2008-2009 UMass Secondary Application Thread

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hoyastudent09 said:
still no news from umass, but i did get good news from georgetown this week, so maybe the luck of the irish can hold out for everyone this week? good luck to everyone!
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Congratulations!!!!!! I really liked Georgetown, but the feeling was not mutual...

Quick question for those in the know: does anyone have any idea when the wait-list stops moving? Is UMass one of those places that accepts people right up until classes start?

Moving to New Orleans will not be a trivial affair, and I'll need to find an apartment, put down a deposit, etc. before school starts. I'm not sure when I should do this in the event that I'm put on the wait-list at a school I'd rather go to.
 
Umass accepts people up to the first day of class. I didn't get my rejection letter until the first day of class, in fact. Most of the movement, though is around 5/15.

I agree with Rowdy - if you are not seriously considering umass and simply haven't gotten around to withdrawing your app, I think it is best to so asap. In fact, I think on the AAMC website, they ask that applicants don't hold onto multiple acceptances unless absolutely necessary since these are things that DO seriously affect others.
 
hoyastudent09 said:
still no news from umass, but i did get good news from georgetown this week, so maybe the luck of the irish can hold out for everyone this week? good luck to everyone!
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Yay DC! Congrats on that.🙂
 
thanks for the congrats!! im still hoping to hear from UMass soon. the whole half the cost of Gtown is very very tempting. Plus, i loved it on the interview day, great people, great community. And a great trauma center! Come on luck of the irish! :xf:
 
raraxavis said:
PS... Identity crisis?
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LOL, no, just have been wanting to change my uname for a while, and figured new phase, new name. It means "smiling" in german, and my nickname was heidi, hence the pic.

Congrats Hoya!!

Ps I don't think people are going to hang onto Umass for the hell of it, but I wouldn't be suprised if people wait for a bit to see Finaid from other places. Good luck to everyone who's waiting, I know it sucks db.🙁
 
You'd be surprised... some people hold onto acceptances like trophies, which is both selfish and meaningless. Like I said before, if you're not serious about UMass then let it go for those that are still praying for an acceptance from the school.
 
rowdy411 said:
You'd be surprised... some people hold onto acceptances like trophies, which is both selfish and meaningless. Like I said before, if you're not serious about UMass then let it go for those that are still praying for an acceptance from the school.
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I also think some people are unaware or have not thought through how this can hurt others, so they hold on to multiple acceptances cause they think it is no big deal. But every acceptance someone gives up dramatically affects the life and planning (e.g. moving plans, selling a house, etc.) of another individual.

I woke up today and didn't even remember it was Friday until I started brushing my teeth.
:luck:
 
jka said:
I also think some people are unaware or have not thought through how this can hurt others, so they hold on to multiple acceptances cause they think it is no big deal. But every acceptance someone gives up dramatically affects the life and planning (e.g. moving plans, selling a house, etc.) of another individual.

I woke up today and didn't even remember it was Friday until I started brushing my teeth.
:luck:
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Fridays are like anxiety-laced punches in the face for me.
 
Anyone hear good news today?

Not here 🙁, but maybe someone out there is getting accepted.
 
rowdy411 said:
Fridays are like anxiety-laced punches in the face for me.
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Haha, funny analogy...less funny to get punched in the face.

I hope you guys get some good news today :xf::luck::xf::luck::xf: I'm not going to say I think today is the day because whenever I say that, it isn't.
 
erawka said:
Anyone hear good news today?

Not here 🙁, but maybe someone out there is getting accepted.
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Nope, nothing.

At this point I've more or less resigned myself to the fact that I won't be hearing until late April-ish. I mean, I interviewed in the middle of September. I think if they were going to show me some love, it would have happened already.

I wish UMass would reject people up front. Believe me, I'm happy to wait for months and months to go on a waitlist (well, maybe not happy, but I'll deal). But if they're going to reject me -- and they must have reviewed applicants by now who they know they'll never accept -- I would really rather they did it in a timely manner. I guess I just don't see the point in delaying the moment when you tell applicants that they aren't accepted.
 
virusgirl said:
Nope, nothing.

At this point I've more or less resigned myself to the fact that I won't be hearing until late April-ish. I mean, I interviewed in the middle of September. I think if they were going to show me some love, it would have happened already.

I wish UMass would reject people up front. Believe me, I'm happy to wait for months and months to go on a waitlist (well, maybe not happy, but I'll deal). But if they're going to reject me -- and they must have reviewed applicants by now who they know they'll never accept -- I would really rather they did it in a timely manner. I guess I just don't see the point in delaying the moment when you tell applicants that they aren't accepted.
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I completely agree! It seems really unlikely that they are just not sure about everyone they've interviewed but haven't accepted so far. There must be some people that they have no intention of accepting. If I am one of them, I would like to have known 4 months ago, or even last year.
The humane thing for the adcom to do is to reject these people upfront

Sigh....I am tired.
 
Yeah, nothing here either. This process sucks. I agree that if they're not going to accept people they should let us know right away.
 
virusgirl said:
Nope, nothing.

At this point I've more or less resigned myself to the fact that I won't be hearing until late April-ish. I mean, I interviewed in the middle of September. I think if they were going to show me some love, it would have happened already.

I wish UMass would reject people up front. Believe me, I'm happy to wait for months and months to go on a waitlist (well, maybe not happy, but I'll deal). But if they're going to reject me -- and they must have reviewed applicants by now who they know they'll never accept -- I would really rather they did it in a timely manner. I guess I just don't see the point in delaying the moment when you tell applicants that they aren't accepted.
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I guess to keep our sanity here we should try to imagine that there is SOME reason for them to torture us so. I feel like it must have to do with their inability to overaccept as a state institution. Since they're so limited in their ability to accept people up front, they must also be hesitant to slash candidates that are on the lower end of their favorites list, just in case they somehow ended up with too few.

All the same, I agree... there must be a few of us they really never had ANY intent of accepting after we interviewed. And since I interviewed five months ago, I think like a heads up, you're rejected back then would have allowed me to be over it by now, which would make me a much saner person.
 
raraxavis said:
I guess to keep our sanity here we should try to imagine that there is SOME reason for them to torture us so. I feel like it must have to do with their inability to overaccept as a state institution. Since they're so limited in their ability to accept people up front, they must also be hesitant to slash candidates that are on the lower end of their favorites list, just in case they somehow ended up with too few.

All the same, I agree... there must be a few of us they really never had ANY intent of accepting after we interviewed. And since I interviewed five months ago, I think like a heads up, you're rejected back then would have allowed me to be over it by now, which would make me a much saner person.
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Last year(and probably this year too), there were rejections that went out in mid-season shortly after people interviewed. So it seems if they absolutely know they won't accept you, they tell you right away. Otherwise, you have a shot - even if it is for the wait-list.... so no news = good news.

Also, I didn't get rejected until the first week of May last year...

This week was a bit of a bummer with a silver lining - 3 rejections (all the schools I was on pre-interview hold = rejected) but I did get an interview invite for St. George's... obviously a backup, but the fact that all of your rotations can be done at the New York City Hospitals is a big plus!

http://chronicle.com/news/article/4...00-million-deal-with-caribbean-medical-school

Anyone else considering going there?
 
From everyone on SDN, I only remember one person who was rejected before the big group of rejections....
 
What's the sign say?

rorschach-unmasked.jpg


big round of rejections goes out towards end of April, beginning of May.
 
So I ran into someone at newton-wellesley last night who interviewed the same day I did. Turns out his cousin has an acceptance at umass but no intention of going. She got into duke or something. She also will not withdraw her app at umass until she has to. Un-frickin-believable. Anyone that arrogantly unsympathetic has no business becoming a doctor.
 
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thompa said:
So I ran into someone at newton-wellesley last night who interviewed the same day I did. Turns out his cousin has an acceptance at umass but no intention of going. She got into duke or something. She also will not withdraw her app at mass until she has to. Un-frickin-believable. Anyone that arrogantly unsympathetic has no business becoming a doctor.
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Wow. Anyone that unsympathetic has no business being a human being. Seriously.
 
Thompa, do you work at NWH? I volunteer there on Sundays!
 
thompa said:
So I ran into someone at newton-wellesley last night who interviewed the same day I did. Turns out his cousin has an acceptance at umass but no intention of going. She got into duke or something. She also will not withdraw her app at umass until she has to. Un-frickin-believable. Anyone that arrogantly unsympathetic has no business becoming a doctor.
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Don't sweat the small stuff. Enjoy your days, and (easier said than done) don't expect to hear until april. Most of you will have good news in just over a month.

As a side note, I'm really impressed by the non-competitiveness and cohesiveness of this thread. I think you guys will make a great class!
 
thompa said:
I'm going to see this in IMAX right now! The graphic novel was extraordinary.
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What did you think?

Very true to the novel, though that ending...I suppose it works but I have to re-read that part in the book. Rorschach was definitely the best performance. Only disappointment with silk spectre was rather wooden, though I never was crazy about her character in the book either....

I'd be curious to know what people who did not read the book thought -anyone see it?
 
envirodoc said:
What did you think?

Very true to the novel, though that ending...I suppose it works but I have to re-read that part in the book. Rorschach was definitely the best performance. Only disappointment with silk spectre was rather wooden, though I never was crazy about her character in the book either....

I'd be curious to know what people who did not read the book thought -anyone see it?
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I've never read the book (and after the movie, I don't particularly want to). It was okay, I guess. I was really excited about it from the previews, but came away thinking it wasn't amazing or anything.

I agree with you about Rorschach though. He was the best, hands down. Although it really bothered me that his mask thing did the weird color shifting and his face didn't. Is there an explanation for this in the book?
 
I really enjoyed the movie. I would add the The Comedian also turned in a stellar performance. He and rorschach definitely carried the movie. I found silk spectre captivating...but for reasons other than her acting. Though I agree that her character in the novel was fairly weak, I think Alan Moore is a misogynist.
The ending made sense given the context of the movie, but its amazing how much was left out. My biggest complaint was that the movie didn't convey the sense of impending doom I had reading the graphic novel. The feeling that everything was building towards some terrible doom was palpable in the book, and less so in the movie.
I did really appreciate the visual style of the film though. There were so many scenes that were frames lifted right out of the graphic novel I lost count of them all. It was a gorgeous movie.

As for your question about rorschach virusgirl, in the book they explain its a special fabric with white and black dyes trapped in it that will move but not mix, thus the constantly shifting patterns.
I would also still recommend the graphic novel. It is a very complex and well crafted story, and the movie missed many of its finer subtleties.
 
virusgirl said:
I've never read the book (and after the movie, I don't particularly want to). It was okay, I guess. I was really excited about it from the previews, but came away thinking it wasn't amazing or anything.

I agree with you about Rorschach though. He was the best, hands down. Although it really bothered me that his mask thing did the weird color shifting and his face didn't. Is there an explanation for this in the book?
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Ah, the mask - there are dozens of other details like this in the movie that are only explained in the book. As you know Dr. Manhattan can manipulate materials and all, so the mask was actually a dress that Dr. Manhattan made and women wore it, the idea being that it would constantly shift its design due to body heat or something. Then Rorschach bought a dress and made it for his mask. So details like that can leave people confused...

I think the movie is probably more enjoyable if you read the book as you know what is going on and what to expect and get to sit back and have fun seeing how the director interprets and represents things etc etc. It was very true to the book, except maybe the sex scene in the night owl, that was over the top(maybe intended to be that way?). I found the violence/fight scenes to be reasonable in length (those things can easily bore me).

I wouldn't disregard the novel though. What made it enjoyable, for me, was all of the backstories and character development, not just the plot itself. I'm big into sci-fi and horror, but only a little bit of a graphic novel/comics guy(more neil gaiman style). I think Watchmen is really accessible to those who haven't read a full length graphic novel or any comics.

The concept of examining how society would react- psychologically, politically and spiritually - to an actual superhuman (dr. manhattan) is much better examined in the book. Many say the purpose of the novel was to push comics to "go beyond" the superhero where it was stagnating at that time. I can't fully comment on that, but I found it much more readable and interesting than any x-men or typical superhero comics. The movie (due to time limits) really distills it down a bit too much in that regard.
 
thompa said:
I really enjoyed the movie. I would add the The Comedian also turned in a stellar performance. He and rorschach definitely carried the movie. I found silk spectre captivating...but for reasons other than her acting. Though I agree that her character in the novel was fairly weak, I think Alan Moore is a misogynist.
The ending made sense given the context of the movie, but its amazing how much was left out. My biggest complaint was that the movie didn't convey the sense of impending doom I had reading the graphic novel. The feeling that everything was building towards some terrible doom was palpable in the book, and less so in the movie.
I did really appreciate the visual style of the film though. There were so many scenes that were frames lifted right out of the graphic novel I lost count of them all. It was a gorgeous movie.
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Yes, the Comedian was also well done.

And I would agree there was no real feeling of doom... no suspenseful buildup. But, we also knew the ending, so maybe that colored our perception?

I wonder how the extended edition will be, I heard they had 4+ hours of movie before the chopping block... perhaps all those extra scenes will really help and make it into an almost mini mini series.

Virusgirl, did you feel more suspense not knowing what would happen?
 
I wish I had something to say about this movie, but sadly I opted for I Love You, Man. Anyone else? It was the best Judd Apatow movie that Judd Apatow didn't have anything to do with I've ever seen.

But what I actually wanted to say was this, for all of us still waiting and hoping:

I'm on like the 15th of 30 PCR cycles and not in the mood for more paper reading, so I started wondering about all the people who used to post on this thread and slowly disappeared... Turns out they fall into two groups, and BOTH are still posting on SDN in general, just not so much on here anymore. (How much of a stalker am I?)

Group 1: People who got accepted and haven't posted since "I GOT IN!!!!!"
Why they're good for us: Because they also got into a bunch of other places, and clearly aren't as enamored of Umass as we all are, and therefore may give up their spots for us.

Group 2: People who interviewed and then never posted again.
Why they're good for us: Could these be the elusive early umass rejections? If so, it means that no news really IS good news for the rest of us. Also potentially falling into the first group, but didn't post when they got in.
 
envirodoc said:
Virusgirl, did you feel more suspense not knowing what would happen?
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Not really, but that's because I'm a tad cynical about superhero movies. They seem so predictable to me. They always end on a bittersweet note, with the city/planet/humankind saved, but not without some element of sacrifice or loss. Watchmen was no exception -- nuclear holocaust was avoided, but cities were still destroyed, and we lost Rorschach, and Dr. Manhattan decided to go to Mars.

That being said, my lack of suspenseful anticipation probably also had a lot to do with the fact that, at times, I was barely able to follow the plot. I probably need to watch it a few more times (or just read the darn graphic novel already!), but there were definitely moments when I was just flat-out confused.
 
raraxavis said:
Group 2: People who interviewed and then never posted again.
Why they're good for us: Could these be the elusive early umass rejections? If so, it means that no news really IS good news for the rest of us. Also potentially falling into the first group, but didn't post when they got in.
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Alternatively, maybe they're just more zen than we are, and recognize that the cards will fall where they fall, regardless of whether they blather neurotically on SDN with us! 🙂

Or maybe they just don't care. UMass is not high on everyone's list. I lurk on the EVMS and VCU threads, but I don't remember the last time I posted there.
 
virusgirl said:
Not really, but that's because I'm a tad cynical about superhero movies. They seem so predictable to me. They always end on a bittersweet note, with the city/planet/humankind saved, but not without some element of sacrifice or loss. Watchmen was no exception -- nuclear holocaust was avoided, but cities were still destroyed, and we lost Rorschach, and Dr. Manhattan decided to go to Mars.
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AAAH Virusgirl you made me realize what I didn't like about the movie ending - it felt too typical. The graphic novel ending has much more to it... I couldn't put my finger on the implications of the difference, but now I think I understand better what Moore was trying to get across and why he ended it the way he did. The movie ending substitution totally misses the point even if it tries to wrap things up the same way. The book ending is almost tongue-in-cheek, and in doing so makes a greater point, while the movie ending feels too serious and "typical superhero sacrifice bittersweet" to paraphrase you there...

I know that sounds confusing and I'm trying not to give away too much of the book, but Thompa - you know what I mean?
 
Was it Twain that said the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug? I believe it was, and that is the magnitude of difference between the ending of graphic novel and the ending of the movie. Both light up your mind, but only the graphic novel leaves a thunder clap ringing in your ears.

If you can't tell...I really enjoyed the novel. 🙂
 
So in case you hadn't heard, the EPA released a major finding today on the impacts of global warming on health:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...03/23/AR2009032301068.html?hpid=moreheadlines

The above article goes into the politics, but this article goes into a few of the health impacts briefly(not the best example but brief):

http://health.usnews.com/articles/h...ys-global-warming-could-hurt-your-health.html

I am wondering:

A. What you all think will be the impact of global warming on health practitioners and public health in general in the US

B. What role physicians should play, if any, in transforming society to low/no-carbon diet.

C. How you think this issue will impact your ideal/likely specialty over the course of your career.


If you want to discuss this somewhere else, join in here at the socio-political forum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=613333
 
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raraxavis said:
I wish I had something to say about this movie, but sadly I opted for I Love You, Man. Anyone else? It was the best Judd Apatow movie that Judd Apatow didn't have anything to do with I've ever seen.

But what I actually wanted to say was this, for all of us still waiting and hoping:

I'm on like the 15th of 30 PCR cycles and not in the mood for more paper reading, so I started wondering about all the people who used to post on this thread and slowly disappeared... Turns out they fall into two groups, and BOTH are still posting on SDN in general, just not so much on here anymore. (How much of a stalker am I?)

Group 1: People who got accepted and haven't posted since "I GOT IN!!!!!"
Why they're good for us: Because they also got into a bunch of other places, and clearly aren't as enamored of Umass as we all are, and therefore may give up their spots for us.

Group 2: People who interviewed and then never posted again.
Why they're good for us: Could these be the elusive early umass rejections? If so, it means that no news really IS good news for the rest of us. Also potentially falling into the first group, but didn't post when they got in.
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HAHAHA ok so next you have to request the web-traffic stats from SDN and look at the changes/time in visitors to this thread. Then do the same thing for previous years and track the posts of everyone that posted to UMass thread, what schools they went to and their stats. Then report back. Thanks

ps you are probably correct as I didn't post any last year after being rejected, though I did check in and mope
 
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envirodoc said:
HAHAHA ok so next you have to request the web-traffic stats from SDN and look at the changes/time in visitors to this thread. Then do the same thing for previous years and track the posts of everyone that posted to UMass thread, what schools they went to and their stats. Then report back. Thanks
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I myself haven't heard of anyone that interviewed and was rejected- although I didn't search back through the posts. I've heard of people who got flat our rejected (pre-interview)...feel free to prove me wrong-but my impression was UMass waits as long as they can and then sends out mass rejection early-mid May..with many people waitlisted at the end of April and acceptances somewhere in there...
 
In danger of being retrofitted to raraxavis's Group #1, figured I would chime in again. Sorry to not be providing more information...work has been all-consuming of late.

I empathize with you guys on the waiting pain, as my waiting was mostly frontloaded (pre-interview). However, I think UMass is worth the pain 🙂 Although it didn't have the flair or self-hype of some other Boston institutions I visited, once you look beneath all the marketing, UMass' value proposition was equivalent, if not better, in comparison.

There is an unspoken culture amidst the school that convinced me that the students here will make for excellent clinicians - without the pretension.

I was very impressed with UMass and I certainly plan to attend. Feel free to reach out to me with questions!
 
Welcome to our neurotic little club, skyline! When we aren't being basket cases on Fridays, we're a nice bunch 🙂
 
did anyone watch the Firehouse vid I posted earlier??? I know... awesome.
 
rowdy411 said:
did anyone watch the Firehouse vid I posted earlier??? I know... awesome.
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Rowdy, that was the most G-d awful noise I have ever heard! If trash cans could have sex, it would sound like that. I can't believe I actually paused Carole King to listen to that! 😛

I did like the hair though... apparently long flowing locks didn't die with the 80s...
 
virusgirl said:
Rowdy, that was the most G-d awful noise I have ever heard! If trash cans could have sex, it would sound like that. I can't believe I actually paused Carole King to listen to that! 😛

I did like the hair though... apparently long flowing locks didn't die with the 80s...
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Yeah, sorry Rowdy, I'd have to agree. 🙂

As for the people popping in and out of a thread - well, for the secondary threads, once you aren't waiting on a decision from the school, there isn't much to discuss/obsess about anymore. Those who are rejected don't want to pick a scab, and those who are accepted can just provide encouragement from time to time. Can't wait to see EVERYONE in the class thread though!
 
weak... so weak. Firehouse was an 80s hair metal band though- thus the hair!
 
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