dukeof40 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Hello all, I just wanted to know when would it be a good time to apply to programs once CASPA is up in late April. I've always been told to apply as early as possible, but I am wondering if there are any opinions as to what month is considered "late" to apply to programs. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chabis77 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Applying early is advantageous when a school has rolling admission. Otherwise, unless specifically stated by the school, I don't think it matters when you apply as long as it's before the deadline. I would recommend as early as possible though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachiehayes Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 The later you wait, the longer it will take for CASPA to process your application. For ex, in 2012 I applied in October. It took 5 weeks for CASPA to process my app and I missed the deadline for several schools I planned to apply to. Other schools rejected me because I applied too late and they had already accepted their class (also known as "rolling admissions"). I applied in June this year and it took 1 week to process. My best advice is to apply as early as possible of course. But if you want a specific month I'd say May - June for most schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukeof40 Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks for the replies! I will be done with my prerequisites in late May and was worried that a June app would be considered too late. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks for the replies! I will be done with my prerequisites in late May and was worried that a June app would be considered too late. Thanks for the info! For a few schools, it might be ... but the difference between May and June is probably insignificant overall. I waited until late August because I needed my summer coursework to be completed and to count towards my GPAs (my prerequisites were already complete). Regrettably, I did miss a few deadlines because my CASPA didn't get verified until after 9/1, but I was still invited to more than a dozen interviews and received multiple offers of admission. I suspect that if your application isn't strong, a month's difference in timing isn't going to make a lot of difference. If it is essential prerequisites that you'll be completing in May, then you really need to be certain of the requirements of the school(s) where you intend to apply. Quite a few allow you to have coursework (and/or your bachelor degree) in process, but many do not. Also, if any part of your application that is important to those same schools (HCE, GPA, etc.) is going to be boosted by that additional month or two of completed coursework, patient care work, volunteer work, shadowing, etc., then you are likely better served by getting it included in your CASPA submission. There are some schools that do not allow you to submit any updates after your CASPA (e.g., GWU). Regardless, it is highly recommended that you create your account and start building your CASPA as soon as the cycle opens. If I understand correctly, even if you submitted last year, none of your information will carry over and all has to be re-entered. I can attest from prior years that just completing your application takes a fair amount of time, and you'll want to review it multiple times for accuracy, completion, grammar, etc. (and have others proof it for you too!). Sometimes just finding all the information requested can take some additional effort and time. From what I understand, they've made significant changes and improvements this year (one of the reasons that there's no carry-over) to make it a bit easier for some things (like entering your completed and in-progress coursework), but they've also added new items (in an effort to help the many schools that require, or required, a supplemental). Don't under estimate the time it will take to complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHU-CH Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 We don't participate in CASPA, but the same theory holds - apply as early as possible. Many programs could probably fill their seats off of people reapplying from the previous year's waitlist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovelost Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 If possible, I'd aim for sometime between May and July. I applied last year at the end of July and CASPA verified everything within two days. After hearing all these horror stories of the verification process taking weeks, it was a pleasant (and stress free) surprise. :) Getting the CASPA application verified and taken care of early on is also great because you'll also have those supplemental apps to get through quickly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukeof40 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Thanks for the responses! My last set of prerequisite classes end on June 3rd, so I'm hoping to have everything submitted as soon as possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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