2014-2015 Boston University Application Thread

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mike wang said:
Thank you both for your responses. I'll try to clarify what I'm saying. Basically I took the MCAT once last summer and I wrote it again this summer. I am worried that if tell BUSM to wait until my new MCAT scores are out (mid August), my application would be late since they would start reviewing then. The other option is to not put my application on hold so that they would start reviewing my application whenever I submit my II. So if BUSM takes a few weeks to review my application, would it be smarter not to put my application on hold since by the time they start reviewing my application, my new MCAT scores would be out. I hope that makes sense, thanks for all your help guys!
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II = Interview Invite, not secondary.

Don't worry, SDN lingo gets confusing 🙂
 
mike wang said:
Thank you both for your responses. I'll try to clarify what I'm saying. Basically I took the MCAT once last summer and I wrote it again this summer. I am worried that if tell BUSM to wait until my new MCAT scores are out (mid August), my application would be late since they would start reviewing then. The other option is to not put my application on hold so that they would start reviewing my application whenever I submit my II. So if BUSM takes a few weeks to review my application, would it be smarter not to put my application on hold since by the time they start reviewing my application, my new MCAT scores would be out. I hope that makes sense, thanks for all your help guys!
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ok gotcha you don't want to put your application on hold and not have it be in line to review until mid August when it might be the case that they wouldn't even get to your application until your scores are out anyway...
i guess it depends on how bad your last MCAT scores are and how much of an improvement you think you made this time around. I don't think if you submit now you can guarantee they will have your new scores when they review.
 
houston9 said:
ok gotcha you don't want to put your application on hold and not have it be in line to review until mid August when it might be the case that they wouldn't even get to your application until your scores are out anyway...
i guess it depends on how bad your last MCAT scores are and how much of an improvement you think you made this time around. I don't think if you submit now you can guarantee they will have your new scores when they review.
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I am doing the same thing..using my old score..and not indicating new MCAT..once my new score comes out I will notify them with an update..however, my old score is a competitive score..so if you have a decent score then go for it..otherwise may be too big of a gamble.
Also, BU is upfront about rejections..if they don't want you they will reject and email right away.
 
"MD program applicants must submit to AMCAS a minimum of either 1 Committee Letter or three (3) individual letters of recommendation"

Anyone know if I can submit another couple of LORs in addition to my committee letter?
 
For those of you that left the optional essay blank, did you also leave the "educational narrative" one blank?
 
is the optional essay a 3000 character limit? (not yet posted for this year's prompt, only last year's)
 
Can someone please tell me that you are also worry because you have not recieved a secondary application. Mudt likely we will get it soon BUT its taking Long i believe and was verify on Jun26 BUT submited on June 12. BU is my top choice !!! Thank you.
 
adimelon said:
I am doing the same thing..using my old score..and not indicating new MCAT..once my new score comes out I will notify them with an update..however, my old score is a competitive score..so if you have a decent score then go for it..otherwise may be too big of a gamble.
Also, BU is upfront about rejections..if they don't want you they will reject and email right away.
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Just wondering what your score is to be competitive. My previous MCAT is a 30, which is definitely on the low side but it might get me an interview. What do you think I should do? I rewrote the MCAT on July 12 and am expecting the results to come out mid August. Thanks
 
mike wang said:
Just wondering what your score is to be competitive. My previous MCAT is a 30, which is definitely on the low side but it might get me an interview. What do you think I should do? I rewrote the MCAT on July 12 and am expecting the results to come out mid August. Thanks
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I have a 30+ and its a balanced score.
What are you other stats?
 
adimelon said:
I have a 30+ and its a balanced score.
What are you other stats?
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my GPA is 3.95+ and I think I did better on my MCAT rewrite. The supplemental app says that new MCAT scores are reviewed quickly so I told them to put my application on hold until my new scores are out. I think it would have been a waste not to get an interview if i took the chance and they only looked at my old MCAT score... Anyways good luck! 🙂
 
Anyone besides BMC11 receive a complete email? I submitted on July 11th and all my letters were in by July 16th. I looked at my status on the secondary website and it says complete, however...no email.
 
Overanxious said:
Anyone besides BMC11 receive a complete email? I submitted on July 11th and all my letters were in by July 16th. I looked at my status on the secondary website and it says complete, however...no email.
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I submitted 7/11 and was emailed on 7/14 with complete status.
 
Overanxious said:
Anyone besides BMC11 receive a complete email? I submitted on July 11th and all my letters were in by July 16th. I looked at my status on the secondary website and it says complete, however...no email.
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I submitted 7/6, received the complete email on 7/7.
 
@spockprime and @TheLionheart, thank you! I'm guessing all your letters were received by AMCAS prior to submitting the secondary. Judging by your comments I should receive one on Monday!

@coffeelover10 I'm OOS and they sent me my secondary 6/30, my AMCAS application wasn't even verified until July 9th. They send secondaries to everyone. I'd check in with them or AMCAS if you don't receive one on Monday. I received my secondary on a Monday. It appears that is the day they update everything though i'm just speculating based on an n=3.
 
Do you guys recommend submitting my secondary if my LORs aren't in yet?
 
Im not providing recommendation letters from science teachers (instead 2 biomedical engineering profs, 1 electrical engineering profs, 1 physician). For as to why, Im explaining that as an engineering student, I took almost all my science courses in my first year with over a thousand students in my class. And the profs were not able to become familiar with me as a student cause I didn't get the amount of one-to-one interaction I needed. Then I'm explaining why my 4 references know me well. Is that an okay explanation?
 
coffeelover10 said:
Anyone OOS not get a secondary yet either?
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Mee !! I sent the same comment earlier and no body answer ! So I am respondign to you letting you know that you are not alone. I leave in Boston but on my application it says Florida residency. I guess we wait !
 
On a Mission said:
Mee !! I sent the same comment earlier and no body answer ! So I am respondign to you letting you know that you are not alone. I leave in Boston but on my application it says Florida residency. I guess we wait !
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Actually I was sent the secondary 12 days ago and for some reason I miss it on my email. Go back may be and check your old emails even spam just in case.
 
Mayday_ said:
Got the dreaded "one of your letters is missing letterhead" email 🙁

That professor is out of the country right now too.. I hope she's checking her email :xf:
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Got the same email.

It seems strange that the other 15 schools I've submitted to haven't had any issues.....
 
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glibra said:
Got the same "Your letter sucks and is missing a signature" email.

It seems strange that the other 15 schools I've submitted to haven't had any issues.....
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+1
 
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Are any of you getting error messages when you try to log in? This has been happening to me for about the past week.
 
:)) said:
Are any of you getting error messages when you try to log in? This has been happening to me for about the past week.
Click to expand...

I had to hit the 'compatibility' on my browser.
You might need to add the web address to the compatibility list in your internet options.
 
Were we supposed to mention anywhere in the application which three letters were going to substitute the Committee letter. I submitted six letters and all of them have been received. However, I did not mention which specific letters were the two science prof letters because I don't think it was asked anywhere. Is that a problem?
 
Hello11 said:
Were we supposed to mention anywhere in the application which three letters were going to substitute the Committee letter. I submitted six letters and all of them have been received. However, I did not mention which specific letters were the two science prof letters because I don't think it was asked anywhere. Is that a problem?
Click to expand...

It was asked in the essay portion, I know i wrote somewhere why i wasn't submitting a committee letter and what letters were chosen for the specific grouping they asked for.
 
Hello11 said:
Were we supposed to mention anywhere in the application which three letters were going to substitute the Committee letter. I submitted six letters and all of them have been received. However, I did not mention which specific letters were the two science prof letters because I don't think it was asked anywhere. Is that a problem?
Click to expand...

In the rec. letter section at the bottom of the page where you could explain that your school didn't provide committee letters or explain another reason you didn't have a committee letter. maybe call the admissions office and see if you can add an update or find out if its not a problem that you didn't fill out that section. In your defense, their secondary is really wordy and confusing! I only saw that section last minute before i submitted.
 
horsie234 said:
In the rec. letter section at the bottom of the page where you could explain that your school didn't provide committee letters or explain another reason you didn't have a committee letter. maybe call the admissions office and see if you can add an update or find out if its not a problem that you didn't fill out that section. In your defense, their secondary is really wordy and confusing! I only saw that section last minute before i submitted.
Click to expand...

Wow, I forgot to fill this out too 🙁
 
Anyone know if they send the "Missing Letterhead or Signature" email before applicants submit the secondaries or only after? I'd rather submit no secondary at all than submit the application super late if one of the necessary (e.g. a science prof) letters don't have those things.

Also on that same note, anyone know any other schools that won't review your file if letters are missing those things? Since we obviously can't see the letters our referees wrote, it's not like I know if they actually did or didn't do those things.
 
Mayday_ said:
Wow, I forgot to fill this out too 🙁
Click to expand...

I didn't fill this out either but my application has been marked complete. I'm pretty sure at the beginning of each letter your prof writes I know xxx by teaching them in Bio 1000 or through volunteering at my lab etc.
 
What if you selected the option that your school doesn't have a pre-med committee?

Do you still need to write an explanation for that...? It seems pretty self-explanatory
 
What is this letterhead/signature thing..? Pretty clueless about the LORs.

My application is listed as complete, so am I okay?
 
coffeelover10 said:
What is this letterhead/signature thing..? Pretty clueless about the LORs.

My application is listed as complete, so am I okay?
Click to expand...
You're fine, people were having issues with letters not being on official letterhead
 
Additional info to help other applicants:

If you indicated on AMCAS that you will be sending a letter packet to BUSM, the office of admissions will understand that means you are including several letters. Your secondary can move forward even though there is only one letter of recommendation entry, rather than three individual letters.
 
Noone has posted here in a whole week! Anyone hear anything?
 
I dreamt BU sent out decisions last night--I was hoping I had a new found psychic ability but apparently not (I'm glad though since I got rejected in my dream!)
 
Does anyone know when they intend on sending out II?
 
For those of you on the quarter system, how are you converting your individual courses? The grid is really confusing me. I went to UCLA.
According to the quarter system, one year of general chemistry is fulfilled through two courses of general chemistry, one course of general chemistry lab. The same is done with organic chemistry.
General Chemistry: Chem 14A, Chem14B (2 quarters)
General Chemistry Lab: Chem 14BL (1 quarter)
Organic Chemistry: Chem 14C, Chem 14D (2 quarters)
Organic Chemistry Lab: Chem 14CL (1 quarter)

But when I enter these courses in the grid, it says I haven't met the organic chemistry requirement. Is there a certain method to entering these courses? How do you convert 2 quarters to a semester?
So confused...
 
kaj said:
For those of you on the quarter system, how are you converting your individual courses? The grid is really confusing me. I went to UCLA.
According to the quarter system, one year of general chemistry is fulfilled through two courses of general chemistry, one course of general chemistry lab. The same is done with organic chemistry.
General Chemistry: Chem 14A, Chem14B (2 quarters)
General Chemistry Lab: Chem 14BL (1 quarter)
Organic Chemistry: Chem 14C, Chem 14D (2 quarters)
Organic Chemistry Lab: Chem 14CL (1 quarter)

But when I enter these courses in the grid, it says I haven't met the organic chemistry requirement. Is there a certain method to entering these courses? How do you convert 2 quarters to a semester?
So confused...
Click to expand...

3 quarters =2 semesters.

So take your number of quarter credits and mutiply by 2/3
 
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