When is the AMCAS Application Available?

For those people that will be applying for the entering Fall class of 2007, anyone known when the AMCAS online application is available?
Also can anyone comment on things that will be required of applicants as far as materials to gather (ie. transcripts, LoR, etc.) and any advice you can offer from your own experience?
Thanks,
Kermit

The application is available sometime in April, but cannot be submitted until June 1. Many people start working on it in April so they can submit it June 1. You can send your transcripts to AMCAS before submitting it. This can speed up the process some. AMCAS cannot begin verifying your application until they have all of your transcripts. I recommend that you get the transcripts sent in as soon as possible, so when you submit, they already have everything. You hear a lot of snarling from people about how long it takes AMCAS to verify - I think a lot of those people who are snarling don’t submit their transcripts until they submit their AMCAS. My understanding is that your application doesn’t actually go in line to be verified until they have received everything. They had all of my transcripts before I submitted, and it then took less than a week for my application to be verified.
Now - keep in mind that even if you submit June 1, schools generally do not download their applications for the first time until July. A great many schools don’t start seriously looking at applications and/or sending out interview invites until late July/early August, after they have finished figuring out who will be matriculating that year.
You want to have your LOR’s around by the time you submit AMCAS, I think. A LOT of schools do NOT screen pre-secondary and will send a secondary within days of receiving your AMCAS. Your application at a school is generally not complete until you have submitted the secondary application (and $$$$) and they have received your LOR’s.
If you are not attending a school that does a committee letter or has a LOR service, I highly recommend you use a service such as Interfolio. This service allows you to have confidential LORs submitted to them by your letter writers, which you can then go online and have copies sent to schools as they request them. This saves your LOR writers from having to send multiple letters, and gives you control over getting your LOR’s sent to schools once your writers have submitted them to Interfolio. Interfolio’s fees are quite reasonable, in my opinion.
If your school does a committee letter, you are at the mercy of your school for getting your LOR’s submitted.
Now, even though you can submit AMCAS June 1, don’t panic if you won’t be ready to go at that point. Although you do want to get your application in early, if possible, you are not going to be at any kind of disadvantage if you submit in July vs. June.
Back to transcripts - I recommend you request copies of your transcripts for yourself. First, verify that all the info on them is correct. If something is incorrect, you want to get that changed before you have to submit them to AMCAS. You will also want your transcripts for entering your grades/courses into the application.
Start thinking about your personal statement. For most people, what keeps them from getting their AMCAS submitted is finishing their personal statement. What keeps them from getting their secondaries completes are LOR’s.
I recommend that you read (or at least skim) the AMCAS instruction booklet prior to starting the application. This year’s instruction booklet can be found here . Warning - it is a 121 page PDF file, for those of you with dial up. Read it online - its not worth wasting that much paper printing. The application has links within it if you have questions while filling it out.
Hope this helps.

Actually, it usually “opens” for inputing information on or about May 1st. Your ability to submit it is on or just after June 1st. (AMCAS glitches will delay these dates.)
Cheers,
Judy

Thanks for clarifying that Judy! I couldn’t find an actual date on the AAMC’s website about when the application was available, so I used the “sometime in April” statement I found on a university’s pre-med advising page.
Amy