2014-2015 Application Cycle 'Things I wish I knew...'

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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So I decided it might be a good idea, since were kind of mid cycle to start a thread about any revelations you might have stumbled upon throughout this cycle.

Some points you might want to post is - things you wish you knew before applying, things you wish you researched about a school before applying (ex. I paid for my primary for UNC w/o realizing they have an OOS applicant cut off of 33 mcat), your points dont have to be about a specific school, it could be more general. I know some ppl didnt know about the fee assistance program with amcas that includes 15 free schools you can apply to.
Even if you matriculated a couple years ago, please feel free to mention any wisdom you might have. Same with adcoms, if youve seen a common misconception from applicants.

can current med students include things they wish they knew when it came to choosing the school they would matriculate to, such as how loan dispersion works (does your loan money come in time for you to put a security deposit for wherever you will be living or does that come out of pocket?) Some OOS schools allow you to claim IS after one year of matriculation, but what does changing ur state residency status mean ? is it simply going to motor vehicle or does that affect other financial areas like taxes and so on?

anything would help. I hope this thread is useful to aspiring med students
btw those are actual questions I have above lol.
 
1. Traveling for interviews is lonely, prepare accordingly.

2. The most "random" part of the process is definitely the interview, because you have no control over who your interviewer is, how much time they have to spend with you, if they just got off a 30 hr call/have a family emergency, etc.

3. The higher "ranked" schools (top 25) seem to take themselves the most seriously, whereas the schools who have a mission of "educating good physicians" are often much more relaxed. Take this into account when creating your list of schools.
 
many large state schools (i.e UIllinois, Indiana) are composed of many campuses.

ill speak on indiana - 9 campuses, where yu interview at has no bearing on where u are placed. its basically first come first serve so if youre accepted late in the spring, you might not get ur first choice. either take what yu get or enter a lottery in the summer.

if location isnt an issue to you, cool. HOWEVER, some campuses can differ greatly. some of campuses even have different curriculum set ups, some have block scheduling where they have one class at a time and focus solely on that class for a couple weeks, while other campuses take courses in a traditional college manner. some campuses have student run clinic opportunities while some dont.

just something to consider if you are trying to make a list of pros/cons to choose between schools you're accepted to. so in essence, you can be interviewing and learning info and touring a campus that is drastically different than the one you are assigned to.
 
1. Echoing @FindMeOnTheLinks, ask for LORs with a deadline about a month before you actually need them. I never knew it could take so long for someone to submit an LOR that they had already written back in March on time.

2.*undergrad dependent* If your spring semester/quarter grades won't be posted on your transcript until late June/July and you don't have any vital courses in that batch (ex: a major prereq, a strong upward trend), just go ahead and send your transcript without the most recent grades. You can always send update letters with these grades, anyways. Plenty of kids from my UG got screwed with a late app and long verification time by waiting for their full transcript to be available.

3. An early app pays off. Seriously. Some schools (coughPittcough) move really fast, so if you submit months later your chances of snagging an II will be significantly lower.

4. Prewriting secondaries was a godsend. If you're applying to 20+ schools and working/studying full time, that mounting pile of essays can be really distressing.

5. If you don't feel like you're ready (and don't have an MCAT score on the brink of expiration), defer a cycle. I'm so glad I went in with a fully-polished app instead of throwing something together at the end of my junior year. I don't think my app cycle would have been a very pretty sight had I applied then.

6. Interviews – unless they are in your immediate vicinity – are a huge time sink. Plan accordingly if you will be concurrently in school or working a demanding job.

7. If you're applying to a bunch of schools and/or have a reasonably competitive app, it's going to cost a lot. Like a disgusting amount of money. I travelled like a total cheapskate and it still put a hefty dent in my finances.

8. Enroll in an airline rewards system now. I managed to squeeze out the bulk of my interview flights for free... if I had not racked up a bunch of points over the years, I would have had to take all my interview flights out on extra credit cards.

9. This goes without saying, but research school course/residency requirements beforehand... however, some schools seem to be more lenient on the LOR requirement front. Don't freak out if you can't get a non-science LOR/clinical LOR/physician LOR/LOR from every PI you had. I didn't and things turned out fine. I wish I hadn't stressed so much over this.

10. Everyone says this over and over again and I don't know why I didn't believe them... but relax when you interview. Engage with your fellow interviewees, soak in the sights, and eat as much free food as possible. I don't know if I'm in the minority here, but I began to find interviews really fun. And if you get an unpleasant interviewer, just try your best to roll with the punches. Turning yourself into a bundle of nerves isn't going to impress anyone.
 
Osteoth said:
1. Traveling for interviews is lonely, prepare accordingly.

2. The most "random" part of the process is definitely the interview, because you have no control over who your interviewer is, how much time they have to spend with you, if they just got off a 30 hr call/have a family emergency, etc.

3. The higher "ranked" schools (top 25) seem to take themselves the most seriously, whereas the schools who have a mission of "educating good physicians" are often much more relaxed. Take this into account when creating your list of schools.
Click to expand...

Regarding #1 - if you have friends in the area I would highly recommend spending some time with them/staying with them the night before your interview. They'll likely relax you more than spending a night alone in a hotel room and you'll feel less stressed for your interview the next day. I feel like this idea is fairly intuitive but I've seen people posting on here asking if they should do anything social because they're worried it will detract from their preparedness and I think that's ridiculous. You've made it to the interview, now it's time to relax and let your personality (the best parts) shine through!
 
journalistdoingscience said:
Regarding #1 - if you have friends in the area I would highly recommend spending some time with them/staying with them the night before your interview. They'll likely relax you more than spending a night alone in a hotel room and you'll feel less stressed for your interview the next day. I feel like this idea is fairly intuitive but I've seen people posting on here asking if they should do anything social because they're worried it will detract from their preparedness and I think that's ridiculous. You've made it to the interview, now it's time to relax and let your personality (the best parts) shine through!
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, I did both and it was kind of nice having a hotel room to myself the night before. It's harder to say no to a night of catching up and drinking with old friends than it is to turn in early at a hotel.
 
The more schools you apply to, the higher chance you have of getting acceptance(s).
 
I wish I had known that despite the fact that I've never blanked on an exam due to panicking... there's always a first time. I sure am glad to officially be done with that infernal MCAT...
 
I wish I had known that...

1) Even though this site sometimes makes it seem like the applicant pool is full of 37+ scores and amazing ECs, someone with slightly lower stats and less stellar activities can still be considered competitive. I honestly expected a maximum of 5 interviews in my wildest dreams, and thought I'd for sure get between 0 and 3. I was not at all prepared to get 16 invites and while I'm beyond grateful, it certainly hurt my GPA for this semester and my wallet. If I had planned better or thought that this might have happened, I think I could have limited the negative financial and academic impact.

2) Applying early and prewriting secondaries so that those can be submitted in a timely fashion is BEYOND important. I know someone with a similar app to mine who submitted a few months after me, and is having a drastically different cycle. Press submit in the first week of June and crank out those secondaries as soon as possible. It honestly makes a huge difference.

3) This entire process takes a massive toll on one's self-esteem. The idea of sending your accomplishments and statistics to someone so that they can judge you, maybe decide they want to meet you, and then judge you some more is scary. Even though I don't at all think that the process is intentionally malicious, there's something very nerve-wracking about putting all of your passions and ambitions on display so that an institution can determine your self-worth. I've struggled a lot with this throughout the cycle, despite the fact that I have had more success than I expected.

4) It's all too easy to get greedy. I started off this process saying that any one of my schools would be a fantastic place for me and that I didn't care about name or pedigree since none of that would matter in the long run. After I got a few invites from prestigious schools, and I watched those around me get interviews and acceptances to fabulous institutions, the end goal started to blur and I began wanting more than I needed. Of course you want to go to the best school for you, and of course you want to go to a place that will challenge you and be something you're proud of. But the important part is becoming a doctor to help others -- having a fancy name on a diploma on your wall is not what ultimately matters. I know that I'm grossly simplifying things, but my point is, it's very easy to get greedy even if all you originally wanted was one acceptance at any school.

5) Traveling is fun but also exhausting. Make sure you're comfortable, hydrated, and well-rested during these whirlwind interview trips!

6) Don't be afraid to add some reaches to your list!!!! Sure, it costs money to apply to schools, but you never know if you're what they are looking for or not. I wish I had applied to more dream schools instead of deciding it'd be a waste of money and effort because who knows, I might have had the chance to visit a school I've always loved.

7) Waiting is really, really, really, hard. Figure out some way to distract yourself so you don't go completely crazy.

8) A dean at Penn State said something rather poignant that I think everyone needs to hear. It went along the lines of, "It's easy to feel like your worth as a person is determined by whether or not a school loves you. But remember that it isn't. Each one of you has someone who loves you very, very much. Even if you don't get any good news from a medical school, remember how much that person loves you. Your worth is not about how a medical school feels -- it's about how that person feels about you. That's what matters." This ties into point #3, but I felt that it was worthy of its own statement.

9) Red-eye flights are really not fun. I had one for 7 hours from West Coast to East Coast, and either I didn't sleep or I dreamed that I wasn't sleeping... Either way, the next morning was a struggle. I do not recommend it unless you're a total pro at getting super restful sleep on a really long flight in uncomfortable seats.

10) Despite the stress, this experience can be really fun. I've met a lot of fantastic people along my interview trail (here's looking at you, @researchismymiddlename and @cladvua94 and @hellanutella) and I've seen some really cool cities -- not to mention, how cool is it to be able to visit and tour medical schools and hospitals?! When I wasn't feeling super insecure or exhausted or stressed, I tried to stay upbeat about everything and it helped. Positivity goes a long way, even though it's easy to forget that and slump into the more comfortable state of pessimism.
 
sunflower18 said:
4) It's all too easy to get greedy. I started off this process saying that any one of my schools would be a fantastic place for me and that I didn't care about name or pedigree since none of that would matter in the long run. After I got a few invites from prestigious schools, and I watched those around me get interviews and acceptances to fabulous institutions, the end goal started to blur and I began wanting more than I needed. Of course you want to go to the best school for you, and of course you want to go to a place that will challenge you and be something you're proud of. But the important part is becoming a doctor to help others -- having a fancy name on a diploma on your wall is not what ultimately matters. I know that I'm grossly simplifying things, but my point is, it's very easy to get greedy even if all you originally wanted was one acceptance at any school.
Click to expand...

This x ∞
 
No matter where you go, if you play your cards right... you'll come out a doctor.

Read, re-read, and re-reread your secondary and primary apps before you interview. You came up with crap good enough to submit. Familiarize yourself with it when you go to that school so you can build upon what you said with other experiences.

Think about what all your activities have taught you. Every interview question is an opportunity to answer about what you think and combine it with an experience you've had.

I graduated 4+ years ago and honestly don't remember too much of what I did in undergrad because it doesn't feel important. However, I wrote about it in primaries and secondaries and interviewers have asked me about.

As @Overanxious has said before, you should really know your primary and secondary for each school backwards and forwards before you interview.
 
Last edited:
FindMeOnTheLinks said:
I wish I would have known that your letter writers will always be done later than they say
Click to expand...

I endorse this statement by 1000x. I basically got a few really important ones in, which took 4-6 weeks, and then decided that I needed more... and had to wait another 4 weeks. I could have increased my chances of acceptance significantly by pursuing them all at once, and finishing earlier. Such is life.
 
sunflower18 said:
I wish I had known that...

1) Even though this site sometimes makes it seem like the applicant pool is full of 37+ scores and amazing ECs, someone with slightly lower stats and less stellar activities can still be considered competitive. I honestly expected a maximum of 5 interviews in my wildest dreams, and thought I'd for sure get between 0 and 3. I was not at all prepared to get 16 invites and while I'm beyond grateful, it certainly hurt my GPA for this semester and my wallet. If I had planned better or thought that this might have happened, I think I could have limited the negative financial and academic impact.

2) Applying early and prewriting secondaries so that those can be submitted in a timely fashion is BEYOND important. I know someone with a similar app to mine who submitted a few months after me, and is having a drastically different cycle. Press submit in the first week of June and crank out those secondaries as soon as possible. It honestly makes a huge difference.

3) This entire process takes a massive toll on one's self-esteem. The idea of sending your accomplishments and statistics to someone so that they can judge you, maybe decide they want to meet you, and then judge you some more is scary. Even though I don't at all think that the process is intentionally malicious, there's something very nerve-wracking about putting all of your passions and ambitions on display so that an institution can determine your self-worth. I've struggled a lot with this throughout the cycle, despite the fact that I have had more success than I expected.

4) It's all too easy to get greedy. I started off this process saying that any one of my schools would be a fantastic place for me and that I didn't care about name or pedigree since none of that would matter in the long run. After I got a few invites from prestigious schools, and I watched those around me get interviews and acceptances to fabulous institutions, the end goal started to blur and I began wanting more than I needed. Of course you want to go to the best school for you, and of course you want to go to a place that will challenge you and be something you're proud of. But the important part is becoming a doctor to help others -- having a fancy name on a diploma on your wall is not what ultimately matters. I know that I'm grossly simplifying things, but my point is, it's very easy to get greedy even if all you originally wanted was one acceptance at any school.

5) Traveling is fun but also exhausting. Make sure you're comfortable, hydrated, and well-rested during these whirlwind interview trips!

6) Don't be afraid to add some reaches to your list!!!! Sure, it costs money to apply to schools, but you never know if you're what they are looking for or not. I wish I had applied to more dream schools instead of deciding it'd be a waste of money and effort because who knows, I might have had the chance to visit a school I've always loved.

7) Waiting is really, really, really, hard. Figure out some way to distract yourself so you don't go completely crazy.

8) A dean at Penn State said something rather poignant that I think everyone needs to hear. It went along the lines of, "It's easy to feel like your worth as a person is determined by whether or not a school loves you. But remember that it isn't. Each one of you has someone who loves you very, very much. Even if you don't get any good news from a medical school, remember how much that person loves you. Your worth is not about how a medical school feels -- it's about how that person feels about you. That's what matters." This ties into point #3, but I felt that it was worthy of its own statement.

9) Red-eye flights are really not fun. I had one for 7 hours from West Coast to East Coast, and either I didn't sleep or I dreamed that I wasn't sleeping... Either way, the next morning was a struggle. I do not recommend it unless you're a total pro at getting super restful sleep on a really long flight in uncomfortable seats.

10) Despite the stress, this experience can be really fun. I've met a lot of fantastic people along my interview trail (here's looking at you, @researchismymiddlename and @cladvua94 and @hellanutella) and I've seen some really cool cities -- not to mention, how cool is it to be able to visit and tour medical schools and hospitals?! When I wasn't feeling super insecure or exhausted or stressed, I tried to stay upbeat about everything and it helped. Positivity goes a long way, even though it's easy to forget that and slump into the more comfortable state of pessimism.
Click to expand...
#4 is SOO relevant for SDN. You get one acceptance and then you all of a sudden want more and lose sight of the fact that even getting ONE is a huge deal. I'm so humbled by the process, especially having gone through a cycle without getting an acceptance. You start to cherish and appreciate that first one so much! But yeah, try not to let the process get to your head. Be smart, be open minded, be humble, and most of all, be happy! You're going to medical school!
 
To reiterate what has been said previously:
  • If you're expecting a large amount of interviews (and even if you aren't), be prepared to spend a lot of time traveling. Don't do what I did which was travel the day before your interviews because you never know when that flight delay or late bus may come back to haunt you (USC forgive me 🙁). Classes/jobs will be there when you get back.
  • If you do get interviews, look into overnight hosting programs with medical students. Saved me a butt-load of money.
  • People constantly say this but really just try to be yourself throughout this process instead of the person medical schools would prefer. If you don’t follow that path, then you would only be compromising your own values and consequently undermining your chances of studying medicine in the process.
  • Try to stay optimistic about the whole process. It's long, ugly and you will be disappointed at some point of it. But the people on this forum and your own social support network will help you get through it if you just ask. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this path would have been without the help of this awesome community.
 
FindMeOnTheLinks said:
I wish I would have known that your letter writers will always be done later than they say
Click to expand...

So I asked one of my profs for a letter and he said he'd be happy to do it by 1 week's time. A month rolls by and I shoot him and email to remind him. He says he'll have it submitted by the end of the day.

It's been 3 months...
 
sunflower18 said:
I wish I had known that...

1) Even though this site sometimes makes it seem like the applicant pool is full of 37+ scores and amazing ECs, someone with slightly lower stats and less stellar activities can still be considered competitive. I honestly expected a maximum of 5 interviews in my wildest dreams, and thought I'd for sure get between 0 and 3. I was not at all prepared to get 16 invites and while I'm beyond grateful, it certainly hurt my GPA for this semester and my wallet. If I had planned better or thought that this might have happened, I think I could have limited the negative financial and academic impact.

2) Applying early and prewriting secondaries so that those can be submitted in a timely fashion is BEYOND important. I know someone with a similar app to mine who submitted a few months after me, and is having a drastically different cycle. Press submit in the first week of June and crank out those secondaries as soon as possible. It honestly makes a huge difference.

3) This entire process takes a massive toll on one's self-esteem. The idea of sending your accomplishments and statistics to someone so that they can judge you, maybe decide they want to meet you, and then judge you some more is scary. Even though I don't at all think that the process is intentionally malicious, there's something very nerve-wracking about putting all of your passions and ambitions on display so that an institution can determine your self-worth. I've struggled a lot with this throughout the cycle, despite the fact that I have had more success than I expected.

4) It's all too easy to get greedy. I started off this process saying that any one of my schools would be a fantastic place for me and that I didn't care about name or pedigree since none of that would matter in the long run. After I got a few invites from prestigious schools, and I watched those around me get interviews and acceptances to fabulous institutions, the end goal started to blur and I began wanting more than I needed. Of course you want to go to the best school for you, and of course you want to go to a place that will challenge you and be something you're proud of. But the important part is becoming a doctor to help others -- having a fancy name on a diploma on your wall is not what ultimately matters. I know that I'm grossly simplifying things, but my point is, it's very easy to get greedy even if all you originally wanted was one acceptance at any school.

5) Traveling is fun but also exhausting. Make sure you're comfortable, hydrated, and well-rested during these whirlwind interview trips!

6) Don't be afraid to add some reaches to your list!!!! Sure, it costs money to apply to schools, but you never know if you're what they are looking for or not. I wish I had applied to more dream schools instead of deciding it'd be a waste of money and effort because who knows, I might have had the chance to visit a school I've always loved.

7) Waiting is really, really, really, hard. Figure out some way to distract yourself so you don't go completely crazy.

8) A dean at Penn State said something rather poignant that I think everyone needs to hear. It went along the lines of, "It's easy to feel like your worth as a person is determined by whether or not a school loves you. But remember that it isn't. Each one of you has someone who loves you very, very much. Even if you don't get any good news from a medical school, remember how much that person loves you. Your worth is not about how a medical school feels -- it's about how that person feels about you. That's what matters." This ties into point #3, but I felt that it was worthy of its own statement.

9) Red-eye flights are really not fun. I had one for 7 hours from West Coast to East Coast, and either I didn't sleep or I dreamed that I wasn't sleeping... Either way, the next morning was a struggle. I do not recommend it unless you're a total pro at getting super restful sleep on a really long flight in uncomfortable seats.

10) Despite the stress, this experience can be really fun. I've met a lot of fantastic people along my interview trail (here's looking at you, @researchismymiddlename and @cladvua94 and @hellanutella) and I've seen some really cool cities -- not to mention, how cool is it to be able to visit and tour medical schools and hospitals?! When I wasn't feeling super insecure or exhausted or stressed, I tried to stay upbeat about everything and it helped. Positivity goes a long way, even though it's easy to forget that and slump into the more comfortable state of pessimism.
Click to expand...

Awww!!! Very well said, everything is on point!! You're thoughtful, introspective and endearing @sunflower18
 
It's been said before in this thread, but I want to emphasize it for anyone who comes along in the future ... I wish I had known just how important submitting early was.

I didn't have a pre-med advisor and I submitted late (really late). At one of my interviews I was told that on the first day of the application cycle the committee opened the portal and downloaded 2,500 applications.

2,500 applications on the first day!

If I could do this whole process over, submitting early (and prewriting secondaries, which ties in to the whole submitting early thing) would be my number one change.
 
journalistdoingscience said:
Regarding #1 - if you have friends in the area I would highly recommend spending some time with them/staying with them the night before your interview. They'll likely relax you more than spending a night alone in a hotel room and you'll feel less stressed for your interview the next day. I feel like this idea is fairly intuitive but I've seen people posting on here asking if they should do anything social because they're worried it will detract from their preparedness and I think that's ridiculous. You've made it to the interview, now it's time to relax and let your personality (the best parts) shine through!
Click to expand...

I always hung out with old friends in the area the night AFTER interviews; it was a nice way to blow off steam from the day and helped to prevent obsessing about the stupid things you said to your interviewer. Along those lines; try to stay an extra evening in the city/town where the med school is if possible, and try to get a feel for what it's like to live there.

Secondly, and this is a bit contrary to SDN dogma, but DON'T APPLY TO SCHOOLS YOU WOULDN'T BE WILLING TO ATTEND. This seems obvious, but on this site the rule seems to be that you must apply to 20+ schools, and that ANY school should be a 'school you're willing to attend' if you really want to be a doctor. It might well be the case that you're the kind of person who would be perfectly happy living in one of 20 different cities a year from now, but for most people there are places they simply don't want to spend a half decade. I know a medical education is a medical education, but if you're the sort of person that loves the east coast and never wants to leave, don't apply to Creighton or the University of Minnesota.
 
C.S. Peirce said:
I always hung out with old friends in the area the night AFTER interviews; it was a nice way to blow off steam from the day and helped to prevent obsessing about the stupid things you said to your interviewer. Along those lines; try to stay an extra evening in the city/town where the med school is if possible, and try to get a feel for what it's like to live there.

Secondly, and this is a bit contrary to SDN dogma, but DON'T APPLY TO SCHOOLS YOU WOULDN'T BE WILLING TO ATTEND. This seems obvious, but on this site the rule seems to be that you must apply to 20+ schools, and that ANY school should be a 'school you're willing to attend' if you really want to be a doctor. It might well be the case that you're the kind of person who would be perfectly happy living in one of 20 different cities a year from now, but for most people there are places they simply don't want to spend a half decade. I know a medical education is a medical education, but if you're the sort of person that loves the east coast and never wants to leave, don't apply to Creighton or the University of Minnesota.
Click to expand...
yes ! that was my situation exactly. my mcat scores were weak so I was a bit desperate but as the cycle continued, i was kind of happy that places like Utoledo didnt invite me for an interview because I think I might have been miserable there. thank god i was accepted to my state school
 
C.S. Peirce said:
I always hung out with old friends in the area the night AFTER interviews; it was a nice way to blow off steam from the day and helped to prevent obsessing about the stupid things you said to your interviewer. Along those lines; try to stay an extra evening in the city/town where the med school is if possible, and try to get a feel for what it's like to live there.

Secondly, and this is a bit contrary to SDN dogma, but DON'T APPLY TO SCHOOLS YOU WOULDN'T BE WILLING TO ATTEND. This seems obvious, but on this site the rule seems to be that you must apply to 20+ schools, and that ANY school should be a 'school you're willing to attend' if you really want to be a doctor. It might well be the case that you're the kind of person who would be perfectly happy living in one of 20 different cities a year from now, but for most people there are places they simply don't want to spend a half decade. I know a medical education is a medical education, but if you're the sort of person that loves the east coast and never wants to leave, don't apply to Creighton or the University of Minnesota.
Click to expand...

I definitely regret applying to 30+ schools, especially when I realize now that I would not want to go to some of those schools. Yet at the same time, it's easier to say this all in hindsight. At the time, my MCAT scores were expiring and I had one last chance to get into med school, so of course I applied to any and every school I thought I "might" like. Also, throughout the whole interview process and actually travelling to each school, I've learned a lot about what I like and don't like. It's hard to get an individual perspective just by reading SDN.
 
Been hanging on to these notes for a while... I'm sure some of it is repeated from above.🙄

MCAT
-Start doing AAMC tests earlier than I did (2 weeks before the test date), they are the true indicators of how you might do on the acutal exam. Definitely the best money that I spent prepping.
-EK is good, but use multiple resources.
-I'd recommend checking if your local library has Kaplan review books. You can use them to access free online materials, but it's not a one time use code so you don't have to buy the book.
-Don't wait to pick a date, I waited a day and didn't get the test site that I wanted.

Selecting schools
-Don't waste money on public schools that don't like out of state applicants, use this: https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/careers/students/gradstudy/health/guide/part2/appendix
-I think 15 was a good number for me, but it depends on your app. I think 15-20 is probably good for most applicants with decent stats and some IS preference.
-Pay for MSAR online, it's worth it.

Primary application
-Apply early, duh.
-Have a serious draft of your personal statement by mid may, I didn't finish mine and submit it until mid-late June

Secondary applications
-Use SDN to find the secondary prompts from previous years, they don't change too much (usually).
-Pre-write them while you are being verified, I didn't and it took me ~3 weeks to finish all of them. I'm not sure how people do more than 15.

Interviews
-Patience, some schools sent me invites the day after I submitted, others have been silent for over a month.
-Try to do a low stress interview first.
-Be prepared to crash on couches, but consider the commute to the interview in the morning. I'm car-less so I'd have to rent a car if there's no shuttle from the airport or the hotel isn't within walking distance. Better to spend ~$100 on a hotel room or on airbnb and be comfortable than sleep on a family member's couch, have to rent a car, and then drive half an hour to the interview.
-Take 5 minutes after the interview and write a quick impression of the school. You'll forget details if you don't.
 
How important it is to apply early. My school's committee sends letters out all the way until early december so i figured there was no rush to have everything in by June or July. So blessed to still have had a great cycle
 
I wish I'd known that, apparently, interviews and public speaking make me so nervous that I get *extremely* nauseated. That was, and is, a real struggle.
 
I wish I knew that just because the dean of admissions for a school says you would be a good candidate to apply EDP to their program does not mean you will get an interview there. This can wreck an app cycle. 🙁
 
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