What does it mean to apply "late"?

[DrInTheMaking]

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I completely bombed freshman year, but I'm still determined to go to medical school. I realize that it will take me quite a while to achieve a minimum of a 3.7 GPA because I have to retake a couple of classes. Most of the websites I have gone to said that most pre-medicine students send in their applications about a year and a half (or the second semester of junior year) before they plan on starting medical school. Does applying late mean that you send in your application later than that, like during the second semester of 4th year? Or does applying late refer to cycles?

Thanks.

 

[flip26]

"Late" refers to within a cycle, usually the submission of the AMCAS primary app.

Early is June.

On-time is July.

Neither early or on-time, but not particularly late, is August.

September is late.

October + is very late.

All of the above assumes timely return of secondaries, because you can also be early/on time on the AMCAS and late on the secondaries if you don't get them done and out the door in a timely fashion.

 

[Notsosmart]

I completely bombed freshman year, but I'm still determined to go to medical school. I realize that it will take me quite a while to achieve a minimum of a 3.7 GPA because I have to retake a couple of classes. Most of the websites I have gone to said that most pre-medicine students send in their applications about a year and a half (or the second semester of junior year) before they plan on starting medical school. Does applying late mean that you send in your application later than that, like during the second semester of 4th year? Or does applying late refer to cycles?

Thanks.

Med. schools mostly refer to the cycles when they used the term "late"

 

[Catalystik]

Applying at another time than after completing the junior year has no negative repercussions (even if you are 30+ year old). Waiting until your application is the best it can be is definitely the way to go.

 

[flipster]

my secondaries were out mid september, and i wasn't complete until first week of october because the prehealth committee at my university took a while for the committee letter. is this really late? i hope it doesn't severely hurt my chances.

 

[eric51]

my secondaries were out mid september, and i wasn't complete until first week of october because the prehealth committee at my university took a while for the committee letter. is this really late? i hope it doesn't severely hurt my chances.

That is pretty late, and will probably hurt you a bit, but it depends on your stats, and what schools you are applying to as well.