2015-2016 George Washington University Application Thread

Started by Ismet
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Thanks for sharing. What a bizarre process! I hope you hear back from them and are able to coordinate your trip out to DC. I just heard that my georgetown app is complete, so i'm hoping that i'll soon be in your boat (at least the II part, not so much the logistical nightmare).
 
Affiche said:
Just called a bit ago.

The general process is Complete->> Hold->> Review->>Re-review->> Decision.
If you are currently Complete, you have not yet been reviewed.
If you are going to be in the area, you are encouraged to submit an "in the area" update via the online portal at least 1 month in advance, as they generally try to give a month's notice to schedule an interview. There is no guarantee that they will accommodate the request, but you won't get any grief for the update and it may help you with scheduling around a logistical nightmare lol.
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Did they give any indication as to why they're reviewing the apps out of order?
 
han3 said:
Did they give any indication as to why they're reviewing the apps out of order?
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^^^^
I just don't understand this part. Are they lumping people into subcategories? IE: Throw all the FAP applicants in one pile, subdivide into socioeconomic, cultural, etc. Throw ORM into another and go? This process makes no sense right now.
 
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han3 said:
Did they give any indication as to why they're reviewing the apps out of order?
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I didn't ask because because I didn't want to sound accusatory.
The guy on the phone was incredibly helpful but was speaking very quickly and I was mostly just trying to figure out if I should update my file or not haha.
 
Affiche said:
I didn't ask because because I didn't want to sound accusatory.
The guy on the phone was incredibly helpful but was speaking very quickly and I was mostly just trying to figure out if I should update my file or not haha.
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I've updated my file twice, one to update on clinical hours and another to acknowledge an addition of qualifications.
It hasn't helped at all, apparently.
 
breezy16 said:
^^^^
I just don't understand this part. Are they lumping people into subcategories? IE: Throw all the FAP applicants in one pile, subdivide into socioeconomic, cultural, etc. Throw ORM into another and go? This process makes no sense right now.
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I highly highly doubt they lump "underserved rural whites," "transgender urban southerners" or any broad socioeconomic markers that could be attributable to people in different piles. Not to say they don't have ways to categorize individuals based on stats, research, volunteer experience, etc.
 
breezy16 said:
I've updated my file twice, one to update on clinical hours and another to acknowledge an addition of qualifications.
It hasn't helped at all, apparently.
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I'm sure it will help when they're reviewing your application, but additional qualifications doesn't necessarily put pressure on them to look at your application, no offense. I don't think GW is one of them (unfortunately for me), but there are schools that will try to look at an application to accommodate an "in the area" request since interviewing is so costly. I'm very doubtful that my update will help me out at all, but I had to at least try 🙂
 
BurghMed said:
I highly highly doubt they lump "underserved rural whites," "transgender urban southerners" or any broad socioeconomic markers that could be attributable to people in different piles. Not to say they don't have ways to categorize individuals based on stats, research, volunteer experience, etc.
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I agree and I highly doubt it, also. I'm just trying to rationalize, albeit unsuccessfully, why reviews are going out of perceived order.

Affiche said:
I'm sure it will help when they're reviewing your application, but additional qualifications doesn't necessarily put pressure on them to look at your application, no offense. I don't think GW is one of them (unfortunately for me), but there are schools that will try to look at an application to accommodate an "in the area" request since interviewing is so costly. I'm very doubtful that my update will help me out at all, but I had to at least try 🙂
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A month a huge timeline to accept, I think. 2-3 weeks should be sufficient. It's just unfortunate for you to have to come back later, when it could've been done sooner. 🙁
 
breezy16 said:
I agree and I highly doubt it, also. I'm just trying to rationalize, albeit unsuccessfully, why reviews are going out of perceived order.



A month a huge timeline to accept, I think. 2-3 weeks should be sufficient. It's just unfortunate for you to have to come back later, when it could've been done sooner. 🙁
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I would be grateful for an interview at any time! Just hoping I'll be able to afford the trip out there lol.
 
this may have been said before, but if i already have a clinical experience and community service experience that has been listed as "most meaningful" on my AMCAS primary app, should i use the same experiences on this secondary or write about different experiences? i mean, i dont really wanna be repetitive in my app but there can only be one *most* meaningful experience per each category (unless i write it in a sense that all my experiences have been equally meaningful in different ways....something difficult to do in 350 characters). maybe im totally over thinking this! haha
 
I wrote about something I briefly discussed in my personal and most meaningful portions of my primary because of the profound effect it had on me. Is it redundant? Perhaps. But, I'm not going to write about something else that doesn't have a quarter of the impact on me because I've already written about it somewhere.
 
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So I've been complete at GW since 7/2 and have had the complete status since. No changes at all. Would this be a good time to call?
 
Affiche said:
I would (and did lol!)
It probably won't help anything, but receiving multiple calls each day from kids that submitted and a while ago and still haven't been looked at might get them to look at applications in order lol. They do claim to be rolling, after all.
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+1
 
breezy16 said:
Wait, VCU didn't screen you/inform of screening, thus didn't send out a second?
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No lol I passed the screen and was granted a supplemental application but was never notified that it was granted. I saw on the VCU thread that someone logged into their portal with their AAMC ID and birth date and found out they were granted one but never notified. Out of curiosity, I logged in as well and discovered that I also had been granted one almost 2 weeks before! I called to make sure it wasn't a mistake, and they assured me that I did in fact pass the screen but there must have been an issue with them emailing me. No apology or anything.
 
Affiche said:
No lol I passed the screen and was granted a supplemental application but was never notified that it was granted. I saw on the VCU thread that someone logged into their portal with their AAMC ID and birth date and found out they were granted one but never notified. Out of curiosity, I logged in as well and discovered that I also had been granted one almost 2 weeks before! I called to make sure it wasn't a mistake, and they assured me that I did in fact pass the screen but there must have been an issue with them emailing me. No apology or anything.
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Wow, that's a little frightening.
 
Affiche said:
No lol I passed the screen and was granted a supplemental application but was never notified that it was granted. I saw on the VCU thread that someone logged into their portal with their AAMC ID and birth date and found out they were granted one but never notified. Out of curiosity, I logged in as well and discovered that I also had been granted one almost 2 weeks before! I called to make sure it wasn't a mistake, and they assured me that I did in fact pass the screen but there must have been an issue with them emailing me. No apology or anything.
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organesha said:
Wow, that's a little frightening.
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Sadly the same exact thing happened to me
 
noflag said:
Sadly the same exact thing happened to me
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Haha me too. But even worse. When I logged in it showed I hadn't been screened yet. I decided to call and turned out my account was broken and I had been offered a secondary two weeks ago.
 
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ScubaManD said:
So I've been complete at GW since 7/2 and have had the complete status since. No changes at all. Would this be a good time to call?
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On previous cycles, there have been people who were stuck on the complete status for a month or two with no updates and ended up getting II's later on.
I think this is just how they do things...
 
While it definitely is frustrating the way they do things, I wouldn't consistently call them. Just lay back and wait, and if by mid-late august you don't hear back, then call them. Think about what they must think if you call them all the time, it definitely isn't going to make them want to let you in so you can bug them for 4 more years, right?
 
question for on hold ppl: I am wondering if "on hold" and "on hold for re-review" are two different statuses or the only on hold status is "on hold for re-review". thanks!
 
HipHopDancing said:
While it definitely is frustrating the way they do things, I wouldn't consistently call them. Just lay back and wait, and if by mid-late august you don't hear back, then call them. Think about what they must think if you call them all the time, it definitely isn't going to make them want to let you in so you can bug them for 4 more years, right?
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I don't think anyone suggested that one person consistently call them but rather that each person who has concerns is perfectly within their right to call and ask what's up. There seems to be a large number of people who were passed over and are concerned, and I don't see the harm in them realizing that their lack of transparency is concerning to a large number of applicants. Other schools have been incredibly open about when we can expect an update and what the process is looking like. Considering the cost of applying, I don't think it's out of line to call and ask what 's going on.
 
nvrsaynvr said:
question for on hold ppl: I am wondering if "on hold" and "on hold for re-review" are two different statuses or the only on hold status is "on hold for re-review". thanks!
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I had been wondering the same thing, but pretty sure they are the same status--everyone on hold is seeing "on hold for re-review."
 
Definitely encouraging reading that page. GW was the first school to update my status and when i saw that i was placed "on hold" my confidence was shot. But then i turned to my trusty SDN and was reassured!
 
I might have been reading 2013-2014 LOL I'm on my phone and struggling hard with this site on mobile. Anyway, it looked like multiple people went from Complete to II without a change in status, and it took 3-4 weeks to receive the email after submitting. Time to stop stressing!
 
Affiche said:
No lol I passed the screen and was granted a supplemental application but was never notified that it was granted. I saw on the VCU thread that someone logged into their portal with their AAMC ID and birth date and found out they were granted one but never notified. Out of curiosity, I logged in as well and discovered that I also had been granted one almost 2 weeks before! I called to make sure it wasn't a mistake, and they assured me that I did in fact pass the screen but there must have been an issue with them emailing me. No apology or anything.
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Thanks for posting this. I just found out that I passed the screen. I can't believe this happened!
 
cokezero0101 said:
Thanks for posting this. I just found out that I passed the screen. I can't believe this happened!
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I'm sorry this happened to you.

Honestly, I don't think I'm going to apply to VCU anymore. With them sending out the wrong secondary prompt the first week, changing it without notifying applicants the second week, not emailing half their applicants that they passed the screen at all, no apology for any of this, and then a recent unrelated issue...ugh! I think I'm getting into Jalby territory....
 
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What a bizarre process. I was complete on the 22nd or so and put on hold on the 24th. I wish they would give us more information about what being put on hold actually means and the reasons why applicants are put on hold. Certainly they understand we are all neurotic and obsessing over this unclear status update!
 
timsk said:
What a bizarre process. I was complete on the 22nd or so and put on hold on the 24th. I wish they would give us more information about what being put on hold actually means and the reasons why applicants are put on hold. Certainly they understand we are all neurotic and obsessing over this unclear status update!
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Personally, I feel like I'm either getting a II this week or will be part of rejection hammer massacre that is inevitably coming.
 
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