When are you complete, really?

[NYCdude]

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I've heard that you are complete as soon as you have everything submitted (Amcas, LOR, secondary). I've also heard that you are complete only when the school emails you that your file is complete.

So which is it? Some schools have me complete the day after I submit my secondary and others take 2 or 3 weeks, if not longer.

 

[Psai]

You're complete when they say you are complete

 

[NYCdude]

You're complete when they say you are complete

That's unfortunate, then. My goal was to be complete everywhere by the middle of August but it turns out its out of my control and depends on how long these schools take to "process" everything.

 

[NYCdude]

Sorry to keep pestering you guys but would appreciate a response! @Goro @LizzyM @Catalystik

 

[Lamel]

For me I was complete 1-10 days after having all my materials ready (committee letter was the final component) at nearly all my schools.

You can look at the complete dates on my MDApps. The final component (letter) was uploaded to AMCAS on 7/21.

 

[Ismet]

You have the criteria of being complete when you have everything in: primary verified, secondary submitted, LORs received by school, and MCAT score.

You are not "officially" complete until the school's records show that you are complete, which can be immediate or can take days or weeks, depending on the software the school uses and their own process for marking applicants complete. Sorry dude, that's the way it is. Keep in mind that you might be officially complete but they might not email you until later when they get to it, or if they have a specific timeline for when they send out emails in batches or something. Or they might not email you at all and you just have to check your status on the school's application page.

 

[NYCdude]

I remember someone posting some source that stated that chances for admission go down dramatically after "completion" on September 1st. If I have all my stuff sent in way before that, does my chance for admission go down if I don't get an official completion email until after?

It's just a little disappointing because there are so many factors out of my control, i.e. when I get my secondaries, when my school sends in my letter, etc.

 

[LizzyM]

Your first goal should be getting interview invites. Your chances of getting an interview invite go down if you join the queue late in the game. If you've done everything you can do by August 15th, you are doing as well as you can and you are likely to be reviewed and decisions made about an interview invite fairly quickly(by mid-October). Be patient.

 

[Ismet]

I remember someone posting some source that stated that chances for admission go down dramatically after "completion" on September 1st. If I have all my stuff sent in way before that, does my chance for admission go down if I don't get an official completion email until after?

It's just a little disappointing because there are so many factors out of my control, i.e. when I get my secondaries, when my school sends in my letter, etc.

It's school dependent, but generally I wouldn't say your chances decrease "dramatically" if you're complete after 9/1. My school is one of the earliest to finish interviewing (before winter break) and people complete after 9/1 definitely still have a good shot at getting an interview. I was complete after 9/1 at all of my schools, and I got 10 II's out of 11 completed applications. I wouldn't advise this for anyone, as there was a lot of waiting and I was interviewing into February, but applying "later" is not as much of a death sentence as SDN sometimes plays it out to be. Especially if you're applying to DO schools, which have a longer interview season, or some MD schools that interview into the spring.

And yes, schools tend to be a bit more critical of later applicants as we have seen many applicants already, so that's why it's advisable that average applicants apply as early as possible. There are still factors out of your control as you said, and while it's unfortunate, there's nothing you can really do but get your stuff in as soon as you can and wait patiently.

 

[NYCdude]

Wise words from you both. Thank you!

 

[manofmen]

hey @LizzyM so does that mean if we're complete at schools before or by the 15th we can count on being considered on the earlier side of the application cycle? i'm trying to plan out things for next year so it would help to gauge if i can hear back from schools by the end of this year. thanks!

 

[LizzyM]

hey @LizzyM so does that mean if we're complete at schools before or by the 15th we can count on being considered on the earlier side of the application cycle? i'm trying to plan out things for next year so it would help to gauge if i can hear back from schools by the end of this year. thanks!

Anything can happen. You can't plan... learn to go with the flow this year. I would expect that if you are complete before Sept 1 and going to get an interview, you'll have at least one invite by November 1.