FAQ: SOME THINGS ABOUT PRIMARY SUBMISSIONS/VERIFICATION/TIMING OF THINGS. READ IT TO KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
Part 1: According to Keng Lam (WHO I TRUST SO YA) If your transcript has not arrived, your application won't be in line. So let's say you submitted the application on June 10th, but ALL of your transcripts don't arrive until July 10th, then your "assigned" date will be July 10th. That's why it's important to send the transcripts in ASAP.
That being said, don't freak out folks. As long as you get it in within the first month/before July 9,, you're ahead of most of the curve of people submitting in their apps. It shouldn't make TOO much of a difference. Remember to get your secondaries in in a timely manner!
PART 2: DO I NEED TO HAVE ALL MY SCHOOLS CHOSEN. (ANSWER IS NO) Know that when you submit your primary, you DO NOT have to pick ALL your schools you want to apply to. You just need one so that AMCAS can go ahead and verify your primary. That means that your letter writers can have a bit more time for getting in their LOR's. Also, it gives you more time to research schools if you need to. Then, once your primary is verified, you can choose more schools to send it to and you'll also choose your LOR's to send to them.
^ that is useful especially for people who are taking their MCAT later in the summer. That way if you don't do so well in your MCAT, you can avoid being a reapplicant to a med school if you instead decide to just apply the next cycle. Med schools can't see if you've applied in general before, they only look to see if you've applied to THEIR school before.
Good luck!
CONVERSATION:
PREMED #1: If my letters aren't in yet, should I hold off on choosing schools? Are letters used for both deciding admission as well as if the schools want to send you a secondary?
ANNA: No, they are not used for choosing to give you a secondary or not. Screening for secondaries usually is just based on MCAT + GPA, although some schools like UCSF are really picky about how many secondaries they send out, so I do think they look at EC's (possibly PS?) as well. It's fine if you want to pick the schools before choosing letters to go to them, but the only problem is that you better make sure you remember later to assign letters to them! Also, you don't want to cut it close. Make sure your letters are in by the time your app is verified, seeing as your secondary should be sent within 2 or so weeks of when you get it (which for a lot of schools means that you gotta send your secondary in within two weeks of when they get your verified primary app.)
PREMED #2: I heard that it costs more to add schools after submitting the AMCAS? but ... I didn't look it up myself
ANNA: I thought it was just the one big fee for the first school and then subsequently the same cost for them. I don't think it's more. You might be referring to the secondary app fees?
PREMED #2: After the main fee of like 160, it's 36 per school after that. my friend said it is 63 per school to add after the main submission, but I can't find that on this AMCAS site which only says "additonal fees" may apply.https://www.aamc.org/.../147904/aftersub_shared_2.1.html
ANNA: Yup, no idea on the specifics of that one. -flailwhale-
That being said, don't freak out folks. As long as you get it in within the first month/before July 9,, you're ahead of most of the curve of people submitting in their apps. It shouldn't make TOO much of a difference. Remember to get your secondaries in in a timely manner!
PART 2: DO I NEED TO HAVE ALL MY SCHOOLS CHOSEN. (ANSWER IS NO) Know that when you submit your primary, you DO NOT have to pick ALL your schools you want to apply to. You just need one so that AMCAS can go ahead and verify your primary. That means that your letter writers can have a bit more time for getting in their LOR's. Also, it gives you more time to research schools if you need to. Then, once your primary is verified, you can choose more schools to send it to and you'll also choose your LOR's to send to them.
^ that is useful especially for people who are taking their MCAT later in the summer. That way if you don't do so well in your MCAT, you can avoid being a reapplicant to a med school if you instead decide to just apply the next cycle. Med schools can't see if you've applied in general before, they only look to see if you've applied to THEIR school before.
Good luck!
CONVERSATION:
PREMED #1: If my letters aren't in yet, should I hold off on choosing schools? Are letters used for both deciding admission as well as if the schools want to send you a secondary?
ANNA: No, they are not used for choosing to give you a secondary or not. Screening for secondaries usually is just based on MCAT + GPA, although some schools like UCSF are really picky about how many secondaries they send out, so I do think they look at EC's (possibly PS?) as well. It's fine if you want to pick the schools before choosing letters to go to them, but the only problem is that you better make sure you remember later to assign letters to them! Also, you don't want to cut it close. Make sure your letters are in by the time your app is verified, seeing as your secondary should be sent within 2 or so weeks of when you get it (which for a lot of schools means that you gotta send your secondary in within two weeks of when they get your verified primary app.)
PREMED #2: I heard that it costs more to add schools after submitting the AMCAS? but ... I didn't look it up myself
ANNA: I thought it was just the one big fee for the first school and then subsequently the same cost for them. I don't think it's more. You might be referring to the secondary app fees?
PREMED #2: After the main fee of like 160, it's 36 per school after that. my friend said it is 63 per school to add after the main submission, but I can't find that on this AMCAS site which only says "additonal fees" may apply.https://www.aamc.org/.../147904/aftersub_shared_2.1.html
ANNA: Yup, no idea on the specifics of that one. -flailwhale-