2018-2019 Waitlist Support Thread

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futuredoc0307 said:
@gyngyn is it annoying to adcom to receive inquiry about their waitlist?
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It is more sad than annoying.
Since very few schools have a ranked waitlist, all the staff can do is try to be supportive (as there is no useful information).
We get calls from the Dean and all we can do is give the same response.
 
danque.png
 
@gyngyn if i do a graduate program will it count towards by cGPA or is it considered something completely different?
 
Hey guys! I have an acceptance at a school but am still on the waitlist for my top choice school, which I would wait out till mid-July for. I got a call from the school I'm accepted at saying that I should choose the PTE or CTE tool since I haven't already done so. I haven't used the PTE tool because I don't want my top choice school seeing I am "planning" on enrolling somewhere else.

I know previous posts mentioned that the PTE tool doesn't have much effect; however, I think the contrary. If schools are pushing us to use the PTE tool, I'm under the assumption that they are still considering it as some form of commitment so they can rule out people to base who to take off the WL (essentially people with 0 acceptances). Since WL movement is already happening later this cycle and they're in the dark, I'm sure they are desperate to fill in empty seats as efficiently as they can.

I am very grateful for at least getting one acceptance, don't get me wrong. However, my top choice school is an overall better fit for me in a variety of aspects so I am not sure what to do.

I have sent an LOI to my top choice school where mentioned I had another acceptance but would still pick their school if they were to offer an acceptance. However, I am scared that using the PTE tool is going to make me look like I've already committed somewhere else and they will be hesitant to take me off the WL versus someone else with 0 acceptances.

If anyone has any advice based on their own experience or in general, it would help a lot. Thanks so much!
 
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phillykat96 said:
Hey guys! I have an acceptance at a school but am still on the waitlist for my top choice school, which I would wait out till mid-July for. I got a call from the school I'm accepted at saying that I should choose the PTE or CTE tool since I haven't already done so. I haven't used the PTE tool because I don't want my top choice school seeing I am "planning" on enrolling somewhere else.

I know previous posts mentioned that the PTE tool doesn't have much effect; however, I think the contrary. If schools are pushing us to use the PTE tool, I'm under the assumption that they are still considering it as some form of commitment so they can rule out people to base who to take off the WL (essentially people with 0 acceptances). Since WL movement is already happening later this cycle and they're in the dark, I'm sure they are desperate to fill in empty seats as efficiently as they can.

I am very grateful for at least getting one acceptance, don't get me wrong. However, my top choice school is much closer, in state, cheaper, and an overall better fit for me.

So I am not sure what to do.

I have sent an LOI to my top choice school where mentioned I had another acceptance but would still pick their school if they were to offer an acceptance. However, I am scared that using the PTE tool is going to make me look like I've already committed somewhere else and they will be hesitant to take me off the WL versus someone else with 0 acceptances.

If anyone has any advice based on their own experience or in general, it would help a lot. Thanks so much!
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I’m in the same predicament and I selected PTE. It will make zero difference from what I’ve read from a variety of different ADCOM members in the SDN community. @gyngyn can comment further.
 
Tree1996 said:
My MD school says May 15th is their time for waitlist movement, so maybe other schools are following the same timeline?
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So as I understand it, in the way that MD applicants need to select only one acceptance by April 30th, DO applicants are required to do the same by May 15th. In this way, those waitlisted at MD programs may see increased movement after April 30th and those who are DO will see it after May 15th. Granted, there are also those who applied both MD and DO, so the deadline for one could influence movement on the other. But all of this is really just guesswork on our part anyway.
 
I am also in the same boat and PTE. I'm not sure you would have any other option except possibly losing your acceptance if you don't listen to their request.


Also someone above mentioned they PTE on the first day available in feb, and have received multiple acceptances off WL
 
phillykat96 said:
Hey guys! I have an acceptance at a school but am still on the waitlist for my top choice school, which I would wait out till mid-July for. I got a call from the school I'm accepted at saying that I should choose the PTE or CTE tool since I haven't already done so. I haven't used the PTE tool because I don't want my top choice school seeing I am "planning" on enrolling somewhere else.

I know previous posts mentioned that the PTE tool doesn't have much effect; however, I think the contrary. If schools are pushing us to use the PTE tool, I'm under the assumption that they are still considering it as some form of commitment so they can rule out people to base who to take off the WL (essentially people with 0 acceptances). Since WL movement is already happening later this cycle and they're in the dark, I'm sure they are desperate to fill in empty seats as efficiently as they can.

I am very grateful for at least getting one acceptance, don't get me wrong. However, my top choice school is much closer, in state, cheaper, and an overall better fit for me.

So I am not sure what to do.

I have sent an LOI to my top choice school where mentioned I had another acceptance but would still pick their school if they were to offer an acceptance. However, I am scared that using the PTE tool is going to make me look like I've already committed somewhere else and they will be hesitant to take me off the WL versus someone else with 0 acceptances.

If anyone has any advice based on their own experience or in general, it would help a lot. Thanks so much!
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Also, PTE is like saying "I plan to enroll in your school barring that nothing changes on my waitlists," versus CTE, which I understand it to mean "I will be attending your school and I have removed myself from all other options." However, from what I have gathered on this forum is that CTE isn't binding and you could still change your mind afterwards.
 
phillykat96 said:
Hey guys! I have an acceptance at a school but am still on the waitlist for my top choice school, which I would wait out till mid-July for. I got a call from the school I'm accepted at saying that I should choose the PTE or CTE tool since I haven't already done so. I haven't used the PTE tool because I don't want my top choice school seeing I am "planning" on enrolling somewhere else.
Click to expand...
Respectfully...bruh. This type of stuff is precisely WHY waitlists have been so awful this year
 
phillykat96 said:
Hey guys! I have an acceptance at a school but am still on the waitlist for my top choice school, which I would wait out till mid-July for. I got a call from the school I'm accepted at saying that I should choose the PTE or CTE tool since I haven't already done so. I haven't used the PTE tool because I don't want my top choice school seeing I am "planning" on enrolling somewhere else.

I know previous posts mentioned that the PTE tool doesn't have much effect; however, I think the contrary. If schools are pushing us to use the PTE tool, I'm under the assumption that they are still considering it as some form of commitment so they can rule out people to base who to take off the WL (essentially people with 0 acceptances). Since WL movement is already happening later this cycle and they're in the dark, I'm sure they are desperate to fill in empty seats as efficiently as they can.

I am very grateful for at least getting one acceptance, don't get me wrong. However, my top choice school is much closer, in state, cheaper, and an overall better fit for me.

So I am not sure what to do.

I have sent an LOI to my top choice school where mentioned I had another acceptance but would still pick their school if they were to offer an acceptance. However, I am scared that using the PTE tool is going to make me look like I've already committed somewhere else and they will be hesitant to take me off the WL versus someone else with 0 acceptances.

If anyone has any advice based on their own experience or in general, it would help a lot. Thanks so much!
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Do you think your WL school expects you to put your life on hold and wait for them, and if not accepted, you’d reapply and give up any current acceptances? Of course not. Given that they already know you have an acceptance from your LOI, If anything, it will appear to them that you’re merely following the rules asked of you.
 
I understand with PTE you can remain on multiple waitlists. But if it didn't have much effect, why are schools calling applicants enforcing it? I understand enforcing CTE as it's binding, well "suppose" to be, but if they are encouraging people to select PTE, from the ADCOM point-of-view it seems to me they don't really care about where student's prefer to go but are just trying to fill their seats, and quick too, since they are blinded without the national acceptance report this year.

Previous years with the NAR, they were able to make assumptions based off where people were accepted (which I can sense is kind of unfair). However, this year since they cannot see what schools but can only see if people have or don't have an acceptance essentially, wouldn't they choose people with 0 acceptances to fill their seats? If I was an ADCOM, that's what I would do since it logically makes more sense than giving an offer to someone who has PTE somewhere else and then betting on them to pick your school because if they don't, then to ADCOM that's an offer wasted, more time taken to fill a spot, and just overall more confusion.

What are other people's opinions on this?
 
Again, I am very grateful for the acceptance I got yesterday and I would gladly attend that school if that is the only option. However, my top choice school is much cheaper and closer to my family so I am waiting out on them just like anyone else would. I am just confused about the new protocols and wanted to see if other people felt the same way.
 
phillykat96 said:
I understand with PTE you can remain on multiple waitlists. But if it didn't have much effect, why are schools calling applicants enforcing it? I understand enforcing CTE as it's binding, well "suppose" to be, but if they are encouraging people to select PTE, from the ADCOM point-of-view it seems to me they don't really care about where student's prefer to go but are just trying to fill their seats, and quick too, since they are blinded without the national acceptance report this year.

Previous years with the NAR, they were able to make assumptions based off where people were accepted (which I can sense is kind of unfair). However, this year since they cannot see what schools but can only see if people have or don't have an acceptance essentially, wouldn't they choose people with 0 acceptances to fill their seats? If I was an ADCOM, that's what I would do since it logically makes more sense than giving an offer to someone who has PTE somewhere else and then betting on them to pick your school because if they don't, then to ADCOM that's an offer wasted, more time taken to fill a spot, and just overall more confusion.

What are other people's opinions on this?
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If they’re specifically asking you to make a selection then you should send them exactly what you told us here and ask them what you should do. You already have the A, there’s nothing to lose.
 
phillykat96 said:
I understand with PTE you can remain on multiple waitlists. But if it didn't have much effect, why are schools calling applicants enforcing it? I understand enforcing CTE as it's binding, well "suppose" to be, but if they are encouraging people to select PTE, from the ADCOM point-of-view it seems to me they don't really care about where student's prefer to go but are just trying to fill their seats, and quick too, since they are blinded without the national acceptance report this year.

Previous years with the NAR, they were able to make assumptions based off where people were accepted (which I can sense is kind of unfair). However, this year since they cannot see what schools but can only see if people have or don't have an acceptance essentially, wouldn't they choose people with 0 acceptances to fill their seats? If I was an ADCOM, that's what I would do since it logically makes more sense than giving an offer to someone who has PTE somewhere else and then betting on them to pick your school because if they don't, then to ADCOM that's an offer wasted, more time taken to fill a spot, and just overall more confusion.

What are other people's opinions on this?
Click to expand...

to an extent, if you sent a LOI to the school where you are waitlisted clearly saying you would withdraw your acceptance I feel like that is different. But i am not sure tbh
 
phillykat96 said:
I understand with PTE you can remain on multiple waitlists. But if it didn't have much effect, why are schools calling applicants enforcing it? I understand enforcing CTE as it's binding, well "suppose" to be, but if they are encouraging people to select PTE, from the ADCOM point-of-view it seems to me they don't really care about where student's prefer to go but are just trying to fill their seats, and quick too, since they are blinded without the national acceptance report this year.

Previous years with the NAR, they were able to make assumptions based off where people were accepted (which I can sense is kind of unfair). However, this year since they cannot see what schools but can only see if people have or don't have an acceptance essentially, wouldn't they choose people with 0 acceptances to fill their seats? If I was an ADCOM, that's what I would do since it logically makes more sense than giving an offer to someone who has PTE somewhere else and then betting on them to pick your school because if they don't, then to ADCOM that's an offer wasted, more time taken to fill a spot, and just overall more confusion.

What are other people's opinions on this?
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I think you know that you should plan to enroll at your current acceptance. Your school has given you a strong hint to do so.
 
soontobedoc123 said:
to an extent, if you sent a LOI to the school where you are waitlisted clearly saying you would withdraw your acceptance I feel like that is different. But i am not sure tbh
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Yeah I was going to mention that, but most people on SDN say that LOIs don't really hold much weight, so an LOI might not even help really?
 
wysdoc said:
I think you know that you should plan to enroll at your current acceptance. Your school has given you a strong hint to do so.
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Oh yeah, of course, I already did select PTE after they told me to. That's not what I'm talking about though, I am just trying to discuss the protocols in terms of what ADCOM members might be deciding to do and how it affects people who are in similar positions as me.
 
If a school called me and told me to PTE, I’d do it in a heartbeat instead of playing the waiting game and risking them rescinding my acceptance.
 
phillykat96 said:
Oh yeah, of course, I already did select PTE after they told me to. That's not what I'm talking about though, I am just trying to discuss the protocols in terms of what ADCOM members might be deciding to do and how it affects people who are in similar positions as me.
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That was not clear from the way you asked the question...
 
What I could see happen is that a bunch of people with acceptances to schools with earlier start dates will get stuck in those spots and the spots to schools they were hoping to attend will open up late July for us poor saps with no acceptances. I'm just glad my school has a later start date.
 
phillykat96 said:
Oh yeah, of course, I already did select PTE after they told me to. That's not what I'm talking about though, I am just trying to discuss the protocols in terms of what ADCOM members might be deciding to do and how it affects people who are in similar positions as me.
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Since you already told the school in your LOI that you would withdraw your acceptance and go there then I’m sure once they see the PTE they’ll just know that you are gonna withdraw from the school you did PTE at. I don’t think it will affect your waitlist position.
 
calvangri said:
What I could see happen is that a bunch of people with acceptances to schools with earlier start dates will get stuck in those spots and the spots to schools they were hoping to attend will open up late July for us poor saps with no acceptances. I'm just glad my school has a later start date.
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but then there will be no spots that open up because those early people were on the waitlist anyways? I'm just confused how spots ever open if they aren't already right now...lol
 
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I just don’t understand the difference between PTE and the multiple acceptance report. Why didn’t AMCAS just send the MAR 4/30 and call it a day.
 
soontobedoc123 said:
but then there will be no spots that open up because those early people were on the waitlist anyways? I'm just confused how spots ever open if they aren't already right now...lol
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That's true. I guess it really only works if these people are holding on to a few spots and they chose the school with the earlier start date. I have faith that it will all work like it has in the past. Medical schools aren't going to have empty seats. It is going to be a mad house mid-summer.
 
calvangri said:
That's true. I guess it really only works if these people are holding on to a few spots and they chose the school with the earlier start date. I have faith that it will all work like it has in the past. Medical schools aren't going to have empty seats. It is going to be a mad house mid-summer.
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the likes of me who are accepted to programs that begin ridiculously early will be screwed.
 
phillykat96 said:
Hey guys! I have an acceptance at a school but am still on the waitlist for my top choice school, which I would wait out till mid-July for. I got a call from the school I'm accepted at saying that I should choose the PTE or CTE tool since I haven't already done so. I haven't used the PTE tool because I don't want my top choice school seeing I am "planning" on enrolling somewhere else.

I know previous posts mentioned that the PTE tool doesn't have much effect; however, I think the contrary. If schools are pushing us to use the PTE tool, I'm under the assumption that they are still considering it as some form of commitment so they can rule out people to base who to take off the WL (essentially people with 0 acceptances). Since WL movement is already happening later this cycle and they're in the dark, I'm sure they are desperate to fill in empty seats as efficiently as they can.

I am very grateful for at least getting one acceptance, don't get me wrong. However, my top choice school is an overall better fit for me in a variety of aspects so I am not sure what to do.

I have sent an LOI to my top choice school where mentioned I had another acceptance but would still pick their school if they were to offer an acceptance. However, I am scared that using the PTE tool is going to make me look like I've already committed somewhere else and they will be hesitant to take me off the WL versus someone else with 0 acceptances.

If anyone has any advice based on their own experience or in general, it would help a lot. Thanks so much!
Click to expand...

Well, I don't think we can convince you. You've said that you read the consensus here. If it helps, I hit PTE on the first day in Feb and got off every single one of my WLs. Schools are watching though because I got a call about switching my PTE. Doesn't mean they will hold it against you. Maybe give them credit that they understand PTE is NOT CTE.

Meridian17 said:
Respectfully...bruh. This type of stuff is precisely WHY waitlists have been so awful this year
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Respectfully, it isn't the applicant's fault. Everyone is confused. Blame AAMC and schools for not setting both PTE and CTE deadlines clearly and early.
 
soontobedoc123 said:
quite honestly if everyone is waiting on getting accepted off their waitlists to give up their acceptances, will there ever be any movement? seems to me spots will never open up then because no ADCOM is giving many acceptances without their spots opening
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LOL so in this case, would people with 0 acceptances have a decent chance of getting off the waitlist so late in the cycle, since they almost know for sure we'll accept the offer?
 
soontobedoc123 said:
quite honestly if everyone is waiting on getting accepted off their waitlists to give up their acceptances, will there ever be any movement? seems to me spots will never open up then because no ADCOM is giving many acceptances without their spots opening
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Gave up 3 acceptances in the last week after getting off WLs so it is helping movement. Just slowly it seems.
 
Got accepted off the waitlist at my top-choice school this morning! (Ironically when SDN was down.)
There is still hope!! I also sent in an LOI less than 48 hours ago... Let your top choices know your intent! Wishing the best for all of you guys!
 
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