay your applications if it turns out that you did very well on the MCAT. And secondly, NONE of us know what a school truly looks for and what scores they find acceptable. Sure you can look at their averages, but those are only averages...there are always some above and below those scores.

You're already got the secondaries, so fill 'em out! 🙂

 

[jargon124]

I am in the same situation with regard to a couple of "tough" schools (Harvard, Hopkins, Stanford) - I'm waiting to see my MCAT scores before I spend the time and money involved with completing their secondaries. I don't think it will hurt one bit if you wait for your scores, since at this point its just a question of making sure you meet the schools' deadlines - the time for early completion of apps has passes - make sure you meet deadlines and you'll be fine I think...

 

[Jessica]

Lady in red - I am in the same bind that you are in (1st MCAT in Aug.) I completed secondaries to the schools that I REALLY want to go to, but I am holding off on some of the more expensive schools that are lower on my list of "favorites." I figure if I bomb the test I can suck it up and pay the hefty secondary fees, and if I do really well I can be a little more selective about what I send in.
Jessica

 

[SMW]

Well, I have to agree with gmendese. Getting into med school is essentially a crap shoot. The more schools you apply to the better your chances. After reading some posts about applicants with less than stellar stats getting into top schools, I'm beginning to wish I'd applied to a few more of them. I also took the Aug MCAT for the first time, and I've got all my secondaries in (that are possible to have in, 2 of my schools are waiting for verified apps). Of course, at this point, you're going to have your scores in just a few days. You could wait and Fed Ex the secondaries and make up the time difference if you're ecstatic over your scores. Hope that turns out to be the case. 🙂

 

[C U in MD school]

Originally posted by lady in red:
•Well, I am just trying to decide whether or not to complete a few very expensive secondaries; you guys think I should wait for my MCAT (the first I ever took) and see what my chances are at those schools before throwing money away? I got fee waivers for most and really struggling with paying those that don't have fee waivers or have huge fees. NYU is the only school I saw that had a "clear warning" that read basically read "don't apply if you have less than 10 in any category".•

i know u got a secondary from ucsf w/o having your mcat scores. i think that's a good sign that your a good applicant this year. if i were you, i would just pay and do it. i know it's a lot of money, but compared to the medical education you will have in the next year, it's not but a drop in the bucket. i hope that helps. now fire up ur typewriter. 😛

 

[lady in red]

CU in MD School, SMW: you guys are right, and it is too far in the game to save money, but for me now it is sort of a difference of "eat (food) for the next week or pay that secondary". So I guess the best weight loss program is yet to come--I have lost like 15 pounds since this whole mess started, and I was not overweight to begin with. At least UCSF is merciful enough to wave the fee in exchange for MORE essays 😡 😀

 

[C U in MD school]

lady in red: im sorry to hear that. if there is anythig that i can do to help, please email me.

 

[SMW]

My God, lady in red! All of these schools have some sort of waiver plan. I would think you would definitely qualify if you're choosing between eating and applying! Where are your friends and family? Why aren't they feeding you? You have to take care of yourself. You are going to need to be strong and healthy for all the interview invites you're going to get. Do you have a plan for paying to get to interviews? Sorry if I'm being nosy, but your post really has me worried. 🙁

 

[lady in red]

SMW, CU in MD School: thanks for support. No, I don't have family in here US, I wish I did. They are all back there in Europe and really poor. I got most schools waived, but some like NYMC, Mt. Sinai, Loma Linda, Iowa, and some others are very stubborn about waivers. Some of these schools are a 100 bucks a shot!
Pay for interviews? Well, I guess I am walking over there 😀 . Thinking of taking on yet another job just for that. Oh, yeah, living in San Francisco does not help, either. CU in MD School: I am moving over to LA!