2014-2015 Waitlist Support Group

[Kay293T]

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Where!?

I know OHSU says if you complete an exit interview, they will only look at the suggestions they made to see if you addressed those, and not at last year's file.

 

[gyngyn]

I know OHSU says if you complete an exit interview, they will only look at the suggestions they made to see if you addressed those, and not at last year's file.

That sounds just like them!
They are so sweet.

 

[differentiating]

@gyngyn , do you happen to know if there's a difference between alternate list and waitlist at UCSF? Or do they only have one list that they pull from? Thank you!!

I'm pretty sure there's only one list, and that the two terms are used interchangeably. That being said, I was originally placed on the "alternate list" (exact wording from email), and was later accepted, so if there are two they've at least pulled from that one. Good luck!

 

[BillrothI]

Where!?

UA - Phoenix comes to mind. There were a couple others I noticed when I applied last cycle, but I can't remember which schools. I do remember, however, that none of them were in CA.

-Bill

 

[gyngyn]

UA - Phoenix comes to mind. There were a couple others I noticed when I applied last cycle, but I can't remember which schools. I do remember, however, that none of them were in CA.

-Bill

I was just email chatting with their admissions director. I'll ask her about it.
Edit: She's at Tucson.

 

[BillrothI]

I was just email chatting with their admissions director. I'll ask her about it.
Edit: She's at Tucson.

I believe Tucson has the same policy. Per their FAQ:

If you are a reapplicant, do they pull up your previous application when reviewing?
We are able to note if you are a previous applicant but we are only able to see your current AMCAS and supplemental materials.

-Bill

 

[gyngyn]

I believe Tucson has the same policy.

I might have to tell her about the unique changes that we have found by reviewing old aps!

 

[northernlights15]

@Kay293T

In addition, some schools explicitly state that they do not consider last year's file when reviewing your application.

-Bill

Hi! Do you happen to have a list of schools who do this?

I have every intention of re-applying if I'm not admitted my first cycle. The only things I imagine that would hold me back are my GPAs and/or rec letters. I would do an SMP and get new rec letters but if a school rejected me due to a "bad" LOR, it wouldn't do any good to re-apply at that school since they can pull up my own old application…

 

[BillrothI]

Hi! Do you happen to have a list of schools who do this?

I have every intention of re-applying if I'm not admitted my first cycle. The only things I imagine that would hold me back are my GPAs and/or rec letters. I would do an SMP and get new rec letters but if a school rejected me due to a "bad" LOR, it wouldn't do any good to re-apply at that school since they can pull up my own old application…

I do not. However, some schools do describe their policy in the FAQ section of their website. There probably aren't that many schools that give you a "clean slate" after your first application cycle, but it is worth looking into.

Good luck!

-Bill

 

[zkane11]

@gyngyn thank you for your time spent on this thread, it has answered so many questions I've had! Do you think there is any benefit in sending an update letter to the school explaining things I've done since the interview (shadowing, volunteering, more clinical experience)? I had been lacking on these experiences, so I want them to know I've been really working on those areas of weakness in the past 6 months. Or has my fate on the "unranked" waitlist been ultimately decided at this point?

 

[gyngyn]

@gyngyn thank you for your time spent on this thread, it has answered so many questions I've had! Do you think there is any benefit in sending an update letter to the school explaining things I've done since the interview (shadowing, volunteering, more clinical experience)? I had been lacking on these experiences, so I want them to know I've been really working on those areas of weakness in the past 6 months. Or has my fate on the "unranked" waitlist been ultimately decided at this point?

If you are holding no other acceptances, additional updates at this point are really unlikely to help.
If you have already contacted them since April 30th, more updates may hurt.

If the school is open to updates, and waitlist movement has started and you have not previously contacted them, there is probably little harm in a brief email update.

 

[Limbo123]

@gyngyn Anything from UCSD lately? Thanks.

 

[bear2roo]

If you are holding no other acceptances, additional updates at this point are really unlikely to help.
If you have already contacted them since April 30th, more updates may hurt.

If the school is open to updates, and waitlist movement has started and you have not previously contacted them, there is probably little harm in a brief email update.

Lol about that brief part....

 

[gyngyn]

Lol about that brief part....

Nobody wants to read a long update!

 

[bear2roo]

Nobody wants to read a long update!

So...are we saying hurt like "Ok he loves our school too much and wrote too much, let's push this applicant downs few spots on the waitlist"

 

[gyngyn]

So...are we saying hurt like "Ok he loves our school too much and wrote too much, let's push this applicant downs few spots on the waitlist"

It's more like: boundary issues, desperation and obsession all coming together in a way we hope doesn't include firearms!

 

[walbridge20]

It's more like: boundary issues, desperation and obsession all coming together in a way we hope doesn't include firearms!

Wait, so you are telling me not to hold an admissions committee member hostage at gunpoint until I am granted acceptance? Well I guess I have to go let someone out of my basement

Anyway, to add something a little more constructive: Thank you gyngyn for all the help and support. Knowing that some lists somewhere are moving gives all of us WLers a little glimmer of hope.

 

[Hyde]

If the school is open to updates, and waitlist movement has started.

How are we to know if WL movement is happening at specific schools we hope to attend without contacting the schools? Info about WL movement at a few schools as reported on sdn is helpful but it's a limited sampling. Are there other websites we can check that would supplement what is posted here?

 

[gyngyn]

How are we to know if WL movement is happening at specific schools we hope to attend without contacting the schools? Info about WL movement at a few schools as reported on sdn is helpful but it's a limited sampling. Are there other websites we can check that would supplement what is posted here?

I have found the school specific threads to be a good sample of the pool, but if you felt compelled, a call to the school in question would be ok (it's just a yes or no query).

 

[attemptedintrepid]

It's more like: boundary issues, desperation and obsession all coming together in a way we hope doesn't include firearms!

Pardon us, we just have our futures, hopes, dreams and possibly thousands of dollars for another application cycle on the line. 🙁 I do totally get what you're saying though.

 

[zkane11]

It's more like: boundary issues, desperation and obsession all coming together in a way we hope doesn't include firearms!

What some call "obsession" I call determination! How do you think I get all my dates that are way out of my league?! Haha kidding. But seriously....
Thanks @gyngyn for your input 😉

 

[skifast25]

Does anyone know (maybe @gyngyn ) about how long it usually takes for a school to offer an acceptance after someone withdraws? Two people within the past two weeks have said they have withdrawn (via StudentDoc) at a school that I am waitlisted at, but no one has posted saying that they have gotten off of the waitlist. The waitlist is unranked so I am not sure if that makes a difference -- maybe the entire committee has to meet to choose an applicant that best matches the student who withdrew? Or maybe it takes time for withdrawal to be official? Either way, anyone have any more insight?

 

[CaptK7]

Any recent movement at OUWB? It seems pretty quiet.

 

[DefinitelyEdema]

Received my first acceptance this morning!! Waitlists are still moving; don't give up hope, everyone!

 

[hoihaie]

Does anyone know (maybe @gyngyn ) about how long it usually takes for a school to offer an acceptance after someone withdraws? Two people within the past two weeks have said they have withdrawn (via StudentDoc) at a school that I am waitlisted at, but no one has posted saying that they have gotten off of the waitlist. The waitlist is unranked so I am not sure if that makes a difference -- maybe the entire committee has to meet to choose an applicant that best matches the student who withdrew? Or maybe it takes time for withdrawal to be official? Either way, anyone have any more insight?

the people that got offered the spot might not be on SDN either :/

 

[gyngyn]

Does anyone know (maybe @gyngyn ) about how long it usually takes for a school to offer an acceptance after someone withdraws? Two people within the past two weeks have said they have withdrawn (via StudentDoc) at a school that I am waitlisted at, but no one has posted saying that they have gotten off of the waitlist. The waitlist is unranked so I am not sure if that makes a difference -- maybe the entire committee has to meet to choose an applicant that best matches the student who withdrew? Or maybe it takes time for withdrawal to be official? Either way, anyone have any more insight?

Many schools are still depleting the excess acceptances calculated by the algorithm. Until the excess students are poached there will be no waitlist movement.

Once the desired class size is reached, offers will be made as soon as an inevitable withdrawal is apparent. We don't even have to wait until the student has decided!

 

[gyngyn]

Pardon us, we just have our futures, hopes, dreams and possibly thousands of dollars for another application cycle on the line. 🙁 I do totally get what you're saying though.

I know.
I'm trying to help.
Just try not to look scary.

 

[10Acious]

@gyngyn ,I read in one of the top school threads where there is absolutely no WL movement currently that there may be a flurry of activity late June to 1st week of July. Could you offer some insight into if such a thing could happen what it could be due to?

 

[gyngyn]

@gyngyn ,I read in one of the top school threads where there is absolutely no WL movement currently that there may be a flurry of activity late June to 1st week of July. Could you offer some insight into if such a thing could happen what it could be due to?

I can only speculate. One possibility is that a school has offered admission to a group of students pending a particular set of final grades. They may have reserved these spots but will release any that are made available by those who don't achieve the expected score.

 

[APOPTOSIS2019]

@gyngyn any movement at GW lately?

 

[gyngyn]

@gyngyn any movement at GW lately?

Not that I have seen.

 

[QuentonCassidy3]

Tomorrow's Monday, a brand new week! Sending out good vibes to everyone out there waiting for the first acceptance, it's not over yet!

 

[BengaliBrat]

@BengaliBrat You are like the most supportive person on this support group thread (aside from @gyngyn ) so thanks for that. This has certainly been a struggle. I was planning on submitting AMCAS again today, but then decided to work on my personal statement some more. Motivation is low. Keep steady everyone.

Aw, shucks, @Ruby31. Hoping good news is coming your way.

 

[BengaliBrat]

Cranky old physicians make good mock interviewers, if you can find one with academic experience, so much the better.

I prepared in this way, @bendelgirl. I had some intimidating interviewers, but few came up to the Standard of Scary set by my mock interviewers. . . .some of whom actually did mock me! 🙂

 

[BengaliBrat]

Pardon us, we just have our futures, hopes, dreams and possibly thousands of dollars for another application cycle on the line. 🙁 I do totally get what you're saying though.

@attemptedintrepid, it does matter so much to us, and I've suffered some wounds myself. I think though, that too much communication really is counterproductive in most cases (counterproductive or futile. . . I am basing this speculation on hearsay from people who have served as adcoms.)

You're on the freeway and already late for something important. There's unbelievable congestion. Nothing is moving, and you can't even see why not--too many cars ahead of you, and stuck in all the other lanes. The arrow on the gas tank indicator is nearing E. It's hot and humid. Some people are trying to drive on the shoulders and other people are angling out to block them.

Whether you sit there sweating silently like a well-behaved citizen or express your frustration by leaning on the horn is unlikely to affect how soon the traffic jam is cleared. If honking prevents someone from doing something more irrational (abandoning the car, taking the tire iron to a neighboring vehicle), honking is the better option. Sometimes, though, it just reinforces the feeling of helpless irritation.

This metaphor may not work for you, but I think of it that way. I wrote in response to direct queries about whether I wished to remain on the waitlist, and, at one school, sent a brief update about a new, possibly significant, "achievement." Aside from that, I just fumed and worried. It's awful. Nothing really seems to help alleviate the anxiety, much as I wished that it would.

Just sending good thoughts and hopes your way. . .

 

[Ruby31]

Aw, shucks, @Ruby31. Hoping good news is coming your way.

Thanks and it actually has! I got accepted last week 🙂

 

[gyngyn]

It looks like Wash U is still quite active, as is Emory.

 

[smooki]

Questions!!

I'm accepted at a DO school (haven't enrolled, registered for classes, or accepted the fin aid yet) but am on several MD waitlists and 1 other DO waitlist.

1. If i register for classes at the DO school I am accepted at, does that mean MD schools cannot offer me an acceptance then? Can the DO school I'm wait listed at send me an acceptance if I register?

2. If I accept the financial aid and start the loan application at the school I'm accepted at, but another school accepts me off the waitlist, can I cancel that loan there and take out another one at the new school or how does it work?


Any help would me appreciated!!

 

[gyngyn]

Questions!!

I'm accepted at a DO school (haven't enrolled, registered for classes, or accepted the fin aid yet) but am on several MD waitlists and 1 other DO waitlist.

1. If i register for classes at the DO school I am accepted at, does that mean MD schools cannot offer me an acceptance then? Can the DO school I'm wait listed at send me an acceptance if I register?

2. If I accept the financial aid and start the loan application at the school I'm accepted at, but another school accepts me off the waitlist, can I cancel that loan there and take out another one at the new school or how does it work?


Any help would me appreciated!!

DO schools do not share information with MD schools. You will appear as unaccepted to all MD schools.
I do not know exactly how loans are handled but I do know that it happens all the time. I'm sure financial aid at your DO school can advise you, just ask them.

 

[smooki]

DO schools do not share information with MD schools. You will appear as unaccepted to all MD schools.
I do not know exactly how loans are handled but I do know that it happens all the time. I'm sure financial aid at your DO school can advise you, just ask them.

Ok awesome thanks!

 

[joeyannechow]

@gyngyn any movement at UCLA David Geffen SOM recently? Thank you!

 

[gyngyn]

@gyngyn any movement at UCLA David Geffen SOM recently? Thank you!

Not lately.

 

[khrisskhoras]

any news on the movement at suny buffalo and upstate??

 

[srirachaking]

It looks like Wash U is still quite active, as is Emory.

Those are a couple top schools with movement. I wonder if and how far those open spots will trickle down to other schools

 

[gyngyn]

Those are a couple top schools with movement. I wonder if and how far those open spots will trickle down to other schools

They may be accepting those without other acceptances...

 

[OrbitalOverload]

It looks like Wash U is still quite active, as is Emory.

Hopefully well see a trickle down effect in NY

 

[carol8990]

@gyngyn have you seen any movement at the U of Minnesota-TC?

 

[maenyac]

Any recent movement at Hopkins?

 

[Hyde]

They may be accepting those without other acceptances...

Bummer! That takes away from the ripple effect of elite schools poaching candidates that some of us were hoping from which to benefit.

 

[gyngyn]

@gyngyn have you seen any movement at the U of Minnesota-TC?

Bummer! That takes away from the ripple effect of elite schools poaching candidates that some of us were hoping from which to benefit.

So far today I'm seeing Geffen and Wash U again.