2010-2011 Boston University Application Thread

[Avoidthetiger]

Yeah, I talk about ROTC on my primary application, but I don't explicity relate it to the fact the if I become a doctor, I WILL be a military doctor. I focused more on leadership, etc.

I figured going into military medicine is more "something I will definitely be doing because I've basically signed a contract", than it is "something I would maybe like to do in the future" like a specialty.

I would contact BU you first and anonymously ask them their thoughts about mentioning the military and military medicine. I do not know if BU has a long history with supporting the military (maybe someone else knows?). it could be a turn off to some adcoms or it could be a plus. they might wonder why you aren't just applying to USUHS or they might wonder why you are mentioning it in the additional information section. Your ROTC experience should be significant enough in demonstrating your interest in joining the military.

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[RogueUnicorn]

i've heard through the grapevine that a BUNCH of bu students go milimed due to debt load

 

[zolaesque]

I guess the distinction I'm making is that military medicine is not something I'm considering, it's the reality of what I will be doing if I'm accepted anywhere as per my ROTC contract. I'm applying to USUHS as well.

It's a big part of why I want to become a doctor and I figured it would

"...help us to learn something about you as a person, to get a sense of who you are and what you are about, beyond the basic facts of your academic work and your life history as it is otherwise available to us."

 

[Avoidthetiger]

I guess the distinction I'm making is that military medicine is not something I'm considering, it's the reality of what I will be doing if I'm accepted anywhere as per my ROTC contract. I'm applying to USUHS as well.

It's a big part of why I want to become a doctor and I figured it would

"...help us to learn something about you as a person, to get a sense of who you are and what you are about, beyond the basic facts of your academic work and your life history as it is otherwise available to us."

Our understanding is BU really doesn't like it when people write in this section. Maybe we are wrong. If you really want to write something there, we are not stopping you. I was just saying I don't know if it is worth writing about it --being in the military as a doc is a very honorable goal, but first get into medical school (and as one person wrote in the georgetown thread, the more you write, the more they hate you)

 

[RogueUnicorn]

personally i'm not adding anything that won't contribute to one of the following

a) my qualifications
b) my motivations
c) my fit with school

this applies to all schools i'm filling out essays for. if the milimed thing is ultra-important to you i guess go ahead but i personally don't see how it adds to your app.. but that's just me, what do i know.

 

[snitchseeker88]

For the pre-req grid, is it total number of quarters I took biology, or the total number of biology classes I took (assuming I took more than one bio class in one quarter)?

 

[jgauger]

Any news here? I spent some time reading last years thread and looks like BU has some admissions practices that seem quite random (I know its not random, but it seems that way). There was a long period with nothing but rejections (people with amazing stats and others) before the first interview was offered. Has anyone heard anything this year?

 

[Evergrey]

Why? Because I don't want to be heavy in debt when I graduate?

BU is definitely among my top, but I prioritize schools with a strong rep in primary and/or cheaper tuition.

If you look at HMS on the MSAR, you'll notice that it has a lower average graduation debt than almost ANY school, yes that's including state schools that only accept in-state residents. The financial aid schools like Harvard give to their students is typically nothing short of amazing. Even though the "sticker tag" says that it is expensive, in reality, a Harvard Med education will probably at least match the price of a state school, if not better it.

Other schools that have <$100k graduate indebtedness: Hopkins, Mayo, MCG, Stanford, and I'm too lazy to keep flipping through the book.

Boston and Tufts, on the other hand, have among the highest graduate indebtedness Stupid Boston cost of living.

 

[BullDog4Eva]

If you look at HMS on the MSAR, you'll notice that it has a lower average graduation debt than almost ANY school, yes that's including state schools that only accept in-state residents. The financial aid schools like Harvard give to their students is typically nothing short of amazing. Even though the "sticker tag" says that it is expensive, in reality, a Harvard Med education will probably at least match the price of a state school, if not better it.

Other schools that have <$100k graduate indebtedness: Hopkins, Mayo, MCG, Stanford, and I'm too lazy to keep flipping through the book.

Boston and Tufts, on the other hand, have among the highest graduate indebtedness Stupid Boston cost of living.

WOW. Great info... but I won't hold my breath for an acceptance from HMS. Applied anyways just because interviewing there will only mean walking down the street as opposite to expensive airfare.

 

[jgauger]

Thank you. I really appreciate that information.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

I doubt that HMS is cheaper then Cali or tx. schools or UMass which is 9k per year.

UCali schools which are well reputed are probably some of the cheapest in the country. Tx schools are also fairly cheap.

you would be wrong. only sf, sd, and utsw are lower debt than hms

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/debt

 

[gamepoint]

I have a question about the pre-req grid on the secondary. For my biology requirement, I put 1 semester as only lecture and 1 semester as lecture plus lab because my biology lab was only one semester(2credits), for a total of 2 semesters. However, the red flag goes up and it says I don't meet the requirements. I explained that I have 2 semesters in the box that they provided below, but at the finalizing part of the application it shows that I didn't finish my pre-req grid. My question is how many semsters of bio are they looking for? Is it two semesters lecture and two semesters of lab?I read that the red flag doesn't mean they will reject my app, but just wanted to make sure what the requirement was.Sorry if my explaination was a little confusing.Thanks!

 

[DoC352]

I have a question about the pre-req grid on the secondary. For my biology requirement, I put 1 semester as only lecture and 1 semester as lecture plus lab because my biology lab was only one semester(2credits), for a total of 2 semesters. However, the red flag goes up and it says I don't meet the requirements. I explained that I have 2 semesters in the box that they provided below, but at the finalizing part of the application it shows that I didn't finish my pre-req grid. My question is how many semsters of bio are they looking for? Is it two semesters lecture and two semesters of lab?I read that the red flag doesn't mean they will reject my app, but just wanted to make sure what the requirement was.Sorry if my explaination was a little confusing.Thanks!

Sounds like the software that runs their application is looking for 2 semesters of lecture and 2 of lab. It assumes that each semester of lecture is worth 3 credits and each lab is worth 1. Since you have 2 credits in one semester the application gives you a red flag, but as long as you have explained it in the provided space and you have the total 8 credits, you should be fine. This is explained in the instructions with regards to organic chemistry, but should apply to biology as well. If you're really worried, you could also call contacting their admissions office to be sure.

 

[MightyMoose]

Has anyone else received a Hold on their application due to LOR's not being on letterhead?

Sigh... I guess I need to update these again. I'm not thrilled to have to write my letter writers again asking them to fix this.

 

[fatalerror]

That grid is just strange, don't they see the transcript?

Anyway, few questions:

Would Psych be "social science?

What is Neuroscience, a bio?

If I re-took a course, do I add the semesters together (or just use one of them)?

Would a thesis in chemistry be "general chemistry"?

I took courses through the English department, but they don't include "composition" or "literature" in their title, do I still list them under English?

 

[Kip]

Anyone get a response after sending a question via the message center?

 

[MightyMoose]

That grid is just strange, don't they see the transcript?

Anyway, few questions:

Would Psych be "social science?

What is Neuroscience, a bio?

If I re-took a course, do I add the semesters together (or just use one of them)?

Would a thesis in chemistry be "general chemistry"?

I took courses through the English department, but they don't include "composition" or "literature" in their title, do I still list them under English?

Yes.

Up to you, go with how you listed it on AMCAS (and were approved for).

I would say 1, because it's the same class.

No.

I would say yes. You never took an English comp class?


At least that's my take.

 

[2050vlsb]

I know gujuDoc (side note: always nice to see another guju on here ) kind of answered this above, but I'm wondering if anyone used the optional box to address a specific situation regarding low grades .. or if it's even an appropriate topic? Long story short, I was admitted as a spring admit to my school, and therefore started a semester later than most, the repercussions of which I felt through my first two years. I have a strong upward trend as would be evident from my GPA, and learned a lot from my missteps during my first three semesters that contributed to my success later ...

Worth mentioning?

 

[BiochemGuy]

.

 

[HakunaMatata22]

Rejected
OOS 3.98 / 4.00, 34Q

..first of the cycle, kind of disappointing.

Sorry to hear BiochemGuy! With those numbers, you're sure to be selected at another school.

Just out of curiosity, would you mind sharing when you were complete?

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Rejected
OOS 3.98 / 4.00, 34Q

..first of the cycle, kind of disappointing.

Ouch. Didn't know they send out this early. Was this among your top choices? My stats are nowhere near that good. I'm sure I'll be hearing bad news from them soon as well.

 

[BiochemGuy]

Sorry to hear BiochemGuy! With those numbers, you're sure to be selected at another school.

Just out of curiosity, would you mind sharing when you were complete?

Thanks, I hope someone will take me
Complete 7/1/10

 

[wanderer]

Ouch. Didn't know they send out this early. Was this among your top choices? My stats are nowhere near that good. I'm sure I'll be hearing bad news from them soon as well.

Boston is tough. If you ever ask a group of random friends or even interviewees, "So did you hear back from any place?" you're guaranteed to hear people say they got rejected from Boston. It's not all numbers though.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

Wow sorry to hear you were rejected so early with such high stats. I wonder if it was because of your ECs or essays or letters being weak in some way.

Let's hope not as than he will be in trouble elsewhere. (a question though -- do you think you can call the school after they reject you and ask why? it could be helpful to find a big problem in your application now in July rather than in May. That way you can actually address it with other schools)

Sorry about the rejection. I'm sure that Boston just didn't think you would fit. Good luck elsewhere! Your stats are great so you should be fine.

 

[Tippyboat]

Does BU have a reputation for going for a certain type of student? Or just well-rounded applicants like all other schools want?

 

[RogueUnicorn]

service oriented i would guess

 

[noshie]

Hey- is anyone having trouble logging in to their account? when I type in my email/pass it just goes back to the initial page saying

"There was an error with your web login attempt. Please click "Refresh Login Page" and try again. If the problem persists, please contact the Office of Admissions at: [email protected] . "

Don't want to call them just yet though, unless no one else is having this problem. Thanks!

Make sure that the computer is not putting in your password automatically. You need to type in the password at the time of log on for it to let you in. I got on a few hours ago and it worked fine...

 

[BullDog4Eva]

Boston is tough. If you ever ask a group of random friends or even interviewees, "So did you hear back from any place?" you're guaranteed to hear people say they got rejected from Boston. It's not all numbers though.

Thanks. I feel a little bit better. I was raised and schooled and currently work in Boston, so hopefully that earns a little brown points in terms of my commitment to sticking around the area to practice after graduation.

 

[MightyMoose]

I wonder if Boston sets upper and lower limits on applicants with their automated algorithm in order to select the applicants that are most likely to attend.

Sure they want service oriented, but they have to filter through so many apps I would guess they have certain criteria they use to auto-cut people.


Sorry about the rejection, BiochemGuy, they are never fun, but just think, maybe it's because your stats were too good.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

I'd agree with this based on what I saw this past year.

really? crap. I was hoping for a slight more research focus. I got very limited volunteering hours...

 

[doremi2010]

Do they send you an email when you are complete? The only email I got was that my secondary was finalized.

 

[MightyMoose]

Do they send you an email when you are complete? The only email I got was that my secondary was finalized.

I don't know how long it takes for a "complete" email, but if your app is going to be placed on hold, it seems like they let you know right away. So, if you didn't get one of those, you are probably in good shape.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

Do they send you an email when you are complete? The only email I got was that my secondary was finalized.

It will say complete on the status page of the MyApplication website for BU.

But keep in mind they do have strong research as well. And no one has the set formula for what they look for as no admissions committee reveals all their secrets in how they make their choices.

Well i am still hoping they will like all my research experiences and not notice the limited volunteer hours... so here's hoping

 

[obgyny]

Well i am still hoping they will like all my research experiences and not notice the limited volunteer hours... so here's hoping

I'm in the same boat!! I have like almost 3 years research (now working in a lab so I have thousands of hours I guess) and a few publications... And somewhat average volunteer hours . So I hope my research makes up for my volunteer hours!

That's scary that they rejected Biochemguy with his great stats... I hope it's because he's "too good" for them (he should definitely get accepted somewhere!!!!). It's so hard to guess my chances with schools... 3.99cGPA and 28M

 

[Avoidthetiger]

That's scary that they rejected Biochemguy with his great stats... I hope it's because he's "too good" for them (he should definitely get accepted somewhere!!!!). It's so hard to guess my chances with schools... 3.99cGPA and 28M

Well according to the AAMC and 2007-2009 data, you have a 68% chance of getting in somewhere with a 3.8-4.0GPA and a 27-29GPA. That's the same chance I have (but with different stats) and I say that is pretty good

 

[Avoidthetiger]

No one has read biochem guy's personal statement, secondary responses, letters of recommendation, or rest of his amcas. So how can you say it is scary?

There are other things besides just numbers to admissions in the US of A.

I somewhat disagree with that (as much as I wish I didn't have to). US news ranking of schools has really made it a GPA/MCAT thing. Yes, they look at your ECs, your PS, ect but the lower your score is, the lower your chances. And when your scores are high, it is just to make sure you actually did stuff to prove you are interested in medicine and will fit at the school.

 

[obgyny]

Well according to the AAMC and 2007-2009 data, you have a 68% chance of getting in somewhere with a 3.8-4.0GPA and a 27-29GPA. That's the same chance I have (but with different stats) and I say that is pretty good

Thanks . But it still doesn't give me an idea of my chances at each school. So picking schools (and deciding how many to apply to) was really difficult for me. I feel like where you apply could really make a difference.

Good luck to you!

 

[Avoidthetiger]

Thanks . But it still doesn't give me an idea of my chances at each school. So picking schools (and deciding how many to apply to) was really difficult for me. I feel like where you apply could really make a difference.

Good luck to you!

Yeah -- I understand what you mean. It's why I pretty much applied everywhere

 

[MightyMoose]

I somewhat disagree with that (as much as I wish I didn't have to). US news ranking of schools has really made it a GPA/MCAT thing. Yes, they look at your ECs, your PS, ect but the lower your score is, the lower your chances. And when your scores are high, it is just to make sure you actually did stuff to prove you are interested in medicine and will fit at the school.

As much as I wish that I could disagree with you on this one... I can't.

This is the nature of the beast. If your scores are lower it makes life significantly more difficult. But it will make you really appreciate it when you get it.

 

[MightyMoose]

Yeah -- I understand what you mean. It's why I pretty much applied everywhere

How many did you apply to? My numbers are fairly high and, unfortunately, rising... I am hoping that if I have enough schools then I have to get at least a little love... maybe...

 

[Avoidthetiger]

How many did you apply to? My numbers are fairly high and, unfortunately, rising... I am hoping that if I have enough schools then I have to get at least a little love... maybe...

I'm going all out (with the love of my parents). This is my second time applying and i didn't get an interview anywhere 2-years ago (I had a top heavy list),... regardless, it makes me really nervous to apply again. As a result I'm applying to 32MD schools and 6 DOs. Additionally, I am applying broadly because my "service-orientation" is pretty week but I like research alot.. but alot of my good chance/match schools probably want me to volunteer more.

I'm really hoping to get in somewhere this year because I don't think I could stand applying again and I would probably just go down to St. George's.

 

[BullDog4Eva]

I'm going all out (with the love of my parents). This is my second time applying and i didn't get an interview anywhere 2-years ago (I had a top heavy list),... regardless, it makes me really nervous to apply again. As a result I'm applying to 32MD schools and 6 DOs. Additionally, I am applying broadly because my "service-orientation" is pretty week but I like research alot.. but alot of my good chance/match schools probably want me to volunteer more.

I'm really hoping to get in somewhere this year because I don't think I could stand applying again and I would probably just go down to St. George's.

Wow. Didn't know that. Cheering for you all the way. Good luck. I'm sure you'll get in this time around.

I'm technically a reapplicant as well. The advantage is that I have EVERYTHING ready to go this time around and can submit everything as early as humanly possible.

 

[MightyMoose]

I'm going all out (with the love of my parents). This is my second time applying and i didn't get an interview anywhere 2-years ago (I had a top heavy list),... regardless, it makes me really nervous to apply again. As a result I'm applying to 32MD schools and 6 DOs. Additionally, I am applying broadly because my "service-orientation" is pretty week but I like research alot.. but alot of my good chance/match schools probably want me to volunteer more.

I'm really hoping to get in somewhere this year because I don't think I could stand applying again and I would probably just go down to St. George's.

I feel you on that one. I'm pretty research heavy myself and no love last year, not even a peep... I went for 31 total this year (21 MD and 10 DO), but I'm considering adding a few more MD schools, but I just can't find any that are all that friendly to OOS applicants.

Good luck this year! I'm pulling for you. I think you'll land a spot, especially with that kind of canvasing.

 

[Avoidthetiger]

Thanks for the support! As soon as I get that first interview invite, I will be able to breathe alittle bit again... that's really my biggest fear of this entire process (as it's hard to save up money to travel to an interview when it might never happen).

There is still a few more MD schools I could apply to that are OOS friendly (of course I applied to some that aren't) and if I get a DO LOR I might bump my DO list up to 10.

and yes, being a re-applicant has made it easier because I have thought about what type of essays I could write all this year. But after completing 50% of my secondaries, I am alittle burnt out.

Good luck to both of you too.

 

[Tippyboat]

Biochemguy, did you get an email about your status changing or did you just see it by checking the website?

 

[BiochemGuy]

Biochemguy, did you get an email about your status changing or did you just see it by checking the website?

Got an email.

 

[tritoneye]

I am on hold too because 2 of my rec letters are supposedly not signed! My professors are 100% sure they signed them and put them on letterhead! Maybe interfolio is messing up documents when sending them to amcas?

 

[joshto]

Rejected.

OOS, 3.95, 35P.

 

[loua0731]

Rejected.

OOS, 3.95, 35P.

Sorry to hear that, joshto. When were you complete, if you don't mind sharing?

Man I'm getting nervous now!!!

 

[Asyouwereatrio]

Rejected.

OOS, 3.95, 35P.

When were you complete and did you get an email about a status change? Sorry to hear though, but with numbers like that, you'll probably get in somewhere else! they tend to outright reject students with high stats, like my friend with a 3.8 GPA, engineering degree, and 37T MCAT. He is now at UCSD SOM....