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IsleyOfTheNorth said:
Actually, yes. I shouldn't have to explain why I'm outside of the cookie-cutter privilege factory if they are sincere in their statement that they are "A holistic approach, from admissions to practice."

Non-trad status shouldn't even be relevant to the discussion in a holistic application process. The point of a holistic system is that you aren't putting people into "standard" and "non-standard" boxes, or boxes at all.
Click to expand...

lol. you literally define holistic as, "comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole." Then you're mad and saying that they shouldn't be considering major parts of an applicant's life history when evaluating them. ????
 
IsleyOfTheNorth said:
You're not understanding it at all. I have a strong feeling that you might not be able to regardless of explaination. But for others who might be reading this thread, here's a CARS question for you:

Imagine the form read:
"Are you from Massachusetts?"
If you click "Yes", then the next question appears. If you click "No" you're prompted with a "Please explain:" text box.

Would you say that the imagined prompt above implies an in-state bias?
Click to expand...

Just answer the questions and move on. Or dont. FYI I am very very nontrad, with only moderately high stats, and already have an II here. Not saying it to toot my own horn, just telling you they are obviously doing a holistic review because I definitely didnt come through the "cookie cutter privilege factory" and they are still giving me a chance.
 
IsleyOfTheNorth said:
You're not understanding it at all. I have a strong feeling that you might not be able to regardless of explaination. But for others who might be reading this thread, here's a CARS question for you:

Imagine the form read:
"Are you from Massachusetts?"
If you click "Yes", then the next question appears. If you click "No" you're prompted with a "Please explain:" text box.

Would you say that the imagined prompt above implies an in-state bias?
Click to expand...
My understanding of BU is the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. They actually favor non-trads and are asking those questions to support their selection. A high percentage of their class comes from their BS/MD program and are younger and less worldly or mature (thus their low average age). They look to balance out the class with older students with worldly experience. So maybe stop looking so hard for perceived micoragressions and just answer the questions truthfully and honestly. And if you are truly that offended, remember no one is making you apply.
 
IsleyOfTheNorth said:
You're not understanding it at all. I have a strong feeling that you might not be able to regardless of explaination. But for others who might be reading this thread, here's a CARS question for you:

Imagine the form read:
"Are you from Massachusetts?"
If you click "Yes", then the next question appears. If you click "No" you're prompted with a "Please explain:" text box.

Would you say that the imagined prompt above implies an in-state bias?
Click to expand...

lol. k dude.

+1 with @MrsDrDr, I'm a pretty non-trad guy who had to/got to answer all those prompts and I have an II here. If you're gonna get upset over schools asking you to talk about yourself, no matter how blunt or clunky, not sure how I can help. good luck
 
jecki46 said:
My understanding of BU is the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. They actually favor non-trads and are asking those questions to support their selection.
Click to expand...

If that be the case, then they should be made aware that their secondary is conveying the exact opposite message than what they intend.

And, while it's possible I'm the only person who thinks that, I believe that unlikely. Ultimately, it will negatively impact the number of qualified non-trads applying to their program... if only by one.
 
It looks like my post got nuked, but here's my point:

Imagine the form read:
"Are you from Massachusetts?"
If you click "Yes", then the next question appears. If you click "No" you're prompted with a "Please explain:" text box.

Would you say that the imagined prompt above implies an in-state bias?
 
IsleyOfTheNorth said:
Boy, Boston clearly doesn't want non-trads:

1. Did you go on to college directly after high school? Why not? What's wrong with you?
2. If you have spent more than 4 years as an undergraduate, please explain why you're a loser below.
3. Please separate your Community College credit from your real college credit here:

Thanks for your $110, idiot!
Click to expand...
I'm a CC grad and got an interview. So there is hope lol
 
As others have said, I see this as BU allowing people the opportunity to explain things that might otherwise get them screened out. I think it shows an open mind toward NTs, not the opposite. If they didn't care/didn't want NTs, they could save themselves a lot of time and energy by auto screening those people out of the running rather than give themselves a bunch of extra essays to read.
 
Just a fair warning for those with interviews... Don't book any hotel that is south of the campus (dorchester, roxbury, mattapan, jamaica plain), and DO NOT plan to walk outside of the SOM Campus, definitely stick to Ubers to get to/from hotels. BUSM and BMC reside in a very bad area of the city. A 2 minute walk and you're at a shelter and methadone clinic. Streets near BMC can be littered with needles. This is a tough time for that area of Boston so everyone stay safe and don't wander.
 
I don’t think this warning is reasonable. Including Jamaica plain is really when you lost me. Also the Hampton right by campus has offices for the school of public health and is a 5 minute walk from the school. If you can’t make that walk then you probably shouldn’t attend BU because you’ll have to do it.
2Broke2bMD said:
Just a fair warning for those with interviews... Don't book any hotel that is south of the campus (dorchester, roxbury, mattapan, jamaica plain), and DO NOT plan to walk outside of the SOM Campus, definitely stick to Ubers to get to/from hotels. BUSM and BMC reside in a very bad area of the city. A 2 minute walk and you're at a shelter and methadone clinic. Streets near BMC can be littered with needles. This is a tough time for that area of Boston so everyone stay safe and don't wander.
Click to expand...
 
2Broke2bMD said:
Just a fair warning for those with interviews... Don't book any hotel that is south of the campus (dorchester, roxbury, mattapan, jamaica plain), and DO NOT plan to walk outside of the SOM Campus, definitely stick to Ubers to get to/from hotels. BUSM and BMC reside in a very bad area of the city. A 2 minute walk and you're at a shelter and methadone clinic. Streets near BMC can be littered with needles. This is a tough time for that area of Boston so everyone stay safe and don't wander.
Click to expand...
As someone who has extensively volunteered at the shelter you refer to (Southampton Street Shelter), this is frankly ridiculous. If the situation there is causing you this much distress don't bother applying to any school that is not in the richest/whitest part of town.
 
The official medical school residences is literally across the street from this hotel for example. If you truly need to stay that far away for two days, how do you manage 4 years of it ?
ceeattemptsmed said:
I don’t think this warning is reasonable. Including Jamaica plain is really when you lost me. Also the Hampton right by campus has offices for the school of public health and is a 5 minute walk from the school. If you can’t make that walk then you probably shouldn’t attend BU because you’ll have to do it.
Click to expand...
 
Whole reason some of us are going to med school is to work with populations in areas described as "dangerous". If anything having the med school near a more impoverished area of town is a plus to me. Will be easier to find volunteer work and increase exposure to a variety of scenarios/environments!
 
www.boston.com

Debate erupted in the South End over the city’s approach to the opioid crisis. Here’s what you need to know.

The opioid crisis in Boston — and the city’s approach to addressing it — was under a spotlight this week.The police department came under fire from advocates and politicians alike after it undertook an effort it called “Operation Clean Sweep” with a series of arrests in the area known as...
www.boston.com

Your safety walking in this area depends a ton on the time, who's around, your appearance etc. So you could be fine most of the time, but it's caused enough of a problem to trigger substantial police action, see the link above. Sure there's some fearmongering, not everything south of south end is dangerous, that's ridiculous. But you can't deny that the area, especially the big Mass Ave intersection, isn't particularly safe.
 
So...II I think?? My status changed on the portal (there are dates available and everything), but I haven't yet gotten an email. This is my first one so I am simultaneously freaking out and wondering if it's some kind of a mistake. Has anyone else experienced this? Help a struggling girl out
 
ls1422 said:
So...II I think?? My status changed on the portal (there are dates available and everything), but I haven't yet gotten an email. This is my first one so I am simultaneously freaking out and wondering if it's some kind of a mistake. Has anyone else experienced this? Help a struggling girl out
Click to expand...
Emails can take some time to reach your inbox depending on tons of factors, you'll probably get one soon
 
ls1422 said:
So...II I think?? My status changed on the portal (there are dates available and everything), but I haven't yet gotten an email. This is my first one so I am simultaneously freaking out and wondering if it's some kind of a mistake. Has anyone else experienced this? Help a struggling girl out
Click to expand...
Schedule it and wait to book the plane ticket (if needed). And then email them to make sure (then book plane). I can't remember if the boston portal has it but you can also click on a "communication status" tab for some that will have all the emails and status update changes they are *supposed* to email you. Just in case the II email got lost, it will show up in there!
 
u_raptor said:
Schedule it and wait to book the plane ticket (if needed). And then email them to make sure (then book plane). I can't remember if the boston portal has it but you can also click on a "communication status" tab for some that will have all the emails and status update changes they are *supposed* to email you. Just in case the II email got lost, it will show up in there!
Click to expand...
Alright scheduled!! I’ll send an email to them at some point soon.

First II!!! Now I’ll be excited
 
This might be a dumb question to ask, but do medical schools reject unqualified applicants during when the adcom invites the first batch of qualified applicants for interview??
 
AspiringMD0709 said:
This might be a dumb question to ask, but do medical schools reject unqualified applicants during when the adcom invites the first batch of qualified applicants for interview??
Click to expand...

Not sure if this answers your question, but it varies by medical school (some reject in waves, others reject at the end of the cycle, I think some might even ghost you). Some of the schools tell you how they send out rejections in their secondary completion emails. I think BU is one of the schools where they will reject in waves--on last year's thread, people started getting Rs from BU pretty early in the cycle. It's probably going to be hard on morale, but honestly I'd rather get the R than get ghosted haha

(Edit: typo)
 
Last edited:
Hi there, current M1 here. For those of you who got an ii, congratulations! We’re excited to meet you. Just to dispel any myths mentioned in the thread, there are many non-trad students in my cohort, a lot of us are out of state students, and the area that BMC is located in is relatively safe. Granted, it can be a bit dangerous at night, but it’s the same case for any large metropolitan cities, not just the South End. Additionally, for anyone who is still filling out their secondary, the essays are truly optional and are reserved for students who have a compelling backstory that provides admissions a new perspective on them (I didn’t bother writing them).
 
Hey all, I'm applying MD-PhD to BUSM and I have a question:

I just checked my portal and the current status says: "Interview invitation sent by email." But, I checked my entire inbox (including spam) and didn't find an email inviting me to interview. There also isn't any record of an II being sent in the "Email History" tab of the BUSM portal, but I am able to schedule an interview on the "Interview Scheduling" tab. To make things more confusing, though, on the "Application Status" tab there is a record of an email sent on 8/29 with the II (that I never received).

Has this happened to anybody else? Does it mean I'll be getting an II soon, or is a glitch? I'll call Admissions tomorrow but I'm curious if anybody else has had this happen before! Any advice is appreciated 🙂
 
Last edited:
NatGeoLover said:
Hey all, I'm applying MD-PhD to BUSM and I have a question:

I just checked my portal and the current status says: "Interview invitation sent by email." But, I checked my entire inbox (including spam) and didn't find an email inviting me to interview. There also isn't any record of an II being sent in the "Email History" tab of the BUSM portal, but I am able to schedule an interview on the "Interview Scheduling" tab. To make things more confusing, though, on the "Application Status" tab there is a record of an email sent on 8/29 with the II (that I never received).

Has this happened to anybody else? Does it mean I'll be getting an II soon, or is a glitch? I'll call Admissions tomorrow but I'm curious if anybody else has had this happen before! Any advice is appreciated 🙂
Click to expand...

Someone else reported this in this thread previously.
 
ls1422 said:
Alright scheduled!! I’ll send an email to them at some point soon.

First II!!! Now I’ll be excited
Click to expand...

Congrats! Just saw your posts above and realized I’m in the same boat with MD-PhD interviewing—did you ever hear back from Admissions or did you get an email with the official II eventually?
 
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