2015 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

[ridethecliche]

Crossing my fingers that this is the week I'll hear back from Drexel.

Haha, you and me both. They took like 8 weeks to give me a secondary though, so I guess my name isn't due to be called out of the hat for a long time.

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[WaterPog]

Friday will be the 4 week mark for OHSU. They said 4-6, and I was only interview day 3, so it's possible but I'm guessing it'll be more on the 6 week end given OHSU's typically slow pace and the new building/curriculum this year.

 

[BengaliBrat]

Sorry to hear that! I was rejected yesterday by a school too It was Michigan, so I wasn't shocked, I suppose...

Hey, Research! That wasn't really a rejection we got. More a "let's see how far down this barrel we have to scrape!!"

 

[Camp4]

Rejected by UCI

When was your secondary complete?
I went there for undergrad/grad school and have heard nothing...

 

[Inygma]

When was your secondary complete?
I went there for undergrad/grad school and have heard nothing...

Late July

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Another interview invitation! UNR. I'm feeling very pleased and bit freaked out by two schools with MMI.

 

[Overanxious]

Another interview invitation! UNR. I'm feeling very pleased and bit freaked out by two schools with MMI.

Congrats! The ball is rolling now!

 

[Bbroush]

Of course! Looking at the school specific threads there are many students who get their first II in the spring!!! and still matriculate at those schools.

Thanks @Overanxious I'm just nervous. I know I'll feel better once I have an II.

 

[arainyday]

Happy to see that lots of people on this forum are having a successful cycle! Friends that have gone through it before though remind me that things can still change, and several of them interviewed into the spring, so hopefully everyone has some luck this year.

A week or so ago I was accepted to one of the DO schools that I interviewed at, which is a huge relief and pretty exciting! I had a positive interview experience there, and would be happy to attend. That being said, I do have a question that maybe another non-trad could answer for me. I still haven't heard back from my interview at my top choice school, but was encouraged to send in updates letter/letters of intent, etc. Since I'm no longer in school, I don't really have any new grades, and for the most part my volunteering is the same. Money has been tight for me lately (a mixture of health issues, and all this medical school stuff), so I have a second job in the works, which might actually cut down a little on my volunteer hours. I have hundreds of hours, so I'm not too worried about that, but is a second job anything to update my school about?

I already work full time, and was recently promoted, which I am planning to include in any kind of update. But I'm kind of torn on how taking another job looks, or whether it means anything it all. Mostly I'm trying to pay off as much personal debt (oh... student loans, and hospital bills) as possible before I take on more, and stop working for years to attend school. Also, I don't know if it's just WAY too early to send any update at all, since I interviewed about a month ago. Any advice is appreciated, since I'm probably just being overly neurotic.

 

[RachieRach]

Another interview invitation! UNR. I'm feeling very pleased and bit freaked out by two schools with MMI.

MMI is really fun! Seriously. Everyone seemed happy and upbeat after finishing it. The time just flies by. And you don't even have to prepare.

 

[Overanxious]

Happy to see that lots of people on this forum are having a successful cycle! Friends that have gone through it before though remind me that things can still change, and several of them interviewed into the spring, so hopefully everyone has some luck this year.

A week or so ago I was accepted to one of the DO schools that I interviewed at, which is a huge relief and pretty exciting! I had a positive interview experience there, and would be happy to attend. That being said, I do have a question that maybe another non-trad could answer for me. I still haven't heard back from my interview at my top choice school, but was encouraged to send in updates letter/letters of intent, etc. Since I'm no longer in school, I don't really have any new grades, and for the most part my volunteering is the same. Money has been tight for me lately (a mixture of health issues, and all this medical school stuff), so I have a second job in the works, which might actually cut down a little on my volunteer hours. I have hundreds of hours, so I'm not too worried about that, but is a second job anything to update my school about?

I already work full time, and was recently promoted, which I am planning to include in any kind of update. But I'm kind of torn on how taking another job looks, or whether it means anything it all. Mostly I'm trying to pay off as much personal debt (oh... student loans, and hospital bills) as possible before I take on more, and stop working for years to attend school. Also, I don't know if it's just WAY too early to send any update at all, since I interviewed about a month ago. Any advice is appreciated, since I'm probably just being overly neurotic.

I believe most schools suggest the earliest one should expect to hear back is 4-6 weeks but most likely longer. A month is maybe too soon, i know the wait is cruel! I personally won't be sending in updates until January.

 

[WaterPog]

I'm much more nervous about my traditional interviews next week than I would be about another MMI, much more variability and easier to screw it up on a traditional interview. I've pretty much given up on Nevada myself, haven't heard a peep from them since the primary app. Congrats on the II, I would really love Reno.

 

[researchismymiddlename]

Another interview invitation! UNR. I'm feeling very pleased and bit freaked out by two schools with MMI.

WOW! Congratulations!!

 

[Inygma]

Another interview invitation! UNR. I'm feeling very pleased and bit freaked out by two schools with MMI.

Congrats, really rare for OOS IIs here, I wanted to go here (before I was having a kid) because you can do rotation in Las Vegas, where I owned a house!

Best of luck!

 

[ridethecliche]

I got an email from quinnipiac that they've had over 7k applicants for their spots already and they'll be interviewing through march and we'll hear about it from there sometime.

I'm kind of curious how the seeming mass of applicants will change yields and the formulas schools use to interview and accept people. Mostly, I'm just tired of waiting.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

I'm much more nervous about my traditional interviews next week than I would be about another MMI, much more variability and easier to screw it up on a traditional interview. I've pretty much given up on Nevada myself, haven't heard a peep from them since the primary app. Congrats on the II, I would really love Reno.

Thank you! I wouldn't give up, yet. They accept secondaries through the end of December and they send them out piecemeal it seems.

Congrats, really rare for OOS IIs here, I wanted to go here (before I was having a kid) because you can do rotation in Las Vegas, where I owned a house!

Best of luck!

Wow! Thanks for saying that. I didn't realize it would be so competitive for OOS. Do you know how many they interview? Accept?

You have a kid or you're expecting? I have a ten-month-old. Do you think UNR is family friendly? My limited impression so far seems to suggest they are.

 

[Inygma]

Thank you! I wouldn't give up, yet. They accept secondaries through the end of December and they send them out piecemeal it seems.



Wow! Thanks for saying that. I didn't realize it would be so competitive for OOS. Do you know how many they interview? Accept?

You have a kid or you're expecting? I have a ten-month-old. Do you think UNR is family friendly? My limited impression so far seems to suggest they are.

I have family in Reno. It is a small town (this is coming from born/raised in Los Angeles area). Super cheap/nice to live there! You can do your rotations in Reno or Las Vegas. I love LV and it is a 30 min flight / 5 hour drive from my family, so I would have wanted to do my rotations there.

I dont have access to MSAR anymore but I remember they interviewed like 60% of IS applicants and accepted about 75% of them. They interviewed about 10% of OOS applicants and accepted around 10 total... Do you have any ties to Nevada? I know they are big on trying to retain doctors for their areas...

My wife and I are expecting our first child (a son) January 12. We just got a house 1 mile away from my parents (retired) so to make all of this work we only applied in the LA/IE/OC area of Southern California. This allows my wife to work, me go to school, and have free babysitting during the week!

 

[Leslie_Knope]

I have family in Reno. It is a small town (this is coming from born/raised in Los Angeles area). Super cheap/nice to live there! You can do your rotations in Reno or Las Vegas. I love LV and it is a 30 min flight / 5 hour drive from my family, so I would have wanted to do my rotations there.

I dont have access to MSAR anymore but I remember they interviewed like 60% of IS applicants and accepted about 75% of them. They interviewed about 10% of OOS applicants and accepted around 10 total... Do you have any ties to Nevada? I know they are big on trying to retain doctors for their areas...

My wife and I are expecting our first child (a son) January 12. We just got a house 1 mile away from my parents (retired) so to make all of this work we only applied in the LA/IE/OC area of Southern California. This allows my wife to work, me go to school, and have free babysitting during the week!

Congratulations! Thanks for the information. I have no ties to Nevada, but I love Reno. Quite honestly, I would stick around because I think stability is important for my child at that age. I just love this area in general. I too was born and raised in LA. I spent many years in Sacramento and now we are in Utah. So Reno is not unfamiliar to me having traveled there and through often.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Hmm. I guess my MSAR expired.

 

[Inygma]

Hmm. I guess my MSAR expired.

Same... I paid for it two years in a row, and now that I want to obsess over the school I'm WL at I can't even view the stats. lol maybe a good thing..

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Same... I paid for it two years in a row, and now that I want to obsess over the school I'm WL at I can't even view the stats. lol maybe a good thing..

Yeah! I'm not buying it unless I have to reapply!

 

[researchismymiddlename]

I got an email from quinnipiac that they've had over 7k applicants for their spots already and they'll be interviewing through march and we'll hear about it from there sometime.

I'm kind of curious how the seeming mass of applicants will change yields and the formulas schools use to interview and accept people. Mostly, I'm just tired of waiting.

Me too! Tired of waiting...

Jeez, it sucks to be a guinea pig and not know what to expect. So many schools are doing things differently.

 

[ridethecliche]

Yeah, but you have an acceptance

 

[arainyday]

What kind of second job? My company is in terrible shape (the CEO was fired!) so I need to find a new job, and unless I can find one that is medically related, I don't intend to send an update to the schools that I interviewed at.

You could write a draft. If it comes across as making you seem like a better candidate, send it in. If it seems "meh", skip it.

My current full time job is medically related (though also not the best place to work), but this new job is not. I was going back and forth on whether to update, but I think I'll just wait it out a little longer. I'm continuing to volunteer, but might have to cut down on the hours I put in, so thought it might be worthwhile to update them. It's only early November though, I think I'll ride it out a little longer, and probably just reevaluate at the end of December (assuming I'm still under consideration at my top school).

 

[arainyday]

I got an email from quinnipiac that they've had over 7k applicants for their spots already and they'll be interviewing through march and we'll hear about it from there sometime.

I'm kind of curious how the seeming mass of applicants will change yields and the formulas schools use to interview and accept people. Mostly, I'm just tired of waiting.

I got the same email, and am also sick of waiting. I keep having this conversation:

Person: When do you think you'll hear something?

Me: Sometime before...March...maybe....

Person:

 

[Inygma]

I got the same email, and am also sick of waiting. I keep having this conversation:

Person: When do you think you'll hear something?

Me: Sometime before...March...maybe....

Person:

Haha ya... Me: When people can't hoard multiple acceptances, so maybe May/June

 

[csj10]

Just got my first acceptance!

 

[asyouwish]

Deleted.

 

[RachieRach]

Got my first interview invite today that wasn't >2,000 miles from me! In fact it's 10 miles away.

 

[ConsultantMD]

Excited to see that there's some more IIs coming down the pipe for us non-trads!

It seems generally slow at this point, which I guess makes sense as schools are giving out their acceptances and people are withdrawing. I personally have not withdrawn my application anywhere yet, have other people? I've seen some people withdrawing for the reason of "haven't heard anything since July", but that's basically all of my applications, so is it just to avoid the rejection?

 

[breakintheroof]

I've seen some people withdrawing for the reason of "haven't heard anything since July", but that's basically all of my applications, so is it just to avoid the rejection?

Ha ha, avoiding a likely rejection is a nice side benefit to withdrawing.

My reasoning for withdrawing: Given the acceptance I am very fortunate to have, there is a negligible chance I would attend a certain few schools. It doesn't make sense to waste the time of their staff and adcoms considering my application. Also, perhaps other applicants will get more attention if I step out of the way.

I am unsure why some applicants don't seem to consider withdrawing once they get an acceptance they're happy about. I personally feel better with fewer applications to keep track of.

 

[ConsultantMD]

Ha ha, avoiding a likely rejection is a nice side benefit to withdrawing.

My reasoning for withdrawing: Given the acceptance I am very fortunate to have, there is a negligible chance I would attend a certain few schools. It doesn't make sense to waste the time of their staff and adcoms considering my application. Also, perhaps other applicants will get more attention if I step out of the way.

I am unsure why some applicants don't seem to consider withdrawing once they get an acceptance they're happy about. I personally feel better with fewer applications to keep track of.

Well of course, if I had a top top school acceptance, I would do the same- this makes sense (congrats by the way on U of C!) . But I feel like I've seen other folks withdraw without having an acceptance seeming like they just didn't want to rejected. I am certainly considering it for schools I do not think I would attend over my current acceptance, but for ones that are in the neighborhood, it's hard to withdraw at this point not knowing what could happen and maybe what could happen $-wise as well. Granted, we are all just surrendering to 6 figures of debt, lol.

 

[breakintheroof]

Well of course, if I had a top top school acceptance, I would do the same- this makes sense (congrats by the way on U of C!) .

Ah, agreed, and thank you. My post was a little tangential to your question, I guess I wanted to get up on a soapbox for a little while to nudge people with an acceptance to think about withdrawing.

But I feel like I've seen other folks withdraw without having an acceptance seeming like they just didn't want to rejected.

You're right, this is strange behavior. Seems to violate the principle of keeping all options open until something comes through.

 

[Overanxious]

Ha ha, avoiding a likely rejection is a nice side benefit to withdrawing.

My reasoning for withdrawing: Given the acceptance I am very fortunate to have, there is a negligible chance I would attend a certain few schools. It doesn't make sense to waste the time of their staff and adcoms considering my application. Also, perhaps other applicants will get more attention if I step out of the way.

I am unsure why some applicants don't seem to consider withdrawing once they get an acceptance they're happy about. I personally feel better with fewer applications to keep track of.

I would wager that they may want to see what sort of scholarships they would get. The financial aspect is pretty important too.

 

[breakintheroof]

I would wager that they may want to see what sort of scholarships they would get. The financial aspect is pretty important too.

Absolutely true, this probably accounts for many of the cases. Then there are those who take it too far...

I can understand 4 or 5.
Last year I had a woman with dozens.
I wanted to do something . There really is nothing we can do but to expect that without $, they will go elsewhere.
Thankfully, she did.

 

[ConsultantMD]

Absolutely true, this probably accounts for many of the cases. Then there are those who take it too far...

Agreed, I totally support your soap box. I think that holding all your acceptances or even going to interviews where you know you will not attend is not so great because yes, someone else might've been able to have that shot to interview. I agree waiting for how the debt pile looks is an important factor.

 

[milski]

Agreed, I totally support your soap box. I think that holding all your acceptances or even going to interviews where you know you will not attend is not so great because yes, someone else might've been able to have that shot to interview. I agree waiting for how the debt pile looks is an important factor.

I don't have any acceptances yet but I do support holding on to what you get and going to all interviews possible. Opinions change, scholarships get awarded - you might end up attending a school you thought you were not going to. Considering that holding an acceptance until the April/May deadline does not prevent anyone else from attending but only delays it, I see nothing wrong with exploring your chances to the best of your abilities.

 

[breakintheroof]

Opinions change, scholarships get awarded - you might end up attending a school you thought you were not going to.

Oh, yes. If you would consider attending a school, especially if they award scholarships, no argument here.

I do think that there is a strategy that typically goes into assembling a school list that leaves some people in a position where a withdrawal makes sense. People often apply to some schools because they would absolutely love to go to them, and some because they think the school is good and will give them a chance. With the good fortune of an acceptance from the former category, the latter category becomes somewhat moot, finances pending of course.

Edited to add: Not everybody has to be this guy, withdrawing from Penn post-interview because "not interested."

 

[ConsultantMD]

Oh, yes. If you would consider attending a school, especially if they award scholarships, no argument here.

I do think that there is a strategy that typically goes into assembling a school list that leaves some people in a position where a withdrawal makes sense. People often apply to some schools because they would absolutely love to go to them, and some because they think the school is good and will give them a chance. With the good fortune of an acceptance from the former category, the latter category becomes somewhat moot, finances pending of course.

Edited to add: Not everybody has to be this guy, withdrawing from Penn post-interview because "not interested."

Jeez.. that's crazy.

 

[Overanxious]

I definitely understand what you are saying. I need to withdraw from a couple schools i know i won't go to over my current acceptance but have been lazy about it (in my defense i've been complete there for 4 months and they haven't contacted me either). However, sometimes people may not get that acceptance early enough to start dropping others and then pulling out of an interview just days before seems like bad form. That happened to me with Rush so I went and thank goodness i did bc it definitely went up on my list. Though i did attend an interview and the school (Mayo) went from the top of my list to the bottom but i also don't feel like i can pull out bc they offer the best financial packages, i have my husband to think about who is really pushing for Mayo (though i'm on hold there so i'm not too worried yet) and everyone else seemed to think the place was amazing. So i started second guessing myself thinking i might have just had a bad day that day. Picking the right school is tough bc there are so many factors to consider and as a non trad i feel there are even more (family especially).

Also, are you saying the schools know how many and who you have accepted or the other schools you are looking at/interviewing?!?

 

[ConsultantMD]

An aside since we brought up the $-issue. I played around with this FAFSA calculator this afternoon for the independent student.

Turns out I don't think I'll have to give school all my money at once! How great! Wonder how much the loans will be though, that is the kicker I guess.

http://calculators.collegetoolkit.com/college-calculators/rescalcefcind.aspx

 

[breakintheroof]

I definitely understand what you are saying. I need to withdraw from a couple schools i know i won't go to over my current acceptance but have been lazy about it (in my defense i've been complete there for 4 months and they haven't contacted me either). However, sometimes people may not get that acceptance early enough to start dropping others and then pulling out of an interview just days before seems like bad form. That happened to me with Rush so I went and thank goodness i did bc it definitely went up on my list. Though i did attend an interview and the school (Mayo) went from the top of my list to the bottom but i also don't feel like i can pull out bc they offer the best financial packages, i have my husband to think about who is really pushing for Mayo (though i'm on hold there so i'm not too worried yet) and everyone else seemed to think the place was amazing. So i started second guessing myself thinking i might have just had a bad day that day. Picking the right school is tough bc there are so many factors to consider and as a non trad i feel there are even more (family especially).

Good luck with your decision! It's clear you're thinking things through carefully given your situation.

Also, are you saying the schools know how many and who you have accepted or the other schools you are looking at/interviewing?!?

Schools can see where you've been accepted, but not until February, and then only if they have accepted you already. This is the Multiple Acceptance Report. Then, in April, the National Acceptance Report on who was accepted where is made available to schools.

Edited to add: AAMC description of this process is here: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/amcas/faqs/305002/canschoolsseeotherschools.html

 

[ConsultantMD]

Good luck with your decision! It's clear you're thinking things through carefully given your situation.

Schools can see where you've been accepted, but not until February, and then only if they have accepted you already. Then, in April, a full report on who was accepted where is made available to schools. I'll dig up a thread that clarifies this when I'm not on mobile.

I thought that it was a de-identified list of what schools were out there that people were accepted to, not an applicant-specific one.

 

[breakintheroof]

I thought that it was a de-identified list of what schools were out there that people were accepted to, not an applicant-specific one.

Ooh, could be! Here's what the AAMC says, it is not clear to me whether this includes identifiers:

In April of the application year, medical schools will have access to the National Acceptance Report, which lists every applicant with an acceptance or matriculated action.

Perhaps we can lure @gyngyn from his usual stomping grounds to help us clear this up.

 

[RachieRach]

Excited to see that there's some more IIs coming down the pipe for us non-trads!

It seems generally slow at this point, which I guess makes sense as schools are giving out their acceptances and people are withdrawing. I personally have not withdrawn my application anywhere yet, have other people? I've seen some people withdrawing for the reason of "haven't heard anything since July", but that's basically all of my applications, so is it just to avoid the rejection?

Yeah withdrawing just because it's been a while doesn't seem smart. My interview invite yesterday came almost at the four month mark of being complete.

I haven't withdrawn anywhere because I figure I've dropped 100 bucks, I may as well find out the verdict. My brother, who is also applying this year, thinks that's a dick move though and that I should take my app out so others can be considered sooner. I did withdraw from a school where I was accepted though.

 

[gyngyn]

Perhaps we can lure @gyngyn from his usual stomping grounds to help us clear this up.

In February we can see where our accepted students are holding acceptances.
In April we can see where waitlisted applicants (and others) are holding acceptances.
We can never see where you applied or where you are waitlisted.

 

[ConsultantMD]

Yeah withdrawing just because it's been a while doesn't seem smart. My interview invite yesterday came almost at the four month mark of being complete.

I haven't withdrawn anywhere because I figure I've dropped 100 bucks, I may as well find out the verdict. My brother, who is also applying this year, thinks that's a dick move though and that I should take my app out so others can be considered sooner. I did withdraw from a school where I was accepted though.

Agreed, I am a slight gambler and would like to see what ended up happening with my application. Withdrawing pre-rejection or II seems like going up to a table, putting down a black chip and then walking away.

 

[ridethecliche]

@Overanxious , I'm a bit miffed at myself for not picking your brain about interview preparation when we had dinner. I guess I didn't want to frazzle you before two of yours though haha.

 

[Overanxious]

@Overanxious , I'm a bit miffed at myself for not picking your brain about interview preparation when we had dinner. I guess I didn't want to frazzle you before two of yours though haha.

haha! Thank you, i was very frazzled that day. My mind was all over the place. I left knowing my conversational skills that evening were way below par. Well you can certainly pick my brain now. I posted all my prep materials on here somewhere.

 

[ridethecliche]

haha! Thank you, i was very frazzled that day. My mind was all over the place. I left knowing my conversational skills that evening were way below par. Well you can certainly pick my brain now. I posted all my prep materials on here somewhere.

Haha, whatever it was fun! It can be slightly awkward to meet internet-friends in person especially when you're eating soup dumplings for the first time. I'm glad I got to show you around a bit though!