Would it be too late to apply in early October?

[Yazo]

I finished my third year of undergrad a couple of weeks ago and right now I'm starting to study for the MCAT, which I hope to take on August 31. This means that I will have my score in early October and I will have my application ready by then to apply ASAP. I'm also starting to gather letters of recommendation and a committee letter via Interfolio right now.

Would early October be too late in the application cycle?

I have a cGPA of ~3.86 and a sGPA of ~3.80.

Thanks so much!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Rusrus]

The rule of thumb is to apply before Thanksgiving for DO schools, so you would be good to go.

 

[Underdog786]

I finished my third year of undergrad a couple of weeks ago and right now I'm starting to study for the MCAT, which I hope to take on August 31. This means that I will have my score in early October and I will have my application ready by then to apply ASAP. I'm also starting to gather letters of recommendation and a committee letter via Interfolio right now.

Would early October be too late in the application cycle?

I have a cGPA of ~3.86 and a sGPA of ~3.80.

Thanks so much!

Hey OP ! You know that the earlier you have your file complete the better. I feel like it would still be worth the shot though. As long as you score well on this MCAT and the rest of you app is rock solid (well-written personal statement etc.). As you know, clinical hours play a role in getting accepted to medical school. Every interviewer asked me about clinical experience so make sure it is up to par. You might get something mid-late spring (maybe even late winter (jan/feb). I think it depends a lot on how quickly the school will go through reviewing their applicants. Maybe let the schools know in a personal email what your situation is and they can give you a little more insight. Hoping for the best OP !

 

[Yazo]

The rule of thumb is to apply before Thanksgiving for DO schools, so you would be good to go.

Thanks so much!

If you don't mind me asking: do you have any tips for an applicant?

 

[Yazo]

Hey OP ! You know that the earlier you have your file complete the better. I feel like it would still be worth the shot though. As long as you score well on this MCAT and the rest of you app is rock solid (well-written personal statement etc.). As you know, clinical hours play a role in getting accepted to medical school. Every interviewer asked me about clinical experience so make sure it is up to par. You might get something mid-late spring (maybe even late winter (jan/feb). I think it depends a lot on how quickly the school will go through reviewing their applicants. Maybe let the schools know in a personal email what your situation is and they can give you a little more insight. Hoping for the best OP !

Thank you so much!

My clinical experience is volunteering at a hospital where I transport patients between departments and help to discharge them (I've been doing this for about 3 years, 200 hours total). Also, I shadowed a general surgeon for a week and saw his office visits with patients and his major/minor surgeries (I did this for about 40 hours). Do you think that's enough or should I be looking to do get more experience this summer?

Also, do you have any tips for an applicant and also for the MCAT?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

[Underdog786]

Thank you so much!

My clinical experience is volunteering at a hospital where I transport patients between departments and help to discharge them (I've been doing this for about 3 years, 200 hours total). Also, I shadowed a general surgeon for a week and saw his office visits with patients and his major/minor surgeries (I did this for about 40 hours). Do you think that's enough or should I be looking to do get more experience this summer?

Also, do you have any tips for an applicant and also for the MCAT?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

1) As far as your clinical work goes, I think that it is really important to remember that medical volunteering and shadowing are completely different. Although medical volunteering is great, I wouldn’t not really consider it highly clinical, because there was no clinical aspect. Shadowing a surgeon is great. I think you should definitely try to shadow some more if you have time this summer, even if it’s only 4-6 hours a week (one day a week). The more shadowing experience you have the better. Plus it will look great on an update letter and give great person situations to speak on during interviews.

2) As for MCAT, I feel as though eveyone has their own method. One commonality is making sure you digest the information by seeing it as much as possible. Also, taking multiple practice exams before you take the real one. Not only does it give you an idea where your weaknesses lie but it also give you an idea on how the exam will be structured. Lastly, have regimented studying schedule to pass through the material as many times as possible, until you can basically recite it in your sleep. Hope this helps .

 

[Rusrus]

Thanks so much!

If you don't mind me asking: do you have any tips for an applicant?

Normally, I'd advise against submitting your primary before receiving your MCAT score, but if your practice test scores are within your target range (508 is competitive for all DO schools), then I would recommend submitting your primary in late July/early August so it can be verified. Note that transcripts and LORs will take a few extra days if you submit them at a later time. That way your application can be verified and ready for transmission by the time your score comes in. Also, while waiting for your MCAT score try to fit in pre-writing secondaries (perhaps 1-2 a week as I understand you'll still have school.) You can do a search on the forums to find the prompts.

I would also recommend that you accumulate some hours shadowing a primary care physician as a majority of DO schools are oriented as such - if you can somehow get a DO LOR that would open a few doors at schools that require it.

Lastly, just keep in mind that patience is the key and applications are not always reviewed in order by the date that they were received.

Best of luck!

 

[Goro]

Asked and answered in the pre-M.D. forum

 

[shur711]

This is anecdotal, but I applied to 10 schools in late October, and got 5 interview invites. I attended 3 of them and got accepted at 1 school and waitlisted at 2 others. The biggest disadvantage of applying late in my opinion is that your interview dates that you get will be in January or February, sometimes maybe even March. At that point, many schools have already filled up or are close to filling up their seats, so you might just be interviewing for a waitlist spot. The school I was accepted to was the only interview that I attended in December, and I think the early interview allowed my to get accepted there. The other two waitlists I got were from later interviews in February. Your GPA is higher than mine also.

 

[calivianya]

No, I was complete at 10 our of 11 DO schools I applied to after Thanksgiving (just after - last week of November/first week of December), and got interviews at 8 of them and was accepted outright at every interview I attended. October is more than fine.

 

[Yazo]

Thanks for all the advice!