2012-2013 Boston University Application Thread

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mah269 said:
Same here. Submitted on 6/26 but I just got the secondary invitation today... Hmm... Is this a trick, BU?

[edit]

From their admissions page:

"Once AMCAS has notified the Office of Admissions that an applicant is interested in applying to Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), we will send out an initial contact email with all information necessary for starting the secondary application process. All applications are completed electronically."

Looks like they just bounce back the secondary once they've received notification of interest, regardless of whether or not the application has been fully processed.
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Yeah but it's weird that so many people who submitted earlier haven't gotten it yet...
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giants25 said:
Is anyone else having trouble submitting the secondary? I have everything else filled out and ready to go but when I hit submit nothing happens.
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I sent them a message about the photo but I also cannot press the submit button. Its grayed out.
 
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BeancheBlanco said:
anyone want to post the secondary essays?

Thanks
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If you did not go to college directly after high school, please explain: (1400 character limit, approximately 280 words)

If you are not expecting to go directly to medical school after completing your undergraduate work, please explain. (1400 character limit, approximately 280 words)

If you have spent more than 4 years as an undergraduate, please explain below. (You may skip this question if you have graduated within 4 years.)

Please provide a narrative or timeline to describe any features of your educational history that you think may be of particular interest to us. For example, have you lived in another country or experienced a culture unlike your own, or worked in a field that contributed to your understanding of people unlike yourself? Or, have you experienced advanced training in any area, including the fields of art, music, or sports? This is an opportunity to describe learning experiences that may not be covered in other areas of this application. It is not necessary to write anything in this section. (2000 character limit, approximately 400 words)

We have found that for most applicants, an extra essay written expressly for Boston University adds little to the information content of the portfolio. While we no longer require an essay, some applicants feel that additional information is necessary in order to provide us with a comprehensive understanding of their strengths as a candidate for a career in medicine. If you wish, use the space below to offer an essay or any other information, addressing any issue you feel is of importance. If you choose to use the space, please do not duplicate information provided elsewhere in this Supplemental Application or in material you have submitted to AMCAS.
For most applicants, no supplementary essay will be necessary and this space can be left blank.
 
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If you are not expecting to go directly to medical school after completing your undergraduate work, please explain. (1400 character limit, approximately 280 words)
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Should I do this essay if I'm already taking gap years currently? It seems like it's geared more towards current undergrads from the way it's worded, and I think I've sort of covered that from my work/activities and personal statement.
 
aggronor said:
Should I do this essay if I'm already taking gap years currently? It seems like it's geared more towards current undergrads from the way it's worded, and I think I've sort of covered that from my work/activities and personal statement.
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i would. to me it's asking, "you're not going to be taking classes, so where are you spending your time?"
 
I submitted 6/5 and was verified 6/7 and still haven't received the secondary either... weird.
 
I've also received a secondary though I haven't been verified.

However - my e-mail said I'd be receiving a follow-up e-mail shortly titled "Boston University Web Account Registration" so we'll know how to set up our online accounts. I never received this e-mail.

Has anyone else who hasn't actually been verified gotten this follow-up e-mail? Maybe the fact that we haven't received it means it was an accident, or that we shouldn't actually make an account right now..
 
blackcadillacs said:
I've also received a secondary though I haven't been verified.

However - my e-mail said I'd be receiving a follow-up e-mail shortly titled "Boston University Web Account Registration" so we'll know how to set up our online accounts. I never received this e-mail.

Has anyone else who hasn't actually been verified gotten this follow-up e-mail? Maybe the fact that we haven't received it means it was an accident, or that we shouldn't actually make an account right now..
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I submitted my primary 6/24 and it still hasn't been verified but I did receive the secondary for BU today and I got both emails.They said to email them again if you didn't get the second email:

"Please allow at least 3 hours after receiving this email to receive the second email. If you do not receive a second email, please email us at [email protected] and we will resend it."
 
Lame! I submitted 6/5 and was verified 6/5, but I haven't gotten anything :( I wonder what their method is...
 
submitted 6/5 verified 6/6 and no secondary
 
submitted 6/8, verified 2 wks later, just submitted secondary
 
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If I don't have anything else is is ok to leave question #4 on the secondary blank?

For the picture it says that it is not mandatory - is it better to upload a picture though?
 
espagueti said:
Please provide a narrative or timeline to describe any features of your educational history that you think may be of particular interest to us. For example, have you lived in another country or experienced a culture unlike your own, or worked in a field that contributed to your understanding of people unlike yourself? Or, have you experienced advanced training in any area, including the fields of art, music, or sports? This is an opportunity to describe learning experiences that may not be covered in other areas of this application. It is not necessary to write anything in this section. (2000 character limit, approximately 400 words)
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When it says "This is an opportunity to describe learning experiences that may not be covered in other areas of this application", did you guys interpret that to mean you should not talk about any of the activities listed in your AMCAS? Or do you think we can elaborate on one?
 
Submitted 6/23. Still unverified from AMCAS. Received this secondary yesterday.
 
Submit 6/5, verif 6/6, submitted app, didn't upload pic.

there, now you can feel better about not uploading a picture, or proceed without uploading one without feeling nervous :laugh:
 
Would it be worthwhile to request a secondary if I haven't gotten it yet, or would it be better to just wait and see?
 
So are most people replying to the optional essay? I don't really have much to add that isn't on the rest of my app but will they think I'm lazy/not really interested if I leave it blank. I'm a little freaked out about the last sentence haha: "For most applicants, no supplementary essay will be necessary and this space can be left blank."
 
stoutt said:
So are most people replying to the optional essay? I don't really have much to add that isn't on the rest of my app but will they think I'm lazy/not really interested if I leave it blank. I'm a little freaked out about the last sentence haha: "For most applicants, no supplementary essay will be necessary and this space can be left blank."
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I didn't write anything for that essay. I'm currently a masters student here's at Busm and from what I've asked around it doesn't go against you for not using it. Most people wont use it But if you do use it make sure it really does focus on something unique about your education or your hobbies. Don't just fill space for the sake of filling space because they can notice.

Also just so applicants know, there are 180 spots in the incoming class, but 65 of them are reserved for BU and their various joint degree programs (BS/MD, GMS, etc).
 
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There's absolutely no reason to not do the optional essay.
 
I just looked at their virtual campus tour. Someone please tell me they've updated their computers! One of the captions boasts that each computer has a DVD drive AND zip drive lol, wth is a zip drive? :laugh:
 
They have a bunch of normal windows computers as well as 15-20 IMacs in their computer labs also.
 
is there anyone else who got verified before 6/6 and didn't get a secondary?
 
check your spam folder and junk mail.
 
Blais said:
I finally got mine today (July 4th) around 3AM...

Obviously things are computerized and following god-knows-what algorithm.

Hang tough.
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:thumbup: hopefully most of us will get it this friday
 
Just got my secondary.

I submitted my primary 6/12 and was verified 6/28.
 
Just got my secondary!!! I had issues uploading the picture on internet explorer, just try firefox and it will work just fine! (for anyone else having this issue)
 
Submitted 6/18 and just received the secondary this morning!
 
Are u guys doing the essays? I get the feeling both are optional?
 
GrabSlamBoot said:
Are u guys doing the essays? I get the feeling both are optional?
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I get the feeling it's almost discouraged unless you really have something you need to say. I haven't decided myself, but maybe some info as to why I chose to apply to Boston...
 
Submitted and verified 6/5, still no secondary??
 
DCSB6 said:
Submitted and verified 6/5, still no secondary??
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Me too man. But yeah about the essays. I was reading last years thread and the prompts stated a couple times that they only want impt. Info haha. And it seems like you don't really get a leg up if you right something or not. They commit mass rejection at 3 weeks regardless.
 
Submitted! I did one of the two optional essays.

Good luck everyone! :cool:
 
Is there any benefit to waiting until all letters are received?

I choose, once I submit my Supplemental Application, that BUSM:
Hold my application until all letters are received.
Process my application upon receipt of the minimum required letters.
 
Do we need to assign our letters to BU in AMCAS before we can submit. The button to submit is not "clickable" for me and I was going to wait to assign my committee letters to schools after amcas actually had it
 
Is it ok to submit the secondary if you got invited but AMCAS isnt verified yet? Just wana make sure its not an Einstein situation (auto reject if you submit too soon)
 
Finally got the secondary. Verified 6/6
 
I received my invitation on the 2nd and I was verified on 6/7.
 
Hey folks, I have a quick question... when filling out the "required courses" part of the secondary, I notice that there is a section for biology courses and a section for genetics... do I include all my genetics courses in the biology section or is it biology ONLY and genetics ONLY?
 
hey guys,

so I sent in my secondary and got confirmation that it was received two days ago. I checked my status today and it said that my app was "on hold" and that an email had been sent to me about my change in status, but I haven't gotten that email. anyone else on hold or have any idea what that means?
 
So I went to pay for the secondary and it got stuck on the "Processing Payment" for 5 minutes and never got past that. I opened up the secondary in another tab and tried to pay again but it says "your payment was processed". I then go to try and submit my application and it says payment not received. Was there a delay for you guys when you paid or could you submit right after you paid?
 
For the course grid, do we count literature courses twice--once under English and again under Humanities??
 
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