The AMCAS system may be open for several months, but it’s to your advantage to apply earlier rather than later so that med schools can consider your application while they have more seats available to fill. On the other hand, it’s a mistake to submit your application before it’s truly ready to be sent in.
How can you tell when your application is ready to submit?
Don’t hit submit just yet…
Here are four “quality control” tasks we advise that you do before you submit, to make sure that your app is in tip-top sending off shape:
- Check that your application paints an impressive, holistic, and accurate picture of you.
Each section of your application – your essays, your CV, all those boxes and fields, your letters of recommendation, your MCAT score – should provide a snapshot of who you are. Double check that all information is accurate and that your snapshot presents you in the best light. The sections of your application should complement one another, just as each piece of a completed puzzle creates a complete, cohesive, unified picture.
- Recruit/hire someone to review your essays.
It’s nearly impossible to be objective about your own work, and for that reason, your AMCAS essays and secondary essays aren’t done until another person (or other people) have reviewed them carefully. Have a friend, family member, or an experienced Accepted consultant read through your essays, check for errors and inconsistencies, and offer constructive criticism.You may groan to have a few mistakes pointed out to you, but your essays will make a better impression for their professionalism, and as a result, your chances of getting into your top choice med school will rise. (Caution: You want 1-3 people to review your essay – not the entire world. This is definitely a case where too many cooks can spoil the broth – or, more precisely, confuse matters hopelessly.)
- Proof your entire application.
Applicants spend so much time proofing their essays (which is great) that they often forget that they need to proof the rest of their application as well (which is not great). Proofread every component of your application: your personal statement, the boxes, the experiences…everything. Check for proper spelling and grammar and correct any errors. The entire application package should be neat, clean, and error-free. Try reading your application aloud – it’s an excellent way for your ears to catch mistakes that your eyes may have missed.
- Consider both timing AND quality.
While it’s important for medical school applicants to submit early in the process, it is better to send in the application a day or two later and present something that is polished and excellent, rather than submit a rushed, sloppy AMCAS app at the beginning of the process. So keep your eye on the calendar as the deadlines loom and get started now. This will allow you enough time to write a thoughtful, content-rich, and polished application and apply early, knowing you haven’t compromised on quality in a last-minute rush to submit.
Never submit a sloppy AMCAS application!
Taking these four steps will give you the confidence that you have crafted a quality package of writing – a masterpiece of an application that you’re proud to present.
With so much at stake, why not get one last final check to make sure that your application really shines? Our Application Final Check provides that last-minute feedback that can turn your nearly-ready application into one that’s truly ready to be submitted. Learn more about our Application Final Check service here.
For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to their dream healthcare programs. Our outstanding team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, admissions committee members, pre-health advisors, postbac program directors, and doctors. Our staff has guided applicants to acceptance at allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools, residencies and fellowships, dental school, veterinarian school, and physician assistant programs at top schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Penn, UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and many more. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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