2014 Nontrad Applicants' Progress Thread

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milski said:
Full house! As of today, I have the full set of rejections from all the schools where I had a completed application. Good luck with fin aid 2014 people, I will be moving to the next thread. :hello:
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Well, this sucks, but at least you finally have a closure. I'm certain you'll get accepted to a good school in the upcoming cycle.
Stop by this thread, don't be a stranger 😉
And we'll be rooting for you! :luck:
 
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Amygdarya said:
Well, this suck, but at least you finally have a closure. I'm certain you'll get accepted to a good school in the upcoming cycle.
Stop by this thread, don't be a stranger 😉
And we'll be rooting for you! :luck:
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Yes, I have been planning this post for a while. 😉 Don't forget to study between all the rooting too. 😉

There is a post somewhere back (which I could not find) where you told me that I have applied late and that it will affect my chances. I was going to argue with you at the time that it did not matter but thought twice about posting and decided to let it go. Now.. I have to admit, you were right and I was not. It does not happen that often but you can dance the "I told you so" dance. 😀
 
milski said:
Full house! As of today, I have the full set of rejections from all the schools where I had a completed application. Good luck with fin aid 2014 people, I will be moving to the next thread. :hello:
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I'll likely be in there with you, I'm at 28 rejections and 3 WL's.
 
Third year applying

16 applications, 16 secondaries, 4 interviews, 2 waitlists, so far zero acceptances. I applied MD and international (was rejected from the international schools). This has been my best year so far even though I applied late.
 
DR MOM said:
Hey @familyaerospace and all the nontrads, I hope you make it off the waitlists! Things might start moving soon, so good luck!

As for me, I've picked a school! I'm going to Mayo!
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Congrats! Minnesota loves the nontrads- I'll be a couple hours north of you 🙂

Rooting for you, family aerospace. Any idea of wl rankings yet?
 
@DrMom, congrats on having made your decision! Yours was provably one of the toughest to make 🙂

@Captain Sisko, congrats on your decision, too 🙂

@juliuspepperwood, @nyc1990 and @familyaerospace, I hope you get accepted from those waitlists!

@milski: I take no pleasure in being right in this particular case 🙁 At times I feel like a mean (not so) lean premed bubble busting machine when all I say is how it works most of the time... Anyway, I have no doubts whatsoever that you'll get in this upcoming cycle!
 
I've also chosen a school! Got a pretty good financial aid deal at the University of Kentucky, near my family. Unless WL movement + miraculous financial aid package happens at another school, I've made my decision.

In other news, I'm flying to South America tonight for a month to learn some Spanish. My celebratory trip before school starts.

Happy to see this thread updated. And good luck to those waiting for waitlist movement!
 
Congrats @Pose! I'm a little jealous about your South America trip: I wish I could travel abroad before medical school starts, but I'll have to work until about 2 weeks before orientation, and then I'll have to move etc... Anyway, enjoy your trip! And Spanish will most likely come in handy in your medical career.
 
familyaerospace said:
Third year applying

16 applications, 16 secondaries, 4 interviews, 2 waitlists, so far zero acceptances. I applied MD and international (was rejected from the international schools). This has been my best year so far even though I applied late.
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You've probably discussed this before, but why did you apply late in your third app cycle?!?!?!?!
 
ridethecliche said:
You've probably discussed this before, but why did you apply late in your third app cycle?!?!?!?!
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Because I was sitting on the waitlist during my second cycle at my top choice school and I was considering not applying again and considered going to rabbinical school instead because I experienced a lot of discrimination because I am Jewish and LGBT.

The previous two cycles I submitted on the first day and got one interview in 2011 (rejection), two in 2012 (one waitlist), and yet in the year I applied late (some applications were not added until November 2013 and one in Jan 2014), I had four interviews and two waitlists. Nothing else in my application changed and many of the schools were repeats two of which I applied three times too. I also applied internationally not through AMCAS, rejected from all of them. Still sitting on my top choice waitlist and now waitlisted on number 2.

Contrary to what the people at SDN will swear up and down, applying late does not hurt you.
 
familyaerospace said:
Because I was sitting on the waitlist during my second cycle at my top choice school and I was considering not applying again and considered going to rabbinical school instead because I experienced a lot of discrimination because I am Jewish and LGBT.

The previous two cycles I submitted on the first day and got one interview in 2011 (rejection), two in 2012 (one waitlist), and yet in the year I applied late (some applications were not added until November 2013 and one in Jan 2014), I had four interviews and two waitlists. Nothing else in my application changed and many of the schools were repeats two of which I applied three times too. I also applied internationally not through AMCAS, rejected from all of them. Still sitting on my top choice waitlist and now waitlisted on number 2.

Contrary to what the people at SDN will swear up and down, applying late does not hurt you.
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Crossing my fingers for you! Good luck!
 
familyaerospace said:
Contrary to what the people at SDN will swear up and down, applying late does not hurt you.
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It's not just people on sdn, I think the aamc highly recommends applying early, and I've heard it from several admissions departments during the interview season. Just because something happened to be true (and you don't know, because you didn't apply early this year) in your case doesn't mean it applies universally.

On a different note, did you apply DO?
 
familyaerospace said:
Nothing else in my application changed and many of the schools were repeats two of which I applied three times to.
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Are you trying to win by wearing them out? 😛 (Please don't be offended, I'm saying it lightheartedly.)

It's kind of hard for me to believe that you've achieved more success with your application without changing anything at all. So OK, no new classes or new MCAT score, but new activities/ achievements? Updated essays? It may seem like a minor point, but quality of essays - how well you present yourself - does matter.
I agree that there is a certain degree of randomness in the application process and that it's a numbers game to some extent... but it's hard for me to believe it's a numbers game to the extent you're describing; something must have changed between your applications.

I'm sorry you've experienced discrimination in your application process. Unfortunately, medicine is still a mostly conservative profession, and it may be hard for some of its members to accept people who are not quite like them as colleagues. Top schools tend to be more progressive, but then it's hard to get into any of these schools to begin with. You're in a tough situation, but I really hope you get accepted this time.

Oh, and I second what @Captain Sisko said above 🙂
 
Captain Sisko said:
It's not just people on sdn, I think the aamc highly recommends applying early, and I've heard it from several admissions departments during the interview season. Just because something happened to be true (and you don't know, because you didn't apply early this year) in your case doesn't mean it applies universally.

On a different note, did you apply DO?
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The AAMC book that I have says no such thing. Legally they have to consider you provided you get things in before the deadline. I have heard from sources at top 20 medical schools that it is fine so as long as your SECONDARY is not late.

I applied DO and MD my first year, not my second or third year. Since DO schools informed me that they HAD to have a balanced class for OMM courses that would require them to accept a mtf to balance me as an ftm. And yes GA-PCOM said that on the tour without me asking. MD schools have no such requirement and they did not attack me nearly as bad for being LGBT.
 
Amygdarya said:
Are you trying to win by wearing them out? 😛 (Please don't be offended, I'm saying it lightheartedly.)

It's kind of hard for me to believe that you've achieved more success with your application without changing anything at all. So OK, no new classes or new MCAT score, but new activities/ achievements? Updated essays? It may seem like a minor point, but quality of essays - how well you present yourself - does matter.
I agree that there is a certain degree of randomness in the application process and that it's a numbers game to some extent... but it's hard for me to believe it's a numbers game to the extent you're describing; something must have changed between your applications.

I'm sorry you've experienced discrimination in your application process. Unfortunately, medicine is still a mostly conservative profession, and it may be hard for some of its members to accept people who are not quite like them as colleagues. Top schools tend to be more progressive, but then it's hard to get into any of these schools to begin with. You're in a tough situation, but I really hope you get accepted this time.
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I am actually wearing them down. I was interviewed at my top choice two years in a row and have been sitting on their waitlist for two years. I interviewed at another school two years in a row and I am sitting on their waitlist.

You can choose to believe it or not, but my MCAT did not change, no new classes at all. Same letters, except for one letter which only went to one school. The only activity that changed was my shadowing went from 380 to 401 hours and I will eat my hat if 21 shadowing hours made that much of a difference when I already had well over 350 hours. No other activity changed at all. My essays were the exact same as I did not have any time to write any new ones as my right arm was paralyzed for six months (plus my right hip and left ankle dislocated so I was high on painkillers) and I was spending all my "sober time" fighting two legal battles and being in physical therapy. None of my schools know about that unless they are stalking the Newton County Courthouse and saw my name come up as a witness several times in juvenile court. I did not even tailor to the schools except for BGU who rejected me immediately. What is amusing is that according to my top choice school, I somehow left a question blank on their secondary (which makes no sense as the computer should have caught that) which they did not notice until after they waitlisted me.

I had no new experiences until after all my secondaries were submitted. Once that new thing was complete, I only updated one of the schools about it and only because a related question was asked during the interview. So only one school knows about my international travels.
 
familyaerospace said:
The AAMC book that I have says no such thing. Legally they have to consider you provided you get things in before the deadline. I have heard from sources at top 20 medical schools that it is fine so as long as your SECONDARY is not late.

I applied DO and MD my first year, not my second or third year. Since DO schools informed me that they HAD to have a balanced class for OMM courses that would require them to accept a mtf to balance me as an ftm. And yes GA-PCOM said that on the tour without me asking. MD schools have no such requirement and they did not attack me nearly as bad for being LGBT.
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Well, I'm sorry to hear that DO schools discriminate like that. It doesn't seem very fair, but I suppose that's life.

Which leads me back to applying early versus later. The AMCAS tips and hints pdf says it's good to apply early, but doesn't go much beyond that. I'm not sure where I found it but I'm almost certain there are other aamc documents out there that say so. As far as schools themselves, I know for a fact that u of Chicago stresses like crazy to get your stuff in asap (google pritzker podcast if you care). That's one data point, but I'm sure you could find numerous others. I'm half curious what top schools don't care when you submit, but that's not really the population you're targeting, is it? I would think that at this point you'd like to get into any medical school, not just top ones. Perhaps mid to low tier schools might have different opinions.

Did you ask for feedback from any of these schools? Maybe instead of applying over again with little to no change you can figure out where your app could use some work. Doing the same thing over and over again doesnt strike me as much more than a waste of time and money.

Good luck!
 
Captain Sisko said:
I'm half curious what top schools don't care when you submit, but that's not really the population you're targeting, is it? I would think that at this point you'd like to get into any medical school, not just top ones. Perhaps mid to low tier schools might have different opinions.

Did you ask for feedback from any of these schools? Maybe instead of applying over again with little to no change you can figure out where your app could use some work. Doing the same thing over and over again doesnt strike me as much more than a waste of time and money.

Good luck!
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Well Emory is a top school and that is where my mentor (an adcomm) works. I've heard the same from Yale and Harvard. Apparently there is at least one adcomm on here that works for one of the above schools (I know which one) who specifically messes with students.

I have asked for feedback. They are consistently saying that my MCAT is the only part of my application that is not above average.

The feedback from two top schools (plus MCG) which is my top choice was "Your only problem is your MCAT and you should take a prep course." And then they go off to say that a 25 is the point that shows people are able to do the medical school work. My score is above a 25 and my score is higher than three of the places I interviewed. I am only low for MCG. The interviewer at MCG said my credentials are excellent and my letters are impressive and that literally the only thing was my MCAT which meets their minimum. I have had multiple people floored at my ECs.

I was on FAP so applying is not a waste of money for me. However given I have no money, I cannot afford a prep course that is more than I make in a year. The schools that mention it are aware of it.
 
familyaerospace said:
Well Emory is a top school and that is where my mentor (an adcomm) works. I've heard the same from Yale and Harvard. Apparently there is at least one adcomm on here that works for one of the above schools (I know which one) who specifically messes with students.

I have asked for feedback. They are consistently saying that my MCAT is the only part of my application that is not above average.

The feedback from two top schools (plus MCG) which is my top choice was "Your only problem is your MCAT and you should take a prep course." And then they go off to say that a 25 is the point that shows people are able to do the medical school work. My score is above a 25 and my score is higher than three of the places I interviewed. I am only low for MCG. The interviewer at MCG said my credentials are excellent and my letters are impressive and that literally the only thing was my MCAT which meets their minimum. I have had multiple people floored at my ECs.

I was on FAP so applying is not a waste of money for me. However given I have no money, I cannot afford a prep course that is more than I make in a year. The schools that mention it are aware of it.
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25 may be the point at which some people say an applicant can handle school, but if they've loads of other applicants with higher scores why would they choose the lower scoring candidate? Just because something is a limit, a requirement, or deadline, doesn't mean it is by rights good enough, if you get my gist.

Regarding the mcat, if you want my unsolicited opinion, I'd say if you got a 27 or 28 and you've already applied a couple times, maybe take a year off, study, and take it again before applying next cycle. You don't need a prep course, just buy yourself the Berkeley review set with the money you're saving by not interviewing or missing work. Time and discipline got me my score. In any case, a lot of schools won't accept an mcat over three years old, not sure if that applies to you.

All the best to you
 
Got an email from a student today about a $900 month 3bd/2bath house with a garage and backyard. Exactly what we are looking for. I've seen people already buying houses and people already moved but the logistics of starting school is a major headache. No financial aid for another month. Then it won't be dispersed until the first week of school. A lot of people are saying get a place now before they are taken but I don't see how. Might be time to make some awkward calls to family members to see what I can borrow from them before I borrow from the government lol.
 
Captain Sisko said:
25 may be the point at which some people say an applicant can handle school, but if they've loads of other applicants with higher scores why would they choose the lower scoring candidate? Just because something is a limit, a requirement, or deadline, doesn't mean it is by rights good enough, if you get my gist.

Regarding the mcat, if you want my unsolicited opinion, I'd say if you got a 27 or 28 and you've already applied a couple times, maybe take a year off, study, and take it again before applying next cycle. You don't need a prep course, just buy yourself the Berkeley review set with the money you're saving by not interviewing or missing work. Time and discipline got me my score. In any case, a lot of schools won't accept an mcat over three years old, not sure if that applies to you.

All the best to you
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I did study with the Berkeley review set and that was a 9 month 6 day a week operation. Personally I do not think TBR helped at all since I scored the same on my pretests and post tests. That was a waste of time for me.

If we want to state there are loads of other applicants with higher scores, for three of the four schools I interviewed with, my MCAT was higher than their accepted average especially for URM/ED. MCG was the only place I was not above average (plus the top reach schools). My other factors were all way above average for accepted applicants. And it is not every day you see an MD applicant with the heavy weight letter writers I had, it helps when one was a consultant to the CDC for a year and a half.

My interviews did not require me to miss work or lose money since I own my own business. MCG was concerned about that last year and basically told me to get accepted I needed to stat shutting down the business so I outsourced most of the work which I kinda had to anyway given my arm.

If this doesn't work, I am going to go to rabbinical school, I am being recruited by four who appreciate what a gay trans mixed race disabled parent of four with my experiences can bring to the table. Either way, I am being forced to leave the state which means I would not be able to go to choice 1 or choice 2 medical schools.
 
QuantumJ said:
Got an email from a student today about a $900 month 3bd/2bath house with a garage and backyard. Exactly what we are looking for. I've seen people already buying houses and people already moved but the logistics of starting school is a major headache. No financial aid for another month. Then it won't be dispersed until the first week of school. A lot of people are saying get a place now before they are taken but I don't see how. Might be time to make some awkward calls to family members to see what I can borrow from them before I borrow from the government lol.
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Better than nothing. Glad you're finding housing!
 
Just got an email today, top 1/3 of waitlist at U Cincinnati
still deferred at Ohio State and waitlist (unranked) at NEOMED.

**Oh, also rejected at the rest. One silent, the rest actually said so. One said something a month ago but it was in my spam folder.
 
orthogenes said:
Just got an email today, top 1/3 of waitlist at U Cincinnati
still deferred at Ohio State and waitlist (unranked) at NEOMED.

**Oh, also rejected at the rest. One silent, the rest actually said so. One said something a month ago but it was in my spam folder.
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I hope something happens, to a fellow ohioan!
 
Crossing my fingers for you, aero!

I know some schools like SUNY Stony Brook are pretty LGBT friendly, but that's hard for an out of stater. I think Tufts was relatively friendly as well, which is what I've been told by current students.
 
CajunMedic said:
Got the phone call at 1400 yesterday. Accepted at WCUCOM-my top choice!
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Congratulations!
familyaerospace said:
Mazel tov! I guess this means people are finally starting to hit waitlists!
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Ee! Good luck! I am so annoyed for you about the "equal" DO classes. I hope this is the year for you. And if not, being a rabbi would be pretty cool, too!
 
orthogenes said:
Ee! Good luck! I am so annoyed for you about the "equal" DO classes. I hope this is the year for you. And if not, being a rabbi would be pretty cool, too!
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Thank you, it annoys me too when everyone says that I should apply DO as that seems to be the default comment. I've gotten more attention and love from the MD schools.

Being a rabbi would be interesting if nothing else. Some of the skills cross over ironically.
 
familyaerospace said:
Thank you, it annoys me too when everyone says that I should apply DO as that seems to be the default comment. I've gotten more attention and love from the MD schools.

Being a rabbi would be interesting if nothing else. Some of the skills cross over ironically.
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Isn't that crossover funny? Good luck!
 
Hi Everyone!

I'm new to SDN and not exactly sure how I came across this thread, but I'm glad that I did! It's great to know there are so many nontraditional students.

I will be matriculating at the University of Maryland this fall and am looking for a (preferably female) roommate to share a 2bd/2bath apartment in a great area and within walking distance to campus. If there are any future UMD students on this thread, feel free to send me a PM.

Congrats to all those who have been accepted; good luck to those still waiting and re-applying!
 
sunny63 said:
Hi Everyone!

I'm new to SDN and not exactly sure how I came across this thread, but I'm glad that I did! It's great to know there are so many nontraditional students.

I will be matriculating at the University of Maryland this fall and am looking for a (preferably female) roommate to share a 2bd/2bath apartment in a great area and within walking distance to campus. If there are any future UMD students on this thread, feel free to send me a PM.

Congrats to all those who have been accepted; good luck to those still waiting and re-applying!
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Congrats and welcome!
 
oOooo, congrats fellow non-trads!!! i've been an intermittent lurker here... & i'm so happy for everyone making their final decisions! i just made mine last week & now i'm bored... maybe i'll hang tough on SDN til august.
 
Elewynne said:
Finally got more financial aid info back and was pleasantly surprised with a scholarship to my top acceptance. Happily turned down all my other acceptances and will be matriculating at Temple!
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That's great! Congrats!
 
Elewynne said:
Finally got more financial aid info back and was pleasantly surprised with a scholarship to my top acceptance. Happily turned down all my other acceptances and will be matriculating at Temple!
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Congratulations! Happy for you!
 
QuantumJ said:
Would anyone be interested in a Facebook group for nontrads class of 2018? Or even a more general nontrads group?
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I'd consider joining, but at the rate this cycle is going (AGAIN) I am likely not going to get in which means this is it for me.
 
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