2015 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

[CharlieKelly]

Got my first MD II of the cycle y'all, so dont lose hope (as I definitely did)
Read something last night that said, if everythings in by August 15th, you should only start to worry post Nov 1

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[ConsultantMD]

Got my first MD II of the cycle y'all, so dont lose hope (as I definitely did)
Read something last night that said, if everythings in by August 15th, you should only start to worry post Nov 1

Great words. I agree! Congrats!

 

[Inygma]

Got my first MD II of the cycle y'all, so dont lose hope (as I definitely did)
Read something last night that said, if everythings in by August 15th, you should only start to worry post Nov 1

Congrats, I creeped your profile, great school!

 

[Inygma]

So what is everyone doing to prep for their first interview? Mine is already a week from Thursday and I am pretty nervous. I am going to check out some books, go over my application, go over SDN's interview list for the school and drill in front of mirror out loud!

 

[ridethecliche]

The complete emails are starting to filter in.

Should I give it a couple of days before I start checking schools individually or do they all send emails saying that the application is ready for review at this point? Having to manually do all this for all these schools is going to suck. I just want to know that my application is complete. I've received a handful of emails. I suppose I should start checking early next week since the letters went in late last week, no?

 

[Leslie_Knope]

The complete emails are starting to filter in.

Should I give it a couple of days before I start checking schools individually or do they all send emails saying that the application is ready for review at this point? Having to manually do all this for all these schools is going to suck. I just want to know that my application is complete. I've received a handful of emails. I suppose I should start checking early next week since the letters went in late last week, no?

Why don't you keep track of those who send you complete emails on a spreadsheet or MDapps? Then you'll only have to check on those you haven't heard from yet.

 

[kraskadva]

The complete emails are starting to filter in.

Should I give it a couple of days before I start checking schools individually or do they all send emails saying that the application is ready for review at this point? Having to manually do all this for all these schools is going to suck. I just want to know that my application is complete. I've received a handful of emails. I suppose I should start checking early next week since the letters went in late last week, no?

Most send emails. A few don't. Some don't even use the 'complete' notation at any point. /shrug
If you know you've got everything in, then I wouldn't worry too much. If the system isn't automated (i.e. instant-ish complete email) then it may take a couple days for a human to get around to checking everything and marking you complete.

 

[ridethecliche]

Why don't you keep track of those who send you complete emails on a spreadsheet or MDapps? Then you'll only have to check on those you haven't heard from yet.

Yup. I have a pretty extensive spreadsheet on google drive that I'm trying to keep up to date.

My letters were the last thing to go in and I know schools download them in data dumps a few times a week, so I'll probably give them a week and a half or so before I start manually checking stuff and following it up.

I decided to tack on 5 more apps, so I have plenty to do.

I've thought about MDApps, but I'll wait for that. I have too many schools and I don't really want to out myself if that's possible. I've probably (over)shared enough on here that adcomms will be able to connect this account to me anyway. Oh well.

Got my first MD II of the cycle y'all, so dont lose hope (as I definitely did)
Read something last night that said, if everythings in by August 15th, you should only start to worry post Nov 1

Congrats!

Some of my stuff went out after that so you're saying I should start worrying already? Thanks!

Also, sup beantown buddy!

 

[WaterPog]

Got the bulk of my DO app worked up today, Looking at 6 DO schools total at this point, in addition to the 28 MD schools.

Pre-secondary rejection from Seattle, not really surprising with their in state bias and particular dislike for Oregonians.

 

[Overanxious]

Got the bulk of my DO app worked up today, Looking at 6 DO schools total at this point, in addition to the 28 MD schools.

Pre-secondary rejection from Seattle, not really surprising with their in state bias and particular dislike for Oregonians.

When did you submit to UW? And when did you get the axe?

 

[WaterPog]

My app went out on day 1, was verified pre-release. Got the e-mail rejection today. When I woke up.

 

[Overanxious]

My app went out on day 1, was verified pre-release. Got the e-mail rejection today. When I woke up.

Argh! That really sucks. I like how they say they go in the order received... Not buying that one bit. Well 27 schools then...hoping the best for you.

 

[futuremdforme]

Getting ready to submit a secondary that asks about a challenging situation and how I reacted. I wrote about working at a startup when 40% of the company was laid off, and how I took ownership instead of leaving or waiting for others to step up. I'm second guessing it though because it's not medical?

I don't really have other appropriate challenges to describe. I've lost my grandparents but so have most people, and I'm not comfortable writing about anything too personal. Does this sound okay?

 

[kraskadva]

Sounds good to me. Most of my challenging situation essays were about non-medical things. Gives you a chance to highlight your real life experience

 

[arainyday]

Getting ready to submit a secondary that asks about a challenging situation and how I reacted. I wrote about working at a startup when 40% of the company was laid off, and how I took ownership instead of leaving or waiting for others to step up. I'm second guessing it though because it's not medical?

I don't really have other appropriate challenges to describe. I've lost my grandparents but so have most people, and I'm not comfortable writing about anything too personal. Does this sound okay?

I wrote about a work related situation for similar prompts, and figure it just showcases my non-tradness. I didn't write about anything medical, and figure most other applicants probably don't for those questions. It seems more about how you approached the challenge, and not so much what the challenge was.

 

[sunshinefl]

Not yet, that's a good idea. BUT I'm EFI at UCF!!!woo hoo! First positive news of the cycle




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey @Bbroush, I have noticed you referencing Miami and UCF. I was just wondering if you have ties here? Is there something you really like about these programs? Or are you just casting a wide net? I'm just curious.

 

[Bbroush]

Hey @Bbroush, I have noticed you referencing Miami and UCF. I was just wondering if you have ties here? Is there something you really like about these programs? Or are you just casting a wide net? I'm just curious.

I don't have ties to Florida, but I like both of those programs. I toured the UCF campus and loved it, and I really like both Miami & UCF a lot. The MD/MPH program at Miami is also something I'm really excited about.

That's it, pretty much.

 

[sunshinefl]

I don't have ties to Florida, but I like both of those programs. I toured the UCF campus and loved it, and I really like both Miami & UCF a lot. The MD/MPH program at Miami is also something I'm really excited about.

That's it, pretty much.

Okay, cool. Well I'm glad you found some schools in Florida to love. Thanks for responding!

 

[ridethecliche]

How hard is the secondary for miami?

I knocked out the case secondary in like 2 hrs tonight. Wiped. I'll edit over lunch and submit.

 

[kraskadva]

How hard is the secondary for miami?

I knocked out the case secondary in like 2 hrs tonight. Wiped. I'll edit over lunch and submit.

Oooof. Good work! That one seemed neverending to me.

 

[RachieRach]

So I was chatting with my parents last night and telling them that I still felt positive about things but was starting to accept the fact that that interviews will probably be coming sporadically in late months. And this morning I woke up to an II from Tulane!! Hang in there folks!!!!!!

 

[ConsultantMD]

So I was chatting with my parents last night and telling them that I still felt positive about things but was starting to accept the fact that that interviews will probably be coming sporadically in late months. And this morning I woke up to an II from Tulane!! Hang in there folks!!!!!!

Congrats!! Seriously same thing with me. When you set aside the panic then things happen-that's awesome!

 

[ridethecliche]

Slacked at work and submitted case. Going to work on emory/miami sometime today. Hoping to recycle all the essays. It's helluva secondary.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Congrats!! Seriously same thing with me. When you set aside the panic then things happen-that's awesome!

Hey! I feel like I set aside the panic last week and still nothing!

I'm still debating on applying DO or not. Do DO schools provide scholarships?

 

[Inygma]

Hey! I feel like I set aside the panic last week and still nothing!

I'm still debating on applying DO or not. Do DO schools provide scholarships?

Yes. I know someone who got ~$10-$15k a year at a DO school....granted the school costs that much more than a state uni

 

[ridethecliche]

And emory done too.
Waiting on you miami miller. Lets gooooo!!!

WTF am I going to do once I stop doing secondaries?
So behind on work research.

 

[ridethecliche]

Neurotic status activated.

Went and logged into all my schools to see if I was complete.

27 Schools complete, 12 need to download letters from AMCAS, and waiting on 6 secondaries.

 

[Overanxious]

Hey! I feel like I set aside the panic last week and still nothing!

I'm still debating on applying DO or not. Do DO schools provide scholarships?

I creeped on you. PTB! Your app looks pretty solid from my stand point and you applied to multiple schools. Based on your stats and race you have a ~79% chance of getting accepted. Deep breath, you'll hear something soon! Maybe even tomorrow

 

[kjw1024]

I know I haven't checked in here in a while, but I received my first II today!!

 

[Overanxious]

I know I haven't checked in here in a while, but I received my first II today!!

Well Well...Congrats! Do share where! (por favor)

 

[kjw1024]

Thanks so much-- it's at USUHS!! Extremely excited ! Hope everyone else is doing well!

 

[treschic124]

Hey! I feel like I set aside the panic last week and still nothing!

I'm still debating on applying DO or not. Do DO schools provide scholarships?

Me too! I have heard nothing other than an LOR request from Mayo - total silence. I am questioning my strategy a little bit. I was only complete end of July at most places though so maybe in a couple of weeks? Blerg.

 

[Bbroush]

How hard is the secondary for miami?

I knocked out the case secondary in like 2 hrs tonight. Wiped. I'll edit over lunch and submit.

Hard. Then again secondaries take me forever. But it's long, though I applied MD/MPH so I had extra essays.

 

[ridethecliche]

Hard. Then again secondaries take me forever. But it's long, though I applied MD/MPH so I had extra essays.

You weren't joking. I flew through it though. About an hour to finish all the essays. Just need to do the 'why miami' one now.

 

[Overanxious]

Neurotic status activated.

Went and logged into all my schools to see if I was complete.

27 Schools complete, 12 need to download letters from AMCAS, and waiting on 6 secondaries.

My goodness...i really thought FAP only covered 15 schools. And you seem to be submitting secondaries incredibly quickly. I hope you have someone reading through them, you don't want to submit a crappy secondary. I'm sure many here including myself would be happy to offer some critiques. Bottom line is don't gun it in first...you'll kill it.

 

[ridethecliche]

My goodness...i really thought FAP only covered 15 schools. And you seem to be submitting secondaries incredibly quickly. I hope you have someone reading through them, you don't want to submit a crappy secondary. I'm sure many here including myself would be happy to offer some critiques. Bottom line is don't gun it in first...you'll kill it.

FAP covers 15 schools, but I can pay to apply to more schools and have the secondary fee waived. This cycle is essentially make it or break it for me. I wasn't sure I was going to qualify for FAP so I'd been putting aside some money. I've spent that on applications, but to like 4x more schools than I would have been able to afford otherwise. I figure I might as well play the lottery.

I've already submitted so many secondaries that there really aren't any 'new' essays. I have research essays, diversity essays, what I want to do in 10 years essays, greatest obstacle essays, group essays, etc etc etc.

I've read them so many times that it's probably counter-productive to read them again haha. I've found a few weird syntactical mistakes that I've changed here and there, but honestly they didn't change the content much. I realize that the essays probably aren't spotless Hemingway-esque prose, but it's good enough for government work. I write a bit like an academic anyway, so it's not flowy, but it shows intention. My personality will come across when I interview. Till then, I just cross my fingers.

Though if that's an invitation to read the Miami secondary I just gunned, I'll take you up on it!

 

[Overanxious]

FAP covers 15 schools, but I can pay to apply to more schools and have the secondary fee waived. This cycle is essentially make it or break it for me. I wasn't sure I was going to qualify for FAP so I'd been putting aside some money. I've spent that on applications, but to like 4x more schools than I would have been able to afford otherwise. I figure I might as well play the lottery.

I've already submitted so many secondaries that there really aren't any 'new' essays. I have research essays, diversity essays, what I want to do in 10 years essays, greatest obstacle essays, group essays, etc etc etc.

I've read them so many times that it's probably counter-productive to read them again haha. I've found a few weird syntactical mistakes that I've changed here and there, but honestly they didn't change the content much. I realize that the essays probably aren't spotless Hemingway-esque prose, but it's good enough for government work. I write a bit like an academic anyway, so it's not flowy, but it shows intention. My personality will come across when I interview. Till then, I just cross my fingers.

Though if that's an invitation to read the Miami secondary I just gunned, I'll take you up on it!

haha sure. you're like my opposite. i talk/act like an academic and write like a stream of consciousness. (or so i've been told)

 

[arainyday]

All this waiting almost makes me miss my secondaries, at least I had something to make me feel a little productive. I got one interview last week, for which I am excited and grateful for, but have this feeling as though the other shoe is going to drop any day now. Is it weird to hope for swift rejections, rather then the holds that just last forever? I'm also fighting the urge to keep adding schools, but at 26, I really just need to be patient. And trying to remember that it's early still. Time to work out/read a book/bake a cake/stop obsessively checking half a dozen applicant portals. Hope you all aren't refreshing your inbox neurotically and keeping busy!

 

[ridethecliche]

haha sure. you're like my opposite. i talk/act like an academic and write like a stream of consciousness. (or so i've been told)

Thanks for the feedback! Glad it wasn't total gibberish haha.

 

[Overanxious]

Thanks for the feedback! Glad it wasn't total gibberish haha.

I actually had the hardest time trying to make changes. For whatever reason, maybe an outlook problem, it kept freaking out on me and trying to reload when i would try, thus i was only able to read through it. As for the spreadsheet of doom, i could not open it. However, like i said what i did read was outstanding!

 

[threesparrows]

Just checking in to represent for people who are still doing secondaries! I am complete at 8 schools, have 9 secondaries to finish, still waiting on 1 (UCSF please send me one), and might add 3-4 more schools today. I am trying to finish up as quickly as possible, I know time is of the essence now. I am a slow writer, took a late June MCAT, and had some family stuff to deal with this summer, hence my situation.

 

[Overanxious]

First rejection of the cycle today, University of Wisconsin. Didn't sting as much as i thought it would. Anyone with rejections call the school (any school) to receive feedback?

 

[kraskadva]

First rejection of the cycle today, University of Wisconsin. Didn't sting as much as i thought it would. Anyone with rejections call the school (any school) to receive feedback?

Not yet, though I still have Indiana's rejection email in my inbox for that purpose. If you call Wisconsin, let us know if they're actually helpful about it.

 

[WaterPog]

Good news/bad news.

Good news: no new rejections today.
Bad news: still no interviews
Good news: my AACOMAS fee waiver was approved
Bad news: message from AACOMAS that there is now a wait list for fee waivers
Good news: I could just pay the AACOMAS fee and get the applications rolling and still have the secondary fees covered.
Bad news: I just had to drop >$3k to my school to get a transcript hold lifted
Good news: I have the cash on hand to do it
Bad news: if I do, and an MD interview comes through with a short turnaround $$$ could become a real problem.
Good news: tomorrow is my birthday and I am certian that all the schools I'm waiting for interviews from are conspiring to throw me a surprise party.

 

[IL Pre Med]

Good news/bad news.

Good news: no new rejections today.
Bad news: still no interviews
Good news: my AACOMAS fee waiver was approved
Bad news: message from AACOMAS that there is now a wait list for fee waivers
Good news: I could just pay the AACOMAS fee and get the applications rolling and still have the secondary fees covered.
Bad news: I just had to drop >$3k to my school to get a transcript hold lifted
Good news: I have the cash on hand to do it
Bad news: if I do, and an MD interview comes through with a short turnaround $$$ could become a real problem.
Good news: tomorrow is my birthday and I am certian that all the schools I'm waiting for interviews from are conspiring to throw me a surprise party.

Haha epic post

 

[kraskadva]

Good news: tomorrow is my birthday and I am certian that all the schools I'm waiting for interviews from are conspiring to throw me a surprise party.

Happy early birthday!!
I hope you get mad presents from all the adcoms!

 

[Overanxious]

Unbelievable news...got a II from Yale. And shortly after the rejection from Wisconsin. Keep opening it to make sure it's real.

 

[ridethecliche]

Unbelievable news...got a II from Yale. And shortly after the rejection from Wisconsin. Keep opening it to make sure it's real.

YES!!!!

(I applied there too, crossing my fingers as well!)

 

[ridethecliche]

@Overanxious , when were you complete?

 

[Overanxious]

@Overanxious , when were you complete?

I was complete 7/21