when should I apply

[mletter]

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Hello,
I was hoping to get advise on when to apply to aacomas. I graduated last year with a B.S. in psych with a cum. gpa of about 3.4 and sci. gpa of 3.3. I took the mcat and got a 20m last april. I have been taking classes like microbio and a&p 1 and 2 also some biochem and graduate research credits in psych, so my gpa should actually be higher now. Anyhow, my question is that I am going to most likely redo the mcat in August so do you all think that I should apply to aacomas in May/June or do you think that I should wait until I get my August mcat scores back and then apply?? In other words, is it better to get in the application early or wait and hope for that better mcat score and then apply? Any input would be much appreciated!! Thanks in advance. 🙂 👍

 

[Krazykritter]

Definitely apply as early as you can. You will be checking the box that says that you are taking the MCAT again. Your major benefit in applying early is that you will get secondary apps from the schools you apply to b/c your GPA meets the minimum requirements. This way, you can have those ready to send out as soon as you get your August score. Your file would be complete around mid-October and you will be interviewing shortly after that.

I know mid-October doesn't sound very early, but it isn't late either and that is worse case scenario. I always tell people to make a few phone calls to admissions. They will be able to tell you whether you should wait to complete your file at their school until you get the score back or whether to proceed by submitting your secondary and contact them as soon as you get the score.

Good luck & study hard for that MCAT. I can try to answer any more questions by PM too if that would be useful for you.

 

[mletter]

Definitely apply as early as you can. You will be checking the box that says that you are taking the MCAT again. Your major benefit in applying early is that you will get secondary apps from the schools you apply to b/c your GPA meets the minimum requirements. This way, you can have those ready to send out as soon as you get your August score. Your file would be complete around mid-October and you will be interviewing shortly after that.

I know mid-October doesn't sound very early, but it isn't late either and that is worse case scenario. I always tell people to make a few phone calls to admissions. They will be able to tell you whether you should wait to complete your file at their school until you get the score back or whether to proceed by submitting your secondary and contact them as soon as you get the score.

Good luck & study hard for that MCAT. I can try to answer any more questions by PM too if that would be useful for you.

Thanks for the quick response!! 😍
You have given me a good viewpoint. I have one more question about aacomas grades maybe you can answer. I have grades from when I first started out in college that are not good but have since retaken those classes. Do you know how I can have those classes be not counted towards my aacomas gpa?? I have read on this website that that is possible. Do I enter them as redo classes, and if so do I enter both classes as redo classes or just the first grades? Does that make sense?! Thanks for any help you can give!!

 

[mj1878]

I was in your situation last year. I had a lowish MCAT and wanted to apply early, but had to take the August MCAT. I filled out AACOMAS the first day I could, sent everything in, and marked that I would be retaking the MCAT in August. Just make sure that you tell schools to at least look at your app before the new scores come in. I actually ended up getting two interviews with my old score, but I was sure to let them know about the new one when I got it, since I vastly improved. I think the new score was the difference between a waitlist/rejection and acceptance. You probably won't interview until October anyway or later, but just make sure to keep in touch with the schools and give them updates. One thing you DON'T want to do is tell them to hold off on considering you until you get the new scores because then your application will go to the bottom of a very large pile and probably won't resurface, even if you got a 45 on the MCAT. Communication is key. Good luck to you.

 

[mletter]

I was in your situation last year. I had a lowish MCAT and wanted to apply early, but had to take the August MCAT. I filled out AACOMAS the first day I could, sent everything in, and marked that I would be retaking the MCAT in August. Just make sure that you tell schools to at least look at your app before the new scores come in. I actually ended up getting two interviews with my old score, but I was sure to let them know about the new one when I got it, since I vastly improved. I think the new score was the difference between a waitlist/rejection and acceptance. You probably won't interview until October anyway or later, but just make sure to keep in touch with the schools and give them updates. One thing you DON'T want to do is tell them to hold off on considering you until you get the new scores because then your application will go to the bottom of a very large pile and probably won't resurface, even if you got a 45 on the MCAT. Communication is key. Good luck to you.

Hello and thankyou for the quick responce and words of encouragement!,
I have a question about communicating with the schools about applications. How do I let the schools know that I want them to review my application before I submit that august mcat score?? Is emailing the advisors/admissions office at each school how you went about that? Thanks again!!

 

[CatsandCradles]

Hello,
I was hoping to get advise on when to apply to aacomas. I graduated last year with a B.S. in psych with a cum. gpa of about 3.4 and sci. gpa of 3.3. I took the mcat and got a 20m last april. I have been taking classes like microbio and a&p 1 and 2 also some biochem and graduate research credits in psych, so my gpa should actually be higher now. Anyhow, my question is that I am going to most likely redo the mcat in August so do you all think that I should apply to aacomas in May/June or do you think that I should wait until I get my August mcat scores back and then apply?? In other words, is it better to get in the application early or wait and hope for that better mcat score and then apply? Any input would be much appreciated!! Thanks in advance. 🙂 👍

Aim for a score that is 24 or 25+ on your MCAT and you will be solid.

As for when to apply, start filling out aacomas as soon as possible. Some schools work very fast to send you secondaries. Some schools will not send you secondaries if they are not interested. Make sure your PS are very well written.
Do not wait until you get your mcat scores back in August. I had a friend who scored far better than me, but applied late and was having a little bit of trouble. He got in, but only after some very worrisome and nervous months.

So time is of the essence.

Work hard and study hard and you can DO it. 👍

 

[mj1878]

Hello and thankyou for the quick responce and words of encouragement!,
I have a question about communicating with the schools about applications. How do I let the schools know that I want them to review my application before I submit that august mcat score?? Is emailing the advisors/admissions office at each school how you went about that? Thanks again!!

Always call.