2018-2019 Waitlist Support Thread

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Meridian17 said:
So theoretically there could be some movement today and over the next week, but there's not expected to be much, right?
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I think that even though the "plan to enroll" option is open, the "commit to school" option doesn't open up till April 30th. So I doubt there will be much movement till then.
 
RainAngel said:
I think that even though the "plan to enroll" option is open, the "commit to school" option doesn't open up till April 30th. So I doubt there will be much movement till then.
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Agreed. Even though historically there was always waitlist movement between April 15-30, that was back when schools had all the data on their accepted applicants. Now that they're completely blinded (phrasing I've heard used by several adcoms both on SDN and in person), I wouldn't expect much before May 1st.
 
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Is this thread friendly to people with MD acceptances, but still on the waitlist at their first choice? I got into 3 MD programs, but the only school I really felt at home in and had a "this is where I want to be" feeling put me on their waitlist. It wasn't so bad the first 5 months of the WL, but at this point, it's torture!
 
Does anyone know how coming off a waitlist might impact available financial aid?
 
ranne13 said:
Is this thread friendly to people with MD acceptances, but still on the waitlist at their first choice? I got into 3 MD programs, but the only school I really felt at home in and had a "this is where I want to be" feeling put me on their waitlist. It wasn't so bad the first 5 months of the WL, but at this point, it's torture!
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i am EXACTLY in the same boat. WELCOME 🙂)) hahhaha
 
As weird as it is, I enjoy the writing, applying, and interviewing even though I failed to get accepted so far. I grow alot through the reflection and I enjoy it bc im doing it all on my own instead of paying others to write my story for me.

Working lower end jobs for experience and volunteering for a chance to grow and showcase that on my apps while balancing the need to survive in a high col area and have a roof over my head for my family is not easy.

Im excited about applying and getting more rejections but I just wish it wasn't so expensive to struggle with debt even more. Crazy!
 
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1nside said:
As weird as it is, I enjoy the writing, applying, and interviewing even though I failed to get accepted so far. I grow alot through the reflection and I enjoy it bc im doing it all on my own instead of paying others to write my story for me.

Working lower end jobs for experience and volunteering for a chance to grow and showcase that on my apps while balancing the need to survive in a high col area and have a roof over my head for my family is not easy.

Still have 2 wl and a non decision so far. I reached out to a few schools for feedback and I know my weaknesses. I know I can do better and tell my story better. I love my story, what I've done for others, and how I've grown. I know it's a game a business and a beauty pageant of a world and I know I'm genuine even though it hasn't gone across to adcoms.

Im excited about applying and getting more rejections but I just wish it wasn't so expensive so that a low income older guy like me has to struggle with debt even more. Crazy!
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hang in there! it is not over yet
 
so here i am, waiting for my waitlist decision, all schools low tier,.... and looking through the threads where ppl ask for advice in choosing between Harvard (almost full ride) and another school full ride.... FML..... this is so depressing... .
 
mmaslyanko said:
so here i am, waiting for my waitlist decision, all schools low tier,.... and looking through the threads where ppl ask for advice in choosing between Harvard (almost full ride) and another school full ride.... FML..... this is so depressing... .
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Yeah I think that's one of the downsides of this site... It can be nice have a community of similar people to interact with but it make it harder to focus on your own accomplishments and be proud of them. You are good enough!! 🙂 just remember so many don't get accepted every year and you did
 
pinkowl250 said:
Yeah I think that's one of the downsides of this site... It can be nice have a community of similar people to interact with but it make it harder to focus on your own accomplishments and be proud of them. You are good enough!! 🙂 just remember so many don't get accepted every year and you did
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yeah i think i am suffering with "immigrant" syndrome. When you are an immigrant you keep regretting not having all the opportunities that others had growing up, and it sucks. You keep thinking that no matter how hard i work i will never get as far as someone who was born here. I know this is a very faulty logic and is totally wrong, but it is hard to not feel inferior, especially when you read some of the posts here 🙂)
 
mmaslyanko said:
so here i am, waiting for my waitlist decision, all schools low tier,.... and looking through the threads where ppl ask for advice in choosing between Harvard (almost full ride) and another school full ride.... FML..... this is so depressing... .
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Comparison is the thief of joy. There are people that applied this cycle with zero IIs. They wish they were in your shoes right now.
 
mmaslyanko said:
yeah i think i am suffering with "immigrant" syndrome. When you are an immigrant you keep regretting not having all the opportunities that others had growing up, and it sucks. You keep thinking that no matter how hard i work i will never get as far as someone who was born here. I know this is a very faulty logic and is totally wrong, but it is hard to not feel inferior, especially when you read some of the posts here 🙂)
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Immigrants actually make a big fraction of healthcare/stem workers.
 
mmaslyanko said:
yeah i think i am suffering with "immigrant" syndrome. When you are an immigrant you keep regretting not having all the opportunities that others had growing up, and it sucks. You keep thinking that no matter how hard i work i will never get as far as someone who was born here. I know this is a very faulty logic and is totally wrong, but it is hard to not feel inferior, especially when you read some of the posts here 🙂)
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There's always going to be someone in life that has it better in some type of way. I read somewhere "Comparison is the thief of joy". I think it's best to appreciate what you have and be proud of what you bring. In the end of the day, our goal isn't to get a full ride to a prestigious university, but to be the best doctor you can be to patients.
 
mmaslyanko said:
so here i am, waiting for my waitlist decision, all schools low tier,.... and looking through the threads where ppl ask for advice in choosing between Harvard (almost full ride) and another school full ride.... FML..... this is so depressing... .
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Dude I feel like we are the same person! I am exactly in your shoes and I feel like instead of being happy for accomplishing my life long goal of getting accepted to med school, I feel miserable. some days are better than the others but I hope that this feeling would go away at some point because it is really affecting my motivation to actually study medicine once I am in med school. I think we just need to completely shift our perspective.
 
Astrotist said:
Dude I feel like we are the same person! I am exactly in your shoes and I feel like instead of being happy for accomplishing my life long goal of getting accepted to med school, I feel miserable. some days are better than the others but I hope that this feeling would go away at some point because it is really affecting my motivation to actually study medicine once I am in med school. I think we just need to completely shift our perspective.
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I’m confused on what’s killing your guys’ motivation. From this point it’s entirely up to you to achieve what you want with that MD. It’s one of the most prestigious degrees in the world...Your board scores will matter more than where you’re graduating from so work for what you want to achieve
 
futuredoc0307 said:
I’m confused on what’s killing your guys’ motivation. From this point it’s entirely up to you to achieve what you want with that MD. It’s one of the most prestigious degrees in the world...Your board scores will matter more than where you’re graduating from so work for what you want to achieve
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I guess but match lists make it look like you have to go to a good school to match into a good residency.
 
Astrotist said:
I guess but match lists make it look like you have to go to a good school to match into a good residency.
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It’s multifactorial, not just about the school. Think of the type of students that get into top schools..they’re very hard working and competitive in their stats/activities, and they will most likely continue with the same work ethic in med schools, hence the good match list. It’s mainly student-dependent once you’re accepted.
 
Do you guys think that being placed on the waitlist earlier rather than later in the cycle, gives a better chance of being pulled off, or does it not matter?
 
Kiwimd17 said:
Do you guys think that being placed on the waitlist earlier rather than later in the cycle, gives a better chance of being pulled off, or does it not matter?
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I’m guessing it would depend on the school and how they go about building their class. I’m sure strategies vary.
 
Must I “plan to enroll” by May 1? I am accepted at 1 school and on the WL at my dream school. Both are in state. Will the WL school see that I’m accepted at the other school and be less likely to accept me because I have selected “plan to enroll”? If I get accepted to my dream school from the waitlist I will definitely attend there.
 
eaglebaseball4 said:
Must I “plan to enroll” by May 1? I am accepted at 1 school and on the WL at my dream school. Both are in state. Will the WL school see that I’m accepted at the other school and be less likely to accept me because I have selected “plan to enroll”? If I get accepted to my dream school from the waitlist I will definitely attend there.
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From the email they sent, it seems like they only tell other schools when you "commit to enroll"
 
eaglebaseball4 said:
Must I “plan to enroll” by May 1? I am accepted at 1 school and on the WL at my dream school. Both are in state. Will the WL school see that I’m accepted at the other school and be less likely to accept me because I have selected “plan to enroll”? If I get accepted to my dream school from the waitlist I will definitely attend there.
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No, plan to enroll is different than commit to enroll
 
eaglebaseball4 said:
Yea that’s basically my question too
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I mean, you are supposed to narrow down to one school (ie you can keep your waitlists, but drop all your acceptances but one and choose plan to enroll). Apparently there's not really any legal downside to not narrowing it down on April 30, but multiple schools have emphasized that they consider following these protocols to be an issue of professionalism and you don't want to start off looking unprofessional to schools. Plus, the longer you drag out your decision, the longer you leave other people (like the ones on this thread!) waiting for a waitlist, so you honestly should also do it just out of common courtesy to other applicants who don't have any acceptances.
 
echogecko said:
I mean, you are supposed to narrow down to one school (ie you can keep your waitlists, but drop all your acceptances but one and choose plan to enroll). Apparently there's not really any legal downside to not narrowing it down on April 30, but multiple schools have emphasized that they consider following these protocols to be an issue of professionalism and you don't want to start off looking unprofessional to schools. Plus, the longer you drag out your decision, the longer you leave other people (like the ones on this thread!) waiting for a waitlist, so you honestly should also do it just out of common courtesy to other applicants who don't have any acceptances.
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Totally agree! I’m just unclear about once you’ve narrowed it to one if you’re supposed to hit plan to enroll or nothing, like if your waitlist school sees that you’ve “planned to enroll” elsewhere if they’re less likely to accept
 
thinklikeaproton2019 said:
Totally agree! I’m just unclear about once you’ve narrowed it to one if you’re supposed to hit plan to enroll or nothing, like if your waitlist school sees that you’ve “planned to enroll” elsewhere if they’re less likely to accept
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I believe you have to “plan to enroll” by April 30th; otherwise, the school will assume you have declined. I could definitely be wrong, but if you are relying on your last acceptance that you have narrowed down to, then I would advise to call the school for clarification. Not worth the risk of asking for advice on SDN when you can just ask the people who actually know.
 
NakMuay33 said:
I believe you have to “plan to enroll” by April 30th; otherwise, the school will assume you have declined. I could definitely be wrong, but if you are relying on your last acceptance that you have narrowed down to, then I would advise to call the school for clarification. Not worth the risk of asking for advice on SDN when you can just ask the people who actually know.
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The choose your school tool is optional, UNLESS your specific school requires that you “commit to enroll” by a certain date”. This should be on their website or communicated to accepted students via email. There is a post here trying to get a list of dates together. I haven’t seen a single thing about schools stipulating “plan to enroll” probably because that clearly means you’re undecided, where “commit to enroll” means you’ve made your choice.
 
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I feel like these tools are still confusing so I made a handy guide.

PLAN TO ENROLL

what it really means: "I got into a cool school. After 4/30 it'll be my only one, but I'm still on the waitlist market"
when do I do it: by 4/30 please (but see end of this post...)
can I keep another acceptance?: yes before 4/30! no after 4/30
can I have a bunch of waitlists?: yes

if you are neurotic like me:
can other acceptances see my choice?: yes, after 4/30. They don't know which school you plan to attend. Before 4/30 they see aggregates, not your name.
can other waitlists see my choice?: same as above
can other submitted apps see my choice?: nope
pls can I keep another acceptance after 4/30?: technically yes, but it violates traffic rules. Also see end of post.

COMMIT TO ENROLL

what it really means: "I'm totally off the market guys, I'm going to that cool school"
when do I do it: after 4/30 and before the school deadline (usually June/July)
can I have another acceptance?: hell no
can I have a bunch of waitlists?: no

if you are neurotic:
can other accepts/waitlists see I committed?: yes, but not which school you committed to.
pls can I keep another acceptance?: lol they will just rescind you
pls can I keep a waitlist?: fine, but it violates traffic rules. Also every school will know you are committed to some school (and not which one, so they're less likely to "poach" you).

WHAT IF I DON'T USE THESE?

- waitlist schools will not know your acceptances or other waitlists at any point
- acceptance schools will not know your other acceptances or intentions or adherence to traffic rules (but see below)
- btw, the AAMC does not care about anything you do

THE 2019 DILEMMA

Schools can see me. That makes me nervous and I want to game this (very stupid) system! Should I avoid "plan to enroll" like the plague, so no one knows about my acceptance(s)?
- Honestly, yeah, go for it. This doesn't even violate traffic rules. But verify your school's policy. For example, schools could (and should!) threaten to rescind your accept if you don't "plan to enroll" there on 4/30.

Sources:
- AMCAS traffic rules
- AMCAS Choose Your Medical School info page

Edit: clarified traffic rule issues & poaching
Edit 2: clarified who sees what
 
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Does anybody know what percentage of applicants on 2 waitlists are offered acceptance? Waitlisted at USC Greenville (upper-tier) and USC Columbia (middle tier).
 
Still waiting to hear back what tier I am on and I am going crazy!
 
pianoman09 said:
I feel like these tools are still confusing so I made a handy guide.

PLAN TO ENROLL

what it really means: "I got into a cool school. After 4/30 it'll be my only one, but I'm still on the waitlist market"
when do I do it: by 4/30 please (but see end of this post...)
can I keep another acceptance?: yes before 4/30! no after 4/30
can I have a bunch of waitlists?: yes

if you are neurotic like me:
can other acceptances see me?: yes, after 4/30 (and as aggregated data before 4/30)
can other waitlists see me?: same - yes after 4/30
can other submitted apps see me?: nope
pls can I keep another acceptance after 4/30?: ok fine, but see end of this post

COMMIT TO ENROLL

what it really means: "I'm totally off the market guys, I'm going to that cool school"
when do I do it: after 4/30 and before the school deadline (usually June/July)
can I have another acceptance?: hell no
can I have a bunch of waitlists?: no

if you are neurotic:
can other accepts/waitlists see me?: yes
pls can I keep another acceptance?: lol they will just rescind you
pls can I keep a waitlist?: ok fine, but every school will know you are committed to X school and an acceptance would be blatant poaching.

THE 2019 DILEMMA

Schools can see me. That makes me nervous and I want to game this (very stupid) system! Should I avoid "plan to enroll" like the plague, so no one knows about my acceptance(s)?
- Honestly, yeah, go for it. But verify your school's policy. For example, schools could (and should!) threaten to rescind your accept if you don't "plan to enroll" there on 4/30.

Sources:
- AMCAS traffic rules
- AMCAS Choose Your Medical School info page
Click to expand...

I love this. Just want to add:

1. You cannot keep waitlists if you Commit to Enroll, per AAMC. You should withdraw from all other acceptances and WL. If you want to keep your WL after 4/30 then choose plan to enroll or nothing at all (but be down to one acceptance).
2. I don't think schools are stipulating anything about plan to enroll, only commit to enroll.
3. If you have WLs but no acceptances than the WL cannot see that you have other WL. That sounds confusing, but if you don't have an acceptance you don't have the plan/commit to enroll button.
4. Poaching isn't against the rules any longer.
 
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