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My MCAT will be written August 3rd. My GPA will be 3.90-3.95 (last term in UNI) depending on how finals go. I have my personal statement almost completed already. I took the MCAT got smacked with a 510 (129/123/129/129) last summer and also ORM. I was also working 40 hours a week doing research but this summer I will be strictly studying the MCAT w/o working. My home state Oregon so OHSU is the dream. Considering MD/PhD as well as all my summers have been doing research. I'm also Canadian, so also want a shot in Canada due to cheaper tuition but the matriculation chances are insane back in Canada. Will be taking a gap year.
I'm hoping for a 515 but score will come back September 4th. Is it too late to apply due to the US rolling admissions? I'm going to submit my application first week of August, then wait for new MCAT score. I'm hoping I'll be ready for the MCAT August 3rd and won't delay the MCAT or most definitely will only apply to Canada. Is it too late in the application cycle to apply? Really don't want to take double gap year. Is it worth it?
For minimum heartache throughout the process, apply in JuneToo late
If OP works on his primary app for two weeks straight after taking the MCAT Aug 3rd, submits it Aug 17th, and immediately starts pre-writing secondaries for another 2-3 weeks so he can submit once MCAT is back and be complete in early-med Sept.. is that a viable plan? It’s not perfect but being complete in Sept isn’t horrible right? I guess he could lose out on schools that don’t have an immdediate turn around on secondaries, causing him to potentially be as late as Oct. Obvious though that Planning to be late like this seems ill advisedI consider the idea of doing this extremely foolish. The schedule here is not the issue. It is having the priorities in order as they must do well on the MCAT and have a well written application.
Applicants look at this as “when is the latest” they can submit, when they need to be looking at how to optimize their chances. Applying with a rushed, late MCAT and AMCAS, all of which is fully under your control, is a way to be rejected and reducing your chances on the next cycle as a reapplicant
1) applicants need to be as fully prepared for the MCAT as possible and need to spend near 100% time, energy and focus prepping for this as the score will stay with you forever. Frankly, applicants shouldn be planning AMCAS until they have completed the MCAT.
2) applicants need to have a well-written, highly-polished AMCAS is needed to get an interview and they shoukd be spending near 100% time, energy and focus on getting this done.
3) trying to do both the MCAT and AMCAS at the same time risk doing crappy on both
4) taking an August 4th MCAT means you wont a score until after September 1st. Man schools will not even send out secondaries until they have MCAT score so you will be LATE LATE LATE
5) frankly, applicants need to have MCAT complete prior to application season starts and you should go prep another month and take MCAT in Sept for next cycle
Ah yea this makes sense. Yea you can’t even get your list of schools right if you don’t have an MCAT score. Personally it took me ~2 months from May to July to get my primary done well ( took my MCAT in May). And then about 22 consecutive full-time days to write 40 secondaries. I got many interviews and I think in large part because my writing but yes it definitely took many, many hours to do right.NO! Is the goal to get into medical school or to get into medical school QUICKLY?
Even if someone thinks that they could possibly produce a well-written, highly-polished AMCAS in just a few weeks, it takes 2-4 weeks to be verified, and it might take a schools 1-3 weeks to send at secondary. Again, you are thinking what is the latest an application can be, where it should be what is the most optimal? Frankly, anyone who does not have their MCAT score by January of application, they are already losing advantage. why? You need MCAT score and GPA in order to target schools. You need to target schools in order to research them, review their previous secondaries, develop themes, and then apply these themes to AMCAS. By the tome this OP got their app complete, they would be late at the top 1/4-1/3 of schools (highly competitive). Invites will be going out in August or earlier with interviews starting then as well.
Why do I do this? of 100% of applicants, 60% get rejected, 20% get a single acceptance, and 20% get more than one. More telling is of 800,000+ applications, the 150 med school programs can at the absolute most, offer 150,000 interview invites. With each applicant putting in 16 apps, on average 3 applications get action. In short, at any individual school, at least 80% of applications must be rejected prior to interview. Lastly, 60% of matriculants take a gap year.
Pay heed to what I say
My MCAT will be written August 3rd. My GPA will be 3.90-3.95 (last term in UNI) depending on how finals go. I have my personal statement almost completed already. I took the MCAT got smacked with a 510 (129/123/129/129) last summer and also ORM. I was also working 40 hours a week doing research but this summer I will be strictly studying the MCAT w/o working. My home state Oregon so OHSU is the dream. Considering MD/PhD as well as all my summers have been doing research. I'm also Canadian, so also want a shot in Canada due to cheaper tuition but the matriculation chances are insane back in Canada. Will be taking a gap year.
I'm hoping for a 515 but score will come back September 4th. Is it too late to apply due to the US rolling admissions? I'm going to submit my application first week of August, then wait for new MCAT score. I'm hoping I'll be ready for the MCAT August 3rd and won't delay the MCAT or most definitely will only apply to Canada. Is it too late in the application cycle to apply? Really don't want to take double gap year. Is it worth it?