2009-2010 Boston University Application Thread

[TAJgoesMD]

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March
31st to my knowledge.

They are sending out interview invites through March 31st? I still haven't heard anything and was complete end of September. Would they really keep my application this long just to reject me with no interview?

 

[bannie22]

They are sending out interview invites through March 31st? I still haven't heard anything and was complete end of September. Would they really keep my application this long just to reject me with no interview?

No. Acceptance letters go out March 31st.

 

[RunningDiva]

They are sending out interview invites through March 31st? I still haven't heard anything and was complete end of September. Would they really keep my application this long just to reject me with no interview?

interview invites are probably all but gone. this week is the last week of scheduled interviews (per a friend). i'm sorry TAJ 🙁

 

[smmypnts]

interview invites are probably all but gone. 🙁

I now regret going to BU undergrad, giving them 100K of my money and endorsing their name, when they rejected me from med school, despite my qualifications. BU is officially on my s*** list. If anyone ever asks, I will tell them that I went to a bad school for undergrad which is now true to me.

 

[FuSoYa]

I now regret going to BU undergrad, giving them 100K of my money and endorsing their name, when they rejected me from med school, despite my qualifications. BU is officially on my s*** list. If anyone ever asks, I will tell them that I went to a bad school for undergrad which is now true to me.

 

[jturkel]

I now regret going to BU undergrad, giving them 100K of my money and endorsing their name, when they rejected me from med school, despite my qualifications. BU is officially on my s*** list. If anyone ever asks, I will tell them that I went to a bad school for undergrad which is now true to me.

i'm sorry you feel this way. your bitterness is quite apparent towards BU in your post. however, just because you go/went to their undergraduate institution does not mean you have a better chance of an acceptance or interview. the only statistic that would be relevant to bring up here about undergrad to medical school, or graduate school in general for that matter, is that a high amount of the applicant pool from a particularly undergraduate institution may/will apply to its respective medical school if it has one. There is not necessarily a preference to taking these students.

 

[smmypnts]

I now regret going to BU undergrad, giving them 100K of my money and endorsing their name, when they rejected me from med school, despite my qualifications. BU is officially on my s*** list. If anyone ever asks, I will tell them that I went to a bad school for undergrad which is now true to me.

Ok I'm being a bit over dramatic, but only to express my frustration at the fact that BU held onto my application until now with no news when I feel I should have at least gotten an invite.

And I think my stats and experience alone, despite my going there for undergrad, qualifies me. And I have in fact gotten invites at higher ranked schools.

 

[anfleisch]

I had the same situation with penn state where it seemed especially hard to get an interview even when my stats and stats of several people I know are considerably above their averages. This may be a normal thing, since probably almost every BU premed applies to BU med school.

 

[RunningDiva]

Ok I'm being a bit over dramatic, but only to express my frustration at the fact that BU held onto my application until now with no news when I feel I should have at least gotten an invite.

And I think my stats and experience alone, despite my going there for undergrad, qualifies me. And I have in fact gotten invites at higher ranked schools.

I totally get the frustration - I was rejected from the school that I work for. I was peeved for a couple of days but it wore off. Honestly, don't take it that personally otherwise it will eat you alive. I'm sure you're qualified but so are the 5,000 + ppl who also applied to BU. I guess I expected to get stiffed by a number of schools so I was mentally prepared to NOT have expectations of where I thought I should have gotten interviews (and acceptances for that matter...).

 

[bannie22]

They found you overqualified.

 

[DoctwoB]

Look, the fact of the matter is different schools are looking for different things. I've gotten interviews at top 10s and rejections from unranked schools. An interview at Harvard in no way entitles you to an interview at other schools.

I also agree that your alma mater is under no obligation to give your application extra consideration (mine certainly hasn't). Instead, it helps in that they know you're more likely to attend if offered acceptance, they may know your rec letter writers/ PIs etc. I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy your undergrad at BU, but you shouldn't have gone there just as a route to BU med anyways.

 

[bannie22]

Look, the fact of the matter is different schools are looking for different things. I've gotten interviews at top 10s and rejections from unranked schools. An interview at Harvard in no way entitles you to an interview at other schools.

I also agree that your alma mater is under no obligation to give your application extra consideration (mine certainly hasn't). Instead, it helps in that they know you're more likely to attend if offered acceptance, they may know your rec letter writers/ PIs etc. I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy your undergrad at BU, but you shouldn't have gone there just as a route to BU med anyways.

Congratulations on that.

 

[slowbutsteady]

I think (but do not know for sure) that the med school associated with my undergrad looks at the applicants from the undergrad as a pool unto itself.

They take a lot of them but don't want to take too many and MANY apply.

Maybe your fellow BU grads beat you out for the interview?

 

[smmypnts]

I think (but do not know for sure) that the med school associated with my undergrad looks at the applicants from the undergrad as a pool unto itself.

They take a lot of them but don't want to take too many and MANY apply.

Maybe your fellow BU grads beat you out for the interview?

I suppose that they might have beat me out - possibly due to having good contacts at the med center or applying earlier than I did. But it wouldn't seem fair if someone (probably with lower stats and less experience) got an interview just because he or she volunteered 5 hours a week with a BU med professor or was complete 2 weeks before me. Yes I know life isn't fair.

Also, for the record, I did not apply to Harvard.

 

[bannie22]

I suppose that they might have beat me out - possibly due to having good contacts at the med center or applying earlier than I did. But it wouldn't seem fair if someone (probably with lower stats and less experience) got an interview just because he or she volunteered 5 hours a week with a BU med professor or was complete 2 weeks before me. Yes I know life isn't fair.

Also, for the record, I did not apply to Harvard.

Heh, I'm talking abt doctorwob who mentioned his interview (if he has one).

Anyway, I understand how you feel. I feel that my UG institute would insult me quite abit to not bring me in for an interview.

I dont have the best gpa/best stats or best anything.
But I think I would make a good candidate either way.
and at least.. some humanity in the process.

I've been here, contributed (i hope) so I really deserve at least a look.

but really smmypnts. maybe ur stats are just too high.

and BU just wants the better for you. which is GET OUTTA BU !!! LOL😀

 

[OneMCATAway]

would a letter of interest go under update letter, interview follow up, or other?

 

[boaz]

would a letter of interest go under update letter, interview follow up, or other?

It can be combined with an update letter. Interview thanks letters are usually sent separately.

 

[Reekneee]

So I totally didn't realize that you can upload thank you letters, I e-mailed mine right to my interview because she gave me her e-mail address for questions or anything else. Do they prefer having the letters uploaded? Should I upload it also?

Also, do a lot of people upload an "interview follow-up" or update letter post interview?

 

[beantownboss]

So I totally didn't realize that you can upload thank you letters, I e-mailed mine right to my interview because she gave me her e-mail address for questions or anything else. Do they prefer having the letters uploaded? Should I upload it also?

Also, do a lot of people upload an "interview follow-up" or update letter post interview?

I sent my thank letter directly to the interviewer via his personal e-mail address. He never sent a reply but I assume he got it. Only about 1/2 of my thank you letter garnered a response from my interviewer. I think it just depends on the person.

 

[MarvelFanatic]

So I totally didn't realize that you can upload thank you letters, I e-mailed mine right to my interview because she gave me her e-mail address for questions or anything else. Do they prefer having the letters uploaded? Should I upload it also?

Also, do a lot of people upload an "interview follow-up" or update letter post interview?

I wouldn't upload a thank you letter. That is really just meant for your interviewer, and as such, does not need to be included in your file for all of the admissions committee to see.

I would recommend uploading an update letter post interview if you have something relevant to add. Otherwise maybe just a letter of interest/intent? I personally think uploading something post interview is a good idea because it shows your continued interest in the school. I know BU likes to see that you really really want to go there.

 

[beantownboss]

bump!

 

[magnetoscope]

WOW, i was wondering how long this silence was going to last!! probably the longest one i've seen on the BU thread at least. now that interviews are officially over, it's all a waiting game.....

 

[Petemoss]

So the message I got on interview day was that very few people are waitlisted and most will hear either an acceptance or rejection. Anyone else felt the same way?

 

[anfleisch]

I got the same picture from what they said, but looking back at past threads the waitlist did not seem too small. Hopefully they will stick with the small waitlists this year, it may have been due to a large matriculating class the year prior and they could not allow for that possibility a second year in a row.

 

[magnetoscope]

to me it seems as if they're just really good at guessing who decides to matriculate. If you accept 350 whatever students, and expect 115 to accept, that's a pretty exact number (expecting that 235 do NOT matriculate). Why not accept 200 (by playing it safe) and throw like 200 on the waitlist so that they make sure they don't over-enroll again?

But I agree with the above, definitely sounded as if they have a very small waitlist.

 

[deleted280995]

WOW, i was wondering how long this silence was going to last!! probably the longest one i've seen on the BU thread at least. now that interviews are officially over, it's all a waiting game.....

may i ask you how you know the interviews are officially over? thanks 🙂

 

[drbuckingnicks]

may i ask you how you know the interviews are officially over? thanks 🙂

I was told by my interviewer that Feb 12th, last Wed was the last day of interviews. We also received an email prior to interview day saying that interviews would be held as scheduled even with the impending snow storm, and to try your best to make it in as it would be almost impossible to reschedule interviews. I was told that there may be a couple half day interviews that would be given out to the BU Graduate Medical Sciences students who are locals in the next week or two. But other than that no more formal full day interviews with a campus tour and what not.

 

[drbuckingnicks]

So the message I got on interview day was that very few people are waitlisted and most will hear either an acceptance or rejection. Anyone else felt the same way?

Yeah, my interviewer told me the waitlist hasn't moved really in the past 3-4 years so you either make it or you don't. 😳 Basically don't bank on the waitlist at BU. I did hear a pretty crazy story about a student getting off the waitlist for their state school on the day of their white coat ceremony at BU.

 

[lkevin]

So the message I got on interview day was that very few people are waitlisted and most will hear either an acceptance or rejection. Anyone else felt the same way?

They claim that the waitlist is small (and how much they hate it), but it's not small. If you look at past application cycles, pretty much everyone who doesn't get admitted gets waitlisted. It's a diplomatic way of rejecting people...

 

[mdeast]

They claim that the waitlist is small (and how much they hate it), but it's not small. If you look at past application cycles, pretty much everyone who doesn't get admitted gets waitlisted. It's a diplomatic way of rejecting people...

The admissions dean apparently hates waitlists. But they make sense. There's no point in rejecting candidates which (barring a horrible interview) are probably qualified to attend...if you risk being put in the difficult situation of having too many accepted students choose other institutions. I know BU seems to pride itself on only accepting students who they think will attend, but to be honest, that's entirely unpredictable.

 

[lkevin]

The admissions dean apparently hates waitlists. But they make sense. There's no point in rejecting candidates which (barring a horrible interview) are probably qualified to attend...if you risk being put in the difficult situation of having too many accepted students choose other institutions. I know BU seems to pride itself on only accepting students who they think will attend, but to be honest, that's entirely unpredictable.

I totally understand the need for a waitlist, I'm just saying it seems like there is some misunderstanding of what a "small waitlist" is in the context that they put it in. I guess small is a relative term. When they say small, I think like 20-40 people, not 100+

 

[futuredoctor10]

ditto x1000

I know! These two months are going to be torture!

Getting a little closer from when I last posted

 

[smmypnts]

I know BU seems to pride itself on only accepting students who they think will attend.

Do they really do that? Perhaps that could explain why some seemingly qualified people have not gotten invites? How do they determine this?

 

[mdeast]

Do they really do that? Perhaps that could explain why some seemingly qualified people have not gotten invites? How do they determine this?

Every medical school does this. If you have a 42 MCAT/4.0 GPA and you apply to a low tier school...the medical school knows you'll get in someplace better. It would be silly of them to waste an interview slot on something who will almost definitely go someplace else.

I think the process at BU is different...in that they try and really look at applicants who would be good fits for their institution and who really express a genuine desire to matriculate. They try and limit waitlist spots because they hope to fill the class by only selecting those students they think will join. That's what they seemed to pride themselves on....as well as being one of the few schools that tries not to play around with a huge waitlist.

 

[ScronCron]

Do they really do that? Perhaps that could explain why some seemingly qualified people have not gotten invites? How do they determine this?

It's all about fit. If you've been in the workforce for a while and have worked in more than one professional setting, you'll realize how drastically different the culture of different firms and organizations can be. Most med school applicants don't interview at enough schools or have the sense/maturity to notice the culture of different schools (ex. is the administration nurturing or hands off, does the school try to breed competition, is the school obsessed with being "the best", are the students involved in a million activities or do they have more balanced lives, is there a large emphasis on academics and research, is the school competency-oriented, does the school emphasize service, does the administration collaborate with students or do they have their own agenda, etc.).

Contrary to what most people say, all schools are NOT the same. Much of the content in the coursework is identical, but the values of each school is different. (You absolutely should read the mission statement of each school that you apply to and be very skeptical if the school doesn't have one. I personally cannot imagine a medical school not having a mission statement, but some don't). Schools with a more defined culture, like BU, have created this culture through years and years of dedicated teamwork and careful selection of students, administration, and faculty. Schools that do not have defined cultures often have weak administrations and/or malignancies in their organization. Something most certainly to look out for during your interviews.

So, there is SO much more to the selection process than being qualified or being a certain "tier" applicant.

 

[anfleisch]

Just looking at the faq on the BU website, they seem to give some pretty specific info on their culture. Probably more than any other school.

 

[smmypnts]

Just got rejected from BU. Oh well.

I was looking at what you said about the culture. However, there is really no 100% certain way of determining if the culture of a school fits you. In what ways have you determined this for yourself. I will note that some schools do seem to try harder to present a friendly atmosphere for their students.

 

[anfleisch]

Pre-interview?

 

[JJMrK]

Rejected pre-interview today. lol

 

[beantownboss]

is anyone watching the men's olympic curling? if you aren't, you should. USA goes to overtime against Switzerland...how did this bar game become an olympic sport?

 

[royalewthcheese]

Do they really do that? Perhaps that could explain why some seemingly qualified people have not gotten invites? How do they determine this?

I now regret going to BU undergrad, giving them 100K of my money and endorsing their name, when they rejected me from med school, despite my qualifications. BU is officially on my s*** list. If anyone ever asks, I will tell them that I went to a bad school for undergrad which is now true to me.

Ok I'm being a bit over dramatic, but only to express my frustration at the fact that BU held onto my application until now with no news when I feel I should have at least gotten an invite.

And I think my stats and experience alone, despite my going there for undergrad, qualifies me. And I have in fact gotten invites at higher ranked schools.

Just got rejected from BU. Oh well.
.

Pre-interview?

I would say yes, most likely pre-interview 😉

is anyone watching the men's olympic curling? if you aren't, you should. USA goes to overtime against Switzerland...how did this bar game become an olympic sport?

I'm addicted. I haven't been addicted to this game since 2006. I wanna buy my own stone and gather friends who also play to sweep for me. Not to mention the ice.

Update while typing this: NO SHUSTER!
NOT AGAIN!

 

[smmypnts]

I would say yes, most likely pre-interview 😉

Yes I was rejected pre-interview!

So what??

 

[madskillz99]

I was also rejected pre-interview as well. But I have to say, it was the nicest rejection letter I have read through this cycle. BU is a classy school.

 

[royalewthcheese]

Yes I was rejected pre-interview!

So what??

That was directed to anfleisch. I just thought it was clear...

 

[anfleisch]

Yea. I was just checking that somehow they weren't handing out dispositions now that we are expecting in the end of march.

 

[ScronCron]

Sorry about the rejection, smmypnts 🙁

As for determining culture and fit, you have to be vigilant and also have a good sense of who you are and what you want. I did my homework and read through the websites of a ton of schools. On secondary applications, I took note of what questions each school was asking (or not asking). I actually didn't submit secondaries to a few schools where I thought the questions were not important or relevant to how I wanted to be evaluated as a candidate.

On my interviews, I paid close attention to details big and small. At one school, I got a tote bag with the school logo and had an interview with a visiting alum. This school obviously makes a big effort to promote its name but also seems to do a fine job of creating a friendly and collegiate atmosphere and a strong network of active alums.

At another school, the dean gave a heartfelt speech about service in medicine; however, none of the students I talked to expressed a similar sentiment. Rather than giving scholarships based on service, the financial aid dean said that they give scholarships to students who have very high numbers to help raise their rankings. It made me question whether or not the school was truly dedicated to service as well as the the competency and/or efficacy of the administration.

At the end of the day, I was accepted to the places where I thought I was the best fit, waitlisted at the places I thought I was a partial fit, and rejected from the one place I did not fit in at all.

For me, I didn't think the application process had much mystery or very many surprises (though BU was a bit of a surprise because of the extraordinary number of applicants). I knew what I wanted, I painted an honest and coherent picture of myself in my applications and interviews, and strongly considered the values of and culture of each school before applying.

Good luck with your other applications. I hope you find a school where you're a good fit and can be happy.

Just got rejected from BU. Oh well.

I was looking at what you said about the culture. However, there is really no 100% certain way of determining if the culture of a school fits you. In what ways have you determined this for yourself. I will note that some schools do seem to try harder to present a friendly atmosphere for their students.

 

[bannie22]

Sorry about the rejection, smmypnts 🙁

As for determining culture and fit, you have to be vigilant and also have a good sense of who you are and what you want. I did my homework and read through the websites of a ton of schools. On secondary applications, I took note of what questions each school was asking (or not asking). I actually didn't submit secondaries to a few schools where I thought the questions were not important or relevant to how I wanted to be evaluated as a candidate.

On my interviews, I paid close attention to details big and small. At one school, I got a tote bag with the school logo and had an interview with a visiting alum. This school obviously makes a big effort to promote its name but also seems to do a fine job of creating a friendly and collegiate atmosphere and a strong network of active alums.

At another school, the dean gave a heartfelt speech about service in medicine; however, none of the students I talked to expressed a similar sentiment. Rather than giving scholarships based on service, the financial aid dean said that they give scholarships to students who have very high numbers to help raise their rankings. It made me question whether or not the school was truly dedicated to service as well as the the competency and/or efficacy of the administration.

At the end of the day, I was accepted to the places where I thought I was the best fit, waitlisted at the places I thought I was a partial fit, and rejected from the one place I did not fit in at all.

For me, I didn't think the application process had much mystery or very many surprises (though BU was a bit of a surprise because of the extraordinary number of applicants). I knew what I wanted, I painted an honest and coherent picture of myself in my applications and interviews, and strongly considered the values of and culture of each school before applying.

Good luck with your other applications. I hope you find a school where you're a good fit and can be happy.

Very nerdy 😛

The only time I read a school website was maybe the day before my interview, and I only did that for like the first couple schools. Then I got too lazy and decided that I would just ask my student host.

HAHAHA!

 

[smmypnts]

Very nerdy 😛

The only time I read a school website was maybe the day before my interview, and I only did that for like the first couple schools. Then I got too lazy and decided that I would just ask my student host.

HAHAHA!

And you got into BU with that attitude? LOL

When I applied, I looked up info on the school. I also researched more before my interviews, talked to student hosts, and learned more on my interview day. However, the goal of gaining an acceptance did interfere a bit with my ability to decide if a school was right for me.

There was also a few schools where my interviewer gave me a bad impression. I don't know if I should use that experience to deter me from attending the school as it could have just been bad luck that my interviewer did not impress me.

I asked a current med student what he thought was important to consider in choosing a school and he told me that its a personal decision. However, I would appreciate the advice of someone already in medical school, as I am sure that my opinion of what is important would change during every stage of med school.

 

[bannie22]

And you got into BU with that attitude? LOL

When I applied, I looked up info on the school. I also researched more before my interviews, talked to student hosts, and learned more on my interview day. However, the goal of gaining an acceptance did interfere a bit with my ability to decide if a school was right for me.

There was also a few schools where my interviewer gave me a bad impression. I don't know if I should use that experience to deter me from attending the school as it could have just been bad luck that my interviewer did not impress me.

I asked a current med student what he thought was important to consider in choosing a school and he told me that its a personal decision. However, I would appreciate the advice of someone already in medical school, as I am sure that my opinion of what is important would change during every stage of med school.

LOL
YES
I got into BU with that attitude.

I can tell why you got a preinterview rejection tho.

 

[mmmcdowe]

And you got into BU with that attitude? LOL

When I applied, I looked up info on the school. I also researched more before my interviews, talked to student hosts, and learned more on my interview day. However, the goal of gaining an acceptance did interfere a bit with my ability to decide if a school was right for me.

There was also a few schools where my interviewer gave me a bad impression. I don't know if I should use that experience to deter me from attending the school as it could have just been bad luck that my interviewer did not impress me.

I asked a current med student what he thought was important to consider in choosing a school and he told me that its a personal decision. However, I would appreciate the advice of someone already in medical school, as I am sure that my opinion of what is important would change during every stage of med school.

If given a choice between multiple schools, go to a school that is going to make you happiest. Medical school is too long and hard to not to go to a place that can keep you going at it. The personal choice is what MAKES you happy. Money, location, fit, prestige, whatever is going to keep a bounce in your step.