2009-2010 Albany Medical College Application Thread

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congrats to all those who have been accepted!!!

i recently received my interview invite for 3/4 and am wondering for those who interviewed, what stood out for you (good and bad)?
 
congrats to all those who have been accepted!!!

i recently received my interview invite for 3/4 and am wondering for those who interviewed, what stood out for you (good and bad)?

You should check the interview feedback (at the top). I think some people have bad experiences at Albany though. There's a lot of Albany bashing both in the topics and in the interview feedback.

I had a good experience there and there were no red flags. I think their anatomy lab is a little out of date, but at least it's above ground. That's really the only thing I didn't like.

The rest was a good experience: my interview was fun, the students I met were nice, and they had THE BEST FOOD ever. Most places just give you a tuna sandwich (I'm looking at you Downstate) or take you to the cafeteria but Albany went all out for us. They had sandwiches, wraps, salads, macaroni, and chips all presented in a way that it looked like really good quality (not just cafeteria food).

To prep for the interviews my best suggestion is to read the AMA website on ethics. You WILL get an ethical situation, or you'll be asked about an ethical situation you've been involved in. Some people will ask you one, others will drill you with many more. The reason for this is that Albany used to be where the Bioethics journal was published so they consider it very important for admission to the school (not sure the name of it, wikipedia it if you want to know).

But yeah, that about sums up my experience and some of my advice before you go. Definitely take a look at the interview feedback.
 
Urg I hear you on the Downstate tuna sandwich. I got skin breakouts after that meanl once I got back home.👎
 
You should check the interview feedback (at the top). I think some people have bad experiences at Albany though. There's a lot of Albany bashing both in the topics and in the interview feedback.

I had a good experience there and there were no red flags. I think their anatomy lab is a little out of date, but at least it's above ground. That's really the only thing I didn't like.

The rest was a good experience: my interview was fun, the students I met were nice, and they had THE BEST FOOD ever. Most places just give you a tuna sandwich (I'm looking at you Downstate) or take you to the cafeteria but Albany went all out for us. They had sandwiches, wraps, salads, macaroni, and chips all presented in a way that it looked like really good quality (not just cafeteria food).

To prep for the interviews my best suggestion is to read the AMA website on ethics. You WILL get an ethical situation, or you'll be asked about an ethical situation you've been involved in. Some people will ask you one, others will drill you with many more. The reason for this is that Albany used to be where the Bioethics journal was published so they consider it very important for admission to the school (not sure the name of it, wikipedia it if you want to know).

But yeah, that about sums up my experience and some of my advice before you go. Definitely take a look at the interview feedback.


i read the feedback, but im mentally dumping the negative aspects to stay positive for my interview because it would be amazing to be accepted to Albany. thanks for the feedback and advice... now my brain is running over this ethical scenarios!
 
To prep for the interviews my best suggestion is to read the AMA website on ethics. You WILL get an ethical situation, or you'll be asked about an ethical situation you've been involved in. Some people will ask you one, others will drill you with many more. The reason for this is that Albany used to be where the Bioethics journal was published so they consider it very important for admission to the school (not sure the name of it, wikipedia it if you want to know).

I actually wasn't asked an ethical dilemma in either of my interviews (which were both fairly long and detailed) :shrug:
closest to it was "when have you been involved in a conflict, how did you resolve it, and were you happy with the solution." I think I'm the outlier though haha
 
I also did not receive an ethical question.

Of course I still prepped for it though...
 
Yeah... I got rejected a LONG time ago (pre-Interview). Definitely not silent.

Wonder why they hated me so much...


email or snail mail?

if its snail, probably explains why i dont know abt my rejection, cuz i still have not received mailed rejections from most schools that rejected me. cost of mail too expensive (whining again!!!)
 
Yikes...March! I guess they are running out of slots =( My file still hasn't been reviewed, I've e-mailed them numerous times, and they keep saying that they will do it next week (they need to pull my last years app since I am a re-applicant) still nothing! UGH this is not encouraging
 
Yikes...March! I guess they are running out of slots =( My file still hasn't been reviewed, I've e-mailed them numerous times, and they keep saying that they will do it next week (they need to pull my last years app since I am a re-applicant) still nothing! UGH this is not encouraging

try not to worry. i am a reapplicant too and they told me the same thing. did you supply new rec or committee letter(s)? once they pulled my application from last year, they requested an updated letter. i would make sure that your file is up-to-date and complete.
 
try not to worry. i am a reapplicant too and they told me the same thing. did you supply new rec or committee letter(s)? once they pulled my application from last year, they requested an updated letter. i would make sure that your file is up-to-date and complete.

Finally got a complete notice today, they said I should be reviewed next week (I really hope it turns out to be next week) They didn't ask me for an up-date, maybe because I had a new committee letter? I dunno, I hope I get an interview, they say on their website that the most succesful applicants have been those with a 27 and a gpa of 3.0 or higher. My mcat is around there, and my gpa is well above that, but then it makes me nervous to see people on SDN with stellar stats that don't get in! WTH!?!?! :scared:

Ok enough whining...Sorry...needed to get that out...all this waiting is seriously messing with my head...
 
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Finally got a complete notice today, they said I should be reviewed next week (I really hope it turns out to be next week) They didn't ask me for an up-date, maybe because I had a new committee letter? I dunno, I hope I get an interview, they say on their website that the most succesful applicants have been those with a 27 and a gpa of 3.0 or higher. My mcat is around there, and my gpa is well above that, but then it makes me nervous to see people on SDN with stellar stats that don't get in! WTH!?!?! :scared:

Ok enough whining...Sorry...needed to get that out...all this waiting is seriously messing with my head...

People with stellar stats get rejected because they have stellar stats and Albany ADCOM knows those people probably are not going to go there.
 
Finally got a complete notice today, they said I should be reviewed next week (I really hope it turns out to be next week) They didn't ask me for an up-date, maybe because I had a new committee letter? I dunno, I hope I get an interview, they say on their website that the most succesful applicants have been those with a 27 and a gpa of 3.0 or higher. My mcat is around there, and my gpa is well above that, but then it makes me nervous to see people on SDN with stellar stats that don't get in! WTH!?!?! :scared:

Ok enough whining...Sorry...needed to get that out...all this waiting is seriously messing with my head...

Not to be an ass, but just as a point of clarification, 27 is pretty much the bottom cutoff for who will be considered for interview. The average matriculant MCAT is somewhere around 31 I think. That's not to say you cant get an interview with a 27 if you have an intriguing application.
 
Not to be an ass, but just as a point of clarification, 27 is pretty much the bottom cutoff for who will be considered for interview. The average matriculant MCAT is somewhere around 31 I think. That's not to say you cant get an interview with a 27 if you have an intriguing application.

Just want to clarify your point of MCAT ~31 for matriculated student, that is not exactly valid as half of the class did not even take MCAT. Most students at Albany are from special BA/MD program at Union, Siena and RIP.
 
Just want to clarify your point of MCAT ~31 for matriculated student, that is not exactly valid as half of the class did not even take MCAT. Most students at Albany are from special BA/MD program at Union, Siena and RIP.

It's actually not most, it's around 35-40% from the combined programs. About 90 or a few more seats in each first year class are traditional applicants (i.e. not coming through one of the combined programs). And assuming the people on this thread are traditional appicants, then they must have taken the MCAT, the average of which is ~31 at AMC for matriculated students who apply through the traditional admission process. Anyone applying through the traditional admissions process is only competing against people applying through the same process, all of whom must take the MCAT. Didn't mean to create any confusion.
 
Finally got a complete notice today, they said I should be reviewed next week (I really hope it turns out to be next week) They didn't ask me for an up-date, maybe because I had a new committee letter? I dunno, I hope I get an interview, they say on their website that the most succesful applicants have been those with a 27 and a gpa of 3.0 or higher. My mcat is around there, and my gpa is well above that, but then it makes me nervous to see people on SDN with stellar stats that don't get in! WTH!?!?! :scared:

Ok enough whining...Sorry...needed to get that out...all this waiting is seriously messing with my head...

check your mail...
 
Finally got a complete notice today, they said I should be reviewed next week (I really hope it turns out to be next week) They didn't ask me for an up-date, maybe because I had a new committee letter? I dunno, I hope I get an interview, they say on their website that the most succesful applicants have been those with a 27 and a gpa of 3.0 or higher. My mcat is around there, and my gpa is well above that, but then it makes me nervous to see people on SDN with stellar stats that don't get in! WTH!?!?! :scared:

Ok enough whining...Sorry...needed to get that out...all this waiting is seriously messing with my head...

Hey DazeDaisy,

You got a complete email this week and they said they would review next week? My file was complete on Nov 11 and they said my file is still under review. Anyone experiencing the same thing?
 
Hey DazeDaisy,

You got a complete email this week and they said they would review next week? My file was complete on Nov 11 and they said my file is still under review. Anyone experiencing the same thing?

Well I sent in all my stuff in early November too. They had everything they needed, but my online status just said 'no' in the last part where it says if its ready to be reviewed, and now it finally changed to yes. I don't think this necessarily means I will have a decision next week (that would be nice though!)

And all this talk about the MCAT, it's just one part of the whole picture. If I said I had a 27 and a 3.0, then I would be cutting it close to their minimum. But if one part of an applicant's file is weak, the other part CAN make up for it. Dare I reference one of the couple stories we've all heard about someone with a 25 getting into a good school?

Hope makes the world go round brothers and sisters 🙂
 
Withdrew from my invite here. Hope it goes to one of you guys here. 🙂
 
does everyone who interview either get accepted or placed into the UC pool? I was placed in the UC pool and thats what they seemed to imply. Does anyone get rejected after interviewing?
 
does everyone who interview either get accepted or placed into the UC pool? I was placed in the UC pool and thats what they seemed to imply. Does anyone get rejected after interviewing?

yeah, i think quite a few people just in this thread were rejected post-interview..
 
Well I sent in all my stuff in early November too. They had everything they needed, but my online status just said 'no' in the last part where it says if its ready to be reviewed, and now it finally changed to yes. I don't think this necessarily means I will have a decision next week (that would be nice though!)

🙂

Thanks for replying! Good luck to you Daisy!
 
does everyone who interview either get accepted or placed into the UC pool? I was placed in the UC pool and thats what they seemed to imply. Does anyone get rejected after interviewing?

I think a lot more got rejected than accepted/UC listed.
 
Interview invite February 2nd, hadn't heard anything in about 6 months.
 
Well that's a little reassuring. Congratulations and good luck! Were you put on hold?

Those that got interviews/accepted, mind posting stats? Please?
 
I received my interview invitation on 12/30/09 for an interview on 3/10/10. I have a great gpa (3.94), but my MCAT sucked (30N). Thankful to have an interview though.
 
Has anyone got off pre-interciew hold?😕
 
Congratulations Squirrel89!!

BTW, does AMC send out pre-interview rejection emails? My file has been complete since 11/11 and received the "after the new years" email, but still haven't received anything 🙁
 
Congratulations Squirrel89!!

BTW, does AMC send out pre-interview rejection emails? My file has been complete since 11/11 and received the "after the new years" email, but still haven't received anything 🙁

I have been complete since the middle of september and havent heard anything. Not even that email. Owell.
 
Well that's a little reassuring. Congratulations and good luck! Were you put on hold?

Those that got interviews/accepted, mind posting stats? Please?

No, I was never put on hold. This was the first I had heard from them since I can last remember.

I decided against going and withdrew. I hope it opens up a spot for one of you🙂
 
OK kinda worried because I tried logging in to check my status, and it's saying "The Deadline has expired for this request. Please contact the Admissions Office with any issues regarding this matter."

😕What the heck is that? Anybody else getting the same thing??
 
OK kinda worried because I tried logging in to check my status, and it's saying "The Deadline has expired for this request. Please contact the Admissions Office with any issues regarding this matter."

😕What the heck is that? Anybody else getting the same thing??

Hey Dazedaisy, I think you clicked the supplemental application. I logged on yesterday and I received the same message when I accidently clicked on the supplemental app, not when I clicked on the application status.
 
Has anybody gotten an interview invite lately?


Hey Dazedaisy, I think you clicked the supplemental application. I logged on yesterday and I received the same message when I accidently clicked on the supplemental app, not when I clicked on the application status.

I'm sure I was clicking on the application status, it wasn't working yesterday, but it is now! Thanks!
 
I actually wasn't asked an ethical dilemma in either of my interviews (which were both fairly long and detailed) :shrug:
closest to it was "when have you been involved in a conflict, how did you resolve it, and were you happy with the solution." I think I'm the outlier though haha

Lucky duck... I had one interviewer, and she totally grilled me on 3 (actually 4 after she REALLY made it more twisted and difficult) ethical questions. I nearly died. I wasn't surprised when I got "still under consideration" (but better than a flat-out rejection)
 
Lucky duck... I had one interviewer, and she totally grilled me on 3 (actually 4 after she REALLY made it more twisted and difficult) ethical questions. I nearly died. I wasn't surprised when I got "still under consideration" (but better than a flat-out rejection)

sounds like my interview, except I had a guy. not sure how i ended up on UC list either!
 
I interviewed 1/28/10. I think that the interview experience really just depends on who you get - my interview was really laid back. He spent the first 15-20 minutes asking me for questions about AMC and explaining trivia about the Albany area. I didn't have any ethics questions (after stressing out about them all week), and really my portion was just explaining and elaborating the experiences on my resume. Also, they really turn them around fast - interview on a Thursday, accepted the following Wednesday.
 
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does anyone know when they start drawing from the UC list or if they have already? thanks in advance
 
does anyone know when they start drawing from the UC list or if they have already? thanks in advance

Based on this thread it looks like they've drawn from the list at least once already (end of January). I think during the interview they said that they usually draw from it several times during the application cycle, although I have no idea how much of that happens while interviews are still going on. Hopefully they'll pull from it again soon though!
 
Ermmm.. if I was complete in August, and heard no news... what does that mean?

lol
 
Ermmm.. if I was complete in August, and heard no news... what does that mean?

lol

no news is good news.....?😳

I haven't been waiting quite as long, but waiting nonetheless. I'm guessing the East coast storm is slowing things down also😕
 
no news is good news.....?😳

I haven't been waiting quite as long, but waiting nonetheless. I'm guessing the East coast storm is slowing things down also😕

Didn't snow in Albany.
 
I was put on a pre-interview hold... not even sure what that means for us. I wonder how many people in this hold group actually get interviews. Oh well, chin up and keep waiting I guess.
 
I'm brand new to this thread, but I got an interview invite a few weeks ago for March 24. I'm nervous, I haven't heard too many good interview stories 🙁
 
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