2006 Non-Trad Applicants' Progress Thread

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QofQuimica said:
blee, Wash. U. will send you a booklet if you score well on the MCAT. How long ago did you send your letters to Penn? They might just not be caught up with updating their website because of the mail backlog, so I suggest that you give them a couple of weeks and then call or email them if your file is still not complete. I'm sure they must be getting tons of mail....Just think, every school must have hundreds of applicants sending them stuff right about now! Can you guys imagine being the person who has to collect and transport the medical admissions mail for any med school??? It must be like an avalanche every day when you open the mailbox!!! 😱

MCAT pimping. Gotta love it. 😛 WUSTL was at least kind enough to send a paper brochure (with a letter that began "Dear Applicant:"). MCW's email solicitation was just sad.

Anyway...I have no idea how these schools sort through all of our mail. My LORs don't have my AAMC ID on them, and a bunch of the secondaries don't ask specifically from whom your letters will come (other than a committee). Putting it all together has got to be a bear. Has anyone gotten word of a school receiving their LORs yet?
 
blee said:
Anyway...I have no idea how these schools sort through all of our mail. My LORs don't have my AAMC ID on them, and a bunch of the secondaries don't ask specifically from whom your letters will come (other than a committee). Putting it all together has got to be a bear. Has anyone gotten word of a school receiving their LORs yet?

Yes, all three FL schools have received mine. But I sent them electronically through Interfolio, so they arrived instantaneously. I think I've posted about this before, but I'll do it again. For anyone who hasn't heard of it, Interfolio is a godsend. It's more expensive than doing things yourself, but it's well worth it in terms of peace of mind and convenience for you and your letter writers. You can check it out at www.interfolio.com
 
Sorry if I missed this discussion earlier.....
I am really interested in how medical schools treat the interfolio references.... do you think that the letters are considered in good light compared to original copies? I signed up for an account, but am now leaning toward having references sending originals.... I would love to hear your thoughts... 🙂

To keep in the spirit of the thread....

Most transcripts in: July 8.
AMCAS submitted: July 11.
Final transcript received 😡 : July20. (and July21. and July24. and July 26.)
Ready for review: July 20.

The maddening transcript saga is a thread in itself... for some other time :laugh: .
 
EMET_BUTS said:
Sorry if I missed this discussion earlier.....
I am really interested in how medical schools treat the interfolio references.... do you think that the letters are considered in good light compared to original copies? I signed up for an account, but am now leaning toward having references sending originals.... I would love to hear your thoughts... 🙂

Assuming you waive your right to see your letters, there is no difference between using Interfolio and any other confidential letters. All of the FL schools even accepted electronic deliveries, which is great, because the letters arrive instantly and your file is complete, just like that. As far as I know, all medical schools will accept Interfolio; if they aren't set up for electronic delivery, Interfolio can snail mail your letters. If you're worried about one of your schools not accepting Interfolio, you can always email or call them and ask. I was a bit skeptical of Interfolio at first too, but one of my students who applied last year told me about it, and it's really so easy and convenient that I'd highly recommend it to everyone.
 
Good to hear, Q! While I will not have a committee letter, I might have to manage a handful of disparate writers, and am considering a non-uniform distribution of these.... it looks like interfolio might be a good choice for that as well. 👍

I am going to try to get my old school letter writers to consider this. The first person I asked to write a letter was really hesitant to even look at interfolio, but I will keep lobbying.

Tito: I think there was a certain amount of good humor about Carleton at Olaf, but, at least when I was there, we envied the Carleton alcohol policy.... Olaf being a dry campus, of course. Things have likely changed in the many years since then.
 
Any idea of what the Wash U MCAT cutoff number is?

Thanks.
 
EMTT, I also don't have a committee and my letter writers were/are hesitant to use interfolio. There are some med schools (MSUCOM) that won't accept interfolio since they have a mandatory form, and I think there is another one that slips my mind that requires original signatures on the letters. However, several medical schools actually prefer interfolio (UVM, the Florida schools as Q pointed out). Right now when my secondaries are all received and paid for, I'm still waiting for LORs to be received and wishing my writers had agreed to interfolio. 🙁
 
ShyRem said:
However, several medical schools actually prefer interfolio (UVM, the Florida schools as Q pointed out).

Yes, this is true about FL schools; they actually tell the undergrads to use Interfolio. So a couple of my students were able to help me set up my account and show me how it works. It's nice for the recommenders also because they only have to send your letter once, to Interfolio, and then you don't have to keep bothering them to send another letter for every individual school. When I read about some people applying to 25 or 30 schools (or more!), I have to wonder how they convince their recommenders to mail out that many LORs!!! I can't imagine asking my boss or my PI to do that. :laugh:
 
EMET_BUTS said:
Tito: I think there was a certain amount of good humor about Carleton at Olaf, but, at least when I was there, we envied the Carleton alcohol policy.... Olaf being a dry campus, of course. Things have likely changed in the many years since then.


you guys both have me beat. There are a large number of Olaf and Carlton grads that get into med school, I went to St. Thomas where all that we produce are business majors and gold-diggers!

Glad to see some fellow MIAC students on SDN 👍

Good Luck with the process, I'll be right there with you next year!

Em.
 
Long ago, I went to a party at St. Thomas and, later the same night, a party down the road at Macalester. That was like an episode of the Twilight Zone. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

So you are sitting out this application cycle? You don't know how much fun you are missing!!

Q.... That is really cool that UF suggests interfolio.... I was looking at the LOR "form" that the U of MN requires along with a letter. I am not sure how I am going to work that out. I, too, am worried about potentially needing 20 letters sent from a given writer (plus a form or two).... ughh.

So Q.... are you teaching at a college/university?
 
EMET_BUTS said:
Q.... That is really cool that UF suggests interfolio.... I was looking at the LOR "form" that the U of MN requires along with a letter. I am not sure how I am going to work that out. I, too, am worried about potentially needing 20 letters sent from a given writer (plus a form or two).... ughh.

So Q.... are you teaching at a college/university?

Did you ask U of MN about it? Interfolio has its own form that must be signed and submitted along with the LORs to verify them. Maybe U of MN would be willing to accept that in lieu of their own form. It's worth a shot, right? Anyway, even if that one school doesn't accept Interfolio, if you're applying to more than two others that will take it, Interfolio really does make things a lot easier. (They should pay me to be their spokesperson. 😀 )

I taught at the university last year, but I don't anticipate continuing this year, since I am planning to graduate in May. I do still teach at Kaplan, though, so I have a lot of pre-med students through the MCAT classes there. I often end up getting some of my old gen chem and organic students again at Kaplan. There's usually a few in each class. 😛
 
Well, I got my first rejection today. But I also received secondary invites to two uc's so that made up for the rejection! Can't wait to get home and see what else I've received by snail mail. I just left Russia today and am spending my last two days in Finland. So happy to get home and sleep in my own bed!
 
titoincali said:
Well, I got my first rejection today. But I also received secondary invites to two uc's so that made up for the rejection! Can't wait to get home and see what else I've received by snail mail. I just left Russia today and am spending my last two days in Finland. So happy to get home and sleep in my own bed!
From which school was the rejection, if you don't mind my asking?

Lately I've been focusing a lot more on my exceptionally crappy overall GPA and lack of much research rather than my decent science GPA and good MCAT. As I hear of others who are getting screened secondaries that I am not, I'm sure a few thin envelopes will start rolling my way sooner than later... 😳

I knew it was going to happen. I applied to a lot of reach schools - but it still isn't fun. I think secondary essays and preparing for finals of summer classes is doing a good job of beating me down right now... It will get better soon, I'm sure! 🙄
 
titoincali said:
Well, I got my first rejection today. But I also received secondary invites to two uc's so that made up for the rejection! Can't wait to get home and see what else I've received by snail mail. I just left Russia today and am spending my last two days in Finland. So happy to get home and sleep in my own bed!
At least they didn't do the "Send us $75 secondary fee...then we'll send your rejection notice"

You have a real good mcat...you'll get in somewhere.
 
titoincali said:
Well, I got my first rejection today. But I also received secondary invites to two uc's so that made up for the rejection! Can't wait to get home and see what else I've received by snail mail. I just left Russia today and am spending my last two days in Finland. So happy to get home and sleep in my own bed!

Are you home yet, tito? Sorry to hear about the rejection, and I hope that the rest of your news is better. 😍

Did that happen to you, JohnnyOU? 😱

Hope the rest of you are doing well....tomorrow is August already! I haven't heard too much more since I last posted here. UF is still waiting for my secondary to arrive, and USF sent me an email to say that I'm complete and they are reviewing me now. Oh, and I bought my interview suit today. 😛
 
QofQuimica said:
Are you home yet, tito? Sorry to hear about the rejection, and I hope that the rest of your news is better. 😍

Did that happen to you, JohnnyOU? 😱

Hope the rest of you are doing well....tomorrow is August already! I haven't heard too much more since I last posted here. UF is still waiting for my secondary to arrive, and USF sent me an email to say that I'm complete and they are reviewing me now. Oh, and I bought my interview suit today. 😛

I'm starting to get very nervous about Florida schools Q... I'm now just waiting for my LOR packet to get sent, and then I'm on the chopping block. I keep reading those "July is our month" waitlisters threads and crying myself to sleep. Aaaaagh.
 
unfrozencaveman said:
I'm starting to get very nervous about Florida schools Q... I'm now just waiting for my LOR packet to get sent, and then I'm on the chopping block. I keep reading those "July is our month" waitlisters threads and crying myself to sleep. Aaaaagh.

lol, you are as neurotic as the college kids. :meanie: Don't spend too much time in pre-allo; it'll only make things worse. Not like I'm really one to talk; I check in there every day to see which schools are giving secondaries or sending rejections or interview invites to people. :laugh: (Several SDNers got rejected from Wake Forest this past week. 😱 ) I'm feeling a little anxious too I guess. I'm complete at the FL schools, and they've each sent me an email that basically says: we've got your app, so sit tight, and we'll get back to you. 😛 The waiting has got to be the worst part of this whole process. When are your letters going out, caveman?
 
I called my school to check on the status of their recommendation letters. Apparently they're working on getting the first batch of letters mailed today. Well, that would certainly explain why none of my med schools has gotten one yet! My physician letters were mailed out last week at the earliest, so I'm fine with waiting a bit on those. Oddly enough, the one letter that I figured was my "weakest" (relatively speaking) has been delivered.
 
QofQuimica said:
lol, you are as neurotic as the college kids. :meanie: Don't spend too much time in pre-allo; it'll only make things worse. Not like I'm really one to talk; I check in there every day to see which schools are giving secondaries or sending rejections or interview invites to people. :laugh: (Several SDNers got rejected from Wake Forest this past week. 😱 ) I'm feeling a little anxious too I guess. I'm complete at the FL schools, and they've each sent me an email that basically says: we've got your app, so sit tight, and we'll get back to you. 😛 The waiting has got to be the worst part of this whole process. When are your letters going out, caveman?


I know, it's shameful. I'm turning into one of "them"....
There is a backlog for committee letters (due to procrastination on the AMCAS, I am now in it), but the tentative date for them going out is 8/15. The best is, I get all my school mail sent to my office, and someone comes in with a stack everyday, tentatively handing me thin envelopes. I get to keep reminding her that I wouldnt have been rejected just *yet*. But it's coming. She looks scared.
 
Q SAID: Are you home yet, tito? Sorry to hear about the rejection, and I hope that the rest of your news is better. 😍

Hey! I finally got back late Sunday night and ended sleeping most of Monday. Now I'm back at work and trying to organize all my secondaries so I can start cranking them out. Yikes! I'm prioritizing them by schools I'm really interested in and those with no essays and then I'll complete the rest.

Q SAID: lol, you are as neurotic as the college kids. Don't spend too much time in pre-allo; it'll only make things worse. Not like I'm really one to talk; I check in there every day to see which schools are giving secondaries or sending rejections or interview invites to people. (Several SDNers got rejected from Wake Forest this past week. )


I'm one of those people that got rejected from Wake Forest. But I'm really not that upset about it. I think it's because I assumed that I would get rejected by most of the schools I applied to. I'm just hoping for 1 acceptance! But I think I need to stop reading the pre-allo forum also.

I read about people that got screened secondaries for schools I also applied to and I start feeling insecure and telling myself that I MUST have been rejected! I have to stop doing that to myself.
 
blee and caveman, I hope your letters get out soon. I just sent individual letters. How were you guys able to access a pre-med service like that? Did you do post bacs? They don't have anything like that for grad students here.

tito, I'm sorry to hear about Wake. They must have some kind of GPA cut off, because your MCAT sure was high enough for anywhere! I know what you mean about feeling insecure if someone else received something that you are waiting to get. Even if it's just a day's delay, you're on pins and needles. Nowadays I keep checking to see if anyone is getting interviews, but so far I haven't seen any from the FL schools. I haven't heard any anecdotal stories yet either....actually my current students are late applicants, because they're getting ready to take the MCAT in a few weeks.

Boy I'm glad that I don't have to take the MCAT now. I think last summer while I was studying for it was one of the most miserable times in my whole life. 😛
 
I did my postbac through a certificate-granting undergrad postbac program. It's unstructured, which means that there's no set schedule of courses, but there are some requirements in order to qualify for the certificate, which then gives access to the school's undergrad premed committee.
 
What is up with Wake? When have people been hearing from them?

I was verified on 7/15 and haven't heard anything. My MCAT is high, but GPA is low. Anyone know what their cutoff is?

Thanks!
 
SailCrazy said:
What is up with Wake? When have people been hearing from them?

I was verified on 7/15 and haven't heard anything. My MCAT is high, but GPA is low. Anyone know what their cutoff is?

Thanks!
🙁 Sorry to hear it. My AMCAS was verified 6/1, I got the "we have your application" email from Wake on 7/20, and I was invited to fill out the secondary on 7/27. I have a strong MCAT score but a dismal GPA by any measure; my saving grace is that my postbac GPA was excellent. I also got my undergrad degree in 1999, which might be long enough ago that the adcoms are being lenient w/ me. So far, I've gotten past all of the schools that screen pre-secondary, which has surprised me to say the least. Doesn't make me any less anxious about the process as a whole, though.
 
blee said:
🙁 Sorry to hear it. My AMCAS was verified 6/1, I got the "we have your application" email from Wake on 7/20, and I was invited to fill out the secondary on 7/27. I have a strong MCAT score but a dismal GPA by any measure; my saving grace is that my postbac GPA was excellent. I also got my undergrad degree in 1999, which might be long enough ago that the adcoms are being lenient w/ me. So far, I've gotten past all of the schools that screen pre-secondary, which has surprised me to say the least. Doesn't make me any less anxious about the process as a whole, though.

Wow, this makes me feel worse because I'm in the same exact position as you. Execpt that I got out right rejected. I keep wondering if I put anything in my AMCAS that is off-putting and that is why I am not getting all the screened secondaries that I know are out there. I don't want to take it as an ominous sign but....
 
titoincali said:
Wow, this makes me feel worse because I'm in the same exact position as you. Execpt that I got out right rejected. I keep wondering if I put anything in my AMCAS that is off-putting and that is why I am not getting all the screened secondaries that I know are out there. I don't want to take it as an ominous sign but....

I wouldn't try to over-interpret anything at the moment. I'm certainly happy that I've passed the screens so far, but two of the three screening schools to date are in-state for me (VA), and the third (Wake) is just south of me. I chalk my "success" up to geographic proximity more than anything else. Still, there's just no way to know what's going on in these adcoms, and their reasons for accepting or rejecting anyone are truly mysterious.
 
QofQuimica said:
Boy I'm glad that I don't have to take the MCAT now. I think last summer while I was studying for it was one of the most miserable times in my whole life. 😛

Hey Q,
Recalling that you have an amazing MCAT score, I was wondering if you did more than the Kaplan? Did you have a excess amount of material on hand due to your background? I also recall references to your Chem background, which I am sure was a big help. I was just wondering if you had any other tips or ideas for assimilating the information that you think might be helpful. Suggestions from others are appreciated as well.
 
titoincali said:
Wow, this makes me feel worse because I'm in the same exact position as you. Execpt that I got out right rejected. I keep wondering if I put anything in my AMCAS that is off-putting and that is why I am not getting all the screened secondaries that I know are out there. I don't want to take it as an ominous sign but....

Does Wake give geographical preference? They're in NC, right? So maybe NC residents get preference. I know that Miami gives preference to FL residents even though they're private.

Here's the profile for the 2004 Wake Forest entering class: http://www1.wfubmc.edu/MDProgram/Admissions/Class+Profile.htm

I didn't see anything about residency requirements anywhere, but it looks like it's about 40% NC residents, so they do seem to give preference.
 
JamieMac said:
Hey Q,
Recalling that you have an amazing MCAT score, I was wondering if you did more than the Kaplan? Did you have a excess amount of material on hand due to your background? I also recall references to your Chem background, which I am sure was a big help. I was just wondering if you had any other tips or ideas for assimilating the information that you think might be helpful. Suggestions from others are appreciated as well.

No, I just used Kaplan. I did take one of the AAMC tests, which are provided at the Kaplan center. If you haven't seen it before, I'd recommend that you go up to the MCAT forum at the top of the page, and read through the "30+ MCAT study habits" thread. There are about three years' worth of people's suggestions for studying for the MCAT. It's a sticky at the top of the page; here's the URL: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=46880
 
Everybody here seems to be on top of their game. I just submitted today 🙂 and hopefully I'll be working on my secondaries soon 😀

sweetdoc
 
All secondaries received out except for OUCOM 'cuz I'm waiting for Adobe Pro to show up. My husband isn't too keen on the OUCOM contract tho, so we're debating about even sending it. Just waiting for Colorado and Drexel to come in now and I'll be done. Unfortunately, my pre-med advisor STILL has not sent his LOR anywhere!! ARGH!! My chemistry prof got all his LORs out within two days..... I'm getting a wee tad PO'd.

On another note, pouring columns is a nasty touchy thing. Took me four tries to pour my last one right so it didn't have too many bubbles in it. 🙂 But you probably have someone doing that for you, huh Q? lucky devil 🙂
 
I've contacted two schools out of curiosity to see whose letters they'd received, if any. In both cases, only one out of the three that were sent. Augh...
 
ShyRem said:
On another note, pouring columns is a nasty touchy thing. Took me four tries to pour my last one right so it didn't have too many bubbles in it. 🙂 But you probably have someone doing that for you, huh Q? lucky devil 🙂

No, unfortunately I don't have a student anymore; my summer student's last day was today. Sigh, that always happens. I get someone trained, and then....the semester is over. 😛

P.S. If you get air bubbles in your column, you can cap it off and shake it (gently, especially if you have sand at the bottom!) and the air bubbles will work their way up to the top. You can avoid bubbles in the first place by pouring in the slurry slowly down the side of the column.
 
QofQuimica said:
No, unfortunately I don't have a student anymore; my summer student's last day was today. Sigh, that always happens. I get someone trained, and then....the semester is over. 😛

P.S. If you get air bubbles in your column, you can cap it off and shake it (gently, especially if you have sand at the bottom!) and the air bubbles will work their way up to the top. You can avoid bubbles in the first place by pouring in the slurry slowly down the side of the column.
Yeah, tried that. Still got bubbles. Ended up degassing the beaker with the slurry before pouring, then putting extra eluent on top and forcing it through under pressure. Weird.. all four of us in adv. lab had problems that week with our silica columns. If you were in Colorado, I need a job 🙂.
 
ShyRem said:
Yeah, tried that. Still got bubbles. Ended up degassing the beaker with the slurry before pouring, then putting extra eluent on top and forcing it through under pressure. Weird.. all four of us in adv. lab had problems that week with our silica columns. If you were in Colorado, I need a job 🙂.

lol, maybe it's a high altitude thing. I've never tried to run a column at high altitude; we don't have any altitude higher than a bridge overpass here in FL. 😛
 
sweetdoc said:
Everybody here seems to be on top of their game. I just submitted today 🙂 and hopefully I'll be working on my secondaries soon 😀
I haven't submitted my application either and while it's natural to compare your progress to others, sometimes it's best to just dance to your own beat. I'll be submitting my application as soon as I relocate to another state in the next week(then I'll know where to have schools send the secondaries) but until then, I'm cool!!! 😎
 
1Path said:
I haven't submitted my application either and while it's natural to compare your progress to others, sometimes it's best to just dance to your own beat. I'll be submitting my application as soon as I relocate to another state in the next week(then I'll know where to have schools send the secondaries) but until then, I'm cool!!! 😎
I agree, no need to stress. 🙂

Just an FYI if you are ready to submit and only waiting on the move: most secondaries are electronic, so your postal address won't be an issue.

You can update your address after submission, so might not need to wait for your new address.

Your friendly neighborhood will forward mail too. (You can find a thread in the pre-allo forum that lets you know which seconaries come in the mail, so you'll know what to look for and could even contact the schools if you want.)
 
SailCrazy said:
Your friendly neighborhood will forward mail too.
The fact is that 1 particular school is taking their time getting my transcript in so it's not really like I have a choice in this matter (The other 10 we in by the middle of June). Then there's the distraction of retaking the MCAT in two weeks, relocating my family 2 states away, getting my daughter registered in a new school, getting her physical for her new school, ect.ect. Not to mention to constant editing of the 3 essays I had to submit since I'm applying MD/PhD. I do have my LOR's ready to go, so at least THAT's out of the way.

But anyone who would depend on the US postal system to forward mail to them is absolutely insane!!!! 😱 :laugh:

Right now, it's looking like September 1 at the latest and to be honest I'm not the least bit worried. I'm one of those folks who lives convicted by a strong faith that everything I'm supposed to get in this life, will be had sooner or later. 😉
 
Well, I guess the system works -- just got an email saying that UVA has my complete application. The email also had this choice snippet:

Please do not become alarmed if you do not hear from us for an extended period of time. Repeated phone calls to the Admissions Office are not helpful and require the staff to take time away from processing incoming applications.

:laugh: I guess they're familiar with premed psychoses.
 
blee said:
:laugh: I guess they're familiar with premed psychoses.

It's nice when you can look on line to see what they have and what they're missing. The frustrating thing is when you're not sure whether you're complete and you don't know what they don't have.
 
amk25a said:
Is it possible to change the citizenship/PR info in the biographic info section after submitting/verification? I ask because I have been holding out on (re)-submitting this year because I am still an international. I'm hoping to get my permanent residency card soon (within the next month or so) so I can apply to all those schools that would suddenly open up to me.

I checked on my submitted AMCAS application and it looks like you can't change citizenship/visa info. When I click on this section, it says "application already submitted - this information cannot be changed". This is stupid, since your immigration status can change at any time... Sorry 🙁

Maybe what you could do is submit it as an international and then notify each school individually when your status changes. It might be risky though, because some schools will screen you out automatically if you're international. I think you should contact schools individually and see what they suggest.

When do you expect to get your green card? I was in the same situation as you, but I just got it less than a month ago. Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be... Just have your AMCAS ready to send, with your transcripts already there. It took them only 3 days to verify mine, and that was about 3 weeks ago. Hopefully it will go smoothly this time. Good luck with BCIS! 😉
 
Agh! Just got an email from Virtual Evals saying my letters had been uploaded by my advisor. I thought I had a solid week to procrastinate on some beastly secondaries (pritzker, BU).... I guess not.

I guess it's that time to start being afraid of my mail!
 
Hello all. I really like this thread. Anyway I have received three secondaries (MSUCOM, UMDNJ, PCOM-GA) 👍
 
My pre-med office is slowing me down. They've put me a week or two further behind by their dawdling. I'm a bit upset at that. Why does it take a month and a half to write a letter?!
 
I just got a notice from MCW to expect an interview invitation next week! Interview in September! Woohoo!
 
Awesome news!!!

Not much going on here. Received UMD and Cornell secondaries in the last couple of days.
 
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