Haha, this is awesome... retribution. I'm sure you got in somewhere really stellar MT Headed. Good luck this fall!
2011-2012 University of Colorado Application Thread
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Haha, this is awesome... retribution. I'm sure you got in somewhere really stellar MT Headed. Good luck this fall!
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I'm going to have to disagree with you here. On a practical level trying to improve your application to shore up weak points is far different from continuing what you've been doing, and fairly requires knowing you are attempting that. If what I've been doing suits me, but doesn't suit adcoms, then I need a major overhaul which I'm unwilling to do unless prompted (by my lack of acceptances). I suppose there are cases where this isn't so, like they just wanted to see more hours in the clinic or something, but I'm going to work off the premise that you've prepped yourself fairly well with what you've done. So to continue doing what I'm doing is either pointless because I'll get in, or pointless because I need to do something else.
I suppose that may not be convincing, which is understandable. My bigger point is that on a fundamental level what you're saying ignores the reality that there are hoops we need to jump through to gain admission. Sure, there are probably parts of your activities that you enjoy and would do regardless, and I suppose that there may even be people who love everything they have done. But I would hazard a guess that most applicants are just doing some of the stuff they are doing because they were told they should (or they think they should). Volunteering is nice. But if I had my druthers I would be doing some other form of volunteering, mainly because the volunteering I did made me useless. That is to say that it was more charity on the hospital's part to suffer my presence. And for a lot of people, that's just the way it's going to be - as a pre-med you can't be trusted with much. I would rather be useful than doing what I was doing.
And you're probably going to say that I chose the wrong volunteering or whatever, but my argument boils down to this: the only part of my character that is showing if I continue to do the things med schools expect of me - but left to my own devices I would not participate in - is my love of jumping through hoops.
Having said that I think you could argue my character is made by whether I would do any of those things if not prompted by med schools....
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My character shows that I am bad at jumping through hoops. Definitely not good for applying to med school lol I agree with your point wholeheartedly though. If you are wasting your time sitting in an ER doing nothing, once you get in...stop. Do something you like that will let you experience the world without the pretense of wanting to go to med school.
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Yeah, it's just my little way of sticking it to the man.
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From the things I've heard Ms. Patel and Dr. Winn say, I wonder what they would think of your statement. Ms. Patel has specifically said she wants people who are constantly trying new things and continuing to improve, regardless of whether or not some adcom is evaluating them. Dr. Winn always talks about his dislike for "checklists" and similar ways pre-meds think about the application process. I believe they want people who take initiative. If you've been to one of CU's annual pre-med days or heard any of the Admissions officers speak in smaller settings, you should be aware of what CU prides itself on (e.g., having in its classes people who have started multinational charities, won medals in the Olympics, and left highly successful careers in the arts to become world-renowned physicians). Those kinds of people don't tend to just stop trying new things out simply because no one is watching. If anything, they begin to try out more new things and take even greater risks when not being evaluated simply because failure no longer carries the same risks as it did before.
While I understand the whole "if it ain't break, don't fix it" mentality, I'm not so sure that's what CU is looking for. They seem to take people who have improved things that weren't broken (i.e., non-trads changing from successful careers into medicine). They seem to want to see ongoing growth in the applicant, regardless of whether or not you get in.
If you've been doing things you disliked in order to get to where you are, perhaps where you are is a poor fit. Honestly, all I know is that the activities I have done are ones I've been passionate about. I have loved the many activities I've done. They have helped me develop as a future medical student and physician, true, but more importantly, they have been contributed to my personal growth in the present and have been enjoyable in the present. There have been other things I've tried and let go of when the fit wasn't right. Those things never made it to my application because they didn't need to. I moved on when I found the experience wasn't right for me and/or found an experience that better fit my talents. (And the experiences I did keep, I worked on for 2-3 years as a general rule.) Further, I've started new projects since applying. Some of my more research would probably interest Dr. Winn, but I am not doing it for his benefit and at this point, he is -- to my knowledge -- completely unaware of it (although I could certainly be wrong about that...).
Precisely my point. The rest of your post assumes that CU hopes you will change what you are doing in order to fit their profile for "the perfect applicant." I don't think that's what CU (or most any other medical school) desires. Honestly, I suspect they would prefer people not do that at all. (I admit it's an idealistic/naive notion because people will put on whatever facade is needed to get what they want, but nevertheless, I suspect medical schools do engage in such behavior.)
I would agree with this. Don't do activities you're not passionate about. I don't think med schools want to see that you've just done "stuff." I believe they -- including CU -- want to see that you have accomplished things you're passionate about. They want to see you are more than just some "cookie-cutter pre-med" who does nothing but work off some imaginary checklist. Perhaps, this is one of those places where advisors do pre-meds a terrible disservice by providing them with a list of things other successful students have done instead of encouraging them to explore and discover who they are on their own with some general guidance. (The problem, of course, is that the latter approach is far more time- and resource-intensive to do properly. The difference is a lot like the traditional verses "guided discovery" methods in education. The latter has been shown to be more effective in the long run -- for certain skills -- but takes much more effort on the part of the instructor than does a lecture- or direct instruction/directive-based format.)
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I can't figure out if you write this crap b/c you know admissions reads this board, or if you really believe it. 😎
You sound like a naive kid who thinks that if you "just follow your bliss' everything will be ok. Frankly, that's crap. CU has FOR YEARS had a standard of a minimum of 500 clinical hours. There are minimum standards that everyone has to meet. If you don't, you won't get in. Checklist time. The average applicant will not be an Olympic participant, never mind medal winner. Participating in sports at a high level, sure. But the Olympics!?!
There is a checklist. It involves a decent GPA, MCAT, and generally interesting and health related EC's. If there is something else unique about your application, great. But you aren't getting in without the GPA/MCAT and EC's. Not to mention that participating in the Olympics, or starting a charity, have little or nothing to do with one's ability to be a good clinician. Sure, they might reflect on an applicant's character, but they might also indicate someone who really craves or needs attention. MT Headed has done some really cool unique stuff, and he's in the same boat as many other applicants who are waiting to hear back.
Quit telling everyone what they ought to do. It comes off as holier-than-thou crap.
Your last sentence is pretty ironic, lol.
I'm with music2doc. With regard to ECs do what your passionate about. Obviously if you aare interested in Medicine get involved somehow (duh) but you don't have to do it the stereotypical way. The point is, do it to discover for yourself what you want to do with your life and not to put on the app. And CU does not have a 500 hour requirement. I had MAYBE 250 hours of clinical work. And I did not go to the Olympics either. Music2doc is spot on. Shakespeare and hitchens not so much IMO 🙂
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Whoah there. Definitely not my intention to tell you what you ought to do or be "holier than thou." I am in the same boat as the rest of you. I am not an Olympic athlete and I have not started a charity. I used those as examples because I have heard their admissions people use them as examples. As for the checklist, I doubt that the requirements would have risen so high if it hadn't been for people basically gaming the system. Sure, there is a checklist of sorts in that you must have a good MCAT, GPA, know what medicine is about (e.g., clinical and shadowing experiences), and so forth, but I think the idea here is that you shouldn't need some checklist to check off the right things. Getting a high GPA should occur because you wanted to learn the material and put in the effort, not because you were told, "You need to have a 3.7 or better GPA to apply at CU." (Which, btw, is totally not true.) Likewise, you should be volunteering in a clinical place because that's the sort of thing you do when you are interested in a profession. (And shadowing as well, I suppose, but I do, admittedly, feel like that's a total waste of time unless you really have had little to no interaction with physicians most of your life.) When I was pursuing another professional degree before deciding upon medicine, I naturally found internships and volunteer opportunities to pursue. No one had to tell me, "Music2Doc, if you want to be an XYZ, you should go get a job doing WXY!" It simply happened because I was interested in it and wanted to get some experience before I started working in the field.
The more people game admissions, the more they must "require" in order to separate excellent from outstanding candidates. Yes, CU has had a pseudo-requirement of 500 clinical hours, but you can totally get in with less -- it's more of a suggestion. Also, keep in mind most of their class (something like 80%) has a professional background in healthcare of some sort (mostly EMTs and CNAs, as I recall). 500 hours may sound like a lot when you are trying hard to accumulate them at a rate of 4 hrs/wk as a volunteer (2 1/2 yrs of that), but it's really only a single summer of full-time work. For most jobs in the hospital, this would mean quitting right about the time you finished unit orientation! (At least at the hospitals where I've worked, unit orientation is typically 6-12 weeks.)
I am honestly surprised MT Headed has not heard anything, as he seems like someone who has put in a huge amount of effort into being what Dr. Winn calls "a great person, not just a great doctor" and appears to have done it out of sincerity. That said, it's not our job to evaluate his application, etc. My point was simply that I suspect the attitude that one is doing everything just to get into medical school (an external goal/drive) and is not driven to continue growing, risking, trying new things, etc. (internal drives and goals) may be repulsive to CU (the attitude, not the person). I don't think anyone expects you to participate in the Olympics. (I sure hope not, because I definitely don't have that kind of talent!) But the kind of person who does get to that level seems to have certain traits that I would suspect CU finds attractive.
Maybe I'm wrong on this. I certainly acknowledge that, but this is the general feeling I've gotten from speaking with and hearing from various members of the CU admissions team over the past few years and, to me, it makes sense. Why would they take someone who wore the pre-med mask for 3 years and seemed to do things just because they were "required" (esp. as evidenced by their readiness to let said activities and/or the passion to find new activities die as soon as the primary application is in, which seems to indicate nothing but external motivation) over someone else who really engaged the "requirements," grew from them, and continues to engage them?
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CU, prior to Dean/Dr. Winn, had an unpublished clinical requirement of 400 hours. Yes, occasional exceptions were made, but it was there and even had a name... which for the life of me I cannot recall.
My point is that there is a checklist. We all seem to agree on that. We all also seem to agree that clinical hours are a part of that. I'm not saying you shouldn't do what you like when you're getting them. What I'm saying is that they are required. 86% and 83% of accepted applicants reported clinical and research experience, respectively (per MSAR). That said, if you don't enjoy clinical experience, I can't imagine why you would want to be a physician.
Music2Doc, my apologies for the ad hominem attack. I was a little fired up.
My point is that there is a checklist. We all seem to agree on that. We all also seem to agree that clinical hours are a part of that. I'm not saying you shouldn't do what you like when you're getting them. What I'm saying is that they are required. 86% and 83% of accepted applicants reported clinical and research experience, respectively (per MSAR). That said, if you don't enjoy clinical experience, I can't imagine why you would want to be a physician.
Music2Doc, my apologies for the ad hominem attack. I was a little fired up.
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From reading these posts, I think that you guys see more eye-to-eye on this than you seem to believe. You both seem to think that doing activities simply because they are required is missing the point of being a good applicant and doctor.
We all have valuable experiences that we are passionate about for their own sake. On the other hand, I think we all do some things that we wouldn't choose to do otherwise and will probably not do again once we get on the medical school track. But, that doesn't make those things less valuable experiences if we choose to commit to them and learn from them at the time. I think that is the point of having a high number of requirements such as EC's and clinical hours: it is a process of self development and reflection, at the end of which those who grew from it can talk about at least part of it with enthusiasm and gratitude; it is not a contest to see who gets the most marks on a sheet. On the other hand, someone could have the most relevant experience in the world and still not have it be relevant if their heart and head were not in the right place. As annoying as some parts of this whole process seem to be, I'm happy about at least one thing no matter what happens: I'll come away from this year with a better understanding of myself and my priorities in life. That cannot be overrated.
We all have valuable experiences that we are passionate about for their own sake. On the other hand, I think we all do some things that we wouldn't choose to do otherwise and will probably not do again once we get on the medical school track. But, that doesn't make those things less valuable experiences if we choose to commit to them and learn from them at the time. I think that is the point of having a high number of requirements such as EC's and clinical hours: it is a process of self development and reflection, at the end of which those who grew from it can talk about at least part of it with enthusiasm and gratitude; it is not a contest to see who gets the most marks on a sheet. On the other hand, someone could have the most relevant experience in the world and still not have it be relevant if their heart and head were not in the right place. As annoying as some parts of this whole process seem to be, I'm happy about at least one thing no matter what happens: I'll come away from this year with a better understanding of myself and my priorities in life. That cannot be overrated.
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Second that motion.
That bold line says it all, yet its unfortunate CU has this warped proclivity towards courting these kinds of applicants. Bottom line, Cookie cutters also make wonderful physicians. This isn't to say you shouldnt try to differentiate yourself and be a little unique, but, demonstrating your desire by doing what's been required of premeds for the past couple decades is nothing to be ashamed of.
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I had always heard 500 -- not that it matters! It was called the "Sondheimer Rule" after Dr. Henry Sondheimer, former Assoc. Dean of Admission at CUSOM, who apparently instituted it. And I appreciate the apology. I, likewise, apologize for the parts of my post that fired you up. It was not my intention to offend anyone. I was honestly a bit surprised at some of the remarks I'd seen here and elsewhere on SDN.
Very well said!
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I think we are all a little worked up this last week of waiting. 🙂 But I predict good news for all of us!
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Thanks for bringing us back on point, music2doc is out! 👍
As for new predictions on when we hear, I have it figured out:
March 31st they send us all acceptances... April 1st they send us all a letter apologizing for sending us the wrong status updates and give us rejections and wait lists as a big April fools joke.
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Oooo, Music2Doc I like you. 🙂
And Shakespeare I think I love you - it's like having another me on the board.
Anyway, I wrote up a huge response to Music2Doc's big post last night, but then SDN underwent maintenance and I lost it all. I think the Lannister has it right - we do see more eye to eye than it would seem.
BUT (and because I like to argue and this seems friendly enough) here's my thoughts by way of an analogy. No, a metaphor.
Let's imagine you are a playwright (Shakespeare I'm looking at you). I think any writer would work, but I'm going to choose playwright because I know a couple (rather I know a couple who would be flattered at the insinuation). When you're writing a drama, the ideal is that you capture real life. But if you actually did that you're going to make one hell of a boring play because real life is boring for the most part. Even in dramatic situations there's a lot of boring. The problem with that approach is that you forgot (or neglected) that your work will be seen by an audience. An audience wants verisimilitude yes, but they don't want 2 hours of cleaning a house. So you have to pick and choose what and how you're going to present real life.
In case I was more obtuse than I intended, my point is that while I completely understand where you're coming from, I don't think you ever can ignore the fact that you're not simply being you, you're being you being judged. At the heart of it you need to be defined by your AMCAS (at least until your interview). You are wearing a pre-med mask whether you want to or not. I can be a good person, and I can I can be (in the future) a good doctor. But if my being a good person doesn't overlap with the requirements of the particular med school, then I will not be accepted there. If I totally ignored any requirements and just "followed my heart", I would be in trouble. I would be in violation of the Sondheim rule (yeah, I know it isn't called that, but I'm going to reference it that way from now on since, like Sondheim, I find it tedious and unnecessary). Hell, I don't even have any research because of that, and I know it has cost me some schools. My NYU interviewer said it during my interview there. But none of that says I won't be a good doctor.
I think it's great to be as genuine as you Music2Doc. But whatever shortage of physicians we have now would way worse if that level of genuineness was a requirement. Regardless, you can't measure that. CU can talk all they want about looking at the whole person and granola and no GPA/MCAT stuff, but they are being disingenuous when they say those things. In the end they have to judge, and they have to do it on little information about you as a person. They absolutely cannot simply accept people who follow their passions and make themselves better people. They accept people who follow their passions and make themselves better people under the guidelines CU is looking at. And if how you do that for yourself doesn't fall within their purview, you won't get in.
The criteria may not be exactly "cookie-cutter" but whatever they swap out for that is what I'll be pandering to.
And Shakespeare I think I love you - it's like having another me on the board.
Anyway, I wrote up a huge response to Music2Doc's big post last night, but then SDN underwent maintenance and I lost it all. I think the Lannister has it right - we do see more eye to eye than it would seem.
BUT (and because I like to argue and this seems friendly enough) here's my thoughts by way of an analogy. No, a metaphor.
Let's imagine you are a playwright (Shakespeare I'm looking at you). I think any writer would work, but I'm going to choose playwright because I know a couple (rather I know a couple who would be flattered at the insinuation). When you're writing a drama, the ideal is that you capture real life. But if you actually did that you're going to make one hell of a boring play because real life is boring for the most part. Even in dramatic situations there's a lot of boring. The problem with that approach is that you forgot (or neglected) that your work will be seen by an audience. An audience wants verisimilitude yes, but they don't want 2 hours of cleaning a house. So you have to pick and choose what and how you're going to present real life.
In case I was more obtuse than I intended, my point is that while I completely understand where you're coming from, I don't think you ever can ignore the fact that you're not simply being you, you're being you being judged. At the heart of it you need to be defined by your AMCAS (at least until your interview). You are wearing a pre-med mask whether you want to or not. I can be a good person, and I can I can be (in the future) a good doctor. But if my being a good person doesn't overlap with the requirements of the particular med school, then I will not be accepted there. If I totally ignored any requirements and just "followed my heart", I would be in trouble. I would be in violation of the Sondheim rule (yeah, I know it isn't called that, but I'm going to reference it that way from now on since, like Sondheim, I find it tedious and unnecessary). Hell, I don't even have any research because of that, and I know it has cost me some schools. My NYU interviewer said it during my interview there. But none of that says I won't be a good doctor.
I think it's great to be as genuine as you Music2Doc. But whatever shortage of physicians we have now would way worse if that level of genuineness was a requirement. Regardless, you can't measure that. CU can talk all they want about looking at the whole person and granola and no GPA/MCAT stuff, but they are being disingenuous when they say those things. In the end they have to judge, and they have to do it on little information about you as a person. They absolutely cannot simply accept people who follow their passions and make themselves better people. They accept people who follow their passions and make themselves better people under the guidelines CU is looking at. And if how you do that for yourself doesn't fall within their purview, you won't get in.
The criteria may not be exactly "cookie-cutter" but whatever they swap out for that is what I'll be pandering to.
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Absolutely. You are interviewing for a spot in medical school. You are obviously going to put your best application forward. It's about getting your foot in the door. Your activities are on that application because that's what medical schools want to see.... activities that demonstrate that you a) know what you are getting into and b) that you have the ability to deal with people in unique and difficult situations. That said, there is no reason you cannot pick something you like that shows both a and b, but it has to be present on your application.
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Holding out 'til the last possible second gains you nothing, doesn't hurt the school that much and only adds to some other applicant's pain as they wait for your spot. Please do not do this to someone else and keep their life on hold as some sort of passive-aggressive "justice."
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This line made me wonder what field/area of medicine you are interested in.
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+1, ...I doubt the admissions staff will lose sleep over it.
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Nope. Actually, I doubt they'd even notice.
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Well right now Emergency Medicine actually. I suppose that the comment requires a bit of context - my major in college was theater, so when I said that I was filtering it through the context of that rather than medicine. What an audience can get involved with regarding a plot is "heightened reality" as opposed to reality. Take the fairly dramatic example of someone choosing to end the life support of another (something I had [or was privileged] to witness) - there's drama in there, but after a bit not enough to sustain an audience for 2 hours with anything but the best actor that ever existed. And even then, things have to happen or their minds will start wandering quickly. For the individuals involved, there's probably too much. For someone external, it's a tougher sell.
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As much as I appreciate your desire to turn the tables I have to agree with this. Please, for the sake of other applicants rather than the school, just turn it down if that's what you're going to do.
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That's a good point! And very true of the med school app.... It is largely all about distilling your experiences down to the most critical stories and lessons learned. You have to concentrate the last 3-4+ years into something they can look at and evaluate in 10-20 min.
Also, that's awesome you're considering EM! Have you worked in EMS or the ED?
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I was so confused for a minute there until I realized your quoting had nothing to do with your first sentence. I'm good now. I have to say Music2Doc - I wouldn't mind being classmates with you. As I intimated, I have a grudging respect for you. I mean, I obviously can't talk about your general character, but you defend your points with reason and wit, and I like that. 🙂
And no, I haven't worked in EMS or the ED. I actually laughed when I read that since the reason I haven't is precisely what you were talking about earlier - it wouldn't have been genuine to pursue that in my pre-med phase. That is, going EMT for the sake of going EMT (or scribe or something). I actually didn't consider it until I was working full time and already applied. Since then I've done a lot of shadowing and while I can't positively commit, it's my #1 right now. Is that what you're thinking of doing?
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Great discussion guys. Fingers crossed for everyone this week! 
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I think some of you guys are taking this process way too seriously. Acceptances, waitlist, and waitlist movement will all happen on their own sweet time, and the actions of any one applicant on the process are negligible.
One thing that gets overlooked is that if I was accepted (something I seriously doubt at this point) it actually would benefit me to hang on to the acceptance as long as possible. Not for its effect on Colorado, but rather on the other schools where I have acceptances. Holding acceptances can be used as a bargaining chip when negotiating tuition amounts. Holding onto an extraneous acceptance gives the other schools more time to sweeten their offers as they compete amongst themselves, whereas holding only one acceptance gives the acceptee no bargaining position.
Of course this can't be used against Colorado itself. They nipped that tactic in the bud (as discussed several pages ago in this very thread) by withholding financial aid info until June. Thus the Colorado-bound student is put in much the same powerless position as a patient in the US healthcare system - being forced to choose a product or service while having absolutely no idea how much it will cost in the end.
One thing that gets overlooked is that if I was accepted (something I seriously doubt at this point) it actually would benefit me to hang on to the acceptance as long as possible. Not for its effect on Colorado, but rather on the other schools where I have acceptances. Holding acceptances can be used as a bargaining chip when negotiating tuition amounts. Holding onto an extraneous acceptance gives the other schools more time to sweeten their offers as they compete amongst themselves, whereas holding only one acceptance gives the acceptee no bargaining position.
Of course this can't be used against Colorado itself. They nipped that tactic in the bud (as discussed several pages ago in this very thread) by withholding financial aid info until June. Thus the Colorado-bound student is put in much the same powerless position as a patient in the US healthcare system - being forced to choose a product or service while having absolutely no idea how much it will cost in the end.
Well put, I agree.
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Are you implying that the med school application process is analogous to the arena of kids that have to eliminate each other in order to survive, or is it just a coincidence that you're reading that particular allegorical tale at this time and mentioning it in this particular place?
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What?! I must have missed that earlier. Or I read it, refused to believe it, and purged it from my memory. Well ladies and gentlemen, I do think we have reach my last straw. MT, I'm completely with you and how you plan on handling a possible acceptance. Unless CU decides to include some sort of statement about my financial aid if (and it seems like a real long shot at this point) they accept me, I'm done.
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This is bad. I don't know of any other schools that do this. Another thing that irks me is that last Friday was a deadline for scholarship applications for some of the tracks. So if you get accepted this coming week, I guess that you don't get a shot at applying for these.
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I sure hope that the CU admissions office is reading this thread.
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People seem to think that they do. I went and talked to a lady in admissions and she knew that people discussed interview questions online, which is one reason they are switching their interview format next year.
If they do check it, I wonder if they try and link profiles to applications. That seems unethical, and probably against the privacy terms of SDN, but who knows these days.
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And also kinda petty....
But I would be surprised if someone took the time to do that. They seem unable to keep up with the normal work they have to do.
Wait, are you saying that because we are whiny babies? Or because you agree that there are some legitimate gripes? Hard to tell on the internets....
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It is hard to tell on the internets. 🙂 I meant the latter, because it seems so unfair to make several scholarship deadlines BEFORE they've even notified everyone of their status. Not to mention divulging financial aid information after accepted students must commit to CU. For a lot of excellent OOS candidates, the hefty price tag would be too much without any hint of a scholarship, and they'd decline the acceptance.
I love CU and if I'm accepted here, I'm attending without a doubt. But the lack of information is just getting so frustrating.
Handling a doubtful acceptance in the same way as you and MT. They actually expect people to blindly pick the school without knowing how much it costs?! Forget it, I've had enough.
I wonder if that might be intentional..
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I don't know...I mean, Colorado as a state is notorious for its lack of higher-education funding, hence the high percentage of OOS students at CUSOM. But it's possible that they don't give financial aid information early to ensure that the OOS students who do choose to matriculated are okay with the high cost.
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There are a lot of valid points being made here, and it'd be a shame if this thread is the only exposure that they get.
I'd urge you guys to consider putting these into a more formal document to hand over to CU. I'm sure that these issues are not due to CU Admissions lack of concern for applicants, rather a lack of resources to process a truly monumental number of applications.
Something that outlines specific concerns may give them some traction in requesting more resources for their office....just my $.02
I'd urge you guys to consider putting these into a more formal document to hand over to CU. I'm sure that these issues are not due to CU Admissions lack of concern for applicants, rather a lack of resources to process a truly monumental number of applications.
Something that outlines specific concerns may give them some traction in requesting more resources for their office....just my $.02
👍 Well put Tyrion (I also read game of thrones during this application cycle). To be honest I hadn't thought of it that way. I just meant that reading young adult dystopian future/science fiction novels has helped keep my mind off all the waiting.
Also, if they really are looking to up the diversity of the incoming class, I think being a feudal dwarf lord may really help you out.
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Unfortunately, as applicants it is a bit awkward for us to present these. While Ms. Patel has stated that she wants to hear these kinds of complaints, I know that I, for one, have never really felt comfortable voicing them while being evaluated. The fact is that researchers (in i/o and social psych) have shown that people who bring up problems/concerns -- no matter how well expressed or valid they may be -- tend to be judged negatively. Since we are all currently being evaluated by CUSOM, it would be unwise to speak up unless you really just don't care. It's unfortunate and makes it difficult for Admissions to get good feedback, but it is, unfortunately, reality.
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Agreed, in fact, I think it's up to people who get accepted to say that this process needs to be changed. If someone who is rejected complains, the adcom is likely to think they are just bitter. Once accepted, your words likely hold more weight. Regardless, they probably don't care all that much.
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This is true. (I hope they do care, btw. And I think they genuinely do; even if it doesn't always seem like it to the applicant.) Part of it, I suspect, has to do with them having such a large committee. What Dr. Winn wants is not always what happens because, while he may guide the committee, he does not make the decisions himself (alone, anyway) and so cannot ensure that things are done according to his timeline. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the admissions staff has actually seen this thread and is even a bit discouraged by the negativity as of late, along with their inability to "fix" the problems. If so, I think we should try to be understanding that it may not be the Admissions team's "fault" that some of these things do not seem to make sense, although, perhaps, the complaints voiced here may give them some pull to fix these issues in the future (if there are, in fact, issues they believe need to be handled.)
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You holding onto a spot for an extra couple months means that one individual may not HAVE their acceptance for another couple of months. I would argue that this person would not find your actions "negligible". This is about the individual that you are affecting, not necessarily the medical school applicant pool on the whole.
Also, how is an acceptance at Colorado a bargaining chip? Chances are that CU is not prestigious enough to make anyone salivate over the ideation of your presence at their school, nor is Colorado's generous tuition going to help most applicants as a bargaining tool.
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