What percentage of applicants apply the first month?

[Spiker]

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A couple of the kids in 2014 thread are halfway done with secondaries. Astounding/neurotic/annoying.

LOL i am 2015 and i already finish my "mock" application+draft for ps and taking mcat in july muaah

 

[witness23]

while i understand taking the MCAT early (esp if you are breaking 40s), doing apps that early kinda makes no sense

 

[RavensGal]

Haha I'm 2015 as well and I've started drafting a PS and studying for an april MCAT.
But that's more due to the amount of free time I have now verse how much I will have during the school year

 

[nick_carraway]

while i understand taking the MCAT early (esp if you are breaking 40s), doing apps that early kinda makes no sense

Agreed. A great deal will change from one year to the next in terms of what you think is important and what you want to write about.

 

[Spiker]

while i understand taking the MCAT early (esp if you are breaking 40s), doing apps that early kinda makes no sense

I am doing it cuz i took all my prereq like 1 year ago (including biochem cell bio genetic microbio and physiology) the longer i wait the more i have to study later...and I want a good summer to study....and after i take mcat i dont have anything to worry about for like 10 month!!! muahahah

 

[mvenus929]

Agreed. A great deal with change from one year to the next in terms of what you think is important and what you want to write about.

Agreed. Of course, you don't really realize it until the year has passed...

I am doing it cuz i took all my prereq like 1 year ago (including biochem cell bio genetic microbio and physiology) the longer i wait the more i have to study later...and I want a good summer to study....and after i take mcat i dont have anything to worry about for like 10 month!!! muahahah

There's a difference between studying for the MCAT and filling out secondaries, which is exactly what was said above.

 

[Appless]

man is it just me or each year do pre meds get more neurotic and more competitive. I swear soon we are going to have freshmen doing their pre-pre-pre mcat studying after 1 week of g chem and then filling out their pre-pre applications sophmore year while writing secondaries along with it. Enjoy college, go get ****ed up! If thats not your thing...do w/e it is that is the equivalent. You have at the very minimum 11 years of medical training which could easily extend into 15 or so depending on what you do. During those years you can be working to death and boring, enjoy life now!

 

[litconsultant]

LizzyM-

When you say your school 'sorts' the good apps to the top, is that based only on a mix of MCAT/GPA or something else also?

Thanks!

 

[shahak49]

You said AMCAS doesn't verify transcripts UNTIL one submits the appl., right? So, what do u suggest? I am done with everything except LOR and MCAT (July2).....Should I just submit it???????????????/// This work/activities section on my appl. doesn't seem perfect, yet....What do ya think?

They won't begin to verify you app till after you submit it. And I'm guessing the time it takes to verify varies depending on when during the cycle you submit it. A week or two to a month I seemed to gather from previous threads.

 

[witness23]

yea, i would submit. because you dont need the mcat or the lor to be complete, and some schools will send you secondaries no matter. you will get mcat scores in august and hand your secondaries in by then and be complete for schools

 

[shahak49]

But, I am not even sure which med schools I want to fo for...money is not an issue..so, should I just randomy select about 30 schools?????????

 

[witness23]

But, I am not even sure which med schools I want to fo for...money is not an issue..so, should I just randomy select about 30 schools?????????

no. don't randomly select schools.

pick one school at first. your state school or something. thats all it takes for verification

 

[shahak49]

I will JUST select 1 school, let's say. OK, then when should I start selecting other list of schools...after taking MCAT or after receiving score in August?

 

[witness23]

i have seen people do a list of schools in a venn diagram fashion.

schools they would apply to, regardless
schools they would apply to, if MCAT < X
schools they would apply to, if MCAT > X


you should definitely consider whether the school is friendly to out of state residents.


MSAR is a great tool.

 

[shahak49]

Ya, i was planning to go over it after MCATs are done....And, I am sure I will score borderline below average on MCATs.......so my chances are low anyways....But, can't seem to make up my mind on when to select med schools? Now? or after mcat score? Money is no issue at all..........

 

[flip26]

I don't know when applicants submit but a couple summers ago, the Dean of Admissions told me that 1/4 of all of the applications expected that year arrived in the first batch sent by AMCAS.

However, there isn't much advantage to being at the top of the stack. Files are now handled and sorted electronically so it is very easy for adcom members to cherry-pick "the best" for early reading and interview invitations and leave the rest until later in the season. I used to be on the bandwagon for "apply early" but I think that it makes less of a different than it did 5-10 years ago. However, I'd be sure to have the AMCAS verified by July 31 and supplementals turned around as soon as possible.

Are you an adcom at a "non-rolling" school? For rolling schools, I have to believe that early is still better than later...some of the rolling schools I am applying to, including my state schools, will start interviews in late August...if I were not complete until the end of July, while certainly not "late," it could put me at a disadvantage.

In particular, my goal is to interview early at my state schools and hopefully be sitting on at least one acceptance come October 15. If I am so fortunate, it will help reduce the app season stress level, and likely will save me money spent of interviewing at schools further down my list...

 

[shahak49]

To: Witness23,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSES!!!!!!!!!

i have seen people do a list of schools in a venn diagram fashion.

schools they would apply to, regardless
schools they would apply to, if MCAT < X
schools they would apply to, if MCAT > X


you should definitely consider whether the school is friendly to out of state residents.


MSAR is a great tool.

 

[LizzyM]

Are you an adcom at a "non-rolling" school? For rolling schools, I have to believe that early is still better than later...some of the rolling schools I am applying to, including my state schools, will start interviews in late August...if I were not complete until the end of July, while certainly not "late," it could put me at a disadvantage.

In particular, my goal is to interview early at my state schools and hopefully be sitting on at least one acceptance come October 15. If I am so fortunate, it will help reduce the app season stress level, and likely will save me money spent of interviewing at schools further down my list...

OK, let me revise that. Be complete at least 6 weeks before the earliest known interview date for the school on your list with the earliest interview date.

Still, it is possible that the applications will not be reviewed in the order received or alphabetically but "cherry picked" so that people with gpa >3.90 and those with MCAT >36 (or whatever is a few points higher than the school's average) are going to be the first to be reviewed and likely to be the first interviewed. The cherry picking can also include undergrad institution (if the school has some favorite feeders), legacies, etc

 

[johncalvin]

OK, let me revise that. Be complete at least 6 weeks before the earliest known interview date for the school on your list with the earliest interview date.

Still, it is possible that the applications will not be reviewed in the order received or alphabetically but "cherry picked" so that people with gpa >3.90 and those with MCAT >36 (or whatever is a few points higher than the school's average) are going to be the first to be reviewed and likely to be the first interviewed. The cherry picking can also include undergrad institution (if the school has some favorite feeders), legacies, etc

So I have a question. If a state school (rolling) sends out its first acceptance letters Oct 15, I assume you should have your interview by Sep. 15, meaning you should be complete by August 1st week? Does that sound like a good timeline? Does someone who interviewed in August have any advantage over someone who interviewed in September (in this case, where the 1st letters don't go out till Oct. 15)?

I probably won't be complete till August 15th-ish. I get a feeling that's a pretty good timeline, except when I'm on SDN, where everyone is halfway done with last year's secondary prompts...

P.S.: The state school I refer to has been known to interview candidates in August. I wonder if that puts them at an advantage because they interviewed early, or that they were already such stellar candidates that they received interview offers earlier than the rest?

 

[flip26]

So I have a question. If a state school (rolling) sends out its first acceptance letters Oct 15, I assume you should have your interview by Sep. 15, meaning you should be complete by August 1st week? Does that sound like a good timeline? Does someone who interviewed in August have any advantage over someone who interviewed in September (in this case, where the 1st letters don't go out till Oct. 15)?

I probably won't be complete till August 15th-ish. I get a feeling that's a pretty good timeline, except when I'm on SDN, where everyone is halfway done with last year's secondary prompts...

P.S.: The state school I refer to has been known to interview candidates in August. I wonder if that puts them at an advantage because they interviewed early, or that they were already such stellar candidates that they received interview offers earlier than the rest?

I am a big advocate of early, and even I acknowledge that with your timeline, you should be OK...

 

[DocMack]

I am in very much the same situation as johncalvin in that I am poised to be complete by late July or early August, minus LOR which should roll in early/mid August.
But here is the cause of my anxiety at the moment:
I took the MCAT for my first try on June18, scores will be received July21. To safeguard myself against a potentially low MCAT score I have registered for a second sitting for the MCAT on August21. If my MCAT score is better than 24 and relatively evenly spread I will submit. If the score is lower than 24 should I submit and state my intention to submit a second MCAT score in mid September when my second scores arrive? Or should I hold off and submit once I see my 2nd MCAT score?Should I submit NOW without having seen my MCAT score at all?
I will say, too, that my score could be anything from a 15 to a 35 and I would not be surprised.