Cross this line, and you’re dead.
During the American Civil War, Henry Wirz, a particularly vicious Confederate general, was convicted and hanged for torturing Yankee prisoners of war. During the trial, it came out that he had drawn a line in the dirt, beyond which any prisoner who crossed would be shot. Some believe this particular act to be the origin of the term “deadline.”
For most other application processes - applying to college or graduate school - the deadline is indeed that: the line beyond which your application is dead. But not for applying to medical school.
Because of the scarcity of spots in US medical schools, applying early is crucial. And once one pre-med starts down that path, the others follow. These days, the rush to submit the application on the opening date - not the deadline - means that few spots remain for those applying late (August or later).
We need a new term, one that captures the declining chances with every passing week you delay your medical school application. If the true deadlines are not until fall, then we might coin the following phrases:
Bruised-line: June 15 - submitting your AMCAS by this date won’t ruin your chances, but it does mean your application is behind the thousands who submit in the first few days that the application opens.
Wounded-line: July 1 - applying by this date certainly hurts, but it still might make sense as long as your numbers are strong (i.e. you can take a wound and still survive).
Damned-line: August 1 - not impossible to get in, but submitting your AMCAS after August 1 hurts your chances significantly.
Deadlines: October - December. Sure, these are the actual cutoffs for these US allopathic medical schools.
When applying to medical school, these almost-deadlines are like electric fences. They probably won’t kill you, but you don’t want to touch them either.
Below we’ve highlighted the crucial dates to submit your AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS application so that you survive the application gauntlet.
Why this date matters:
It's time to start filling out the application. The actual application--outside of the essays--takes about four hours to fill out. Things that can help make it easier are: a) ordering an official transcript for yourself (the coursework section is lonnnnng), and b) writing your essays in advance. Don't forget about the forgotten essays--the "Most Meaningful" essays!
Why this date matters:
Because you get your MCAT scores back by June 26, this is the last date to take your MCAT without delaying your application (yes, you can submit your primary on June 5, but because applications aren't released to medical schools until June 29, a June 26 score release will not delay your application). Sure, you can take the MCAT later than May 24--there are several dates in June that would still be okay for this application cycle--but those dates will ever-so-slightly delay your application.
Why this date matters:
You'd better apply by 9:30am Eastern on May 31, or you'll never get into medical school!
Just kidding, obviously, but you should get your application in within the first week if at all possible. The biggest holdup is verification, which is where someone at AMCAS carefully reads every line of your transcript to make sure it matches up with what you put into the application itself (what a fun job!). The longer you wait to apply, the longer verification takes. At its peak in 2017, verification took up to a full month (so, if you apply July 1, your application isn't ready until August 1). The earlier you get your application in, the shorter verification will be.
Why this date matters:
This is the first day to receive secondary essays. Most schools don't screen, so expect to get 8-10 schools--that's 32-40 essays--within the first week of July. The key to surviving this date is to pre-write your secondaries. Here’s the full list of secondary essay prompts.
Why these dates matter:
They don't. Or, they shouldn't. If you wait until the deadlines to apply, you significantly damage your chances of getting in.
Why Applying Early Still Helps Your Chances
You should apply by July 1 if you can help it, or else we recommend that you wait until next cycle to apply.
*Deadline has not been updated as of this post’s publish date. The date listed has been adjusted from 2018-2019 cycle deadlines. Deadlines will be updated in this article as they are published on the official application websites.
Here are the current available CASPer test dates/times for participating MD and DO schools for the 2019-2020 cycle:
SCHOOLDISTRIBUTION DEADLINE
(FINAL DATE THIS SCHOOL CAN BE ADDED TO YOUR CASPER DISTRIBUTION LIST)Albany Medical CollegeDecember 25, 2019Arkansas College of Osteopathic MedicineMarch 12, 2020Central Michigan UniversityMarch 12, 2020Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic MedicineMarch 18, 2020Drexel UniversityDecember 25, 2019East Tennessee State UniversityDecember 25, 2019Hofstra UniversityOctober 10, 2019Liberty University, College of Osteopathic MedicineMarch 12, 2020Augusta University, Medical College of GeorgiaOctober 10, 2019Medical College of WisconsinDecember 25, 2019Mercer CollegeDecember 25, 2019Michigan State UniversityJanuary 23, 2020New York Medical CollegeJanuary 23, 2020Northeast Ohio Medical University, College of MedicineJanuary 23, 2020Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic MedicineApril 16, 2020Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic MedicineApril 16, 2020Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago Medical SchoolDecember 3, 2019Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolDecember 26, 2019SUNY UpstateDecember 3, 2019Stony Brook UniversityDecember 25, 2019Temple UniversityJanuary 23, 2020Texas A&M University, College of MedicineNovember 6, 2018Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of MedicineDecember 3, 2019Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine NYApril 16, 2020Tulane University, School of MedicineDecember 3, 2019University of Colorado Denver, School of MedicineDecember 3, 2019University of Illinois at Chicago, College of MedicineNovember 19, 2018University of Miami (Miller)March 18, 2020University of MichiganFebruary 15, 2020University of MississippiDecember 25, 2019University of Nevada, Reno School of MedicineOctober 10, 2019University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of MedicineMarch 12, 2020University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Long School of MedicineJanuary 23, 2020University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, School of MedicineSeptember 3, 2019University of Washington, School of MedicineDecember 3, 2019Virginia Commonwealth University, School of MedicineOctober 10, 2019West Virginia University, School of MedicineMay 18, 2020Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-NorthwestMarch 19, 2020
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