2009 Non-Trad Applicants' Progress Thread

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My first post! Anyone get interview invites yet?
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Interviews? Oh ****, I'm feeling behind the curve here. Just filed my AMCAS yesterday (although all my transcripts are in already).

Hope I'm not too late ...
 
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Netminder, I really mean no offense whatsoever, but why 52? Even for a non-trad, that seems like a HUGE number. Does that include just allo, or allo and DO combined?

I pity you the work and expense this will entail. (I only applied to 16 schools, and my AMCAS fee alone was $600.) Plus I'd rather have multiple root canals than write 52 secondaries ...
 
netminder said:
I'm applying to 52. Damn.
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Wow, and I shake my head at the idea of people applying to 30+ schools. Have you considered that the law of diminishing returns may apply here? The extra cash/time/stress of that extra twenty secondaries may not significantly improve your chances beyond what the first 30 schools gave you. Just a thought. Best of luck to you.
 
Non-Trad Check In!

6/24 - AMCAS Submitted (21 schools)
7/16 - AMCAS Verified

As of today:
12 Secondaries Received
4 Secondaries Returned

----------------

Reflections:
I wish I had cut down my school list to 15, but I've had too much "you're from California" fear driven into me. This process isn't *so* bad, but I would much rather answer these questions in an interview. I guess at least this way I can answer the questions while wearing my underwear as opposed to the requisite suit for interviews.

Good luck y'all!
 
Hey everybody, happy monday. :p

Congrats redrumi! So are you the first of us to receive an interview?

I've got 12/18 secondaries done, sitting on one, and waiting for the rest to come out. I've gotten past a couple of screens, which makes me feel oh-so-special. :D I don't think the schools I've applied to send out interview invites before the 2nd week of august, so I'm trying to settle down to wait. :scared:

How's everyone else doing? How did you summer mcat'ers do?
 
this is my first post in the non-trad section!!! applied to 25 schools, submitted 8 secondaries, and putting the finishing touches on 6 more. My plan is to kick them out the door in the next 2 days. Anyone else struggling with keeping their writing fresh while working a 9-5?

gluck to all of you!
 
Meh. Sections of the 7/18 MCAT were good, other sections were terrible. I can't really predict how I did, so I'm just enjoying my summer until the scores come out in August. Let's just say I wasn't confident enough to throw away or sell any of my study materials yet... I kind of miss the corny humor of Jordan & Jon from the Audio Osmosis CDs. They've been a huge part of my life for the past seven months.

Applying EDP to KU has its perks (guilt free video games, movies, playing with my cats), although if it doesn't work out then my stress level will obviously skyrocket in a few months. I completed my secondary and now I'm just waiting on 2 of my 5 LORs. They apparently review our applications at the end of August and send interview invites the first week of September. So I am just biding my time, mostly by working.
 
redrumi said:
I got an interview invite to FIU last week! :D
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Congrats! I'm still waiting impatiently. Seems that a lot of people in Texas are receiving invites. Here's hoping everyone has a lot of luck this cycle!
 
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I just submitted my aacomas application.
 
Took the 7/18 MCAT w/ gallbladder disease and lice. Yes, lice - thank you so much to my son's preschool. Good times. Didn't feel like an ass-kicking, so the curve will probably slay me. I only hit 30 once during practice tests. Crap.

Submitted my AMCAS on 7/12, but my final transcript didn't get there until 7/21. :rolleyes: 26 schools. I have 4 secondaries just waiting... more on that later... Will be submitting to AACOMAS on Friday.

And now to the misgivings and anxiety portion of this post. I haven't read through all of this thread, but I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling a little overwhelmed by the essays. Not the work, but the questions they ask. I really had a tough time getting to this point, and all of these really pointed questions about my academic and personal path are making me perform some deep omphaloskepsis. Do I bring up the impact that taking care of my schizophrenic mom (especially when she had breast cancer) had on my life and college grades, or does that sound like I'm making excuses? Or will it just freak them out? Should I use getting her conserved by the state 2 months ago as my "adversity" statement? Or should I just talk about something more mundane, like juggling an intense full time job and a 2 year old. Or... how do I explain the 10 years it took for me to get to college after I dropped out of high school? How about the 8 years it took me to finish college, or the 4 years since then? Because of this, I only have one solid science lor (although I have some fabulous lor's from nationally recognized surgeons). And then there's the GPA thing...

I feel like Don Quixote battling windmills sometimes. This is crazy pants. I actually feel kind of guilty for putting my family through this process, because if I get in, it will be a miracle.

S.
 
I'm not even verified yet, but I've gotten 2 secondaries: NJMS and NYMC. I thought NJMS was pretty simple ("Why do you want to go to our school" and "What is your connection to NJ"), but NYMC was even simpler: no essays at all. I guess they just want their $100.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to study for the 8/15 MCAT, in case I have to take it again. (Won't know my first score until 8/8 or so.) My big hurdle is the PS--I'm too slow on the problems, and have trouble finishing on time. But this time around feels even more painful than it did the first time! (It's amazing how you get out of your test-taking groove after only two weeks away from it.) God, I'd better figure out how to get back into that groove SOON.
 
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Nanon said:
And now to the misgivings and anxiety portion of this post. I haven't read through all of this thread, but I'm wondering if anyone else is feeling a little overwhelmed by the essays. Not the work, but the questions they ask. I really had a tough time getting to this point, and all of these really pointed questions about my academic and personal path are making me perform some deep omphaloskepsis. Do I bring up the impact that taking care of my schizophrenic mom (especially when she had breast cancer) had on my life and college grades, or does that sound like I'm making excuses? Or will it just freak them out? Should I use getting her conserved by the state 2 months ago as my "adversity" statement? Or should I just talk about something more mundane, like juggling an intense full time job and a 2 year old. Or... how do I explain the 10 years it took for me to get to college after I dropped out of high school? How about the 8 years it took me to finish college, or the 4 years since then? Because of this, I only have one solid science lor (although I have some fabulous lor's from nationally recognized surgeons). And then there's the GPA thing...
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Secondary questions often evoke a lot of anxiety in applicants. We're not used to sharing a lot of that stuff, so it's awkward to try to put it down on paper. The only advice I can give you is this: answer honestly. What I mean is that after you've read a question on a secondary, don't sit and stare at it. Instead, walk away and try to let the true, honest answer come to you. Don't spend even a second worrying about what AdComs will think, as you need to recognise that this is pure speculation on your part and serves no other purpose than to add additional stress to the process. If something was a major adversity in your life and academic progress, then that's the honest answer and you need to write it, without futile speculation as to the mindset and reactions of AdComs.

If it makes you grin, think of this as analagous to the advice Trinity gave to Neo in The Matrix: "Be honest. He knows more than you can possibly imagine." You're not going to surprise AdComs with anything they haven't seen before, and honesty in an essay shines through.

Good luck.
 
browncat said:
I can't believe after everything I put myself through for the last year, I failed to notice something so basic as a missing pre-req. I am feeling incredibly stupid right now, please be gentle. :(
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Call AMCAS, ask them about updating your application to put the two physics labs as "in progress/future". Your solid MCAT indicates sufficient scientific aptitude for medical school, so at this point those physics labs are probably just checking the box, as it were. As long as the pre-reqs are complete before you matriculate, you shouldn't have a problem. If you're really concerned, you can also call/write medical schools to update them on the situation.

Relax. :)
 
DeAlighieri said:
Secondary questions often evoke a lot of anxiety in applicants. We're not used to sharing a lot of that stuff, so it's awkward to try to put it down on paper. The only advice I can give you is this: answer honestly. What I mean is that after you've read a question on a secondary, don't sit and stare at it. Instead, walk away and try to let the true, honest answer come to you. Don't spend even a second worrying about what AdComs will think, as you need to recognise that this is pure speculation on your part and serves no other purpose than to add additional stress to the process. If something was a major adversity in your life and academic progress, then that's the honest answer and you need to write it, without futile speculation as to the mindset and reactions of AdComs.

If it makes you grin, think of this as analagous to the advice Trinity gave to Neo in The Matrix: "Be honest. He knows more than you can possibly imagine." You're not going to surprise AdComs with anything they haven't seen before, and honesty in an essay shines through.

Good luck.
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Thank you for this. It's what I intend to do, but I might have to drink for a while to screw up the courage. ;) Btw, read your blog. I'm now convinced that you are my long lost brother, or at the very least, an honorary member of my clan. Just thought you should know. :D
 
DeAlighieri said:
Call AMCAS, ask them about updating your application to put the two physics labs as "in progress/future". Your solid MCAT indicates sufficient scientific aptitude for medical school, so at this point those physics labs are probably just checking the box, as it were. As long as the pre-reqs are complete before you matriculate, you shouldn't have a problem. If you're really concerned, you can also call/write medical schools to update them on the situation.

Relax. :)
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I totally agree with this advice. No need to "go nuclear" over something as minor as physics lab. Just go take the class somewhere (not a community college, but anywhere else--doesn't have to be a fancy postbacc program). Inform AMCAS and your schools about what you're doing, and you should be fine.
 
DeAlighieri, thank you for the suggestion - calling AMCAS to update my app hadn't occurred to me but makes perfect sense of the Duh! *forehead slap* variety. Now I just have to beg my boss to let me adjust my schedule so I can take those courses...

DeAlighieri said:
Relax. :)
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Ha! Easier said than done. :D But I will give it the old college try...hey, Nanon, wanna split a pitcher? First round's on me.

(And FWIW, I think your experiences of caring for your mom through serious & chronic illness are worth writing about. Not everyone could do that with a job and a kid and come out the other end in one piece - it says a lot about your strength of character.)

Edited to add: Thanks student1799 - this process really has done a number on my perspective, it helps so much to get a reality check from others who've been through it.
 
Nanon said:
Thank you for this. It's what I intend to do, but I might have to drink for a while to screw up the courage. ;) Btw, read your blog. I'm now convinced that you are my long lost brother, or at the very least, an honorary member of my clan. Just thought you should know. :D
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Heh, just make sure that you run a spellcheck if you're drinking while you write!

Thanks for the compliment on the blog. The plan right now is to keep it going through med school, so it should be more active here shortly.
 
browncat said:
Uh, I guess not, since it is apparently such a hardship for a call-in help center to, like, provide help. I realize they are probably fielding all kinds of panicked calls and unmanageable requests and probably some of the callers are really rude, but I would have appreciated the benefit of the doubt before getting the 'tude, lady. :mad:
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My sympathies. The AMCAS folks have never been particularly huggable, and it sounds as though you ran into a drone who was being forced to parrot approved phrases. All is not lost, however, so take heart. From the AMCAS site:

"Other Changes: To address changes to your Course Work made by AMCAS during the Verification process, you must submit a change request to AMCAS using the Academic Change Request option on the vertical menu located on the right side of your application screen. This option becomes available only after your application has completed the Verification process. Allow at least fifteen working days for AMCAS to review and/or process any change request."

So just wait for the verification, submit that form, and get on with your life in the meantime. All is well.

Good luck.
 
I'm planning on taking a few classes, too. I was just planning to call/write the schools that haven't already rejected me to update them. Another bizarre AMCAS helpline encounter: In 2001, I withdrew from classes entirely because my mother came down w/ stage III breast cancer. Berkeley makes you jump through 1000 hoops to do that - dr.'s notes, etc. So on my transcript, it says "Withdraw via petition." It doesn't list which classes I withdrew from, and that was 7 years ago. Since then, I've gotten my mom through breast cancer, graduated, bought a house, had a baby, gotten my mom conserved by the state... so, no. I don't remember which classes I withdrew from.

AMCAS says they have to know. I have to put something there. So I call Berkeley and ask, hey, is there any record of which classes I was taking? No. I call the advisor. What do I tell them? I dunno. Ok. So I call AMCAS back and say, there is no record of the classes I was taking. "Well, you're going to have to remember." (Anyone else think this sounds like, "Well, you're going to have to lie")? In the end, I put down nothing, because there is nothing to put down. I'll let them sort it out, and hopefully it won't delay my transcript further.

Thanks for reading, :laugh:

S.
 
Nanon said:
(Anyone else think this sounds like, "Well, you're going to have to lie")?
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Yup.

As for the essays, omg YES. I was/am hating them. I definitely agree with DeAlighieri - you have to go with what you know and tell the truth. I have some similarities with you, and in my own case I decided that there was no way I could really explain why I want to be a doctor so badly, and why I am particularly qualified, without talking about some crappy stuff. I was very careful to use it only to emphasize my drive for medicine and what I have learned from the various struggles. So whatever pieces of your story speak to those two things are what you should include. And don't forget to tie it all back to the present. *hugs*

ps. Double points for "omphaloskepsis"
 
Screened out of VCU already. Quite a surprise since I made it through last year. Oh well, 16 more to go!
 
Just curious. How does one get invited to fil out secondaries when the acas is not verified? I submitted mined around 07/15 and it's still waiting in line. I'm yet to take the MCAT tough. Also, do school invite you via emails or what? Curious.
 
korsibor said:
Just curious. How does one get invited to fil out secondaries when the acas is not verified? I submitted mined around 07/15 and it's still waiting in line. I'm yet to take the MCAT tough. Also, do school invite you via emails or what? Curious.
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I submitted 10 days after you (no MCAT score either: I took it on 7/8, but score's not out yet). I got 2 secondaries the first weekend, but these are schools that TOTALLY don't screen (NJMS and NYMC). NJMS has a minimal secondary (only 2 essays, but NJ residents get to skip one) and NYMC has none. It really makes you feel special to get one of these.:)

These invites came via email, but NJMS's secondary must be printed and mailed in, while NYMC's ("OK, hand over the $100") is done online, including the payment.

I'm not surprised that I haven't heard from anyone else yet. With no verification and no MCAT yet, there isn't a lot for them to work with.
 
korsibor said:
Just curious. How does one get invited to fil out secondaries when the acas is not verified? I submitted mined around 07/15 and it's still waiting in line. I'm yet to take the MCAT tough. Also, do school invite you via emails or what? Curious.
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About 3 days after I submitted, I got mailed brochures w/ invitations to fill out secondaries from WashU and Hopkins - WashU also sent an email. I figure this is kind of a good thing, I get to break myself in on the secondary app process at schools where I basically have a snowball's chance anyway.

GWU sent me an email with a link to their secondary in about the same timeframe, no mailed packet. I've already sent that one back in, it was very basic.

I'm still not verified, but I have my MCAT scores, so maybe that makes a difference? All the emails and letters seemed like automatically generated messages though, so could be that submission of the AMCAS is all it takes to get them out.
 
korsibor said:
Just curious. How does one get invited to fil out secondaries when the acas is not verified? I submitted mined around 07/15 and it's still waiting in line. I'm yet to take the MCAT tough. Also, do school invite you via emails or what? Curious.
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When you submit your AMCAS application, the schools you've listed are electronically notified. It's not unusual for some schools to automatically send a secondary when they receive such a notification. Other schools will wait for verification, will screen prior to secondaries, or will not send out secondaries for some time after the primary is complete and verified.

The large variation in how the various schools handle secondaries is a source of angst and concern for applicants. Generally, one shouldn't read anything into secondaries, especially with regard to how soon they're received. The things that matter are invites, rejections, and acceptances; secondaries should carry no real weight in your mind.

Of course, if you've been complete for a while and still haven't received a secondary from a school, a polite email to check your status is appropriate. I didn't receive a secondary from my first-choice school. I finally inquired about it in August and was told that it had been sent out some time ago. If I hadn't called, I wouldn't have received a secondary and wouldn't have matriculated to my first-choice!

As in all things in this application process, keep your perspective and take deep breaths. I know what you're doing now is scary as hell, people, but the process is unfolding as it should, and indeed as it does every year. Next year you'll be giving this advice to a wide-eyed applicant, so try to remember that you're a part of the chain, not someone floundering alone.
 
My situation:

- Applying to 19 schools.

- 5 Secondaries done!
 
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teacherman said:
Anyone get interview invites yet?
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I got an interview invite from Louisville for Aug 27th:luck:

timeline:
June 18: met with dean of admissions, before hitting submit on AMCAS (took a printed copy for her review), and to ask permission to apply Early Decision. Advised to call back with MCAT scores which were due June 24th.

June 27: received permission from dean to apply ED, Hit submit. Verified 4hrs later.

July 1: received secondaries from UofL.

July 20: submitted secondaries (delayed due to one science LOR falling through, so I had so scare up another from an instructor who said "I remember your name, but I do not remember 'YOU'". Yikes... So I added another professional LOR to the mix too).

July 29: received interview invite.
 
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Nice, congrats tsbuqh... I hope it goes well!
 
Just got an interview invite this morning from TCOM! Hoping for more for everybody!
 
Applied edp to a school in Georgia. They haven't extended any interview invites yet (to anyone), but I am waiting. It should start pretty soon. Hoping to report good news to the nontrad thread soon...Waiting sucks!
 
Hey everyone, how's it going? This thread has been so quiet lately! I got my first interview invite today. :hardy::hardy::hardy: Anyone else have news to share?
 
Holy crap.. interview invites already? I'm feeling so behind... just finished the MCAT on august 7th. Been doing secondaries for the last few days. I'm applying to 21 schools and these secondaries just keep piling up, ugh! Hoping to finish them all maybe by mid-September.

How long does it usually take you guys to finish a secondary? Like what's the typical turn around? I'm doing full-time school and work evenings, so the only solid chunk of time I have to work on them is on weekends.
 
calimed214 said:
Holy crap.. interview invites already? I'm feeling so behind... just finished the MCAT on august 7th. Been doing secondaries for the last few days. I'm applying to 21 schools and these secondaries just keep piling up, ugh! Hoping to finish them all maybe by mid-September.

How long does it usually take you guys to finish a secondary? Like what's the typical turn around? I'm doing full-time school and work evenings, so the only solid chunk of time I have to work on them is on weekends.
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Don't worry about it, there are plenty of schools not sending out interviews yet - in fact most of mine aren't. Hell, there are schools who haven't even released their secondaries yet.

Anyway, I usually turn the secondaries around in 1-2 days. I did lots of prewriting for essays. There were a few that took longer, UMass, OHSU. The advice I've gotten is to find a balance between quality and time. You definitely don't want to be endlessly picking over your secondaries the way you do with your PS. Good luck! :luck:
 
Interview invite - I early decisioned to a school, so I'm really really excited!!!!!!
 
Retaking the MCAT tomorrow morning. Send me some of those great nontrad vibes, OK?
 
Wow good luck on the MCAT. You will do great! :thumbup:
 
Congrats on the interviews folks!

Not much to report, but I am feeling really good that I got my first "your application is complete!" notification today. Five other apps are all set, just waiting for the schools to check complete. And if I stay on top of my plan this wknd, I'll have all my rolling-admit, non-screening secondaries in by Sunday. Baby steps!


student1799 said:
Retaking the MCAT tomorrow morning. Send me some of those great nontrad vibes, OK?
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Comin' atcha: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~< :luck: NONTRAD MCAT DOMINATION VIBES :luck: >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
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