- Joined
- Oct 1, 2008
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 0
Last Thursday. 2/26
has anyone gotten in off the under consideration list? i might just withdraw
I might have to as well. As I understand it, they aren't moving people off the list until may 15 when they get a flood of withdrawals. Keeps their stats more attractive...
Hi,
I interviewed last thursday, and we had a very nice tour guide who gave out her email address. However, I seem to have misplaced it and I would really like to contact her to ask a few Q's. Does anyone on this board have this information, or any other current student's address who would be willing to answer my Q's?
Good luck to those of you who interviewed last thursday, I hope that many of you agree that the school largely came across as better than represented here on SDN.
Anyways, just looking for some unbiased and honest opinions. Good luck again to all.
Sorry I don't have the e-mail address. Have you already heard back?
I'm interviewing on Monday March 16th (I'm taking a day trip from Seattle, ugh!) but I totally forgot what I wrote about in my application. I can't remember which EC I said that I would like to talk about.... is that going to be a problem?
I just received this email. It looks like I still have a *little* bit of hope for an interview from Albany....
Your application to the Albany Medical College has been placed in the
"Hold" category.
As we review applications, we inevitably find that the number of
qualified applications exceeds the number of applicants that we are
able to interview. From an applicant pool of approximately 9,000
candidates, roughly 600 hundred will be invited to interview.
Screening is done on an ongoing basis as applications become
complete. Therefore, in some cases a final screening decision is
temporarily deferred. If over the course of the admissions season we
find that too few candidates were initially invited to interview, we
will turn to the "Hold" category and invite selected applicants to
interview.
October 20when were you complete?
October 20
Just opened up the email...Under Consideration.
I just received this email. It looks like I still have a *little* bit of hope for an interview from Albany....
Your application to the Albany Medical College has been placed in the
"Hold" category.
As we review applications, we inevitably find that the number of
qualified applications exceeds the number of applicants that we are
able to interview. From an applicant pool of approximately 9,000
candidates, roughly 600 hundred will be invited to interview.
Screening is done on an ongoing basis as applications become
complete. Therefore, in some cases a final screening decision is
temporarily deferred. If over the course of the admissions season we
find that too few candidates were initially invited to interview, we
will turn to the "Hold" category and invite selected applicants to
interview.
Hate to burst your bubble, but I doubt there's much hope. I've been on hold myself since Jan, and I retook the MCAT in the meantime and got a much higher score. I emailed Albany to tell them, and got a nasty reply saying, "Albany does not accept January scores. Also, the limitations of the application process mean that each applicant can only be looked at once." Well, if that's true, why put someone on "hold" as opposed to rejecting them? The email itself implies that they can revisit your app in the future, but here they are refusing to do just that when there is a material change in the applicant.
Hate to burst your bubble, but I doubt there's much hope. I've been on hold myself since Jan, and I retook the MCAT in the meantime and got a much higher score. I emailed Albany to tell them, and got a nasty reply saying, "Albany does not accept January scores. Also, the limitations of the application process mean that each applicant can only be looked at once." Well, if that's true, why put someone on "hold" as opposed to rejecting them? The email itself implies that they can revisit your app in the future, but here they are refusing to do just that when there is a material change in the applicant.
Many schools score the application, and then grant interviews based on scores. So if an interview spot opens up, they will offer it to you based on your application score- that way they don't have to re-review each application.
does anyone know what's the last date they send out the invites for interviews? are they still handing them out?..
I callled this morning to try 2 request an interview since I'll be in NY and they said that since I was placed on "hold" I cannot. Said there are no immediate plans to use the hold category at all this year.
I just got an e-mail from Joanne Nanos saying she wanted to "talk about my application"...thoughts on what this could mean? I'm pretty scared that she's going to nicely reject me over the phone haha.
I just interviewed on Monday the 16th, so the committee should discuss me on 03/24. I've gotten into a school in Ohio, but if I get into Albany I would definitely choose that.
I just got an e-mail from Joanne Nanos saying she wanted to "talk about my application"...thoughts on what this could mean? I'm pretty scared that she's going to nicely reject me over the phone haha.
This isn't a personal attack, I am considering the school, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered going on the interview at all. Missing a day of work and spending 10 hours on a train isn't really my idea of fun.
And the reasons I described aren't all subjective/anecdotal. Obviously, some of them are, since it was *my* experience, which is why I'm wondering if maybe there was something I missed.
If you don't feel like answering, that's okay. It's too bad, since I really am interested as to what other's experiences were. But like I said several times, my post wasn't meant to bash the school, I'm just relating my observations during interview day and wondering whether my particular experience was just a rare occurrence.
I hate to be a party pooper (since I figure a bunch of you guys have been accepted to Albany and will be going there), but...just what is it that makes this school attractive?
Maybe it's because I'm comparing my interviews/tours to those I had at two other schools (one of whom I'm practically 100% decided upon), but I tried to be as objective as I could while I was evaluating this school, and came up with a con list that far outweighed the pro's:
Some of these are:...
1. The admissions department wasn't the most welcoming/helpful (again, maybe it's just me). But to relate 2 experiences that happened there...the welcoming lady (no clue what her name was) barely looked me in the eye when I was talking to her, and seemed upset that I dared to ask her any questions. And when I was leaving and needed help calling a cab and telling them where to pick me up (the place where cabs usually drop you off is different from the admissions building itself), she seemed confused that someone who'd never been to Albany Med wouldn't know the names of the buildings..
2. The admissions director (i think it was her anyway) had to refer to a fabricated positive interview feedback in response to the negative ones posted here on sdn (she literally said what she was quoting was probably made up). We had a laugh about it, but I felt it was a little awkward...granted, the interview feedbacks were somewhat negative, but the fact that she had to refer to something that was possibly fake seemed a little..defensive to me.
3. The facilities are veeerrry lackluster..(anatomy room can be smelled a mile away, the hallways were narrow as hell, student lounge was okay I guess but it looked like it could only fit about 10 students, the library/hospital seemed decent, but our tour guide didnt go into detail regarding them). Maybe I didn't see much, but I would assume that if you're trying to attract students, you would show them the best that you had to offer...and really, what I saw was kinda lacking.
4. Albany (or at least the area I saw on my cab ride to the school) is a very run down city. Now, I'm sure some of you may have grown up here and know a lot of nice spots, etc...but, I grew up in a similar area myself, and trust me, I wouldn't feel comfortable living in this area for 4 years. I simply did not feel safe there at all. It's completely unreasonable to fault the school itself for this, but again, if this is the city you have to work with, I didn't see any evidence of their trying to make up for this negative ( a pretty huge one, in my book).
5. There seemed to be nothing much 'happening' in the school. I didn't hear much about any significant, cutting edge research taking place, any new programs, etc...I actually found this pretty surprising considering the fact that there are so many different combined degrees available there, they have a partnership with an engeneering school, and the Department of Health is in the same area. The only person that remotely touched on this was one of my interviewers, who talked about some research he was doing with the EPA. There was nothing about any possible changes to their curriculum, or why it was devised the way it is (this I found particularly glaring, since case-based learning seems to be the thing now with most medical schools - for a very good reason which I wont go into detail about now - but Albany was mum on the issue)
6. I got the sense that Albany relied on 'history' way too much. A lot of the things they touted (one of the oldest medical schools, one of the first to use current 'systems' curriculum, notable alumni, etc..) is nice, but there was very little about future plans. It just seemed as if the faculty/admin at Albany were okay with the way things were (which seems wrong to me, since almost every other medical school admin office I've spoke with touts how med school education is even more challenging these days).
7. Maybe the students were in hiding or something? I really saw only 2 (our tour guides), and while they seemed excited enough...that's kinda their job.
As for pluses:
1. I did get the sense that the faculty were very top-notch, and that an education here would definitely get you far.
2. My interviewers were great, and frankly even though the interviews were more 'omg what if a deadly plague struck the earth and you only had 1 vaccine available', I thought it was a little refreshing to have that challenge and have to think quick on your feet. Contrary to popular sdn belief, there is *nothing* wrong with a little stress during one's interview.
3. The interviewers (and from here, I'm assuming the faculty) appeared to take their tasks very seriously. At one point, during my second interview, someone interrupted and my interviewer became visibly upset, even going so far as to call the person a .. something. Though it was a little surprising, it was nice to see that I wasn't just another number to them, they were very interested in getting to know me well.
In the end though I really didnt see anything that would draw me to this school. I am honestly very curious as to what some of you guys see in Albany Med though I'm not trying to attack this school at all, but this was the impression I got when I visited.