2010-2011 Albany Medical College Application Thread

[sustentacular]

Did you get the invite today? Had no idea Adcoms were working on Labor Day...

No, I got an e-mail Friday afternoon.

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[GoWiththeFlo]

E

 

[KatieRedBull]

So after submitting in July, and calling the office in August and waiting and waiting and waiting, I am FINALLY complete (as of yesterday) - wow, that only took a month and a half

Congrats to all who got interviews by the way!!

 

[jr doctor in sd]

Does anyone know approximately what % of interviewees are ultimately accepted here?

Goodluck to all!

 

[dragon529]

Got the big R email today =/

 

[Coug]

Just withdrew from my interview. Hopefully one of you guys will get it!

 

[OGMD]

Just withdrew from my interview. Hopefully one of you guys will get it!

Can I ask why?

 

[sailor06]

For those of you have gotten interviews, when was your app listed as complete? I haven't heard anything yet but it's only been about 2 weeks since mine was... when should I start worrying?

 

[brooksie442]

I have already submitted my secondary application (although it has not been certified as complete) but I wanted to add an additional letter of recommendation. Do you think I can just add it through AMCAS or do I need to call the college and let them know of the addition as well?

 

[Coug]

Can I ask why?

Sure. I was just reading the interview feedback, and it had a real negative feel to it. I'm quickly running out of cash also lol

 

[NHBPFA5]

flying to AMC tomorrow for wednesday interview... So nervous. First interview ever.

I read through the feedback, they seem to be nice interviewers. Anyone have any experiences/hear any other tales about the stress level?

 

[OGMD]

Sure. I was just reading the interview feedback, and it had a real negative feel to it. I'm quickly running out of cash also lol

Read about a lot of negatives too, but I'm sure every school has it's ups and downs. I still can't bring myself to even consider turning down an interview until I have an acceptance.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

For those of you have gotten interviews, when was your app listed as complete? I haven't heard anything yet but it's only been about 2 weeks since mine was... when should I start worrying?

They get 8,000-9,000 applicants per year, and someone will review your entire file before the decision to interview or hold for further review is made, so it really depends on where in the pile you end up. It's hard to have patience during such a nerve-wracking time, but try

 

[enigmatist]

Interview Invite Today

Sec Sent 7/26
Sec Complete 8/18

if stats are desired, plz PM.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[USCTrojan11]

Is it bad to submit more than the required LORs? I just sent the same 5 letters to every school. 2 sci, 1 non sci, 1 from my PI and 1 from my supervisor D.O.

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Got the big R email today =/

I got an "on hold" e-mail... is that their way of rejecting applicants?

 

[thespazz]

I got an "on hold" e-mail... is that their way of rejecting applicants?

No

I got a rejection, and you'll know it when they do.

 

[teddy bear doc]

Finished interviewing here, and it was AWESOME! Honestly a perfect fit for me, and I would be thrilled to get in here. Now, to wait until decisions are released...

 

[NHBPFA5]

Finished interviewing here, and it was AWESOME! Honestly a perfect fit for me, and I would be thrilled to get in here. Now, to wait until decisions are released...

I loved it as well! Such a nice interview experience

 

[JFry]

I loved it as well! Such a nice interview experience

care to elaborate? your dangling a carrot

 

[NHBPFA5]

care to elaborate? your dangling a carrot

lol as of now, I think there have been like 3 groups of interviewee's. I don't want to give anything really away as to who I was or something, although it still wouldn't be hard for them to figure out I suppose. But just relax, the only thing that was unexpected was how not stressful the whole experience was. As relaxed as a med school interview could be. The interviewers are there to advocate for you at their meeting as to why you should get in, so they really just want to get to know you. If you are interviewing there, this is all stuff they tell you before-hand. Everyone was nice, fellow interviewee's, admission staff, and both interviewers. Great experience.

I stayed at the hilton across the street, and the shuttle picked me up and dropped me off at the airport, but if you have the option to stay with a student, I'd go that route.

 

[teddy bear doc]

Everyone was nice, fellow interviewee's, admission staff, and both interviewers. Great experience.

Aww thanks, you were nice too. Lol! We were the same group. I was the first one there (I was so nervous about being late that I got there like an hour early!).

I totally agree with everything NHB... said. Super laid back, very nice interviewers, nice staff, nice students, nice everyone! Facilities weren't the newest, but the emphasis on technology really (for me, at least) overrode any concerns of that nature. I mean, think about it. The White House is an old building, but I'm pretty sure they are still pretty high tech. Not exactly the same, but you get the idea...

 

[NHBPFA5]

Aww thanks, you were nice too. Lol! We were the same group. I was the first one there (I was so nervous about being late that I got there like an hour early!).

Heh, I know who you are then, since I was the second one there.

I sat in another building from like 9:50 till like 10:30 jittery and staring at the wall if it makes you feel any better. Hope your second interview went well.

 

[teddy bear doc]

Heh, I know who you are then, since I was the second one there.

I sat in another building from like 9:50 till like 10:30 jittery and staring at the wall if it makes you feel any better. Hope your second interview went well.

Yeah, it was great! Hope yours was good too. Definitely be sure to post back, I hope we both get in!

 

[belle25]

Has anyone else waited for a month or longer to be marked Complete? I submitted all my application materials in mid August but have not been marked complete yet. Is this normal?

 

[DanceArtist]

Has anyone else waited for a month or longer to be marked Complete? I submitted all my application materials in mid August but have not been marked complete yet. Is this normal?

The only thing i'm missing is my committee letter. It was submitted to AMCAS on Aug 30th. Their site says it will take up to 10 days. but its clearly been over 2.5 weeks! i was thinking about calling them today. would that bad bad? I'm always skeptical of contacting admissions.

 

[sustentacular]

Finished interviewing here, and it was AWESOME! Honestly a perfect fit for me, and I would be thrilled to get in here. Now, to wait until decisions are released...

I loved it as well! Such a nice interview experience

So did either of you attend the welcoming Q&A session the night before the interview? If so what was the attire like? Casual?

 

[man916]

How long did it take other reapplicants to be complete? I submitted 8/3. Complete email 9/9. Admissions office said "they had to go get my app from last year from another building".

 

[DancinSarah]

hold e-mail

 

[PinkNoise]

hold e-mail

Better held than rejected. Squeeze out the last bit of optimism you have left!! It's too early in the season!

 

[sedaniel]

Sitting at the airport bar after my interview here. Loved the school! There are a ton of things that really appeal to me:

• Very non-competitive student atmosphere; everyone is there to help each other.
• Medical center is literally right next to the school which is a great daily reminder of the reason why we are doing all of this plus it provides easy access to great shadowing, research and volunteer opportunities starting in your first year
• A ton of research opportunities. I read somewhere that they did not have very much so I was a little worried since I would really like to continue clinical research during medical school, but they have a tonnnn of stuff that students can help out with, just have to ask!
• I had also read that the facilities were really bad. I didn't think so; yeah some things needed upgrading but they are working on building a new fitness center, student center, and a big new addition to the hospital so they are working on improving everything.
• Curriculum is systems-based which I like

It sucks that we don't find out until November at the earliest and I heard that they waitlist a ton of people at first. But I think my interview went very well, it was super-relaxed so don't worry if your interview is coming up I would recommend taking a morning interview because you get to do the interviews right away and then relax during lunch and the tour.

 

[deleted248403]

Got the hold email today too

 

[man916]

For those of you who received hold emails, when did you receive the complete email?

 

[tomh98]

For those of you who don't have LORs listed as received on the Albany website yet:

I called the office today, and they are swamped (yet still kind). She informed me that as of today they were downloading letters submitted on 8/31. It's very likely that it will be more than 10 days, so just wait for it.

I hope that helps!

 

[deleted248403]

For those of you who received hold emails, when did you receive the complete email?

Never got the complete email

 

[jr doctor in sd]

For those of you who have already interviewed or know a lot about the school, do you know of the biggest programs at the university? I.e. Are they big on international medicine, or work with the underserved, or research?

I am trying to learn more about the school but couldn't find enough stuff on their website.

Thanks

 

[jr doctor in sd]

I think you are fine. Albany (compared to other schools on my list) took a while to get complete. So when they "check to see if you meet requirements" it means they are checking that you have everything in your file together (right LORs, minimum numbers, etc.) then you will be complete. I had that on my status for weeks and then was complete for 2 weeks and got an interview invite

Meant to ask this, this morning but was doing stuff.

So when I went to check my status it said they'd received all my stuff they were waiting on like my new MCAT scores, and that which I sent in earlier like letters, etc.

So I had everything done and sent in, but it says I'm not complete and ready for review because they need to see if I meet the requirements.

Does anyone know what they mean by checking to see if you meet the requirements? I'm confused.

 

[sedaniel]

For those of you who have already interviewed or know a lot about the school, do you know of the biggest programs at the university? I.e. Are they big on international medicine, or work with the underserved, or research?

I am trying to learn more about the school but couldn't find enough stuff on their website.

Thanks

Yeah I had a hard time finding info too on the website, but my interviewers were very helpful with answering questions and they did provide some extra info in the packet we got at the beginning of the day. They have some opportunities for a research-focused program and a service-focused program.

Doctor of Medicine with Distinction in Research (MDDR)
Students can participate in a curriculm that is enriched with training in research, leading to MDDR. For students who are not in the RPI combined degree program, the curriculm begins in the First Year with a participative series called Common Questions About Research, and continues with full-time research for 8 weeks between First and Second year of medical school. Most students are supported [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Univers,Zurich BT]with. a summer research fellwoship during this summer. MDDR training continues with additional research in the later years under the guidance of a thesis advisory committee, with presentation of a seminar, and with writing and defending a thesis. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Graduate Studies Program Office at (518) 262-5253.


Doctor of Medicine with Distinction in Service (MDDS) The MDDS is designed to recognize students who show a significant commitment to community service during their years at Albany Medical College and who contribute in a quantifiable way to the well-being of the community via an intervention or program they implement during medical school. The MDDS is open to any student with interest in any medical specialty. Students follow a four year path and are advised by the Community Service Thesis Committee.

-Albany - Special Programs

That link has info about all of their programs too, but these were the two they focused on during the day.

 

[Obliquity]

My panel letter was uploaded to AMCAS on 8/19, I sent in the secondary on 8/30, and the panel letter finally appeared in my status under LOR about a week ago. Today I finally got the complete email! (my status page changed to complete today as well)

 

[boggvir]

Ya, you'll be fine. It took me six weeks from submission to when I was complete .

BTW, do you speak Gujarati?

 

[boggvir]

Ah, born here then? My next question was if you could read/write Gujarati/Hindi...but I think I know the answer to that .

 

[jgauger]

Sitting at the airport bar after my interview here. Loved the school! There are a ton of things that really appeal to me:

• Very non-competitive student atmosphere; everyone is there to help each other.
• Medical center is literally right next to the school which is a great daily reminder of the reason why we are doing all of this plus it provides easy access to great shadowing, research and volunteer opportunities starting in your first year
• A ton of research opportunities. I read somewhere that they did not have very much so I was a little worried since I would really like to continue clinical research during medical school, but they have a tonnnn of stuff that students can help out with, just have to ask!
• I had also read that the facilities were really bad. I didn't think so; yeah some things needed upgrading but they are working on building a new fitness center, student center, and a big new addition to the hospital so they are working on improving everything.
• Curriculum is systems-based which I like

It sucks that we don't find out until November at the earliest and I heard that they waitlist a ton of people at first. But I think my interview went very well, it was super-relaxed so don't worry if your interview is coming up I would recommend taking a morning interview because you get to do the interviews right away and then relax during lunch and the tour.

I also had a great time. You're right, the morning interview was a plus. It was nice to meet you (not that I know who you are, but we all seemed to get along really well). I also really liked Albany.

Edit: Nevermind, I see your location. I know who you are. Haha

 

[sedaniel]

I also had a great time. You're right, the morning interview was a plus. It was nice to meet you (not that I know who you are, but we all seemed to get along really well). I also really liked Albany.

Edit: Nevermind, I see your location. I know who you are. Haha

Haha yep. It was nice to meet you too! I really liked how the group was so small, sometimes you don't get a chance to get to know everyone (aka MSU's 20+ person interview day).

 

[boggvir]

Actually I'd really love to learn Hindi more then gujarati. I just like the language a lot and have more friends who that would be useful with cuz of my various pakistani and muslim friends who use hindi/urdu and my punjabi sister in law.

You know what's crazy is that my roommate had a persian friend who could sing like a bollywood singer and speak fluently hindi just from learning from the movies. Even started to understand gujarati. It was crazy. he put me to shame.

I came over here as a teenager so I read/write/speak Hindi and Gujarati fluently (didn't speak English until I came here), and what you're describing is pretty much par for the course for immigration. Second generation can generally understand some things but are not fluent and in the generations after that, it is relegated to going to ethnic pride events. That's assimilation I suppose . I know that if I have kids, I probably won't bother to teach them Gujarati/Hindi or much about Indian culture outside of what's done in the home. I think that's a good thing personally. I find it a bit weird to go to the student associations where people were all born here and really have very little idea about actually living there.

 

[boggvir]

Yeah problem was my parents didn't want to teach me cuz they said oh they'll get confused if we teach them when we were young. i actually regret that they didn't teach me.

Most of my friends are like you in that they were 8 or 9 or 12 or 16 in one person's case when they moved to america from pakistan or India.

And sadly where I lived there were no hindi classes like some places have. My brother is finally trying to learn slowly after all these years cuz his wife, a punjabi girl born and brought up here but raised knowing her language and culture better has gotten him to learn hindi. She's slowly teaching him bhangra and making him watch hindi movies and tv shows with her too. She is a real credit to both her parents and her late paternal grandfather who passed away and taught her much.

When I was young I was part of an indian organization called swaathiyaa but my parents lack of interest in religion and me feeling bad about them having to drop me off I stopped. I regret that too. But these days I try to make friends who were raised with all these values because they are the most down to earth and the ones who if I ever have kids will help to teach them the things I myself don't understand and give them the perspective that I could never do.

But being around them made me want to learn more and maybe some day I will at least try to learn hindi if not gujarati.

That's cool to hear you were like my friends raised in India. What part of gujarat are you from? My family is from Ahmedabad and though not in gujarat, from mumbai.

Anyhow, nice to chat with another guju desi. Good luck with all. I wish you the best.

From Vadodara. Ahemdabad is in Gujarat, my grandmother is from there . I wouldn't want to teach my kids because there is little point, I certainly don't want to expose them to the poverty and other struggles I had to go through, and even more, that my parents had to go through. Most of the organizations here exhibit faux-pride rather than any actual knowledge or desire to learn - at least that's been my impression and while they're welcome to do it, they just aren't for me personally.

Good luck to you too, hopefully you get in this time!

 

[PinkNoise]

Turned in my secondary a while back. However, after I submitted, I realized I wanted to take a different angle on my essay. I'm not expecting to hear back from this school from, what I think, was a mediocre essay.

Anyway, I called for a status update (since it has been over 10 days) and the lady that picked up was very pleasant. She said that the school did not receive access the their online site until late so they are a bit behind with processing applications.

She also informed me that the school does not send out complete emails and just to check the online status site. As much of an impression you can get from a phone call, I have a postive vibe for Albany and hope they like me too!

Good luck everyone!

 

[Obliquity]

Turned in my secondary a while back. However, after I submitted, I realized I wanted to take a different angle on my essay. I'm not expecting to hear back from this school from, what I think, was a mediocre essay.

Anyway, I called for a status update (since it has been over 10 days) and the lady that picked up was very pleasant. She said that the school did not receive access the their online site until late so they are a bit behind with processing applications.

She also informed me that the school does not send out complete emails and just to check the online status site. As much of an impression you can get from a phone call, I have a postive vibe for Albany and hope they like me too!

Good luck everyone!

I received a complete email from Albany... so I'm not sure why she said they don't do complete emails... glad they were friendly!

 

[tomh98]

Turned in my secondary a while back. However, after I submitted, I realized I wanted to take a different angle on my essay. I'm not expecting to hear back from this school from, what I think, was a mediocre essay.

Anyway, I called for a status update (since it has been over 10 days) and the lady that picked up was very pleasant. She said that the school did not receive access the their online site until late so they are a bit behind with processing applications.

She also informed me that the school does not send out complete emails and just to check the online status site. As much of an impression you can get from a phone call, I have a postive vibe for Albany and hope they like me too!

Good luck everyone!

I also called them last week and the woman who answered was kind to me as well. Bonus points for them.

They don't allow updates, though.

 

[DCBFan]

So if there's a rejection email too then what does the hold email mean? Are we saved in case they accidentally invite too few interviewees or something?

 

[obgyny]

Complete 8/31. Received "Hold" email 9/23.