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I made my mind up to go on a cruise once I get accepted, some day. Carribean, as well. Bon voyage!
2013 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread
- Thread starter abolt18
- Start date
I made my mind up to go on a cruise once I get accepted, some day. Carribean, as well. Bon voyage!
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Congrats everyone!! Its seems like there are a lot of successful stories here! I decided to add my app cycle to the bunch:
AMCAS: 24
Secondaries returned: 22
Pre interview rejections (so far!): 5 (I added a few extra reach schools at the last min haha oh well!)
Pre-interview holds: 2
Interviews: 9
Acceptances: 3
WL: 2
After getting accepted into my state school, which is only 16k/yr and top 20, I can't really imagine any other school on my list that id rather attend. So I'm probably done interviews. I'm not going withdraw my complete apps just out of curiosity tho! To all those with less than exciting post interview results so far, keep your faith. My first three notifications were WL ( one of which I was later accepted off of) and I was devastated, thinking that I was just doing terrible interviews. In reality, I think a lot of pieces play into the puzzle and a LOT of ppl get off WLs. My next two decisions were acceptances to schools within 2 wks of my interviews, meaning I was at the top of their lists (per systems at these particular places). These were also my #1 and #2 schools!! I like to tell my story so others will still have faith. I was realllllllly stressing after all of those WLs and this being my second cycle...
AMCAS: 24
Secondaries returned: 22
Pre interview rejections (so far!): 5 (I added a few extra reach schools at the last min haha oh well!)
Pre-interview holds: 2
Interviews: 9
Acceptances: 3
WL: 2
After getting accepted into my state school, which is only 16k/yr and top 20, I can't really imagine any other school on my list that id rather attend. So I'm probably done interviews. I'm not going withdraw my complete apps just out of curiosity tho! To all those with less than exciting post interview results so far, keep your faith. My first three notifications were WL ( one of which I was later accepted off of) and I was devastated, thinking that I was just doing terrible interviews. In reality, I think a lot of pieces play into the puzzle and a LOT of ppl get off WLs. My next two decisions were acceptances to schools within 2 wks of my interviews, meaning I was at the top of their lists (per systems at these particular places). These were also my #1 and #2 schools!! I like to tell my story so others will still have faith. I was realllllllly stressing after all of those WLs and this being my second cycle...
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Oh man, I $h*t the entire bed at my interview today. Like legitimately: all those Martha Stewart white sheets, blanket, duvet, shams? RUINED. MMIs and I just don't mix.
Oh well. On to the next one... in 9 hours.
Oh well. On to the next one... in 9 hours.
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Sorry to hear that. Don't let it get you down. As long as you have more options and can pick yourself up after a bad day. It will all be worth it in the end.
dsoz
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Thanks dsoz. Not down. I was just annoyed during the day because the admin, staff, and students kept emphasizing how "fun" the experience was both before and after, and keeping that 1000-watt smile lacquered on was getting tiring. And I think I'm just getting generally annoyed at life since I've slept in my own bed once in the past two weeks.
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So what was so bad about the MMI? I have done two of them (U Arizona, Phoenix and OHSU).
I didn't find them that bad. But then I usually do well in an interview setting, and can usually schmooze people just fine.
I agree, keeping the happy, happy, joy, joy smile going is very energy consuming. I only went to five interviews, but I was so tired of them by the end that I was glad to cancel the rest of them. I can't imagine what. It would be like to do two weeks of interviews back to back. It was hard enough to get to the ones that I had, and I only had to fly to two different states. Once to Florida (two interviews) and once to Phoenix. The other two were in my state, but I did stay in a hotel for one of them because it was about 90 minutes from my house and I didn't want to wake up any earlier than I needed to.
I hope your travel is worth it, and you get multiple acceptances for your trouble.
dsoz
I didn't find them that bad. But then I usually do well in an interview setting, and can usually schmooze people just fine.
I agree, keeping the happy, happy, joy, joy smile going is very energy consuming. I only went to five interviews, but I was so tired of them by the end that I was glad to cancel the rest of them. I can't imagine what. It would be like to do two weeks of interviews back to back. It was hard enough to get to the ones that I had, and I only had to fly to two different states. Once to Florida (two interviews) and once to Phoenix. The other two were in my state, but I did stay in a hotel for one of them because it was about 90 minutes from my house and I didn't want to wake up any earlier than I needed to.
I hope your travel is worth it, and you get multiple acceptances for your trouble.
dsoz
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You forgot the one at Western. I'm pretty sure my performance in that MMI knocked me down from an acceptance to a waitlist, and all because I couldn't think of anything especially cheerful to say to an actor who was pretending that she just got horrible news. Luckily I got a better acceptance at a school with no MMIs.
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No, I remember Western. But going through twelve stations of MMI is a lot different than the two stations of "acting" that we had at Western. At the other two schools, the MMI was much more intense, and it was the ONLY part of the interview. There was no interview panel. OHSU did have a double station that was a lot like a traditional interview, but it was still only 20 minutes long. The other stations are more what I would consider MMI, with only a couple of acting stations thrown in to see how well you can "fake it until you make it."
have you heard back from U W yet?
dsoz
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Oh wow, MMI gets worse? I'm glad I'm basically done with interviews then. Western was bad enough. Nice school though.
My UW interview, actually the Alaska WWAMI program, isn't until February. There's only twenty spots in the program so they only have one interview date. I'm not too concerned about that one since I've already got an acceptance to the nation's #1 ranked medical school.* The big hurdle for me at UW was proving that I am in fact an Alaska resident after all the time I spent volunteering out of the state.
*Based on interview day lunches. Crab gumbo is hard to beat.
My UW interview, actually the Alaska WWAMI program, isn't until February. There's only twenty spots in the program so they only have one interview date. I'm not too concerned about that one since I've already got an acceptance to the nation's #1 ranked medical school.* The big hurdle for me at UW was proving that I am in fact an Alaska resident after all the time I spent volunteering out of the state.
*Based on interview day lunches. Crab gumbo is hard to beat.
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I am so glad I didn't have to go through the OHSU interview process. My UWSOM acceptance couldn't have come at a better time.
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MICHIGAN!!!!!!!!
Man, I wish someone would stop cutting onions/blowing dust/spreading winter pollen while I watch the acceptance video (for the sixth time).
Man, I wish someone would stop cutting onions/blowing dust/spreading winter pollen while I watch the acceptance video (for the sixth time).
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Acceptance video?
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Acceptance. VIDEO. #F**kYeahGoBLUE
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Sounds like you will too. Which top-tier acceptance are you planning on going to?
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Ah, I don't know yet! I think I have to wait for financial aid packages and second look visits before making any decisions. A non-trad friendly class is pretty important to me too...
I just saw all of your acceptances, ladymich. That is fantastic! Congratulations to you!!!
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The fakeness of it all. With 8 minutes, you have almost no time to read your interviewer, so you are reduced to packaging a pat answer in a perfect Problem-Considerations-Options-Action fashion. It's like the verbal version of secondaries, or the oral version of the MCAT writing section. And contrary to what some poor uniformed souls say, there is absolutely a right and wrong answer (or at least right and wrong ways to answer). And hemming close to that style in 8 minutes (and 8 times over in rapid succession) is tiring, and still revealed nothing about the way I think. The entire process is ripe for gaming.
And also, I started off with stations with very interrogative evaluators, so that soured me on the whole thing.
Congrats on your incredible accomplishment. And kudos on that med school thing, too.
As will you, it seems!
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Aww shucks thanks 😳. It's still a bit surreal for me!
Ah that sucks that you had a bad experience. I enjoyed my MMI, but I know schools do it differently and I've heard some are a lot more stressful than others. I liked that there isn't time to read your interviewer, because then you end up acting the way you normally would given the situation. It felt genuine. No interrogation for me in the MMI... but at a different traditional interview setting...
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Finally coming to the end of the interview season, with the last two (I think?) coming at the end of the month. 
At some point, it feels like every school seems to have developed a "unique" curriculum, "groundbreaking" long-term early clinical experience, "innovative" student-run clinic, and has "the very most" compassionate and dedicated physicians... Jus' saying.
But regardless of how the rest of the cycle goes, I cannot believe how incredibly successful my cycle has gone. In all likelihood, I'll be rejected pre-interview from my top choice next week. But the fact is when i started this cycle I applied to 30 schools, assuming the 1-in-4 rule: best case scenario 1-in-4 of my secondaries turns into interviews (~7), and 1-in-4 of my interviews turns into an acceptance (~2).
I was wrong. 30 primaries turned into 29 secondaries submitted turned into 24 interview invites turned into 16 interviews attended turned into 7 acceptances so far. Whether by God, Jehovah, Allah, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster and his noodly appendage, I am blessed. This road was not easy, and I can't tell you how many times I came THISCLOSE to withdrawing while being verified in August (late late late!), but it really has worked out.
Now just to get another job so I can pay down all this application debt...
At some point, it feels like every school seems to have developed a "unique" curriculum, "groundbreaking" long-term early clinical experience, "innovative" student-run clinic, and has "the very most" compassionate and dedicated physicians... Jus' saying. But regardless of how the rest of the cycle goes, I cannot believe how incredibly successful my cycle has gone. In all likelihood, I'll be rejected pre-interview from my top choice next week. But the fact is when i started this cycle I applied to 30 schools, assuming the 1-in-4 rule: best case scenario 1-in-4 of my secondaries turns into interviews (~7), and 1-in-4 of my interviews turns into an acceptance (~2).
I was wrong. 30 primaries turned into 29 secondaries submitted turned into 24 interview invites turned into 16 interviews attended turned into 7 acceptances so far. Whether by God, Jehovah, Allah, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster and his noodly appendage, I am blessed. This road was not easy, and I can't tell you how many times I came THISCLOSE to withdrawing while being verified in August (late late late!), but it really has worked out.
Now just to get another job so I can pay down all this application debt...
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Damn, 7 acceptances already. Your profile is screaming "I need an MDAPPS". Why did you think about withdrawing? Do you have a top choice so far?
+1
WOW congrats!
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Thought I'd throw my hat in this ring. It's awesome to see the interviews and acceptances on this thread! I didn't think I'd end up applying this year, but I thought I'd give it a shot. AACOMAS verified in January, applied DO only.
3.4 cGPA, 3.7 sGPA, 28Q
-lots of EC's including 2 years of AmeriCorps serving in an urban health center
I'm complete at 6 schools so far, I'm just praying that one of them will have some space to squeeze me in at the end of the cycle. Here's to hoping.
3.4 cGPA, 3.7 sGPA, 28Q
-lots of EC's including 2 years of AmeriCorps serving in an urban health center
I'm complete at 6 schools so far, I'm just praying that one of them will have some space to squeeze me in at the end of the cycle. Here's to hoping.
Good luck!!!
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Congratulations to everyone with acceptances and good luck to everyone still waiting! I am doing better than I thought/feared so far. 5 apps, 4 interviews, 1 waitlist, 2 acceptances to both of my two top picks, and waiting for 1 more decision. In hindsight, the only thing I really wish that I'd have done differently is to have applied earlier. I waited for my MCAT score before submitting my primary in late July and I think that hurt my chances at school #5 and delayed this whole process. The waiting has not been fun.
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I wish I could share about a great cycle as some of you have been able to enjoy. My cycle has been horribly slow. It started off well with my first invite to my top choice in September but by October I was saddened by rejection from the very same school. I was happy again when I got an invite and another interview by November. I thought I would hear something by the end of the year... well, January is almost over and I recently found out they cancelled the meeting this week so the next committee meeting is in February. So I am not even on hold or wait-list, I'm just post interview and anxiously waiting. I thought I had a great chance at one of the DO schools I applied to but I do not even know if they have seen my application yet. They do not interview so once they look over my application and they make a decision I will hear from them. Its been over 5 months and I have seen many people get accepted and others get wait-listed at this school, but I have not heard a single word, except when they are kindly replying to my emails.
This has been such a slow, slow, slow process 🙁
I still have hope at a few schools:
1 MD waiting for decision
1 DO waiting for decision
1 MD officially on pre-interview hold
6 MD waiting to see if I get an interview or rejection
2 DO waiting to see if I get an interview or rejection
The rest were rejections.
I expect I will know if I will be getting any more interviews by the end of the month.
This has been such a slow, slow, slow process 🙁
I still have hope at a few schools:
1 MD waiting for decision
1 DO waiting for decision
1 MD officially on pre-interview hold
6 MD waiting to see if I get an interview or rejection
2 DO waiting to see if I get an interview or rejection
The rest were rejections.
I expect I will know if I will be getting any more interviews by the end of the month.
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Hang in there. Sending good thoughts your way.
Thank you, I appreciate that. 🙂
Adding: The way I see it is I still have hope at 11 schools. Some of those schools show more promise than others. I cannot decide if I should add more DO applications. I am thinking I should just save my money, hope for the best, and use that money later if I have to re-apply.
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May I suggest LOIs, if you have not tried those yet. They work sometimes and thus worth the shot.
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Yes, I have considered this option and am unsure exactly which schools to send them to. One school specifically stated that they do not want updates, so I will not be bothering them. I have contacted all the other schools. Generally, I showed interest by asking specific questions that were not listed on their website and I also called a couple schools to try and find out if they would want an update.
The school specific threads can tell you which schools are ok with receiving Letters of Interest. And even if you have nothing new to update, at this point in the game you should send an email to the dean (if you can find his/her email address), or at the very least to the general admissions email (and addressed To: The Admissions Committee).
Rather than asking questions, the email should express your strong interest in the school and thoroughly explain why you believe you would be a great fit for the mission and goals of the school, and thus a great addition to the incoming class. Let your passion come through.
And these types of emails are reserved for the schools you really, really want to go to, because they can be powerful, if well written. Letters of Intent take things a step further and in addition to the "language of interest", will also clearly state that you would matriculate there if accepted.
I have not tried a letter of intent (but I have informed a school that it is my top choice, so that probably counts as intent). I have done a handful of letters of interest and they worked almost 50% of the time during the peak of the interview season. YMMV.
Good luck!
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I appreciate all the helpful advice, thank you. Your first post just said LOI so I was thinking "letter of interest" rather than "letter of intent".
I have read every thread for every school I applied to and I go back and re-read when I'm looking for a specific answer. I have not seen any success at my favorite school with letters of interest. I also kind of feel that with my low end GPA I would come across as desperate or begging. That is why I have attempted to show continued interest by communicating with the school by asking questions that show I am gaining knowledge about the school.
I would only feel right, writing on letter of intent to my top choice school. At this point, I was already rejected from my top choice, the one that would have allowed my family to not move. So, now that I know I will be moving next year, I can see myself happy at many of the schools. There are only one or two schools I'm not 100% sure about because they are two I have never had a chance to visit.
While the school specific threads are great (especially the ones with Med Student involvement), just remember that by some estimates, only 10% of applicants actually post on SDN. There are many lurkers and many who stay away from SDN. Some folks may even post negative results to dissuade others. So if you assume you are only hearing 10% of the story, do not worry too much about people's success with letters (or lack of). Or success with anything for that matter on here.
Stats are also not everything, especially since you have received a couple of interviews with your GPA.
And yes, you do not want to sound desperate in any communication with schools. Just be confident but respectful as you state your case. And wait a month or two before sending another letter if necessary.
The problem with just asking questions is that you may not be unequivocally selling yourself and what you bring to the table. Their decision will literally change the trajectory of your life. If there are only one or two schools on your list that you are not so sure about, I would express clear interest to all the others. Just start from your current top choice and work your way down. Another option would be to get someone important to send a very strong LOR to the adcom on your behalf.
At the end of the day you will know you tried your very best to get into med school regardless of what happens by this summer. Again, this is how I would handle things, but I am aware everyone's comfort level with some of these methods are different 🙂
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I think this is part of my frustration with the process. I want to be told explicitly what kind of information the schools wants and also what information they do not want.
If I were trying to get a job I would fill out the application. Submit my resume and cover letter. Follow up with a phone call. Once I got an interview I would "sell my qualities" and reply with a thank you card stating my interest and restating why I am a good fit.
To me that is all stuff I already know about job hunting. And those things are explained every where you go to look for job hunting advice.
This med school process is full of contradictions so I never know who is correct. One school tells me do not update no matter what. Well, I can handle that, it is straight forward. Then another school tells us nothing and people send in updates only to be told not to. This other school also says nothing but people who send in updates suddenly hear from the school a week later. But did the update actually matter?
Then some schools only want updates after you interview or only if you are on the waitlist. I read all the school websites and still very few schools explicitly state what they are wanting from you besides the application and being patient.
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This process is SO frustrating!
I also will be moving my family, an idea to which I was open, but about which my husband was less than enthusiastic. For this reason, I did send very short emails to two area schools (that don't like updates) when it was getting near the end of the season. (We are done here in Texas.) It seemed at that point that there was not much to lose. I didn't send an LOI, but instead wrote a few sentences as to why it was likely that I would stay here (husband's job, kids in school) and a couple more about being interested in learning more about each school. I did not end up getting an interview, but I'm glad I wrote the note as a last ditch effort and could honestly tell my husband that I had done all I could; I also don't think they had any negative effect at that point in the game. Had the schools welcomed interest letters, I would have written a whole page about what we could do for each other. 😉
I also think a school telling you not to send updates does not necessarily translate to sending them nothing. It's possible (in my mind) that they don't want updates because they only evaluate your file as it comes to them. Expressing interest is in another category imo.
To your schools that don't explicitly say no, I would certainly send letters now! You would draw attention to the fact that your app is still out there and that you're still interested. I hardly think explaining why the school is a good fit for you (what can you bring to the table?) is irritating to most. At worst, they don't read it, but what if it makes them take a second look?
It's not fun, but this is all about selling yourself. I hope you are successful and wish you the best of luck!!!
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Also - congrats to all who have been accepted, especially those of you who have made a final decision!
As for me, I submitted my rankings for the TX match and will know by May 15 at the latest where I will end up. (Almost positive I'm going to stay in TX as the tuition is unbeatable.) In any case, I'm very grateful that I'm going to be an MD!
It's an exciting time, but I'm also quite anxious. Trying not to ruminate too much. It helps that I'm trying to get my house ready to sell; going through 10 years of...stuff...is keeping me busy. I'll also be less stressed when we know exactly where we're going, so my husband can look for a job. Hoping to do this debt-free, so for him to find something!
As for me, I submitted my rankings for the TX match and will know by May 15 at the latest where I will end up. (Almost positive I'm going to stay in TX as the tuition is unbeatable.) In any case, I'm very grateful that I'm going to be an MD!
It's an exciting time, but I'm also quite anxious. Trying not to ruminate too much. It helps that I'm trying to get my house ready to sell; going through 10 years of...stuff...is keeping me busy. I'll also be less stressed when we know exactly where we're going, so my husband can look for a job. Hoping to do this debt-free, so
for him to find something!
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I would call the schools and ask if they accept updates/letters of interest if it's otherwise unclear. If they do, then send them in now. These two md apps had some good examples:
http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=6325
http://www.mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=16486
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Thank you for all the help.
The one school I mentioned put me on pre-interview hold and has rejected others pre-interview. They specifically stated not to send them anything because my file was complete. Someone who did send them an update received a rejection shortly after. It could have just been bad timing but its not worth the risk for not following directions.
I will certainly be glad to update any of the other schools I have yet to hear from. I have updated some of them but I could send letters to a couple.
What's the opinion on my post interview school? I sent thank you letters and expressed my interest and my fit. I asked admissions if there was any type of update that would be useful in order to gain a favorable decision, and gave the example that I could add a LOR from a doctor I had recently shadowed. They said the letter would probably not be useful and they did not mention if any of the other information I provided would be helpful.
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Also - congrats to all who have been accepted, especially those of you who have made a final decision!
As for me, I submitted my rankings for the TX match and will know by May 15 at the latest where I will end up. (Almost positive I'm going to stay in TX as the tuition is unbeatable.) In any case, I'm very grateful that I'm going to be an MD!
It's an exciting time, but I'm also quite anxious. Trying not to ruminate too much. It helps that I'm trying to get my house ready to sell; going through 10 years of...stuff...is keeping me busy. I'll also be less stressed when we know exactly where we're going, so my husband can look for a job. Hoping to do this debt-free, so
You TX people are so lucky. I just did the calculation on what my two top choices will cost me and almost passed out. This is going to be so expensive.
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It sounds like you've already done everything there, so wait for the review and hope for the best! All the info should be in your file, so they will see your interest and fit in your words upon review.
Amen. I just ended up here because of my husband's job, but it worked out well! Great schools too.
I was looking at your MDApps (great season for you!). I also applied to UVM because my sister lives near there (New Haven); it would be nice to be by her, and Burlington is a cute little place. Not to mention, my husband would LOVE the (un)population of VT. (He's never visited.) I'm a bit more of a city person, but hey, I'd be in school all the time anyway!
In reality, now that I have a TX acceptance, I will most likely not pursue anything OOS. The difference in IS and OOS after 4 years for me is roughly 160 grand - a mortgage.
On the upside, you are considerably younger than me, so at least you will have many years to pay it off. 😛
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I believe in you guys 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
Today I feel so bored. I want to do stuff to make things happen but there really is nothing left to do other than wait.
You would pick UWSOM over WashU?
