2008 Non-Trad Applicants' Progress Thread

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I've got one more transcript waiting to be verified. All LOR's are set and ready to go. I am anxious to start writing and sending in my secondary applications!
 
As an undergrad med tech student, we had to take two classes related to research. In the fall, we basically did a literature search and wrote our proposal and in the spring, did the actual work, wrote the paper, and gave a presentation. Mine was an evaluation of an ELISA test that detected HLA antibodies in prospective kidney transplant patients. I believe that the hospital did implement the test afterwards.

When I think of listing research, I think of something more in depth and publishable (this was not published). Should I list it anyway? I still have my old report to refresh my memory?
 
Waywoe said:
As an undergrad med tech student, we had to take two classes related to research. In the fall, we basically did a literature search and wrote our proposal and in the spring, did the actual work, wrote the paper, and gave a presentation. Mine was an evaluation of an ELISA test that detected HLA antibodies in prospective kidney transplant patients. I believe that the hospital did implement the test afterwards.

When I think of listing research, I think of something more in depth and publishable (this was not published). Should I list it anyway? I still have my old report to refresh my memory?
Click to expand...

List it. Poster and proposal presentations count towards research work because it involves a lot of the same work. I only listed one or two of my publications in addition to poster work I've done in the past since AMCAS only allows 15 experiences to be detailed. I plan on enclosing a copy of my most recent resume with my secondary LOR's because it has a comprehensive list of all the volunteer, research, publication and poster work I've done over the years. I figure, the easier I make it for the adcom to see a complete picture of me as a person, the better off I may be in the long run.
 
FYI: You can submit now. It says on the home page:

"Submitted AMCAS applications will begin to transmit to the medical schools on or about June 21st, 2007."

Guess that means there's a minimum 2 week verification time for the first batch? Or they just don't want people contacting them asking why they haven't been verified in one week?

Looking over my app and schools one last time....
 
Just submitted! Settled on 25 schools. Just to cover all bases since I won't have my MCAT score until mid-July.

I'm pretty anxious to get verified since I requested a transcript exception for a semester of study abroad I did (NOT through a U.S. institution). Per AMCAS rules it looks like no transcript is needed, but it still makes me nervous!

I'm also wondering if it will really take until June 21st for everyone to get verified that submits today....
 
Oh, and FYI, but it looks like some schools have authorized AMCAS to do a background search for them if you apply. I believe it gives you the list of participating schools before you complete the submission process. One of my schools was on this list (Northwestern), so after I submitted I got this message:

"As you were notified in the AMCAS application, you have applied to at least one medical school that is participating in an AMCAS-facilitated national background check service, through which Certiphi Screening, Inc. (a Vertical Screen® Company) will procure for participating medical schools a national background report on applicants at the point of initial, conditional acceptance. In our first year of this service, ten medical schools have agreed to participate in order to assist the AAMC with this new endeavor.

Upon your initial, conditional acceptance by a participating medical school, or upon request by a participating medical school that adds you to its alternate list, Certiphi Screening, Inc. will send an email with additional information to your preferred email address."

I don't recall the actual list, but I do remember seeing some Cali schools on there too.

Also, you get an email telling you it could take up to six weeks during "busy season" for verification. AND, don't worry if all of your transcripts are in, but after you submit it says your status is "waiting for transcripts." If you log off and log back in a few minutes later, it says that you're ready for review. You also get an email listing the status of your transcripts.
 
phoenix1 said:
I'm also wondering if it will really take until June 21st for everyone to get verified that submits today....
Click to expand...

Nope. That just means they're claiming that schools won't be SENT your verified application until the 21st. There's at least one dude in pre-allo who claims he has already been verified.

-z
 
My most recent institution FINALLY sent out my transcripts to AAMC (and a copy for myself). Hopefully I can submit in the next week or two!!!! Woot!

And MAYBE even submit my AACOMAS in the next 2 weeks!

OMG - for a lifelong procrastinator I'm incredibly on top of this!
 
I'm sitting on my application for a couple more days. It's all filled out and ready to submit, I'm just waiting to hear back from a school on one little detail. I should hear back this week and once I do, I'll be joining the ranks of "The Submitted."

Really, it's driving me crazy. I so want to hit that submit button. . . . must . . . have . . . patience . . .
 
Submitted and ready for review. Yay!🙂
 
Verified! Yay! Never mind the fact that they misclassified most of my Criminal Justice courses from undergrad as Foreign Language/Linguistics...
 
As of this post, my transcripts haven't arrived yet. Which sucks. On the other hand, I've updated my EC's, and I think they're better now:

3 Faculty positions (2 adjuncts, 1 ethicist)
2 Professional Experiences (Paid hospital work, Corporate work in behavioral health)
4 Publications (Critical Care textbook; Oxford Desk Reference; American Journal of Bioethics; Doctoral Dissertation)
2 Research studies (as PI)
4 Presentations (Psychiatric Grand Rounds, A Futility panel discussion, Geriatric Psychiatry, and "Ethics and Technology").

Knock on wood, things will go better this time around (although, *technically* I haven't heard back from Pitt about the waitlist, so 2007 is still a possibility).

EDIT:

I'm also looking at a smaller pool of schools (in no particular order):

MD:
Pitt
UPenn
Drexel
Jefferson
Temple
PSU
Georgetown

DO:
PCOM
LECOM
 
Verified earlier this afternoon. Happily, they did not request that overseas transcript I was fretting about. And EVEN more happily, my overall gpa is MUCH higher than what I got from all of those gpa calculators! The gpa calulator said I had a 3.59 overall gpa and a 3.7 science. Per AMCAS, I ended up with a 3.78 overall gpa, and a 3.77 science gpa. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I guess I should be happy no calculators are allowed on the MCAT. Hah.

Also, I don't know if they actually sent my app out to the schools yet, but my status page says that my "Application has been made available to the designated medical schools." Obviously, this is in direct contradiction to the notice on the main AMCAS page saying no apps will be sent until June 21st. No idea which is right. But if I get a secondary before June 21st, I guess that will settle the confusion.
 
Quix said:
As of this post, my transcripts haven't arrived yet. Which sucks. On the other hand, I've updated my EC's, and I think they're better now:

3 Faculty positions (2 adjuncts, 1 ethicist)
2 Professional Experiences (Paid hospital work, Corporate work in behavioral health)
4 Publications (Critical Care textbook; Oxford Desk Reference; American Journal of Bioethics; Doctoral Dissertation)
2 Research studies (as PI)
4 Presentations (Psychiatric Grand Rounds, A Futility panel discussion, Geriatric Psychiatry, and "Ethics and Technology").

Knock on wood, things will go better this time around (although, *technically* I haven't heard back from Pitt about the waitlist, so 2007 is still a possibility).

EDIT:

I'm also looking at a smaller pool of schools (in no particular order):

MD:
Pitt
UPenn
Drexel
Jefferson
Temple
PSU
Georgetown

DO:
PCOM
LECOM
Click to expand...

Quix, I have a LOT of faith in you this time around. You are applying way early, and being smart about choosing schools (MD and DO). Good luck and I hope to see an early acceptance with you!
 
verified 6-6-07, Yeah. I guess I just have to wait now....
 
I haven't even THOUGHT of submitting, but since I'm probably applying to only 2-3 schools I'm not all that concerned. I'm waiting for my MCAT score next week :scared:

I need to work on PS as well. I have all my transcript requests ready to go though. I had them done in May. But with my recent move, life has been so scatterbrained!
 
My application was verified this morning- gosh that was fast! I'm impressed. My GPA was about what I expected, so that's probably good. And Yale's secondary is out- they send them to everyone apparently, so I took a look at that this morning.
 
Way to go. I got verified on the 6th and had to submit an academic change request. That was completed today, so they're still moving at a good pace.

Wow, I didn't know schools had seen anything yet. There's been a shadow of doubt over whether AAMC would send apps to schools yet, since their web site says the 21st. Not applying to Yale personally, but it's nice to know that things are starting to move. Good luck!

-z
 
Captain Fantastic said:
I'm sitting on my application for a couple more days. It's all filled out and ready to submit, I'm just waiting to hear back from a school on one little detail. I should hear back this week and once I do, I'll be joining the ranks of "The Submitted."

Really, it's driving me crazy. I so want to hit that submit button. . . . must . . . have . . . patience . . .
Click to expand...

Still waiting. I heard back today that the Dean has been out of town so she hasn't addressed my issue yet. I was told to expect something by the end of this week. Do they know how torturous this is? *pulling out my hair*
 
Another non-trad applying for 2008 here!

I took the MCAT on May 25th and will wait for the score before submitting. If it's not over a certain threshold I may have to put everything off another year. *sigh*

I have started filling in my AMCAS in the meantime but am now stuck on the PS. I have so much I want to say but am having a difficult time giving it the right spin. The ideas are starting to come so I hope to have it done in the next week.

I entered my transcripts but now need to request the official ones. I am still missing 2 LOR's but the writers have promised to get them in by the end of the month.

The activities section is a pain in the butt too.

I feel that the MCAT sucked the life out of me and now I am having a hard time getting motivated about the application. I need to shape up . . . NOW! :scared:
 
I'm still working on my PS and EC's. I'm having a hard time with the PS and it is not going quickly. I am really struggling with it. Anyway, I have a list of 17 school and am hoping to have everything ready to submit by July 1st at the latest. I am also waiting on a few professors to finish up LOR's. I should get my MCAT scores later this week. *crossing my fingers*

Congrats to all of you who are verified already!
 
megboo said:
Woot!

When did you have them sent??
Click to expand...

10+ days ago. Gotta love that speedy turn-around. 😉 Ironically enough, the one they received *did not* have the official AMCAS transcript request attached (the transcript was ordered online and I couldn't add any attachments).

EDIT

Just received notification that the second transcript arrived. I would love to be able to submit the overall application this week.
 
Just met with Beth at UPitt, and got some sobering news. She anticipates that I will not get in off of the waitlist, and that my raw numbers (3.24, 32T) are the biggest hurdle for admissions; the rest of my application doesn't balance out this deficit. She indicated that they are planning to interview fewer people next year (<1000; down from 1200+) to increase the calibre of their students as well as increase their ranking, so my raw numbers will likely be an even bigger hurdle next cycle. She said it was good to look into DO schools, and recommended retaking the MCAT to try to compensate for my QPA. I really, *really* don't want to have to attack the Beast again.

It was more than a little deflating, to say the least. I'm not even terribly enthusiastic about working on the studies I'm leading now, since they apparently won't really help me get into my #1. Regardless, I promised myself one more application cycle, so I'll roll the dice one more time against these odds. Worst case scenario, I'll just hunker down with my doctorate and be an academic.
 
pingouin said:
Quix- so sorry 🙁
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was thinking about this over lunch, and I've decided that they're not rejecting me without a fight. I'm reapplying next year, as I'm too vested in staying in Pittsburgh (personally and professionally); I've kicked ass here, and have done a lot that wasn't in my 2007 AMCAS primary application.
 
I can't say how helpful this is to watch others go through this process prior to even registering for a single post bacc course.

I'm sorry you don't think u'll get into your first choice. Hopefully another door will open for you.

Is it true what they are rumoring about PA medical loan programs? If so, well they say that if you don't have anything nice to say... so I'll just let that one be since i've heard the best policy is a no "bashing" attitude...

I went to Penn State, grew up in Philadelphia and attended The Beasley School of Law at Temple University ... Hey nobody's perfect ... I wish I could take it all back <g> but unfortunately they tell me I can't hehehe.

But what is this I'm hearing about the state planning on offering Med School loan forgiveness for med students who stay in state for 10 years? is any of this true?

I thought you might know the skinny since having left the state years ago, I really try to have as little as possible to do with the place <g>
 
Quix said:
Thanks. I was thinking about this over lunch, and I've decided that they're not rejecting me without a fight. I'm reapplying next year, as I'm too vested in staying in Pittsburgh (personally and professionally); I've kicked ass here, and have done a lot that wasn't in my 2007 AMCAS primary application.
Click to expand...

awesome 👍
 
Ok for me, I'm just filling out the forms and such this year to get used to the process for when I actually will do it next year... since I don't yet have Organic Chemistry and the like until next June.

Do we really have to go through this entire application and FILL In every single course we've ever taken? Jesus.. and then what they on their end simply get a copy of your transcripts mailed to them and they check to see that the information you submitted matches?

As for A.P. high school courses that you DID not test for credit.. the site says that we should list these as well..... Do we need to contact our high schools and have them send out a list of our transcripts as well? Jeez haven't talked to them in years ....

Ok now the big question... when I do this live for the 2008 cycle... will I be able to simply transfer the information from my 2007 application PLUS my POST Bacc program courses? Meaning.. will I be able to save all the INDIVIDUALLY entered course work.. which for me is like what 16 semesters including my graduate work... or will I have to spend the clerical time TYPING in the names and grades of every single class I've EVER taken? I can I hope to god just transfer these over for next year's app even IF I Never hit the "SUBMIT" button.:laugh:

I wish you all the best of luck.. and I assume that when they say to do this stuff early... YOu can actually plan so that the transcripts you need are in the hands of the AAMCS from day one... so that your information hits the Med Schools first...
 
budhak0n said:
Do we really have to go through this entire application and FILL In every single course we've ever taken? Jesus.. and then what they on their end simply get a copy of your transcripts mailed to them and they check to see that the information you submitted matches?
Click to expand...

Yes, you do. And yes, they do.

As for A.P. high school courses that you DID not test for credit.. the site says that we should list these as well..... Do we need to contact our high schools and have them send out a list of our transcripts as well? Jeez haven't talked to them in years ....
Click to expand...

No, the site does not say that. In fact, the Applicant Instruction Guide, which no one can be bothered to read, apparently, says the exact opposite. Page 49 says, "To claim AP credit, the credit hours must be listed on your transcript." Therefore, if you did not take the AP exam, you don't list anything. If you took the AP exam and none of your schools gave you credit, you don't list anything.

Ok now the big question... when I do this live for the 2008 cycle... will I be able to simply transfer the information from my 2007 application PLUS my POST Bacc program courses? Meaning.. will I be able to save all the INDIVIDUALLY entered course work.. which for me is like what 16 semesters including my graduate work... or will I have to spend the clerical time TYPING in the names and grades of every single class I've EVER taken? I can I hope to god just transfer these over for next year's app even IF I Never hit the "SUBMIT" button.:laugh:
Click to expand...

Yes, AMCAS typically transfers most of your information to the new year's application. You will have to enter by hand any courses that you didn't enter during your "practice" AMCAS the prior year.

I wish you all the best of luck.. and I assume that when they say to do this stuff early... YOu can actually plan so that the transcripts you need are in the hands of the AAMCS from day one... so that your information hits the Med Schools first...
Click to expand...

And yet so many people submit late every year... :laugh:


-z
 
Ugh. I'm STILL waiting on my last transcript to be recorded by AMCAS. It was sent last Monday, so it probably got there Thursday. How long should I give AMCAS before I investigate?
 
megboo said:
Ugh. I'm STILL waiting on my last transcript to be recorded by AMCAS. It was sent last Monday, so it probably got there Thursday. How long should I give AMCAS before I investigate?
Click to expand...

Where is the transcript from? My last transcript is coming from Boston going to DC. My grades were mailed on Monday, the 11th, so I suspect that they should have received the grades at AMCAS already but haven't confirmed it on their system yet. I would give them a week and a half from the anticipated receipt date before you ask AMCAS what the deal is with the transcript. The surge of paperwork is prolly starting to get crazy...
 
pingouin said:
I'm on day 3 of being "under review". The fact that other people were verified same- or next-day is doing nothing to quell my anxiety.
Click to expand...

I'd imagine the applications are starting to pour in. Keep the faith.
 
zipmedic said:
I'd imagine the applications are starting to pour in. Keep the faith.
Click to expand...
😀 came home to a verification email.

I'm not good at waiting, so this year will be a true test of my patience and hopefully teach me a few things. Additionally, I'm going to attempt to stop biting my fingernails so that they look at least half-way decent for interviews, so I'm going to have to find a new outlet for my anxiety, and it canNOT involve food. Expect to see my post count increase exponentially. 😀
 
sehnsucht said:
Where is the transcript from? My last transcript is coming from Boston going to DC. My grades were mailed on Monday, the 11th, so I suspect that they should have received the grades at AMCAS already but haven't confirmed it on their system yet. I would give them a week and a half from the anticipated receipt date before you ask AMCAS what the deal is with the transcript. The surge of paperwork is prolly starting to get crazy...
Click to expand...

My transcript was coming from a Chicago burb. Sent last Monday (6/4) and probably got to the AMCAS office on Thursday (6/7) or Friday (6/8) - usually takes 3-4 business days to mail something from here to the East Coast. I suppose it takes 7-10 business days from receipt to process..... grrr..... it's so hard to wait without knowing 😉

I requested another transcript to be sent today just in case.... I'm sure there are cases of lost transcripts and such. What makes it even more frustrating is that it's my LAST ONE! That and there's no expedited shipping I can opt for with a tracking number to make sure it was received 😱
 
pingouin said:
😀 came home to a verification email.

I'm not good at waiting, so this year will be a true test of my patience and hopefully teach me a few things. Additionally, I'm going to attempt to stop biting my fingernails so that they look at least half-way decent for interviews, so I'm going to have to find a new outlet for my anxiety, and it canNOT involve food. Expect to see my post count increase exponentially. 😀
Click to expand...

WTG Pingouin!
 
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