How early is early?

[joshto]

I'm sure many people will have differing opinions on this, but how early does one want to be complete to get the advantage of being 'early' (i.e. everything in - primaries, LORs, secondaries)?

[ED527]

I would say that being complete at schools (primary, secondary, LoRs all sent and recieved) by early to mid-September would the 'latest' you can consider being 'early'.

 

Submit everything as soon as AMCAS opens - send transcripts, submit primary, start writing secondaries (you can look up the previous years secondary questions on SDN). There is no point in delaying your application. It truly does make a difference especially if your stats are mediocre. Do this even if your waiting on MCAT scores and submit the scores as soon as they are released.

 

You also have to take into consideration the fact that it takes AMCAS sometime to verify your primary application. I submitted my primary in mid-July and was verified a month later.

 

Then once start the secondaries start coming in, you have to submit them along with your LoRs and money. After submitting all that you have to wait while you are complete at schools. After your complete, your put in a queue to have your file evaluated by the admissions committee.

 

As you can see all of this takes time, so there is no point in delaying.

 

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

[THX]

I would say that being complete at schools (primary, secondary, LoRs all sent and recieved) by early to mid-September would the 'latest' you can consider being 'early'.

 

Submit everything as soon as AMCAS opens - send transcripts, submit primary, start writing secondaries (you can look up the previous years secondary questions on SDN). There is no point in delaying your application. It truly does make a difference especially if your stats are mediocre. Do this even if your waiting on MCAT scores and submit the scores as soon as they are released.

 

You also have to take into consideration the fact that it takes AMCAS sometime to verify your primary application. I submitted my primary in mid-July and was verified a month later.

 

Then once start the secondaries start coming in, you have to submit them along with your LoRs and money. After submitting all that you have to wait while you are complete at schools. After your complete, your put in a queue to have your file evaluated by the admissions committee.

 

As you can see all of this takes time, so there is no point in delaying.

 

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

September is mid-late IMO. Early is secondaries in by late July/early august. Being early definitely helps.

[Rach]

September is mid-late IMO. Early is secondaries in by late July/early august. Being early definitely helps.

 

I agree with THX. I have read a million threads about this and the consensus seems to be that if you have everything done before the end of August you are in good shape.

[joshto]

if I submit my primary early June and take the MCAT June 18th, when would I be considered complete?

[token]

July 18th at the earliest. That's still really early.

[joshto]

Let's say I have all my primaries, secondaries and LORs in by the MCAT score release date (lets say July 18th)...is my MCAT score instantaneously sent out to ADCOMs July 18th? In other words, am I complete right when my MCAT score comes out (if all other parts of my application have already been submitted)?

 

I guess I'm confused as to how quickly the schools will process my MCAT score once released.

[token]

It should be instantaneous. However it may take awhile for you to be marked complete since schools are slow. But if they're slow for you, they'll be slow for everyone so it doesn't really matter.

 

For example some schools take literally months to enter LORs. So even if you're complete in October or November you're still relatively early at those schools.