2011 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

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lmarina1 said:
George Washington interview invite today: Complete 8/5. Anyone else apply to mostly east coast schools?
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congrats! Just got verified today. No Junior GPA because they counted all of my Air Force training towards it, but whatever. That hurdle is over!
 
lmarina1 said:
George Washington interview invite today: Complete 8/5. Anyone else apply to mostly east coast schools?
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Yay! Congrats! I am applying to mostly east coast schools. 6 in Florida, 4 in NYC, 1 int atl, 1 in Nashville, and 1 in New Orleans. I'm also trying some DO schools but I'm still waiting for transcripts and LORs for AACOMAS.
 
Man do I feel I am so late! I just submitted my app yesterday. Not only are people getting interviews but also accepted. I hope my PS sets me above the rest since my "numbers" aren't the greatest. It sounds like some people here are really going at it with 20+ schools. Is that DO and MD combined? I won't get a secondary invite till after being verified, right?
Thanks, and GL to all of you
 
Florida folks: anyone applying to U of Central Florida? i'm thinking about applying but wasn't sure how friendly they are to OOS residents with no ties (MSAR can be really misleading on that front). thoughts? thank you! 🙂
 
eablackwell said:
I'm applying there. I think about 20% of their class is oos. They just started handing out interview invites today. Just not to me. 😉
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ooh nice! you'll get one - hang in there. :luck:
 
Wow...it's been a painfully slow week in application land.

Nothing new to report! At all. I avoided rejection Monday, but I've had Totally Silent Tuesday, No-Word Wednesday, Thoroughly Quiet Thursday and probably Flat out Nothing Friday.

I now get why previous cycle applicants keep telling me "Hurry up! And then wait....."

Hope you guys are getting some better news! I guess no news is still good news! 🙄
 
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I am also getting absolute silence from the schools in which I am complete. Those three schools have sent out both rejections and interview requests, but I have heard nothing. It is a little disquieting.

Q, could you tell us what, in your opinion, most schools are doing when there is extended silence on our apps. Does that mean there is disagreement in the committee?

Of course, you could just ignore the question and therefore answer it that way 🙂
 
Totally! This is how their disagreement plays out like this in my head:

Dr. A: "I think this applicant is phenomenal because of their non-traditional experience, they have real world perspective"

Dr. B: "You're totally wrong! They are phenomenal because of their commitment to health-care, going back to school for years just to be here!"

Dr. C: "You're both wrong. Have you seen this picture? They are phenomenal because they are freakishly attractive. A total super hottie."

Drs A & B: "True that."
 
ChicagoSL said:
Totally! This is how their disagreement plays out like this in my head:

Dr. A: "I think this applicant is phenomenal because of their non-traditional experience, they have real world perspective"

Dr. B: "You're totally wrong! They are phenomenal because of their commitment to health-care, going back to school for years just to be here!"

Dr. C: "You're both wrong. Have you seen this picture? They are phenomenal because they are freakishly attractive. A total super hottie."

Drs A & B: "True that."
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But we can't invite them to interview until we are in total agreement about why.
 
Exactly.

They have to present a unified front. Are they going to inquire about our real world experience, our obvious dedication, or our super-hot-tastic-ness?
 
ChicagoSL said:
Totally! This is how their disagreement plays out like this in my head:

Dr. A: "I think this applicant is phenomenal because of their non-traditional experience, they have real world perspective"

Dr. B: "You're totally wrong! They are phenomenal because of their commitment to health-care, going back to school for years just to be here!"

Dr. C: "You're both wrong. Have you seen this picture? They are phenomenal because they are freakishly attractive. A total super hottie."

Drs A & B: "True that."
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Awesome! :laugh:

All quiet on the Western Front here, as well. :xf:
 
ChicagoSL said:
Nothing new to report! At all. I avoided rejection Monday, but I've had Totally Silent Tuesday, No-Word Wednesday, Thoroughly Quiet Thursday and probably Flat out Nothing Friday.
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All of the rest of your days are so appealingly alliterative that we need to rename Mondays. I suggest Minus Communication Mondays. Minus communication can mean nothing, or unfortunately, negative news.

I now get why previous cycle applicants keep telling me "Hurry up! And then wait....."
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Pretty much. It's going to be a long year for all of us. The end of February/beginning of March (after submitting my rank list but before match week) will be the most painful part for me. Assuming I don't have to scramble, of course.

EdLongshanks said:
I am also getting absolute silence from the schools in which I am complete. Those three schools have sent out both rejections and interview requests, but I have heard nothing. It is a little disquieting.

Q, could you tell us what, in your opinion, most schools are doing when there is extended silence on our apps. Does that mean there is disagreement in the committee?

Of course, you could just ignore the question and therefore answer it that way 🙂
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I probably would have ignored the question if you hadn't suggested that I could answer by ignoring it. :meanie: I was up most of last night, one of my patients is literally chained to his hospital bed, and I woke up today CRAAAAAAANKY. But, how could I let you have the last word??? 😀

All kidding aside, I can't really answer your question. Every school has their own madness with varying degrees of methods. When I applied, I had some schools invite me the same day my app was complete (one invite even came within five minutes of my submitting the secondary), and others that waited two, three months before getting back to me. Why? Who knows. I sent all my secondaries out within a pretty narrow time frame. :shrug:

Part of the problem here is that you folks are trying to make sense of a system that has a great deal of idiosyncrasy to it. But it's probably not because you've got a bunch of adcoms in a hot room duking it out over whether to invite you. At my school, we have a subgroup of people who screen apps. They do them in batches. Some screeners are faster than others. It's entirely possible for person B, who was complete several weeks after person A was, to hear back before person A does, because the screener for person A is behind. Then person A is scratching his head going, why haven't I heard back yet? The answer is that person A's app has gotten stuck in Application Abyss Saturday.
 
ChicagoSL said:
Totally! This is how their disagreement plays out like this in my head:

Dr. A: "I think this applicant is phenomenal because of their non-traditional experience, they have real world perspective"

Dr. B: "You're totally wrong! They are phenomenal because of their commitment to health-care, going back to school for years just to be here!"

Dr. C: "You're both wrong. Have you seen this picture? They are phenomenal because they are freakishly attractive. A total super hottie."

Drs A & B: "True that."
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This is definitely the BEST response EVER! Thanks. I needed that.


Oh, and uh... Yeah, nothing here either.
 
I think it is telling that I have not yet been rejected from a school that I submitted a picture to.

Unfortunately, another school decided to reject my friend request this week. Didn't like them anyway.
 
QofQuimica said:
All kidding aside, I can't really answer your question. Every school has their own madness with varying degrees of methods. When I applied, I had some schools invite me the same day my app was complete (one invite even came within five minutes of my submitting the secondary), and others that waited two, three months before getting back to me. Why? Who knows. I sent all my secondaries out within a pretty narrow time frame..
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In other words, we haven't heard back because we haven't heard back and what it means nobody knows. I guess I knew that already, I just wanted someone to tell me I wasn't right.

Ah, the curse of always being right. I shall bear it with me to my grave.
 
EdLongshanks said:
In other words, we haven't heard back because we haven't heard back and what it means nobody knows. I guess I knew that already, I just wanted someone to tell me I wasn't right.
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It means that you are going to practice waiting so much that you will be a world-class waiter by the time this whole thing is over. Wait, that didn't mean quite what I meant it to mean....

Ah, the curse of always being right. I shall bear it with me to my grave.
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Oh, we all have our curse to bear. 😉
 
I posted this in one of the school-specific threads, but thought it might be worth reposting here in a more general thread.

No rejectee is an island, entire of himself. Each rejection is a piece of the method, a part of the game. If a clod be washed out by the system, the pool will not be clodless, though a mountain of clods like thee and thine be taken away. Every rejection diminishes the competition, for I am involved in the game. Therefore, post not to ask for whom the rejection comes, it cometh for thee.
 
.
 
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45?! 20 more?! Jeebus. I thought I filled out a lot of secondaries. I'm dragging my feet on my last five after filling out just over thirty.

I don't see why you would apply to Loma Linda given your situation. I've also heard they require a letter of recommendation from a pastor, though I may be wrong.
 
I got an interview invite at Mayo this morning. It took them a month to review after I was complete. Others were getting invites left and right. I was worried.
 
EdLongshanks said:
I got an interview invite at Mayo this morning. It took them a month to review after I was complete. Others were getting invites left and right. I was worried.
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Congrats Ed!

One of my good friends is a fourth year there and she loves it!
 
MacVA said:
Congrats Ed!

One of my good friends is a fourth year there and she loves it!
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Mayo is my very first dream school. As a physician I want to, first and foremost, be a healer. To the average man on the street, Mayo Clinic is synonymous with healing difficult diseases.
 
Congrats, Mayo is a great opportunity. Charm them with your age!
 
Bring an abacus and some receipts and pretend you're adding things during downtime. If asked about it, say that you're balancing your checkbook. 😉
 
Schools applied to: 7
Secondaries done: 7
Verified as complete: 7
Interviews: 4
Rejections: 0
Acceptances: 0

I just got one more interview 😉
 
Schools applied to: 26
Secondaries done: 23
Verified as complete: 23
Interviews: 0
Rejections: 2
Acceptances: 0

Drowning your application sorrows by downing a dozen cupcakes with butter-cream frosting: Priceless. 😛
 
EdLongshanks said:
I got an interview invite at Mayo this morning. It took them a month to review after I was complete. Others were getting invites left and right. I was worried.
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ChemMed said:
Schools applied to: 7
Secondaries done: 7
Verified as complete: 7
Interviews: 4
Rejections: 0
Acceptances: 0

I just got one more interview 😉
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Awesome, congrats to you both! Where's the new invite to, ChemMed?

Yesterday, I got my mid-rotation eval and it was very positive. I'll be meeting with the program director on Tuesday and asking him for a LOR. At this point, I've got my ERAS completely filled out, and I ordered my med school transcript to be uploaded. (The school makes us pay $5 for this. 🙄) Here's where things get complicated. From what I gather, I have to manually assign every document to every program. So for example, I have to tell ERAS to send my PS to each program I've selected, and so on with my other documents, including my USMLE transcript. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm hoping ERAS will let me assign a document to multiple programs at once. Otherwise, this is going to quickly become a bit tedious. :d
 
Another invite!! Non-trads for the win 😀

Schools applied to: A lot
Secondaries done: Over thirty
Verified as complete: Around thirty
Interviews: 4
Rejections: 3
Acceptances: 0
Schools bumming around pretending they are still considering me but really aren't: At least one
 
Submitted AMCAS on 8/4... still waiting to be verified. 🙁
 
Finished all of my secondaries last Friday, left for a week long cruise last Saturday. Got back today to find two interview invites! Woohoo!
 
Primaries: 28

Secondaries: 25

Rejections: 3

Withdrew: 4

Interviews: 4 (!!!!!!!)

Waiting to hear from the rest.



On another note:

Anybody out there ever had a discography? What a son of a biz that procedure is. I had one because I herniated two discs (lumbar) last November. Direct quote from the procedure (mind you I was HEAVILY drugged):

Doc: "Tell me what this does to your pain level on a scale from 1-10"
Me: "F*@^#@&%@#^%@#^%@#^#^#&#*#*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Doc: "Could you put a number value on that for me?"
Me (through heavy breathing): "Let's go with a ten..."

I was under sedation for most of it but I clearly remember saying ten several times. I later found out from the staff that I have a mouth like a sailor. (I guess they were having good fun with it, lol!)

Man this story is going to come in good when asked about having empathy with patients during interviews....
 
Still no interviews, complete at 17 of 21 schools since mid July to early August (at the latest). :scared:

Maybe I should stop reading SDN. I know it is still very early, but everyday people are posting about how they have interviews at schools I have been complete at for over a month, and it makes me very panicky. Then it turns into a bad, paranoid spiral, and I start going down the Trail of Bad Thoughts thinking about how I'm going to be the most edu-ma-cated burger flipper ever hired at the local McD's. Somehow in this scenario, I also wind up living in a trailer with no teeth and a penchant for hoarding. :laugh:

Sorry guys, I just needed to vent. My husband is about to go crazy from contact neuroticism. 😳
 
teddy bear doc said:
Still no interviews, complete at 17 of 21 schools since mid July to early August (at the latest). :scared:

Maybe I should stop reading SDN. I know it is still very early, but everyday people are posting about how they have interviews at schools I have been complete at for over a month, and it makes me very panicky. Then it turns into a bad, paranoid spiral, and I start going down the Trail of Bad Thoughts thinking about how I'm going to be the most edu-ma-cated burger flipper ever hired at the local McD's. Somehow in this scenario, I also wind up living in a trailer with no teeth and a penchant for hoarding. :laugh:

Sorry guys, I just needed to vent. My husband is about to go crazy from contact neuroticism. 😳
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There are a lot of us out there just like you. My single interview came after many people received invitations who were confirmed after me.

Remember, also, that some schools may simply not offer interviews till after the end of August. My state school, for example, simply gathers all the apps until Sept 1st, ranks them by a mathematical formula and only then offers interviews.
 
teddy bear doc said:
Still no interviews, complete at 17 of 21 schools since mid July to early August (at the latest). :scared:

Maybe I should stop reading SDN. I know it is still very early, but everyday people are posting about how they have interviews at schools I have been complete at for over a month, and it makes me very panicky. Then it turns into a bad, paranoid spiral, and I start going down the Trail of Bad Thoughts thinking about how I'm going to be the most edu-ma-cated burger flipper ever hired at the local McD's. Somehow in this scenario, I also wind up living in a trailer with no teeth and a penchant for hoarding. :laugh:

Sorry guys, I just needed to vent. My husband is about to go crazy from contact neuroticism. 😳
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yeah, I would definitely avoid SDN.

Your app is done now, relax and do other stuff. Definitely don't keep checking for when everyone is getting invites. People usually come on only with good news, so you will think there is only good news out there.

Keep your spirits up.
 
teddy bear doc said:
Still no interviews, complete at 17 of 21 schools since mid July to early August (at the latest). :scared:

Maybe I should stop reading SDN. I know it is still very early, but everyday people are posting about how they have interviews at schools I have been complete at for over a month, and it makes me very panicky. Then it turns into a bad, paranoid spiral, and I start going down the Trail of Bad Thoughts thinking about how I'm going to be the most edu-ma-cated burger flipper ever hired at the local McD's. Somehow in this scenario, I also wind up living in a trailer with no teeth and a penchant for hoarding. :laugh:

Sorry guys, I just needed to vent. My husband is about to go crazy from contact neuroticism. 😳
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As we discussed a few pages back, there often isn't a direct correlation between when you submit versus when you hear back--it's not necessarily going to be first come, first served. Some schools may take 6-8 weeks or more to decide whether to interview you. Even for your earliest complete apps, you're still well within that window, and it's way, way too early to be panicky. Also, if you're going to read SDN, try not to read it selectively. Yes, some people have gotten invites at schools you haven't heard back from yet. But it's probably safe to assume that there are plenty of people posting about rejections at schools where you're complete and haven't heard back from yet, too. Sometimes no answer is better than a quick answer. 🙂

My away rotation will be over in a few more days. I met with the program director today. We went over my app, and he's going to write me a LOR. It's been a good rotation, busy and intense, and I have learned a lot. My differential diagnoses (prioritized list of possible problems I think the patient could have based on my history and physical exam) are better, and my plans for how to diagnose and treat the patients are better too. After taking this rotation, I feel more confident that I can handle being an intern ten short months from now, although of course I still have some apprehension about making this transition. But I'm looking forward to submitting my app (which can be done in a week) and getting started.
 
I think the real problem here is that the two halves of my brain are not on the same page with this issue. The logical side of me says, "Yes, of course, it is quite early, you have no rejections, life is looking up! We have interview invites to look forward to!" But then the crazy, emotional, completely irrational side of my brain says, "You are never going to be a doctor. Just accept that now. I think Applebee's is hiring; that's a much better fit for us." My posts tend to reflect whichever side is getting the better of me at that particular moment. Can you guys guess which one was winning with that last one?🙄

Anyway, thank you for the encouragement and, Q, for the reality check. That's why I keep coming back!

Btw, I'm sure it is posted somewhere, but what field are you applying for Q? I got the feeling it was IM, but then I wasn't sure...
 
QofQuimica said:
My away rotation will be over in a few more days. I met with the program director today. We went over my app, and he's going to write me a LOR. It's been a good rotation, busy and intense, and I have learned a lot. My differential diagnoses (prioritized list of possible problems I think the patient could have based on my history and physical exam) are better, and my plans for how to diagnose and treat the patients are better too. After taking this rotation, I feel more confident that I can handle being an intern ten short months from now, although of course I still have some apprehension about making this transition. But I'm looking forward to submitting my app (which can be done in a week) and getting started.
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Has your experience of comforting neurotic pre-meds made it easier for you to handle the residency app + away rotation combination?
 
teddy bear doc said:
Anyway, thank you for the encouragement and, Q, for the reality check. That's why I keep coming back!
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Hang in there....and finish those last four secondaries. It will help occupy your mind. 😛

Btw, I'm sure it is posted somewhere, but what field are you applying for Q? I got the feeling it was IM, but then I wasn't sure...
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IM is one of the most popular specialties for MD/PhDs. 🙂

EdLongshanks said:
Has your experience of comforting neurotic pre-meds made it easier for you to handle the residency app + away rotation combination?
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I don't know. It's not like I can go back and do a controlled experiment where I see what I'm feeling like with and without the experience of comforting neurotic premeds. :laugh:

All kidding aside, the thing that helps me most is to be very organized. I'm doing all of the same things that I tell you folks to do: educating myself about the process, applying early/strategically, and researching the programs thoroughly. Residency programs, like med schools, have their own personalities, and fit is important at this level too. Maybe even more important at this level, since it's a much smaller group and the training experience is so intense. This hospital is very different than my home school in many ways, and it has given me a lot to think about in terms of what would make a good fit for a residency program.

Speaking of being organized, I need to get my photo to the registrar. Talk about ridiculousness: we have to upload pictures for ERAS, but we can't do it ourselves. Instead, we have to give a hard copy (not a digital copy!) to the registrar, who then scans them and uploads them for us. I have no idea why they can't just use my digital photo. This is all so 20th century. :meanie:
 
Hey Ed, I just wanted to add a congratulations as well! Hope all goes exceedingly well for you!🙂
 
I just received my first interview invite! :soexcited: FIU ftw!

I burst into tears when I saw the email, because I didn't think I would get any interviews.

Congrats to everyone who has been given interviews. For those who haven't yet, don't lose hope!!
 
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