What's best to do with pre-II waitlists?

[AnonymousUserName]

Disclaimer: The most recent SDN thread about pre-II holds is from Jan. 2008, since then, the landscape has changed quite a bit so your input will be much appreciated.


I'm on pre-interview waitlists at 2 schools in Arizona, with both saying they're currently unable to offer an interview invitation but I'm a competitive enough candidate to continue to be considered. What's the best course of action at this point in the application cycle? Send update letters? Wait it out?

Thank you in advance.

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[Cotterpin]

What do you mean? There isn't really a "best course of action." You just have wait and see what happens. If you have something significant to update them with and they are receptive to updates, then you can send an update. It's not complicated. What else could you do?

 

[AnonymousUserName]

What do you mean? There isn't really a "best course of action." You just have wait and see what happens. If you have something significant to update them with and they are receptive to updates, then you can send an update. It's not complicated. What else could you do?

I cannot think of what else I could do. That's why I'm collecting ideas from you guys, kinda like, listing the differential diagnoses, lol.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Make a 100,000 dollar donation to one of the schools.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Nothing, there is nothing that you can do that will have much, if any, impact upon this process. Some schools do not want or accept updates. Some have process policy that stop adding to a file after it has been reviewed by an adcom. Indeed, an update, depending on the content, may reflect negatively upon an applicant depending on the adcom member. Much of medicine is "watchful waiting."

While I completely believe the bold, I'm wondering the reasons as to why this might be the case?

It makes total sense for a school that doesn't welcome updates to not look favorably upon an applicant who can't follow the rules and sends an update or LOI. But for a school that doesn't make any mention of this or in fact will tell you if you have something meaningful to send in an update you can send it, what are the situations in which sending a letter can actually make a negative impact? Is it something as simple as "This person is way too impatient and comes across as childish" or "This person is wasting an ADCOMs time and that can annoy an ADCOM" or is there more to it than that?

Obviously this depends on school and ADCOM, but I think its relevant/worth clarifying the reasons why this can reflect negatively upon an applicant to help some get rid of this compulsion to send updates and Letters of Intent. I think one major reason why these are so common is because the generic response is "Oh how can something like this hurt me? Maybe it won't help me but it can't hurt, I have nothing to lose" and if people realize WHY they can hurt an applicant I think it can help in addressing the compulsion to send updates/LOI's.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I would think an update that is significant - a publication, a new relevant full time job, a semester of 16 credits of As, etc. - can't possibly hurt.

An update that is "like hey I am still doing my same volunteer gig and still want to come to your school!" is more annoying/pointless.

 

[Dohnut]

Oh, no, add at least a zero to that for any real impact

Yep, otherwise the school would be better off admitting you for half a million in tuition & fees

 

[Goro]

Think about how you can improve your app in case you have to apply in the next cycle.

And learn how to be patient.

Disclaimer: The most recent SDN thread about pre-II holds is from Jan. 2008, since then, the landscape has changed quite a bit so your input will be much appreciated.


I'm on pre-interview waitlists at 2 schools in Arizona, with both saying they're currently unable to offer an interview invitation but I'm a competitive enough candidate to continue to be considered. What's the best course of action at this point in the application cycle? Send update letters? Wait it out?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Goro]

To add to my learned colleague's comment, weak updates include:

starting volunteering, or a new job
starting more classes
new/more LORs (except for a DO LOR when applying to DO schools)
submitting a research paper or poster, or having one under review (they don't count until they're published or "in press")
Being nominated for anything

Perception and Impressions matter as well all actions have an impact. If you have been reviewed by an adcom and are perceived on the "weaker" side or have deficiencies in an area, unimpressive updates, such adding a few hours of clinical, a few additional grades, a slightly updated letter, just add to that impression of a weaker candidate. Remember, adcoms are dealing with thousands of apps and even after paring down, you can still a few thousand in the pile. Very easy to make quick impressions and add to a weak impression of the candidate. It is why I only suggests updates that have some strong value (eg accepted for publication, award given). In very simplistic summary

Strong applicant + Strong Update = Positive Impression/adds to applicant
Strong applicant + mediocre/weak update = weak impression but unlikely to have much impact
Weaker applicant + Strong Update = Improved impression and maybe enough to the II
Weaker applicant + mediocre/weak update = weak impression and adds reason to cut

 

[coldcase331]

@Goro @gonnif
I was actually curious regarding an update letter that I wanted to send out to schools that were receptive to them. I just want to preface that I already have 4 II and 1 acceptance, so I know that what I'm trying to address hasn't necessarily harmed me in the process.

I started volunteering at my local hospital twice a week right after I submitted the majority of my secondaries in July. I know that this itself wouldn't constitute an update, but my application had 0 clinical volunteering in it. I had shadowing and and non-clinical volunteering with the underserved, but absolutely no clinical experience on my AMCAS. In addition, we had not done any trials yet for my research because of a bunch of red tape with animal rights groups up to the point of my AMCAS submission. Now my role in the lab has shifted to running trials and we just completed our first round of trials with success. For another minor point, I started working for a tutoring service in September.

Would these things be worth sending in an update to schools I haven't heard back from yet?

 

[Goro]

It seems like you're doing fine without the updates.

I'm not impressed by "now I have 50+ hrs of volunteering". Most successful applicants have > 100. obviously, you have a different "hook". Can you PM me as to what it is, so I can better advise future SDNers?

 

[nejikon]

What in your opinion would be a strong update then?

To add to my learned colleague's comment, weak updates include:

starting volunteering, or a new job
starting more classes
new/more LORs (except for a DO LOR when applying to DO schools)
submitting a research paper or poster, or having one under review (they don't count until they're published or "in press")
Being nominated for anything

 

[Goro]

To add to this: news of a semester's worth of great grades.

Very few items are worth an update letter: most can wait for interview.

Some items that would be worthy are:

Paper accepted for publication
Invitation to present at conference
Winning a worthy award
Successful completion of some major project or event (eg summer research at NIH)

 

[ucfstudent94]

Hey,
Thought I would get some advise too lol
I am currently under a pre-II hold for 3 schools (2 MD, 1 DO). One MD school does not accept updates so I won't be contacting them but the other two schools do. If you want to know my stats PM me lol still too shy for SDN since I just joined but they were on the lower end. I am a FL resident and Hispanic if that counts for anything.

Here's what I want to update the schools on (and the other ones that have yet to give me any response yet):
-Full time job working with a DO 9-5 Mon-Fri
-One of 10 members for a FDOH advisory board where we use a $14 million grant from the CDC to help create healthy meals for non-chain restaurants (volunteering my time - not paid)
-15 credits (online) my last semester with possibility of ending with a 4.0 for the semester (4 public health courses, 1 science course(pathophysiology))
-Graduating in two weeks
-Possibility of getting a paper published in January
-Enrolling in Biochem class for Spring 2016 (already on my application as planned courses)

What do you guys think? Worth it to update the schools on all of these? Some of these? None of these lol? Any feedback would be much appreciated

 

[swimmingxxx657]

To add to this: news of a semester's worth of great grades.

Would you advise applicants to update with this only if it shows an upward trend in grades? I wonder what to do if the grades aren't much different than your GPA, since the grades might not add anything new/significant to your application then. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[flatbear]

letters of interest? update letters? tell the adcoms you'll buy them dinner?

 

[gyngyn]

Would you advise applicants to update with this only if it shows an upward trend in grades? I wonder what to do if the grades aren't much different than your GPA, since the grades might not add anything new/significant to your application then. Thank you in advance for your help.

That's not news.

 

[swimmingxxx657]

That's not news.

Thought so, thank you!