If I knew then, what I know now...

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alwaysaangel

alwaysaangel

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This is for all the people finishing up their application cycle, to give advice to the noobs who are showing up getting ready to start their cycles in June. There are things we all regret and would change if we could redo it. So lets help out those who will be starting their cycle in a few months.







Mine:
1) Before the application process starts have all your letters completed. Ideally make sure they are with some third party service that will mail them out to the schools. This will make the process go more smoothly than having professors mail them out individually. But start requesting letters in April so they are done by the time primaries are submitted in June.

2) Submit transcripts early, and make sure you send everything necessary. I was told my AMCAS I didn't need to send a transcript from one school since it was a "community college district" with another transcript I was sending. And they turned out to be wrong, which delayed my application. Then the college screwed up and sent the transcript to me instead of AMCAS.

3) If you are paying for it yourself, then get a credit card that gives rewards before the process starts. I REALLY wish I had done this. You are about to put more money on your credit cards (between primaries, secondaries, travel expenses and suits) than you have EVER put on your credit card before. Get something back for all the money you spend.
If I could do it again I'd get the Southwest Visa. It gives you 8 credits for opening it and then 1 credit for every 1200 put on the card after that (plus doubt points when you buy airfare or pay for hotels that are part of their rewards program). Most of us use Southwest for our flights anyway, so go ahead and sign up for their rewards program as a college student if you can (double credits for every flight + 4 credits for signing up), and get the visa! If I had gotten the Visa I probably would have gotten a free ticket just from the Visa card, in addition to all the free flights I got from flying back and forth as a college student. It does cost like $60 a year but I think its well worth the credits you'll get out of it – especially while applying. If you don't need it anymore after that then cancel it.
This is probably my biggest regret in the application process, I seriously lost out on saving a lot of money by not doing it.

4) Make sure you actually look into all the schools you are applying to before hand. Consider location and type of school before you apply, and be realistic about how competitive an applicant you are. Don't over apply just because of the horror stories you hear. If you know that you would be absolutely miserable in Chicago or upstate New York – don't bother applying there – you're just wasting a lot of money.

5) Be prepared for a long wait – enjoy the secondaries while they last because they are seriously better than the waiting that comes after.

6) Do a mock interview, with a career center employee, friend, mentor, professor – whoever will do it for you. Just do it so you have done an interview before you actually go to a real interview.
 
Great advice! I'd also add (for later in the process):

Always stay with a student host (unless you have friends in the area).

-It saves money.
-They are generally very nice people.
-They provide information on the school and give you good questions to ask during interviews.
-They can help you get to your interview on time with minimum stress (after all they've had lots of practice getting to school on time).
-You get a good idea about what it's actually like to be a student at the school.
 
Add:

While you're waiting (especially post-interview), if you really are interested in the school, send a Letter of Update, Letter of Interest, or even Letter of Intent stating your interest. These are the unwritten "Thirdaries" of the application process. These can sometimes get you absolutely nowhere, but can sometimes also go a very long way.
 
This applies to me personally and it may not apply to others ...

Don't bother applying to schools you know you wouldn't want to attend.

Consider schools in warmer climates.

Apply even earlier than I did. (I applied pretty early, so I don't think my chances were hindered by a late application. But I didn't take into account that the earlier you apply, the earlier you get a response, and the earlier all the tension/stress/anxiety is finally relieved.)

Other than that, I don't have many regrets. I think I went into this process relatively informed, thanks to SDN.
 
alwaysaangel said:
3) If you are paying for it yourself, then get a credit card that gives rewards before the process starts. I REALLY wish I had done this. You are about to put more money on your credit cards (between primaries, secondaries, travel expenses and suits) than you have EVER put on your credit card before. Get something back for all the money you spend.
Click to expand...


I couldn't agree more with this one.


- Buy comfortable shoes. Everyone tells you this, but it's true ladies. No heels.

- Splurge on a well-made, wrinkle-free suit. It may seem like a waste now, but if you treat it well (and don't gain a ton of weight during med school) it can very well last you till residency interviews.
 
Severus said:
I couldn't agree more with this one.


- Buy comfortable shoes. Everyone tells you this, but it's true ladies. No heels.

- Splurge on a well-made, wrinkle-free suit. It may seem like a waste now, but if you treat it well (and don't gain a ton of weight during med school) it can very well last you till residency interviews.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to recommend that they don't get into "Taxis" that run over dogs...I still crack up everytime I think about that story.
 
Severus said:
Splurge on a well-made, wrinkle-free suit. It may seem like a waste now, but if you treat it well (and don't gain a ton of weight during med school) it can very well last you till residency interviews.
Click to expand...

This is what I did, but then you might want to add this further piece of advice:

Don't leave your well-made, wrinkle-free, expensive suit in the rental car, never to be seen or worn or treated well again ...
 
Also:

Avoid two interviews in two days on opposite coasts. Especially if one of these coasts tends to have weather delays that will cause you to miss the last connecting flight to the other coast so that you'll have to fly into a different city and rent a car and drive up to the city where your interview is at, all on two hours of sleep.

I mean, generally speaking, of course. Totally hypothetical scenario.
 
alwaysaangel said:
Mine:
1) Before the application process starts have all your letters completed. Ideally make sure they are with some third party service that will mail them out to the schools. This will make the process go more smoothly than having professors mail them out individually. But start requesting letters in April so they are done by the time primaries are submitted in June.
Click to expand...

I would actually say that to be on the safe side, you should start requesting letters even earlier than that. April will probably be ok but you'll want to give yourself enough time to find another letter writer in case one of yours backs out. Also,there are always those writers who take a loooooong time to write one. I started asking people in January and requested that they be done by the end of Spring Break. This gave them plenty of time to work around their busy schedules, so if you know that early who you want to ask, go ahead and do it.

On another note, STAY ORGANIZED. Maybe make a binder or something where you keep all of your information. Keep track of dates that you submitted stuff and save all emails so you have a record of everything.
 
Robizzle said:
Add:

While you're waiting (especially post-interview), if you really are interested in the school, send a Letter of Update, Letter of Interest, or even Letter of Intent stating your interest. These are the unwritten "Thirdaries" of the application process. These can sometimes get you absolutely nowhere, but can sometimes also go a very long way.
Click to expand...


I was waitlisted at 3 schools during the 2005-2006 cycle, it was mostly my own fault, I wasted some time during the application period and ended up being interviewd in jan of 2006 (closer to the end of interviews then I would have wanted). However, I picked the one of the 3 that I was most impressed with at the interview and hand-delivered a letter of intent to the dean of admissions. Unfortunately, I did not get off the waitlist. However, I applied early decision for the 2006-2007 period, received my interview and to my delight ran into the dean at my interview. He remembered me, told me that he respected me for showing such a level of resolve and patience. Needless to say, I received a letter a few weeks later welcoming me to the 2007 class and a phone call a few days after that from the dean congratulating me!

I'm completely convinced that my letter of intent and my meeting with the dean made an impression that made the adcoms decision much easier.
 
cubbbie said:
Don't bother applying to schools you know you wouldn't want to attend.
Click to expand...

I'm a fan of this one. I withdrew from five schools before the end of October just because I realized I never wanted to go to there anyway. Choosing the right schools to apply to is a mix of your competiveness at the school plus your potential to be happy there for four years.
 
Thanks for the solid advice alwaysaangel ...of course, reading #3 I would think your post should end with a financial disclosure about the support you received from Visa.

I would add, if I knew then which school would accept me, I would have saved the money/time of applying to the 28 others...and the frustration of worrying while I wait!
 
freetheyaz said:
Thanks for the solid advice alwaysaangel ...of course, reading #3 I would think your post should end with a financial disclosure about the support you received from Visa.
Click to expand...

Haha no, its less the Visa and more the Southwest part of the card. Like I said - most of us will use Southwest for our flights and if you can earn free flights when paying for your primaries and secondaries - why the heck not!!! Most other rewards programs aren't useful for people our age - but free flights to go on interviews will definitely pay off. I just wish I'd known about it back in June.

I'm applying for one now, since I'll be flying east coast to west coast to visit my parents during medical school, and just kicking myself for not having it at a time when I put almost 4k on my credit cards a lot of which was spent with Southwest.
 
Interfolio rocks and is worth the money if you don't have a pre-med committee to send letters for you. It gives you a lot more control in a process that leaves you with little control.
 
KeyLime said:
Interfolio rocks and is worth the money if you don't have a pre-med committee to send letters for you. It gives you a lot more control in a process that leaves you with little control.
Click to expand...

Interfolio was a godsend for me, my undergrad school had no pre-med committee and trying to get all my letters sent in a timely manner when my homerun letter writer was a Hem/Onc on service at the time of my apps was impossible. Being able to monitor everything once it was in was well worth it.
 
alwaysaangel said:
Haha no, its less the Visa and more the Southwest part of the card. Like I said - most of us will use Southwest for our flights and if you can earn free flights when paying for your primaries and secondaries - why the heck not!!! Most other rewards programs aren't useful for people our age - but free flights to go on interviews will definitely pay off. I just wish I'd known about it back in June.

I'm applying for one now, since I'll be flying east coast to west coast to visit my parents during medical school, and just kicking myself for not having it at a time when I put almost 4k on my credit cards a lot of which was spent with Southwest.
Click to expand...


Speaking of Southwest, I JUST got an email saying I've been awarded a free roundtrip for all of the flights I've gone on this year (read: this application season). I don't think Hawaii is ready for me😀
 
don't apply to random, well-known schools unless there's an actual reason you'd like to go there.
 
If you generally a shy person, or who doesn't generally interview well, especially for something as important as med school - if you get the chance, DO NOT schedule your top choice school to be your first interview.

If possible, schedule your lower priority schools as your first ones, because after the first one or two, you will realize that there is nothing to worry about.

I was so nervous for my first interview, I really did botch it - it was at a good school too. After that big screw up, I was never nervous anymore and my ideas just flowed and I was able to express myself quite easily.

If you are a very social person to begin with, then you won't have this problem. Strangely enough, this whole interview process has really improved my selfconfidence a lot.
 
polofanPKP said:
I was waitlisted at 3 schools during the 2005-2006 cycle, it was mostly my own fault, I wasted some time during the application period and ended up being interviewd in jan of 2006 (closer to the end of interviews then I would have wanted). However, I picked the one of the 3 that I was most impressed with at the interview and hand-delivered a letter of intent to the dean of admissions. Unfortunately, I did not get off the waitlist. However, I applied early decision for the 2006-2007 period, received my interview and to my delight ran into the dean at my interview. He remembered me, told me that he respected me for showing such a level of resolve and patience. Needless to say, I received a letter a few weeks later welcoming me to the 2007 class and a phone call a few days after that from the dean congratulating me!

I'm completely convinced that my letter of intent and my meeting with the dean made an impression that made the adcoms decision much easier.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's great polofanPKP. I never thought of hand-delivering a letter of intent, but that's a great idea if the school is close to where you live. Congrats 🙂

Also, another tip to add...start working on your secondary essays even before you receive the secondaries. Some helpful fellow SDNers posted the essay questions to help everyone out.
 
- Be yourself. There is so much emphasis on SDN on fitting into a mold developed largely by fellow premeds. Be passionate, be sincere, and be true to yourself and it really and truly will serve you better than hitting the punchlist of 100hrs ER volunteer/1 semester Chem TA/1 semester lab monkey. Adcoms have seen plenty of that, but they haven't seen you.

- Don't delay. The new MCAT schedule makes it easier. Applying late doesn't mean you won't get in, but it will probably drop the number of acceptances. Avoid this if you can.

- Avoid travel with connections through O'Hare in winter for interviews if you can. Flight delays are more common than flights on time.
 
Read the schools' websites and the interview feedback on SDN before your interviews. If you come to interview at my school and don't know the first thing about our curriculum, that isn't going to impress your interviewers. Also, if you have done research, make sure you can explain it to others intelligibly. That means describing what you were doing in plain English, and including why the research was important to perform and what you learned from doing it.
 
Yes, apply only to schools you would actually want to go to. Think about climate, cultural life, job and housing markets if your SO/kids will be joining you.

Do apply broadly. Don't assume anything. Don't assume you will get into any school, not even your state school. Not even if your stats are better than or at their average. There is some order in this chaos, but not much.

Do try to spend some extra time in the city sometime during your interview trip. Could you see yourself living there?

I agree with staying with a student host if you are up for it. It saves you money and you get the scoop on the school. If they offer to let a strange pre-med student sleep in their house, chances are they are really nice people and like to be helpful. They will tell you what to expect at the interview and make sure that you get there on time in the morning. I brought the students I stayed with a souvenier from MD and dinner as a token of appreciation for letting me couch-crash.

Get your secondaries and letters in early! The earlier the better.

Cab drivers know their cities well and usually are up for a good conversation. They are a good resource.
 
if there's a OOS school you're seriously interested in, give the location a visit and notify that school you'll be "stopping by the area". This gives you some leverage for an interview spot over other applicants who are applying hundreds of miles away. Make this investment ONLY if this is a school you'd be going to if accepted.
 
this is my experience:

1. DO NOT rush to submit your primary application. if you spend an extra two wks really thinking through and writing a good personal statement, you'll get those interviews. remember this is the ONE thing that goes to EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL you apply to. if you **** this up, you **** everything up.

2. turn in those secondaries ASAP. they are not as critical as your primary app.

3. DO NOT FLY THROUGH CHICAGO DURING THE WINTER. chances are, you'll add flight-delays to your list of things that stress you out.

4. be yourself during the interview, but always smile, even if you have to force it.
 
LifetimeDoc said:
Three words I'd shout to myself if I could travel back in time...

SUBMIT
EVERYTHING
EARLY!​
Click to expand...

+infiniti. get your AMCAS in by early July by the latest. and get your secondaries written up and ready to go ASAP if you can. the earlier you get your apps complete, the better chance you have for getting interviews.

do NOT lag!!!
 
I'll say it again:

Get those letters of recommendation in early.

A 37 on the MCAT is nice, but knowing you gave it your best shot is nicer.
 
OwnageMobile said:
I'll say it again:

Get those letters of recommendation in early.

A 37 on the MCAT is nice, but knowing you gave it your best shot is nicer.
Click to expand...

When is a good time to send it? Also does it get sent to AMCAS with a file # or to individual schools or what? Aren't there some agencies who collects these letters and sends it out when you're ready? Sorry for these really stupid questions but I really have no clue and the time is quickly approaching. I'm actually hoping to ask some professors I have now so i couldn't ask before almost the end of the semester.
 
Depakote said:
to add my own...

A lot DO schools are great if you actually research them. (wish I knew this Cycles 1 and 2)
Click to expand...

which ones on the east coast would you suggest? Are there any public DO schools or are they all private and expensive?
 
Dr. Josh said:
When is a good time to send it? Also does it get sent to AMCAS with a file # or to individual schools or what? Aren't there some agencies who collects these letters and sends it out when you're ready? Sorry for these really stupid questions but I really have no clue and the time is quickly approaching. I'm actually hoping to ask some professors I have now so i couldn't ask before almost the end of the semester.
Click to expand...

Get them in as soon as you receive notification to complete your secondaries (whether they're done or not..as long as you intend to get them in, that is). your LORs usually get sent directly from the source (your school service or Interfolio, etc) to each of the schools individually.
 
Dr. Josh said:
which ones on the east coast would you suggest? Are there any public DO schools or are they all private and expensive?
Click to expand...

East Coast and Public = UMDNJ-SOM (where it looks as if I may be going)

They get a lot of NIH funding for research, they have a DO/PhD program, and you can get in state tuition (~$20K) just by changing your driver's license and getting an apartment. I'm sure there are a bunch of other great DO schools on the east coast (I mainly applied to the mid-west for my DO schools, I only applied to UMDNJ b/c I liked them so much) Check Pre-Osteo for more opinions.
 
1) If you have average to below average stats or something lacking in your application, then apply to as many schools as you can afford to. You can always withdraw later if you don't want to interview or go there. Use the schools you are not really interested in as practice interviews so you can rock the interviews at your dream schools. Real life interview practice is invaluable. You don't want to be a reapplicant so go all out the first time. Also, it is a good confidence builder to have interview invites coming in throughout the interview season so you don't get down about being rejected or waitlisted from other schools.

2) Remember that there are only 2 questions that really matter in the interview which are: a) why do you want to be a doctor?; and b) why do you want to go to this school? If you can pound those points home throughout the interview then you have done your job at the interview. Make sure you have specific reasons for why you want to go to that school that other people interviewing there won't be able to say.
 
Depakote said:
East Coast and Public = UMDNJ-SOM (where it looks as if I may be going)

They get a lot of NIH funding for research, they have a DO/PhD program, and you can get in state tuition (~$20K) just by changing your driver's license and getting an apartment. I'm sure there are a bunch of other great DO schools on the east coast (I mainly applied to the mid-west for my DO schools, I only applied to UMDNJ b/c I liked them so much) Check Pre-Osteo for more opinions.
Click to expand...

yea that's right but they have math and english requirements or something that i don't have 🙁 that's why i discounted that school.
 
you know what, today, if I could do it over again, I would've gone to nursing school instead of med school. As me tomorrow, I'll probably feel different.😛
 
sendwich said:
Get them in as soon as you receive notification to complete your secondaries (whether they're done or not..as long as you intend to get them in, that is). your LORs usually get sent directly from the source (your school service or Interfolio, etc) to each of the schools individually.
Click to expand...

how early do you need to get LOR and AMCAS sent in?
 
remo said:
1) Apply to as many schools as you can afford to. You can always withdraw later if you don't want to interview or go there. Use the schools you are not really interested in as practice interviews so you can rock the interviews at your dream schools. Real life interview practice is invaluable. You don't want to be a reapplicant so go all out the first time. Also, it is a good confidence builder to have interview invites coming in throughout the interview season so you don't get down about being rejected or waitlisted from other schools.

2) Remember that there are only 2 questions that really matter in the interview which are: a) why do you want to be a doctor?; and b) why do you want to go to this school? If you can pound those points home throughout the interview then you have done your job at the interview. Make sure you have specific reasons for why you want to go to that school that other people interviewing there won't be able to say.
Click to expand...


1) During your interview day, jot down your impression of the school. They all get muddled together after awhile.

2) Calling AMCAS to ask about the status of your primary can be useful, I called and two hours later I was verified.

3) Create an excel spreadsheet to keep track of deadlines, when you submitted secondaries, recs, update letters, and any notes from interviews.
 
Dr. Josh said:
how early do you need to get LOR and AMCAS sent in?
Click to expand...

Ok, for me, it went down like so: I had my AMCAS in by July, yet had to wait until OCTOBER 28th to receive a key LOR. The secondaries aren't completable (you aren't in the running) until you have your LORs sent into the school. So, many of my applications were turned in days away from their final due dates.

Don't let this happen to you.

The LOR is a shared responsibility. I tried to "keep on" the writer about his obligations, but now must stomach the rancid fruit of my toil, or lack thereof.

I used interfolio.com. It was a pleasant experience. Just have your LORs collected before the secondaries come in and you will be set.


--You can't send in LORs without secondary application invites from the schools.
--You can't receive secondaries until you apply via AMCAS.
--June-July is early for AMCAS.
 
OwnageMobile said:
Ok, for me, it went down like so: I had my AMCAS in by July, yet had to wait until OCTOBER 28th to receive a key LOR. The secondaries aren't completable (you aren't in the running) until you have your LORs sent into the school. So, many of my applications were turned in days away from their final due dates.

Don't let this happen to you.

The LOR is a shared responsibility. I tried to "keep on" the writer about his obligations, but now must stomach the rancid fruit of my toil, or lack thereof.

I used intefolio.com. It was a pleasant experience. Just have your LORs collected before the secondaries come in and you will be set.


--You can't send in LORs without secondary application invites from the schools.
--You can't receive secondaries until you apply via AMCAS.
--June-July is early for AMCAS.
Click to expand...
just thought i'd jump in here...my school has a premed committee that writes a committee letter and they send that letter along with all of the other letters to the med schools. my stuff was sent july 21, before i had all of my secondary invitations (though i did have most), and this wasn't a problem. some schools will throw the letters out perhaps, but there are also some that will store them until they get your application. so if sending the letters is out of your control because you have a premed committee, don't worry too much.
 
OwnageMobile said:
Ok, for me, it went down like so: I had my AMCAS in by July, yet had to wait until OCTOBER 28th to receive a key LOR. The secondaries aren't completable (you aren't in the running) until you have your LORs sent into the school. So, many of my applications were turned in days away from their final due dates.

Don't let this happen to you.

The LOR is a shared responsibility. I tried to "keep on" the writer about his obligations, but now must stomach the rancid fruit of my toil, or lack thereof.

I used intefolio.com. It was a pleasant experience. Just have your LORs collected before the secondaries come in and you will be set.


--You can't send in LORs without secondary application invites from the schools.
--You can't receive secondaries until you apply via AMCAS.
--June-July is early for AMCAS.
Click to expand...

so LORs go directly to the schools; it's not part of the AMCAS application? do different schools get different LORs due to their specific requirements?
 
Seems like lots of great advice has already gone out. If I could do it again I would definitely tighten up the range of schools I applied to. "Safety" schools don't really exist because they won't take you if they don't think you'll attend. Therefore its important to get a good estimate of the strength of your application and apply in that general area. There is also no chance of "slipping" through the cracks into a school thats way above either. I'd pick about 10-15 schools I would like to attend with about 5 being right at my level of gpa, mcat, ec's, a few just a step or two below where I'd be a strong applicant or even possibly a scholarship candidate, and a few reaches where I could probably get an interview and an awesome interview day might get me in.
Good luck everyone!:luck:
 
Dr. Josh said:
so LORs go directly to the schools; it's not part of the AMCAS application? do different schools get different LORs due to their specific requirements?
Click to expand...

Yes, letters go directly to the schools. They are requested when you submit your secondary applications to the schools. And yes, you have the option of sending diff LORs to diff schools. This would be easier if you have a LOR file set up, so that you can pick and choose which letters to send depending on the requirements of the school you're applying to.
 
My advice: When interviewing, do not assume that you are ever a "sure thing" at any school. You always have to perform well and impress them during the interview. If you perform poorly at any phase of the application process, there are always 100 other people waiting who will do it right.
 
Apply to 15 schools: 5 in your range, 5 above your range, and 5 below.
 
1] Don't be afraid to dream

If you truly are interested in a school (not just for the name), even if your stats aren't up to par with the average, apply! It doesn't hurt to dream. =)
(I wish I had dared to dream a big bigger.)

2] APPLY EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not be like me and turn in every single secondary on the due date. You will be anxiously waiting for interviews while everyone else has already flown all over the country.

3] Don't waste your money applying to every single school that sounds "ok."

Don't be like me and pay for 36 primaries but only fill out 20 secondaries...
 
Whats an interfolio or like a member posted ( intefolio.com ) . I have another question. So if you get a letter from 3 professors, do you get them from then and send them directly to the schools you want or do they have to send them? Thats where I get confussed....Someone please clear this up for me..

Ed
 
The less interaction you have with the hard copies of your letters, the better. If your school has a letter of recommendation form that allows you to sign a statement saying you waive your right to see the letter, use it, otherwise write up your own form saying that you waive your right to view the letter and sign it. Give the form, an addressed envelope, and postage to all of your references. Med schools will generally give much greater weight to letters if they know you didn't give them final approval. That said, only ask for letters from people you think 1) write well and 2) have a positive opinion of you.
 
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