Will medical schools begin evaluating your application even if you don't have all of your LoRs?

[agun77]

I've been aiming to submit my AMCAS application on May 31, the first possible date of submission this year, but I'm worried that my two STEM professors' letters of recommendation won't be ready by then. If I submit my app on 5/31 without all of my LoRs, will schools just ignore my app until all of my LoRs come in?

Or, to tweak the question a bit: would I be better off submitting my AMCAS app ASAP and sending in the late LoRs later, or would I be better off submitting everything at once at a somewhat later date?

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[chaim123]

Well, I'd suggest looking at @gonnif's many posts on medical school timelines, but I'll recap:

• If you submit your application on the first day available, 5/31, it will enter the processing queue once you submit all transcripts
• Once your application is verified using your transcripts, it will be held by AMCAS until 7/1, when the first batch of completed applications are sent to medical schools

So, your LORs aren't required until 7/1 at the earliest to be one of the first applications looked at.

 

[candbgirl]

Schools won’t even receive your application until late June/early July. AMCAS will verify your transcripts and then hold everything for the release date. When will you have your letters?

 

[Goro]

I would say a sizable fraction of medical schools will begin the evaluation of your primary, secondary without LOR. However a much smaller fraction, if any, will send evaluated application ls to adcom for review/interview invite process

Additionally, anyone who thinks their application will be looked at in the first two weeks of July is under fantasy and delusions

And guilty of a need for instant gratification!

 

[ciestar]

When I applied, I was verified mid June. I didn’t have my committee letter until the last week of July. You get secondaries before that but your application isn’t complete without them.

 

[ellia]

When I applied, I was verified mid June. I didn’t have my committee letter until the last week of July. You get secondaries before that but your application isn’t complete without them.

What schools did you receive secondaries from? I have heard some schools will send secondaries even before your primary is verified.

 

[ciestar]

What schools did you receive secondaries from? I have heard some schools will send secondaries even before your primary is verified.

All 25 that I applied to. I was verified before schools were sending out secondaries. You don’t need to have your LOR’s to be verified, btw.

 

[calivianya]

Your secondary applications won't be complete at most places until they receive their minimum number of LORs. For most places, this is three. So, I finished most of my secondaries in July... but I wasn't complete until my third LOR came in, which was late September. You will not be under consideration for an interview until the minimum number of LORs are in.

 

[agun77]

Schools won’t even receive your application until late June/early July. AMCAS will verify your transcripts and then hold everything for the release date. When will you have your letters?

I honestly don't know for sure; the two professors want a copy of my AMCAS personal statement, which I'm still drafting. I'd originally hoped to get my letters by May 30 or the first week of June, but in order for this to happen, I'd probably have to finish the personal statement by the end of this week (which is tough because I have to study for finals and start applying to jobs for my gap year).

Thanks for the info, everyone! I guess I can afford to spend some more time on my PS after all. And @gonnif, I really appreciate the detailed timeline; I need to read more of your posts! 🙂

 

[Isoval]

I received my first interview invitation without having my committee letter sent.

 

[skk_]

Your secondary applications won't be complete at most places until they receive their minimum number of LORs. For most places, this is three. So, I finished most of my secondaries in July... but I wasn't complete until my third LOR came in, which was late September. You will not be under consideration for an interview until the minimum number of LORs are in.

I received two of my interview invites last year before all of my letters of recommendation had come in (was still under their minimum required), so some schools definitely do at least start partially reviewing applications prior to this.